Legend of the Eight Firstborn
by Gamewizard2008
Summary: The Dark Master has returned, and his armies are ready. The Kids Next Door and all their allies must work together and find the Eight Firstborn Spirits before they do. The journey begins...
1. Prologue: The History of the Benders

**HELLO, everyone! At long last, the story we've all been waiting for is finally here! If you follow me on the KND Archive, that is! If you don't, then… you're gonna have to read my other stories in order to get this. Right now, just imagine the opening theme from _Paper Mario: TTYD_. Anyway, let's get started!**

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><p><strong><em>The History of the Universe: Dawn of the Benders.<em>**

_Since the beginning of time, there have been gods and spirits: powerful beings that watch over and protect our worlds and work to keep balance and keep away evil in the universe. Each of them played a vital part in making sure the balance was stable. Whenever unfortunate events happened to the mortal beings of this universe, the spirits did their best to protect them. But after many eons of doing so, the spirits eventually became tired, and weary. So one day, the gods decided to lend the mortals their own power: the Powers of the Elements. The mortals would be able to use these powers the gods possess to protect themselves and keep balance in the worlds, and the gods would no longer have to worry about the danger that could befall them. _

_But while the other gods were satisfied with their solution, their leader was not so sure. Even with the mortals having been blessed with their great power, he didn't think they could keep the balance all on their own. So, the gods' ruler, Arceus, decided to place his own powers into a sacred gem: the Jewel of Light. He then searched for a mortal being worthy enough to use as an Avatar for the jewel, someone to use its power. He found the one: Theodore Turner, and entrusted to him the Jewel of Light, thereby granting him the powers of the Elements of Light: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air._

_After mastering his powers, Ted Turner took the name "Captain Planet", because of his elements. And he wisely used his great powers to keep balance in the worlds, and ensure peace and prosperity. Arceus thought his choice was the right one… but:_

_There is another world, parallel to ours. Inhabited by the shadows of the people that live in ours. Its denizens were opposite in nearly every way to their counterparts. But despite this, each shadow shared a spiritual bond with its counterpart: if something were to happen to someone, their shadow would be affected as well. So when Ted Turner was given the Jewel of Light, his Negative counterpart was given his own powers: powers of evil and darkness. The Dark Elements: Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear._

_This evil counterpart used his newfound powers and gathered legions of other elemental benders… and laid siege upon the spirits. His power seemed too great… but eventually, they were somehow saved by the remaining power Arceus still had. But despite his noble effort to defeat this evil being, whom the spirits called the "Negatar"… Arceus was destroyed._

_But while Arceus' physical form was destroyed, no god can truly die. The spirits knew that Arceus still lived on somewhere. They figured this somewhere was the Jewel of Light, which now lay dormant within Captain Planet's soul. After Captain Planet's death, the spirits thought that the Jewel of Light would return to them with his soul… but it didn't._

_While Captain Planet's soul ascended to the Spirit World, the Jewel of Light instead remained in the mortal world, and searched for another worthy vessel to use its power. As generations went on, more Avatars came and went, and the Jewel of Light chose a new one every generation. The same fate became of the Negatars as well. And the power of Arceus still lived on inside those mortal beings… who share the same lifetime._

_However, there is another story: a story that tells of Eight Child Spirits directly descended from Arceus. It is told that these spirits each contain great powers similar to his. And whoever were to find these Eight Spirits would have the greatest power in the universe…_

The top of the Spear Pillar seemed rather quiet as Dialga & Palkia stood high on top, looking down to the world below. "Ugh… where are they?" Dialga asked impatiently.

"What's wrong, Dialga? Your apprentices not on… _time?"_ Palkia remarked.

"Shut your mouth, Brother. At least they're still more reliable than any apprentice YOU could ever have. I just wish they'd…"

"Surprise, surprise." Came a voice from behind.

The two gods immediately turned around and noticed Clockwork, the Ghost of Time. "You're late, Clockwork." Dialga said.

"My apologies, Master." Clockwork bowed. "Being the loyal apprentice of the God of Time doesn't make things move any faster for me."

"Whatever. Where are the others?"

"Misty, Jagar, and Olive are waiting down below. Even timebenders need to save their energy."

"Very well. I suppose you know what's happening anyway?"

"Indeed I do. The Dark Master is returning. When he does, the Quest for the Eight Firstborn will begin at last."

"And it is your job to make sure the Kids Next Door get to them first." Dialga ordered. "And make sure the Eight Guardians are with them."

"The Guardians have already been found. They only need to find themselves first."

"That means two things!" Palkia joked.

"Uh-huh. Anyway, when the Guardians find the Firstborn," Dialga continued, "you must make sure they catch them in these." With that, eight balls appeared out of nowhere around Dialga and drifted down to Clockwork. "These are Spirit Balls: Poké Balls specifically designed to capture the Eight Firstborn, and to be used by their respective Guardians. Without the Guardians, the Poké Balls will not work. Nor will the Firstborn cooperate with them. You must ensure that that happens, and get them delivered to the Guardians."

Clockwork nodded. "I understand. But with many Guardians so far apart from each other, my colleagues and I will have to split up. After all, there's going to much adventuring these next few weeks."

"Understood." Dialga spoke. "But whatever happens, the Dark Armies must not get the Eight Firstborn. You must retrieve them as soon as we can."

"I think we BOTH know what the future holds, Master." Clockwork replied. "And I ensure you… _I intend to make it happen."_ He smiled.

At this time, the other three timebenders joined him up there as well: Misty Greene, Jagar King, and Olive Pioji. "Are we ready to go?" Olive asked.

"Indeed." Clockwork said. "We must split up and assist the chosen ones in their quest. Jagar, you'll be accompanying me. Timewarp." With that, he waved his staff and opened a clock portal. The four spirits proceeded to drift inside.

"Bah. How come YOU get 4 apprentices when I don't even get one?" Palkia whined.

"Perhaps that's because the first mortal YOU entrusted your powers to nearly destroyed the balance." Dialga said.

"I would have had her on my side, had she not gone into breakdown. But you may be the God of Time, but you can't really know your little helpers will succeed."

He was silent. "Maybe not. …But that's what the future holds."

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><p><strong>FanFiction presents…<strong>

**A Gamewizard2008 production…**

**In association with Buddygirl Works, Em, Kim, and April Inc., Depthcharge Industries, Mika Works, Divagirl Cor., Really Big's Hats, and Dani's Dynamites…**

**Also characters used from Nintendo, Sega, Rareware, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network…**

**Voice recording studio: 4kids Productions…**

**With the special voicing talents of:**

**Tara Strong**

**Emma Mason**

**Rob Paulsen**

**Rachael MacFarlane**

**Morgan Catherine**

**Jason Griffith**

**Mark Hamill**

**And many more…**

**…**

**…**

**…**

**…**

**….**

_"WATER."_

_"EARTH."_

_"FIRE."_

_"AIR."_

_"POISON."_

_"SHADOW."_

_"PSYCHIC."_

_"FEAR! !"_

"I-sa want in the intro, too!" Jar Jar said.

"Get back here, you idiot!" Darkrai ordered.

"Sowwy."

**_LEGEND_**

**of the**

**_EIGHT FIRSTBORN_**

**…Loading Transmission…**

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><p><strong>Alright, there's your intro. As a reminder, if you haven't read my other stories, you ain't gonna get this. :P Now just a little warning, some parts of this MAY not be too interesting, because, like boss fights, I've decided to include action stages, just like <em>Sonic<em> or _Smash Bros. Brawl_, where the characters will have to make their way through to the end. But I'll try and make it as exciting as I can. And despite this being on a different archive, the info for this story will still be on the KND Fanfiction Wiki, and it's also where you can find the different music soundtracks used in this. Well, this has been the intro. See you for the actual story. Later. **


	2. The Hunted Siblings

**Wassup, peoples, welcome back to _Firstborn_! We might get to the first stage in this chapter. We'll also introduce someone rather important. Here we go!**

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><p><strong><em>The Hunted Siblings! Morgan Catherine and The Quads!<em>**

**Abandoned auto shop**

In an abandoned auto-repair shop, the Sandman who was known as Wesley Dodds spoke with a group of five old men. They were the Order of the White Lotus. "So… you all had the dream?" he asked them.

"Hehe, yep! For once, I'm not the only one who had a crazy dream!" King Bumi said with a crazy smile.

"The fact that we all had the same dream is no coincidence." Pakku said.

"Yup. I even drank that 'special, soothing coffee' for once." Bumi replied. "I told you that stuff was junk."

"But if what we saw is true, then we have so little time." Iroh said. "The Dark Master is returning."

"I fear that our young monk friend will be endangered, should he arise." Jeong-Jeong replied.

"Yes. As the Dark Master's opposite, he will be in the greatest danger." Iroh followed.

"But as two parallel beings, the Avatar should have as great an advantage over his shadow." Piandao figured.

"So, what do we do?" Sandman asked.

"Hmmm…" Iroh put his hand on his chin in thought. "If the legends are true, the Negatar will be after the Eight Firstborn. The chosen ones must get to them first."

"The legends also say more." Pakku said. "There are others besides the Firstborn Guardians that are important. Ones that must master the full force of their elements."

"I have heard this also." Piandao replied. "And we must help them. But how?..."

"Heh heh heh heh!" At this, they all looked at Bumi. "Fight them, of course!"

"Fight them?" Dodds asked.

"Of course! If they are the chosen ones, they must be tested! And as we all know, the best way to test someone is to battle!"

"I think Bumi's right." Iroh agreed.

"YOU DO? ?"

"Yes. In order to see if they wisely know their elements, we must see up close for ourselves. We will each have to battle the one who has our respective element."

"Do we even know who they are?" Jeong-Jeong asked.

"I have an idea." Iroh said. "We must split up and ambush them when we can."

"What about me?" Sandman asked.

"Well, Sandman, since the closest thing you have to bending is that little gas weapon of yours, perhaps you should test the leader of the poisonbenders." Piandao suggested.

"Sounds fun." He said, standing up. "Let's get started and-" Before he could finish, the phone on the nearby desk started ringing. Dodds walked over and answered it. "What?"

_"Hello? It's Mr. Oldman. I still need my car fixed."_

"Ugh. Can't you call a repair shop or something?"

_"Mmm, but I CAN'T, I'm trapped in the depths of space, and the repair shop I'm calling has been the only one I ever used, I think 20 years ago. Hello? Dodds? Fix my car!"_

"Ugh… I'll be up there soon." With that, he hung up.

"Who was that?" Iroh asked.

"He's… an old friend of mine. Sigh, I'll need to make a quick trip to Nightmare Land before I do my part. You guys start without me."

"Oh yes! It'll be like old-fashioned fossicking!" Bumi exclaimed.

"What? What does that have to do with anything?" Iroh asked.

"Oh, I don't know. This world has some weird languages. And look at this!" He held up a Nintendo DS that had _Sonic Rush Adventure_ on it. "Some sort of device with a magical viewing mirror. And the people won't even listen!" He held it to his face and yelled, "HEY! People in the mirror! SAY SOMETHING TO ME! !" He shook it around.

Just then, the doors shot open, and a nerdy-looking boy walked in in anger, snatching his DS back. "You people are loony cuckoo." With that, he stomped out.

"O…kay then." Iroh said, baffled. "So, do we all understand?"

"There is just one thing…" Jeong-Jeong spoke. "Another legend speaks of someone who is supposed to change the heart of the Dark Master. Lighten his Darkness. Should we not locate this person? And see what power he or she has?"

"HA HA HA HA!" Bumi laughed. "If you actually believe in THAT legend… you're almost as mad as ME!"

"I'm afraid Bumi's right." Pakku said. "How can one lighten the heart swallowed with such darkness? There is no other solution than to defeat him."

"Yes… perhaps you're right." Jeong-Jeong agreed.

"Hold on, you two." Iroh spoke. "Now I'm not sure if this person exists or not…" He conjured a small flame in his hands, staring into it, "but if such a one exists… their destiny will call them forth."

**Downtown Chicago**

Somewhere in Chicago, Indiana, a brown-haired girl with green eyes received a call on her cell phone, answering it. Her name was Morgan Catherine. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, we're just hanging out downtown, we'll be home soon. But can we go now? We're being chased again." And like she said, Morgan and her quadruplet siblings were running down a city road, chased by the bounty hunter, Boba Fett.

"You Quads ain't getting away this time! Ol' Boba's gonna ring yo' little heads!" he exclaimed, shooting lasers.

"You'd think this guy would find something better to do." Buddy said.

"To him, Buddy, this is the PERFECT thing to do." Athena said.

The Quads kept running as they turned down an alleyway. They turned down another corner, hoping to eventually get away, but- "Oh crud! A dead end!" Sophie exclaimed.

"What now?" Morgan asked.

"We could try teleporting again." Buddy suggested.

"We can't do that!" Athena said. "Last time we warped, we-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Boba exclaimed, jumping around the corner and drawing out his sabers.

"And I agree with him. Let's try it." Morgan decided quickly.

"Thought you Quads could get away, eh? Well, old Boba's got you cornered now. Boba's gonna teach what happens to psycho freaks who roam freely. Hey. If you guys are so tired o' me, why don't you use yo' little mind tricks to get me to stop? I'll tell you why: 'cause old Boba's wearin' an anti-psychic helmet! They all expect me to take it off, but that's just it: I WON'T. Never have, never will. That's why I'm gonna finish you!"

"Wow, those last sentences weren't in third-person." Sophie said, sarcastically amazed.

"Sweet dreams, kiddies!" The bounty hunter charged his jetpack, and was about to shoot into them when…

"TELEPORT!" Morgan yelled, and with that, they shut their eyes, focused their power, and immediately teleported.

"What the-" Boba began, before ramming his head into the wall. He stood up and shook his head in dizziness. "Oh… aw, dang it! Boba let them Quads slip away again! Oh, but that's okay. No one runs outta Boba's reach. Ohhoho… _they_ can't run forever…"

**Above their house**

The Quads soon opened their eyes and noticed they reappeared at their house… several feet in the air. They blinked and said, "Uh-oh.", before they were sent falling and screaming.

"OOF!" they grunted, falling through the ceiling and landing in the kitchen.

"Oh, good, you're here." Their mother, Natsume said. "Dinner's ready."

"Mom made spaghetti!" their younger-by-one-year sister, Beckah exclaimed.

In mere moments, the family sat at their dinner table, eating what their mom had cooked. "So, you guys get arrested again?" Beckah asked.

"Hey, that was Morgan's fault." Buddy mentioned.

"Oh, shut it, Ruburd! Sigh, it was Boba again. Annoying bounty hunter…" Morgan sighed in exhaust.

"Well, while it may be getting annoying… I'm growing used to you guys randomly falling through our roof via teleportation after being chased by the police or that hunter. I still wish you kids would get better control of your psychic powers." Natsume said.

"Not that that would do much." Morgan said. "Because of our powers, no one likes us. We hardly have any friends."

"Except for Noah." Buddy replied.

"And those girls you usually hang out with, right?" Sophie asked.

"Well, yeah… but still… I wish I could've had more friends growing up." Morgan said. "Why couldn't people just like us for who we are?"

"I guess that's just how the universe works." Athena replied, eating her soup.

"Well the universe stinks. We should do something about it."

"You can't always get what you want, Morgie." Buddy said.

"Don't call me Morgie! Sigh… I just want to have a normal, peaceful life. I don't wanna be a runaway for the rest of my life."

"Neither do we." Athena replied. "But it can't really be helped at the moment, can it?"

Morgan only frowned. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked at Buddy's smiling face. "Don't worry, Morgan. Someday things'll all change."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! And besides… at least you have us!"

Morgan turned and saw her siblings smiling happily at her. She smiled as well. "You guys… you're the best."

"Duh! Now let's eat!" Buddy decided, and they continued to eat their dinner.

**Sector W Treehouse**

It was a regular night at Sector W's treehouse. Harvey and Sonya were playing _Mario Kart_ on their Wii, while Lee, Paddy, Angie, and Charlotte watched. "Get ready to eat my dust, Sonya!"

At this time, Lee looked worried that Sonya might lose, so he yelled, "Harvey! There's a spider on your shoulder!"

"AHH! ! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF! !" he brushed his shoulder frantically.

"YES! I WON!" Sonya exclaimed.

"Alright, Sonya!" Angie cheered.

"Grrrr…" Harvey grumbled. "This thing is a load of crud!" he threw his controller to the floor in anger. "GUH! Ohhhh…" He suddenly gripped his chest in pain as he fell off the couch.

"Harvey!" Sonya exclaimed. They all ran over to his aid.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked.

"Looks like a heart attack." Paddy thought.

"Are you okay, Harvey?" Angie asked worriedly, leaning down to him and touching his hand.

Harvey eventually stopped groaning and took breaths. "I'm feeling fine now."

"Boy. Again?" Paddy asked.

"You've been feeling weird ever since Lehcar hit you with that laser." Lee said.

"You think that might've had some sort of side-effect?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm not sure." Harvey replied. "But ever since that blast hit me… I've been feeling… really weird. I keep getting headaches and I just feel… so angry."

"Ummm, maybe we should stop playing videogames for a little bit." Sonya figured, worried.

"What should we do now?" Lee asked.

"I know! Let's go to the new Goofy Goober shop that just opened downtown!" Angie suggested.

"Yeah! It's gonna be open all night!" Charlotte said.

"Sounds good to me." Harvey agreed, standing back up. "Let's go." With that, they were headed off excitedly.

**Mt. Gnaa**

The cold, dark, forbidden mountain of Negatar Gnaa seemed more noisy than ever. Ever since the grand announcement, the legions were more rowdy than ever. Drifting in his dark well, like usual, was the Dark Master himself. Standing with him in his chamber was Lord Bowser, Dr. Eggman, Ganondorf, The Brain, Rumpel Stiltskin, and Phantom Gnaa.

_"UWAAH!"_ the Dark Master yelled, panting for air.

"Is something wrong, My Lord?" Brain asked. "Harvey should be manipulated by your greatness and arrive any moment now, should he not?"

_"He should… but something is interfering with my Darkness, preventing the temptation from taking charge."_

"Mm-hm." Rumpel remarked, sitting at a table and sipping some tea. "Knowing the typical fairytale junk, it's safe to assume this something is love."

_"Oh, but love is a marvelous thing, Master!"_ Phantom Gnaa smirked. _"Love is the greatest cause of Darkness! If not for love of that daydreaming girl, you never would've risen to where you are now!"_

_"Trapped inside a well of darkness, having to rely on a pack of apes for my food? It's the life…"_

"Eh. Better than being sucked into a black hole." Bowser said.

"Or being trapped in Limbo." Eggman followed.

"Being frozen into an ice sculpture is no picnic either." Brain replied.

"Eh. How pathetic you all are…" Ganon retorted smugly.

_"Even so, I cannot be free of this dungeon without a proper vessel."_

"If I may make a suggestion, perhaps our two devil girls would be of some use." Ganon spoke.

_"Hmm… perhaps you're right. Send them in."_

"As you command. LEHCAR! SCAR! Get in here!"

At his call, the two devious girls, Lehcar EiznekCm, the Negative of Numbuh 362, and Scarlet Vargas, the hateful werecat cousin of Violet McCleary, dashed in and bowed to Ganon. "You called, Father?" Lehcar spoke.

"His Darkness has a task for you." Ganon spoke. "If you will, Master?…"

_"Cross over to the Positive Universe and bring Harvey McKenzie to me."_ Gnaa ordered. _"If he is here, then my darkness will yet be able to reach him."_

"Consider this your chance to make up for your past failure against your own counterpart. Understand, girls?" Ganon asked grimly.

"Y-Yes… Father." Lehcar stuttered.

"W-Will do, Ganon." Scarlet nodded in fear.

"Good… now get to it!"

Lehcar and Scarlet smirked at each other, nodded, and ran off.

"How nice THOSE two get to have some fun." Rumpel said. "But I doubt the other minions will like having to wait any longer."

"He's got that right." Bowser agreed. "It's felt like AGES since you made the announcement! My son's gettin' bored."

"I don't see why those Kremling guys got to leave so early." Eggman said.

_"I have already sent some of our forces out."_ Gnaa said. _"After all, why make the minions wait around for some bratty child when _I'm_ the one who's trapped. But it'll be time soon enough. Once those girls are back with my vessel."_

"No doubt the Kids Next Door will take notice immediately." Brain figured.

"Grah ha ha!" Bowser laughed. "Those brats'll NEVER best my Koopalings!"

"And my robots!" Eggman followed. "Those children will NEVER be able to handle them on their own! OHH HO HO HO!… Er, right?" The minions thought for a moment.

"Ahh. What's the worst that could happen?" Rumpel asked, unworryingly.

**Mushroom Greens**

At this time, there were many Koopas and robots patrolling a sunny grassland of hills and many mushrooms. Standing atop a hill were the interdimensional teams led by Mario and Sonic.

"So, the freaks are here after all." Knuckles said cockily.

"Oh my. Who knew there were so many?" Princess Peach asked.

"Doesn't matter." Tails replied. "We have to fight them and SAVE our world!"

"Just because Silver isn't here, don't need to talk like him." Blaze said.

"Hehehe! Sorry!" Tails grinned and blushed.

"Say, where are Shadow and Rouge, anyway?" Amy asked.

"They said they already located a base of Eggman's somewhere on a mountain." Tails said. "I guess until they report back with information, we should clear out these soldiers."

Mario and Sonic stepped forward and exchanged a smirk. "Well, Mario: ready for action?"

"Oh!" Mario nodded.

"Hehehehe." Sonic chuckled. "Let's GO!" With that, the two heroes charged toward the minions. (Play the Peach's Castle Theme from _Smash Bros. Melee_!)

_Stage 1: Mushroom Greens_

_Mission: Clear out the minions of Bowser and Eggman._

_Act 1_

The Italian plumber ran forward and began to bounce on the first set of Goombas. A band of Koopas charged his way, but Mario jumped on the first one, grabbed its shell, and sent it ricocheting off all of the other ones. A Hammer Bro charged from behind to bonk the plumber, but it was suddenly knocked out himself when Luigi smashed it with a Ground Pound. He exchanged victory smiles with his brother before they faced the Boomerang Bros ahead. They ran forward, dodging the projectiles and blasting fireballs at each of them.

They reached a ledge that was too high to jump, but a tall mushroom was stationed beside it, bouncy enough to shoot the two above. The Mario Bros. were on a set of square, grassy footholds above the ground, and strange, brick blocks were floating in place, too. Luigi went to bonk one of the blocks, but felt pain surge through his body when his head came in contact with the steal block. "Ooof… have to watch out for that in the future."

Mario jumped to the next platform, dodging before a Chargin' Chuck ran to tackle him. Mario bounced on the Chuck's head, but it recovered and charged at him, successfully tackling the plumber down. Luigi jumped over and unleashed a barrage of green fireballs, pelting and forcing the Chuck to release. Mario dealt him a Ground Pound to knock him out. With that, Mario proceeded to bonk a "?" Block, and a green-spotted egg came out. The egg hatched, and Yoshi was free. "Hey, thanks, Mario! I came out here ahead of time and got captured! I still don't understand how they trapped me inside an egg, but I'll help you get through part of the level."

Mario nodded and hopped on his dinosaur companion. They jumped to the next foothold as Yoshi began to eat all the Spiked or Winged Goombas that came at them. They became eggs, and as they overlooked a long jump with some Paratroopas in the way, Yoshi hurled the eggs and sent them falling below. However, the jump was still a little too far for Mario to make himself, but thankfully, Yoshi jumped them across with his flutter jump. Luigi, on the other hand, got across himself with his Super Jump. Some Fire Bros coughed mini fireballs at them, but Yoshi caught one of the flames and spat it back at one, while Luigi jumped to another and gave it a series of rapid punches. Yoshi jumped above the third and smashed it with Ground Pound, before the three faced a narrow path littered with spiked plants.

Yoshi simply ate each of the plants, allowing the three to cross. They got to a stairway going downward, and Koopa was patrolling on each step. Yoshi caught the first one and sent its shell down to knock over the other ones before the Mario team went. They reached a long, wide, deep blue river, in which several Cheep-Cheeps were jumping out. Luigi looked above, seeing a "?" Block high above their heads. With a squat, Luigi leaped high with a Super Jump, bonking the block and releasing the Cape Feather. Luigi grabbed it himself and dropped down to hop on Yoshi. The green dinosaur ran back to build momentum, then charged forth with a leap as Luigi flew them high across the river, with several Cheep-Cheeps leaping high to catch them.

They landed perfectly on the other side, in a small, enclosed field as several Charging Chucks popped out from bushes. They all charged, but Luigi got off Yoshi and begun to spin rapidly, effectively knocking him down with his cape. However, one of the Chucks grabbed him from behind and ripped his cape off. "Ohhh noooo." Luigi moaned. Mario got off and ran to punch a few of the Chucks, flipping behind one and throwing a fireball at it. Yoshi took aim with his eggs and chucked them at the Chucks, knocking them dizzy so that Mario and Luigi could knock them down.

When all the Chucks were defeated, the rest of their friends had joined, gathering at a huge cliffside with a big, wooden barrier blocking a cave.

"You're not getting through here." Knuckles mentioned.

"Heh! Leave this to me!"

"Sonic?" Tails asked.

As the blue hedgehog held the Power Ring in his hand, the energy surged through him, and he felt his need for speed once again. "Here we… GOOO!" (Play the Modern Green Hill Theme from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Act 2_

Sonic shot through the wooden barrier as fast as lightning, going up the walls and ceiling of the round tunnel before he shot out the exit and landed on the ground, still running. A bunch of Egg Pawns fired weapons, but the hyper-fast hedgehog dodged every one, leaping over and wasting all the robots with Home Attacks. A squadron of tankbots and Cop Speeders were heading over, but Sonic Boosted right through them.

A fleet of Buzzbombers were flying down from a cliff, but Sonic Home Attacked right off of them, made his way to the top of the cliff, then continued to Boost ahead. He saw some rails leading down a cliff with a waterfall and decided to hop on and grind down, Boosting through any robots that got in the way. The rails led into the river, but he simply ran across the water using his speed. Several piranha robots and Cheep-Cheeps tried jumping at him, but he either dodged or Boosted through.

Sonic then shot up a Jump Panel and performed several midair tricks as he flew behind a waterfall to a cave behind, then grinded on more rails over another river. "Whoa!" he screamed when a giant Cheep-Cheep popped out from below and started chasing him, eating away the rails. Sonic continued to Boost though and eventually shot out of the cave.

He looked back to see the Cheep Cheep burst through the cliffside and come down on him, but Mario jumped in and launched a tornado of fire at the Cheep-Cheep, burning it to a crisp. The plumber and the hedgehog high-fived and gave their victory pose. (Stop the music.)

"Nice going, you two!" Peach congratulated.

"Heh heh! Those two still got it!" Knuckles said with a thumbs-up.

"Hey. You don't think we're the mascots of our worlds for nothin', do ya?" Sonic replied.

"Uh-uh." Mario followed.

"That's my Sonic!" Amy said happily.

"And it's good to have Yoshi back with us, too!" Tails said.

"Yeah-ha! You really helped back there!" Luigi said to the dino.

"Glad to be help, Mama Luigi!"

The Sonic gang snickered at this. "Mama Luigi? !" Sonic shouted.

"Awww." Luigi groaned. "Why haven't-a people forgotten that cartoon?" The group just laughed.

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><p><strong>And there's the introduction to The Quads. And the first stage! Not much, but I hope to make the stages better later. Next time, Lehcar and Scar will have a stage, and we may see what's up with some other characters. Later.<strong>


	3. Diva Destruction

**Hello, everyone. In this, we should be getting to Lehcar and Scar's first level. Here we go.**

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><p><strong><em>Rampaging Through the City! Lehcar and Scarlet Take Action!<em>**

**The _Blue Typhoon_**

After the Sonic and Mario groups' little battle at the Mushroom Greens, both teams were boarding back on the _Blue Typhoon_. "Hoo. That was epic!" Knuckles said. "It's good to be back in action."

"And wonderful that Yoshi's back with us!" Peach smiled happily.

"Yoshi!" the green dinosaur cheered.

"So, where do we go now?" Luigi asked.

"We should check and see how Shadow and Rouge are doing." Tails suggested. "Lemme just to do something real fast. Be back in a sec." With that, he headed down a hallway, into a room. Sonic, Amy, Mario, and Peach looked his way in curiosity and decided to follow him.

Inside his room, Tails looked happily at a small rose in a flower pot that sat in the window, gently watering it. "Tails?" Sonic spoke. Tails turned around to find them.

"Huh? Oh, hi guys."

"You're still looking after that plant?" Amy asked.

"Well… yeah, I mean… it's Cosmo."

"Who's Cosmo?" Peach asked.

"A plant girl friend of ours." Sonic answered. "She and Tails used to have a thing before she… died."

"Oh…" Peach looked sad.

"It's okay." Tails said. "If I keep taking care of it, maybe she'll-"

"Tails, it's been ages since she… died, and you got that plant." Amy said with a sad look. "You've taken really good care of it ever since. I don't think Cosmo's any close to… coming back."

"But she has to come back!" Tails yelled. "Eventually… Anyway, I can't give up. I have to keep trying."

"Hehehe. That's our Tails." Sonic replied.

Peach walked over to the plant and stared at its beauty. "I think it's great that you're doing all this in the hopes she'll come back. Don't you, Mario?"

"Yea!"

"I have to admit, it is pretty sweet." Amy smiled. "And who knows, maybe she will come back!"

"She definitely will!" Tails smiled confidently.

"But let's focus on the mission first, and call Shadow and Rouge. Although I prefer to do without them." Amy said with a frown.

"You're right!" Tails agreed. "Come on, let's get going." Tails spared once last glance to his plant before running after the others.

A mysterious girl walked out of the shadows and looked at the sparkling plant.

**Emily's House**

It was another peaceful night at the Matthews household. Emily was just drawing on her couch, lying on her back, Annie was sitting on the couch and flipping through channels, Nova was playing with Zuri, and Cosmo (wait a second, two Cosmos? 'kay, that's gonna get confusing) was playing some computer game. "Gee, it's boring here." Cosmo said, breaking the silence.

"Eh. That's life for ya." Emily replied.

"Whatcha drawing there, Em?" Annie asked.

"Eh… nothing." She said. However, she was really drawing a picture of her, Annie, and the aliens, all holding hands and smiling.

Annie flipped to another channel, and found the news. _"In other random news, a strange base was built in Alaska."_

"Huh?" This caught all their attention.

_"Military troops tried investigating this strange fort, only to be blown away by robotic troops. The Commander appears to be placing the blame, as with all other unnatural phenomena recently, on 'metahumans'."_

"Hello, excitement. Come on, Nova, get the ship ready." Cosmo ordered.

"Huh? Where are you going?" Emily asked.

"We're going to check this base out. Wanna come?"

"Heck yeah!" Emily said excitedly, getting to her feet.

"Are you sure about that?" Annie asked. "You know what happened the last time some random base appeared out of nowhere."

"Precisely why we're going." Emily said, fitting her shoes on. "Ready to go, Annie?"

"Well, okay." Annie nodded unsure as she got up and rushed for the door.

"Zuri!" Zuri ran after them.

In a minute, the five were in the Nova Cruiser and launching up into the skies.

**Sector J Treehouse**

The skies were bright and sunny over the peaceful Sector J. Kami Drilovsky held two dual swords ready, facing down at the tiny alien, Kweeb, in front of her with a determined look. "Okay, Kami, here's your test: try and strike the tiny alien with your swords within the time limit." Ava instructed.

"You know she can't!" Kweeb remarked, cockily.

"Don't push your luck, Shrimp. YAH!" Kami slashed the swords furiously along the sand, but Kweeb leapt back. He bounced off several flowers that Kami sliced, trying desperately to hit him. When he clung to a tree, Kami stabbed both swords into the trunk, but missed and got them stuck. Kweeb then hopped onto Kami's nose, so she tried to smash him, but missed and smacked herself.

"TIME!" Ava called.

"HA HA!" Kweeb laughed.

"Aw man." Kami pouted.

"Instead of slashing where I was, you should've predicted my next move!" Kweeb gloated.

Kami just glared, kicked the sand on the ground with her shoe, and got Kweeb buried. "And instead of gloating, YOU should've predicted I was gonna do something like that."

Ava giggled as Kweeb stuck his head up from the sand, coughing it out. The alien girl then went and picked up her swords from the tree trunk. "Not bad for your first lesson, though. You're pretty good, Kam."

"Ah you two done over there?" Marine the Raccoon called from a towel she was lying on.

"Sorry for the noise, Marine." Ava said. "You know us."

"Whateva'." She said, lying back down and drinking a smoothie.

They all smiled and laughed, but suddenly, a large aircraft designed like a crocodile shot right over them in the sky. "What was that?" Kweeb asked.

A bunch of KND ships, designed like conch shells, shot out of the sea and chased after it. "Whatever it is, looks like the SKWID Squad's hot on its tail." Kami noticed.

"Should we help them?" Kweeb asked.

"Yeah, in case they need backup, we should go after it. Come on." Ava suggested, and with that, she grabbed Kweeb and they got into her ship, the Heart Star. Marine watched as the ship took off.

"Sounds like an adventure. I should probably go with them, eh?"

"Mango Smoothie, mon?" Numbuh 112 came and asked.

"Aw, STREWTH!" With that, Marine took the beverage and smiled as she drank it.

The Heart Star pursued quickly as they watched the SKWID Squad ships shoot at the croc ship. The enemy aircraft just barrel-rolled and deflected each shot. _"Keep firing, boys!"_ Numbuh 20,000 ordered. _"Send that ship straight to Davy Jarg's Locker!"_

_"Uh, actually, Sir, Davy Jarg's is the one for-"_

_"I don't pay you to contradict me!"_

_"You don't… pay me at all, Sir."_

_"Whatever. Just shoot it!"_ With that, they continued to shoot, but didn't prevail.

"Well, these guys certainly are handling things perfectly." Kami sarcastically remarked.

"They sure are." Ava followed. "But just in case…" she started, locking onto the ship. "Eat hearts!" With that, two heart cannons fired two large, pink hearts and damaged part of the ship's engines. "Oh yeah! Aliens rule!"

The mysterious pilot banged his fist in anger, then pushed a button.

"Hey, what's it doing?" Kweeb asked as the ship glowed.

"It's going into hyperspace!" Ava exclaimed.

"What now?" Kami asked.

"Quick, Kami, I'll open the cockpit, and you shoot it with this." Ava ordered, handing her a gun with a cross mark. Ava opened the cockpit, allowing Kami to stand and take careful aim at the aircraft. Once she was perfectly locked, she launched a tiny chip that zoomed over and latched itself onto the ship. In a few more seconds, the ship vanished in hyperspace.

_"IT'S GONE! !"_ 20,000 yelled. _"Eh, oh well. Boys: back to the Undersea Lab for milk and cookies, YEE-HAW!"_ At this, the troops cheered and headed back.

"Ha! Look at those cowards, running away like that!" Kweeb gloated. "I'm barely taller than a booger, and I'm braver than them!"

"Okay, if you're gonna compare your size to that of other things, could you be LESS GROSS? ?" Kami asked.

"Later, you two." Ava interrupted. "We have to go after that thing. Kami just latched a tracking device onto it. We'll find out where the ship is and follow pursuit."

"Why do I sense an adventure coming on?" Kami asked.

"Ha! I bet Marine wishes she came along now!" Kweeb exclaimed. The three operatives continued to fly off into the distance.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Meanwhile, inside a high-tech military base, soldiers worked at computer terminals as their Commander, dressed in a blackish-blue uniform, a sash with medals, and a blue left eye and right orange eye, looked over them. He heard the door slide open behind him, and turned to Boba Fett. "Hey there, Boss."

"There you are." The GUN Commander said with a serious, stern voice. "Did you catch them?"

"Arr, nope. Ol' Boba got bested again."

"Ugh. What do I pay you for, Boba? It's been months since I hired you to catch those psychos, and you STILL come back with nothing."

"Hey, sometimes old Boba gets sidetracked. That one time, I got called to chase down some giant Irish girl. Didn't go well, Commander… didn't go well…"

"Some bounty hunter you are. I thought you were the best."

"'ey! Boba is the best, all right? The best! I been chasin' psychicbenders since I was young. You see this blue lightsaber Ah got? Ol' Boba scored it off some psychic fox girl when he was 10 years old!"

"And yet, you're an adult, and you STILL can't catch that family of freaks. Either you catch those Quads or no pay for you."

"I don't care what you do or don't pay me. All psychics are scum, and I ain't givin' up no matter what. Good-bye, General." With that, the cocky hunter saluted and ran off.

"Sir!" a soldier called from his terminal. "We just had a report the eastern border was attacked by two super-powered girls."

"What? Put the image up on screen!" At his order, a picture of Lehcar and Scarlet appeared on the large screen. "It's those two girls from before!"

"They've already cut through Virginia and are on their way to Ashland, West Virginia."

"Deploy the troops now! I don't know what they're after, but they must be stopped at all costs."

"Yessir."

The Commander looked away and thought to himself. _Ugh… freaks are roaming all over the place. Like a swarm of locusts! No matter… if my plan gets put into tuition, they'll be stopped for good._

**Downtown Ashland**

Military troops, robots, and police gathered around the streets of Ashland, West Virginia, keeping watch for the two devious girls. The two girls in question stood near a suspension bridge that was guarded by police and military robots. "Ha. How pathetic." Lehcar smirked. She glanced beside her and noticed her werecat friend with the Dark Flame beside her chest looking away in thought. "What's with you?"

"What Kweeb said before… I wonder… You think he's right?"

"Oh, come on, Scar. You listen to the words of a mere alien bug?"

"Y-Yeah…" She shook it off. "You're right. What am I thinking? Listening to a dumb little ant."

"Exactly!" Lehcar smiled. "Now… you ready to lay waste to these wimps?"

Scar smirked. "You know it, Girl! Let's get 'em!"

"Lock on target, men." The chief of police said. "Ready: FIRE! !" (Play the Classic Radical Highway Theme from _Sonic Generations 3DS_!)

_Stage 2: Gnarly Highway_

_Mission: Break through the military troupe and find Harvey!_

The troops fired their weapons at the two girls, but they split up and dashed up the two cables of the suspension bridges, easily avoiding the firing bullets. As the two headed over, Scarlet used her claws and Lehcar her sword to cut off the suspenders. Once on the other side, they watched the bridge crumble beneath the troops and kept running.

More police came down from a highway, but they dashed right by them and Scarlet sliced off their roofs as they headed up the highway. As people drove by in their cars, the two girls leaped off of them, making several people drive off and crash. Some air force ships zoomed over them and fired missiles, but Lehcar shot her lightning and destroyed them first. They saw the path ahead of them was blown off by more planes, and noticed a helicopter shooting bullets from above them ahead. They smirked and charged toward the broken ledge, and Lehcar grabbed onto Scarlet and used her rocket shoes to fly them up.

They dodged the bullets and landed in the helicopter, wiping out the troops and making the copter spiral out of control. It crashed and exploded into a building, but they jumped out and started running down the building's side, dodging all weapon fire from any military planes that came at them. The girls finally reached the bottom and continued running, over to a canal river, where some girl dressed in black and grey and glasses was about to launch herself out of a cannon.

"At long last. With this new cannon, I, Penelope Taynt, will be able to launch myself into Amanda's secret hotel and FINALLY meet her, please! HEY!" she yelled when Lehcar pushed her aside and she and Scarlet jumped in the cannon. They aimed at a "Duff" blimp and fired their selves into the control room, where Homer Simpson was driving it.

"AHH! Vampire girls!" With that, the fat man jumped out the window and fell below. The two girls just shrugged and took control of the blimp. Some planes fired at the blimp's balloon and it started coming down. The two evil girls jumped out onto another highway, letting the blimp crash. Some robots dropped down and shot lasers at them, but the two cut them in half with their weapons. They kept going until they encountered a roadblock of policemen, then jumped over the side and evaded them.

As they charged toward another building, being chased by troops, Scarlet tossed her shurikens into the side of it, making a pathway of her shurikens upwards. "Up there!" she yelled. The two girls then started bouncing their way up the shuriken path, quickly as the sharp weapons started exploding. By the time they reached the top of the building, the explosions caused it to crumble and fall over, but they jumped over the other side and let it fall down to crush the troops, then proceeded running over the side still sticking up.

After jumping off, the two girls found their selves surrounded by GUN Beetles that appeared out of nowhere. Scarlet extended her claws up and destroyed some while Lehcar grinded up her nails and slashed some more. After jumping off, Scarlet retracted her claws, and they found several Big Foots, Hot Shots, and Flying Dogs flying down at them. Lehcar held her right hand open, charged power in her Triforce of Power mark, and fired an enormous burst of lightning, destroying all the remaining military robots.

Lehcar took breaths after her attack, and afterwards high-fived Scarlet before they ran off. A Gold Beetle appeared out of nowhere, searched around, and sighed in relief after knowing it was safe. However, Lehcar came back, sliced it in half, then went back after Scarlet. (Stop the music.)

**Goofy Goobers**

The Sector W team was, at this time, walking out of the Goofy Goober shop, licking away their ice cream, and also covered in it. "Boy, that was actually pretty fun!" Harvey exclaimed.

"I'll bet. Goofy Goober's is the best!" Sonya agreed.

"Those bubbles were fun!" Angie jumped.

They stopped and watched as more police cars sped down the street. "What's up with them?" Lee asked.

"I don't like the looks of it." Paddy replied.

"Well at least Harvey's feeling better." Charlotte said. "How about we-" Before she could finish, they spotted Lehcar and Scarlet land a few feet away from them. The two divas smirked evilly as they ran by and snatched Harvey.

"Hey! Lemme go! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"CAN IT!" Lehcar ordered.

"HARVEY!" Sonya yelled, and they saw them heading for a clear, reflecting fountain where Yllaw was waving his arms.

"Over here!" he called to the girls. He jumped into the fountain and vanished, followed by Lehcar and Harvey. Scarlet stopped just before jumping into the water and stuck a claw in to feel if it was safe. Lehcar just reached her arm out and pulled her in.

"Oh no! Harvey's GONE!" Sonya yelled.

"They couldn't have vanished, could they?" Lee asked.

"I dunno." Paddy said. "But you think we should tell Rachel?"

"Well of COURSE she'll wanna hear about THIS!" Angie exclaimed. "So let's go!" With that, they were on their way to Moonbase.

Unbeknownst to them, two certain Time Spirits were watching.

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><p><strong>And yet another sequence of Lehcar and Scar's awesomeness. I plan to give Cosmo and Nova a stage real soon, and we'll soon reach the first boss. Later.<strong>


	4. Kremcroc Rekruitment

**Alrighty, ummm, here, we should be reaching Cosmo and Nova's first level. Here we go!**

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><p><strong><em>Enter Team Chaotix: Detective Kremlings Are Back in the Krew!<em>**

**Unknown forest region**

After evading the SKWID Squad, and Ava's Heart Star, the mysterious croc ship came out of hyperspace over a forest area, and landed in front of a small yellow house with a red roof.

Inside that house, Team Chaotix was sitting around, doing their usual stuff: Vector, a green crocodile with black shoes and a golden necklace, sat at his desk, nodding his head to music in his headphones. Espio, a purple chameleon with a yellow horn and purple shoes, sat in a corner, meditating. Charmy, a short bee kid with a black helmet and yellow shoes, was floating in midair in another corner, playing his Nintendo 3DS.

_TEAM CHAOTIX!_

_They're detectives you want on your side!_

_TEAM CHAOTIX!_

_Their directives trackin' down your crime!_

Vector's music could be heard from his headphones.

"Man, this game stinks!" Charmy whined. "Why aren't we in this game like in the 360 or PS3 versions? This sucks."

"That's what you get for buying Nintendo's versions, Charmy." Espio replied. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Charmy exclaimed, zooming over and swinging the door open. "AND what can we do for- YULP." His mouth was forced shut by a strong, green hand.

"Charmy, who is- ULP." Espio was grabbed as well.

"AHHH!" The two detectives were thrown against the wall behind Vector's desk. The crocodile paid no mind and continued nodding to his music, unaware that King Kroctus Rool and his two brothers, Kaptain Kruckers and Baron Kolamitous Rool, were marching up to his desk.

_Come along for the ride._

_Truth can run but not hide._

_Come on. The game is on NOWWW._

K. Rool raised his fist and yelled, "WAKE UP! !", and pounded down, smashing the desk, knocking Vector over.

"Hey, what's the big idea? ! Can't you see I'm trying to-" His eyes widened at who it was. "OH! ! K-King K. Rool… uh, long time, no see! Haha! Uh, how have things been with you?"

"Terrible, you desertionist swine. Those impudent Kongs bested us left from right. I got TWO headaches."

"Arr, and no thanks to ye deserters, arrr." Kruckers followed.

"But excusing our rudeness, we forgot to ask how your little detective business is fairing, mmm?" Baron asked.

"A lot better than you, it seems." Espio answered.

"Whaddya want, K. Rool?" Charmy snapped.

"The Dark Master has recruited us in his ranks. We're pulling all our forces so we can find the Eight Firstborn before those wretched children, so all evil races can dominate all. As members of the Kremling Krew, you are included as well, and we require your assistance."

"Eh…" Vector sat his chair back up, sat in, and turned around. "Sorry to bust your jaw, K. Rool, but we aren't Kremlings anymore."

"We're detectives now, and we FIGHT bad guys like you!" Charmy followed.

"But don't you miss the old times aboard the Krew?" Kroctus asked.

"Eh… a little… but we're good as we are now as detectives." Vector replied.

"So whatever it is you're selling, no deal." Espio followed.

"If ye fools don't help us, ye'll be walking the plank, ayeee!" Kruckers yelled.

"Krew members or not, I'm still the king." Kroctus said. "And I demand it."

"Hmmmmm…" Vector shut his eyes and thought to himself. _They're definitely up to no good. If we go with them, we could spy on them and figure out what they're up to._ "You got yourself a deal, Kingie!" he decided, shaking his hand.

"Excellent! MWEH HEH HA HAH! Now let's get going. Lord Gnaa granted us special permission to get a head start. I think we'll go after the spirit, Manaphy! MWAH HA HAH!" With that, the Chaotix gang followed the 3 K. Rools out to the ship.

"Are you sure about this, Vector?" Espio asked.

"Trust me, Espio." Vector whispered. "This croc's hunch is never crocked."

"I hope they have some better games in there." Charmy followed as they were boarding the ship.

"This is going to be a _long_ trip." At Espio's likely guess, the ship took off, and Team Chaotix's theme played in the background.

_Come on. We'll kick yo'… TEAM CHAOTIX!_

**KND Moonbase**

The Kids Next Door Moonbase headquarters seemed the same as ever. Ever since the base was repaired, everything was back the way it was. Officers working at their stations and other kids playing Whisby or some game. Nigel was currently pacing back and forth in front of Numbuh 362's office, hand on his chin in thought. "Hey, Numbuh 1!" he heard Numbuh 2 call, and saw his team, plus Eva, Kade, and Violet, come over.

"Whatcha doin'?" Abby asked.

"Oh. Just waiting for Rachel to finish looking at that data. It's the closest thing we got to solving this mystery. Good thing we got it out of that base."

"Good thing Numbuh 5 downloaded it to Sector V's treehouse instead of Moonbase." Abby said. "Otherwise it woulda been too obvious."

"That's using genius right there." Eva replied.

"I would figure downloading it to Sector V was too obvious, too." Violet said.

"Hehe! Villains always were stupid!" Kade joked.

"Yeah, and we were dealing with a brain in a jar." Violet followed.

At that moment, Rachel's door flew open and the guys turned to salute her. "Man, that was complicated. Stupid loading screens…" she mumbled, walking out.

"This BOY just HAD ta check his messages!" Fanny complained as she and Patton walked out of the office.

"Hey, my Philippine friend mighta been calling!" Patton argued.

"Did you find anything?" Nigel asked.

"Well, it didn't have very much info to go on…" Rachel began. "But it said something about the Eight Firstborn being, like, really powerful spirits, and this 'Gnaa' wants them in order to conquer the universe. He's supposed to be an evil Dark Master from the Negaverse that controls the four Dark Elements."

"The Negaverse?" Hoagie asked.

"Apparently."

"Hmm, then there really was more to that place than it seemed." Nigel said.

"You think our Negatives know about this?" Kuki asked.

"It's a safe bet Yllaw did, that cruddy sack of…" Wally mumbled, angrily.

"Well, what should we do now?" Patton asked. "Go to the Negaverse and kick this guy's butt?"

"Yah. Ya wish it was that easy, lazy boy." Fanny retorted.

"She has a point, Patton." Rachel said. "Until we're sure who we're dealing with, we should-" Before she could finish, Sector W suddenly arrived, running over and panting. "Sector W?"

"N…Numbuh 362!" Sonya panted. "Lehcar and Scarlet came back! And they just captured Harvey!"

They all gasped.

"They jumped into a fountain and vanished!" Paddy explained.

"They must've went to the Negaverse!" Nigel concluded.

"Well, so much for waiting." Rachel said. "We have to go down there and get my brother back!"

"Ugh. Why do I feel like we always risk our lives for that pest?" Fanny asked.

"Kids Next Door, Fanny." Patton said simply. "It's what we do."

"We'll get to the Negaverse using the city pool." Nigel suggested. "Kids Next Door: let's go save an annoying beaver!"

"Ahem."

"Who is Rachel's precious little brother."

"Thank you. Now let's go." At Rachel's command, the kids were off.

After they left, the two time spirits, Jagar and Clockwork, appeared out of thin air. "Well? Shouldn't we help them?" Jagar asked. "You know what's gonna happen."

"Of course I do. But it's not our place to interfere with time."

"But what's the point of having this power if we can't even use it for something good?"

"Dialga chose us for a reason, Jagar. Any person can be chosen to bend an element, but Dialga only grants his powers to those he can trust. True, while saving Harvey now would make things easier… perhaps…" he changed to his baby form and smiled, "it's better this way."

"Hmph…" Jagar looked away.

**Black Acropolis, Alaska**

It was a cold, snowy night at the Black Acropolis, Alaska. Dr. Eggman's secret base built on a mountain was under heavy guard, by robots and searchlights. Cosmo and Nova hid behind a stone, looking down at the base from a hill. "Are you sure about this, Cosmo?" Nova asked.

"Hey, these guys are all up to something. We can't just sit around and do nothing, and let the others handle it. As Kids Next Door operatives, it's our responsibility, too."

"Hmm… I guess you're right."

Cosmo tossed her a snowboard and said, "It'll be fine, Nova. Now, come on. We'll shred our way in! Race you down!" With that, Cosmo dashed, hopped on his board, and began sledding down.

"Hm hm hm!" Nova giggled, then chased after him on her board.

However, hiding by another area of the base, Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat looked at it as well. "Well, that's an Eggman base if I ever saw one." Rouge said.

"Huh. The doctor and his robots. Different dimension, same strategy." Shadow said in a cocky tone.

"Readings indicate there's a Chaos Emerald in there as well."

"Hmm. Then let's go." With that, the two agents sped toward the base. (Play the "White Acropolis Snowy Peak" Theme from _Sonic 2006_!)

_Stage 3: Black Acropolis_

_Mission: Break into Dr. Eggman's base._

_Act 1_

Cosmo and Nova slid side-by-side on their snowboards toward the base. The alarms immediately went off and a bunch of Eggman robots zoomed up on rocket skis, trying to shoot them. Cosmo drew out his staff and did several twirls on his board, knocking them over while Nova dodged and evaded them. The two were speeding up to a ramp on a ledge, leading into an abyss, but they gained momentum and jumped the ramp, doing a spin trick before landing firmly on the other side, then continued sledding. More Egg Pawns came and fired bullets, but Cosmo spun his staff and deflected them. He tripped one of the robots and took its gun, then shot at any others.

Nova looked over and saw a family of penguins. Using her powers, she spoke to the penguins and had them slide down the hill, tripping any more robots. The two aliens slid around a corner and started dodging giant snow boulders that the robots were rolling up and dropping down. Some robots up ahead made snowballs and rapidly chucked them, but the aliens ducked, and Cosmo grabbed one and hurled it back, blinding a robot, and causing him to throw snowballs at others.

The two easily slid past the robots, only to be chased by more robots on skis. The two saw a huge ramp leading straight upwards, smirked to each other, and gained enough speed to shoot straight up. The two spun around in the air as Cosmo drew out his staff again, allowing Nova to grab onto one end as they slid back down. Side-by-side, holding the staff, the two sped past the robots, making the staff trip them. Cosmo stylishly flipped to Nova's right as he took the staff back and smiled to her, continuing to slide downwards.

Unbeknownst to them, a robot stood on a small hill, aimed at the mountain top, then launched a speeding missile, exploding at the top, and creating an avalanche that slid toward the two aliens. "Oh no!" Nova screamed. "Hurry, Cosmo!"

"Crud! What I wouldn't give to be a cricket right now!"

**China**

At this time, Mushu and the Lucky Cricket were reading this story. "Pfft. He's _mah_ Lucky Cricket."

_Crick crick._ The cricket chirped.

**At the stage**

"Come, we'll try and lose it up ahead." As Cosmo said this, more robots came from ahead of them, but the aliens avoided, making the robots get buried beneath the snow. Ahead of them, they could see the entrance to the base through a small door. "The base is just up ahead. Let's go!" With that, the aliens slid into the entryway, which quickly closed, stopping the avalanche. (Play the White Acropolis Base Theme!)

_Act 2_

Shadow the Hedgehog Spin Dashed through another entry to the base, then kept speeding along with his ski shoes, followed by Rouge. The ultimate life form warped to any robot that came their way, knocking it out, while Rouge tossed bombs that shocked and stunned the robots, leaving Shadow to throw Chaos Spears.

With the aliens, Cosmo and Nova were running through an outside field of the base where several searchlights skimmed around. The aliens took cover behind some barrels while a searchlight passed over them. They kept going and quickly dodge-rolled behind another set of barrels, avoiding a searchlight. They kept running and narrowly dodged and flipped a few more searchlights. They saw one coming straight toward them, and gasped and held on to each other in fright.

At this time, Shadow and Rouge were running to the roof of the base where the searchlight towers are. Rouge noticed the aliens down in the prison field and said, "Who are they?"

"I'm not sure. But they must be after something of Eggman's, too. Let's help them for now." With that, Shadow ran straight for the searchlight that was about to spot the aliens. "Chaos SPEAR!" he yelled, throwing a Chaos Spear and knocking out the robot manning the searchlight.

The two aliens shut their eyes for the blinding light, but suddenly noticed it go out. Rouge zoomed over to the next light to knock it out. The two aliens just shrugged and continued on. They were almost at the base's entrance, but the doors suddenly closed, and three large robots wielding helmets and hammers—Egg Hammers—dropped down. Cosmo gave a fierce expression and ran toward them, dodging as the large robots tried to hammer him.

Nova climbed onto one of the robots' backs and held her hands over its eyes. The robot went crazy and spun trying to shake her off, swinging his hammer and knocking out the other robots. The last robot became dizzy and stopped, leaving Nova to jump off and for Cosmo to kick it over. As a result, its helmet came off.

The three now-helmetless robots recovered and stomped after them again. One robot tried to swing its hammer into Cosmo, but he jumped onto another one, making the hammer whack its head. The third tried to smash him, but Nova shielded its eyes, making it smash the other robot's head. The last robot tried to reach for and grab Nova, but the Harnitan jumped off, and the last thing the robot saw before fainting was the flash from Cosmo's ray gun.

After the robots were defeated, the doors to the base opened. Cosmo and Nova smiled and high-fived before heading in. Shadow and Rouge jumped down from the roof, exchanged nods, and followed after them. (Stop the music.)

After fighting through a few more robots, the two aliens made it to some kind of control station. There seemed to be a glowing spot on the ground. "What is it?" Nova asked.

"A space transporter. It's set to transport you to… the Death Egg?"

"Death Egg? What's that?"

"It sounds familiar. Come on, Nova. Let's check it out." With that, the two aliens stood on the transporter, and warped away.

Shadow and Rouge arrived just in time to witness this. "Oh? They're gone!" Rouge pointed out.

"They've gone up to Eggman's space station. The Chaos Emerald must be up there, too. Let's follow them." With that, the government agents teleported after them.

**Mt. Gnaa**

Harvey McKenzie lay unconscious in a frozen, blizzard field, finally waking up and gripping his aching head. "Ohhh… what happened?" He opened his eyes and found where he was: a pitch-black field of nothing but snow. "Where am I?" Out of the blackness, he noticed something approach him: a black shadow of a bald-headed boy with an arrow on its head. "Huh?"

_"Heh… HEH….."_ The being smirked evilly.

"Uhhh…" Harvey still looked a little tired.

_"Ispanasasha. Nehmasoshayaaa…"_ it spoke. It turned away and flew off, and Harvey could plainly see the forbidden mountain ahead.

Harvey couldn't help but stare at the glowing column of purple that emitted from the top of the mountain. There was something about the glow that seemed… so tempting in his eyes. Without a single thought, the Sector Leader stood up, brushed the snow off his pants, and slowly approached the dark mountain.

* * *

><p><strong>AND there was Cosmo and Nova's first stage. Black Acropolis is actually based off of, as you guessed, White Acropolis. And yes, Harvey has reached Mt. Gnaa, and is being drawn in by the Darkness. But NEXT TIME, we should battle the first boss! I'll see you then!<strong>


	5. Death Egg Duel

**First boss fight, people! Let's get to it!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Shadow Comes to Aid! Vs. the Death Egg Robot!<em>**

**Negaverse**

While it was nighttime in the Positive Universe, the Negaverse was broad daylight. The city pool seemed empty as Sector V, W, Fanny, Patton, Rachel, Eva, and Kade emerged from the pool, gasping for air and climbing out. "Hey…" Nigel panted. "It actually worked."

"WAAAH!" Wally screamed, shooting out of the pool and landing hard on the concrete.

"REOWWW!" Violet exclaimed, shooting out as well, then quickly shaking the water off her half-cat form, in sort of a crazy fashion. Abby proceeded to slap Vi a few times before she got control of herself again. "Phew. Thanks, Ab."

"No problem." She said coolly.

"Hehe haha!" Kuki laughed. "She looks funny when she does that!"

"Alright, team." Nigel began. "Remember the Negaverse is home to all our complete opposites. Knowing Lehcar and Scarlet, we'll have to search anywhere we can in order to find where they've taken-"

"There he is!" Patton exclaimed, pointing over to the very boy they came for, who had his back turned, tapping his foot in thought it seemed.

"HARVEY!" Rachel and Sector W exclaimed. The blonde leader immediately ran over and embraced her brother in a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy we found you, I was so worried! !"

"Ulp!" Harvey grunted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, miss, but I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"…Huh?" At this, Rachel spun him around, and realized there was a "-363" taped on his helmet. "…You're not Harvey!"

"Nope!" Harvey's opposite smiled. "I'm the Negative 363! But please, call me Yevrah. And I don't mean to self-brag, but I'm the most caring and beloved person in the WHOLE DNK!"

"It's true." A familiar voice spoke.

"Hey! It's our Negatives! Hi, guys!" Kuki waved happily. They all looked towards the Negative Sector V, plus Ynnaf and Eizzil, who had just arrived.

"Long time, no see, guys!" Nigel greeted.

"Ugh. That line is SO overused." Fanny remarked.

"But ya gotta admit, it's a classic!" Ynnaf smiled.

"Yah, yah. So, you're my opposite, huh?" Fanny asked.

"Yep! I absolutely ADORE boys, and Rainbow Monkeys are SO DISGUSTIN'!"

"Uh-huh… Well, I'm ready to go now."

"Too bad, Fanny." Patton smirked. "You and your opposite are spending the night together."

"Well, in that case, one of us is going to die."

"I wouldn't DO that, if I were you!" Yevrah said, happily. "If a Negative dies, the Positive dies, too!"

"Our two dimensions are linked together, see, and so is its people." Eigaoh told them.

"Yes, that's what Ganondorf said, I remember." Nigel replied.

The Negatives gasped in fright. "Y-You saw… G-Ganondorf?" Legin stuttered.

"Yeah. ALONG with my devilish opposite." Rachel said.

They gasped louder. "Lehcar EiznekCm was imprisoned for her horrible crimes." Eizzil said.

"Y-Yeah. Until Yllaw and Yevrah entered the Twilight Realm and got the spirit, Giratina's help." Legin quaked.

"Then Yllaw took over, and we ALL know what happened then." Ynnaf said.

"Still, compared to that witch, Lehcar, Yllaw ain't half bad." Ikuk said.

Ybba shivered. "Thems gots somethin' CRAZY goin' on on that big ol' mountain wit' the real Harvey, huhuhuhu…"

Hoagie snickered at her, and Abby just looked away in shame.

"Sure hope I don't meet my opposite." Violet said.

"Wait, you know where they've taken Harvey?" Sonya asked.

The Negatives nodded. "Yeah, but you're not gonna like it." Eigaoh said.

"Why was I expecting that?" Rachel asked rhetorically.

"Where are they?" Nigel asked.

The Negatives exchanged frightened glances, and Eigaoh answered, "They went to the Mt. Gnaa."

"What's that?" Angie asked.

"Well, you know how, when people in your world die, they get sent to the Underworld? Well, when a Negative dies, they get taken to Mt. Gnaa, and get imprisoned within a dark dungeon called the Well of Shadows."

"The Well of Shadows is said to be a prison where all the universe's darkness is kept." Eizzil explained. "The gods believed that Negatives were all the evil sides of people, so our souls are sent to roam in the Well forever when we die."

"That's horrible!" Kuki exclaimed.

"The Darkness inside the well is supposed to manipulate whoever looks into it into doing evil things." Legin continued. "And that isn't the worst of it: the spirits used that well to imprison… N-Negatar Gnaa!"

"NEGATAR GNAA?" they shouted.

"Negatar Gnaa is an evil Master of Dark Elements." Ynnaf said frightfully. "The spirits didn't want ta kill him because they needed his opposite to stay alive. They kept him and all his evil powers binded within the well… but that only made the Darkness stronger!"

"Anyone who goes near that place is just BOUND to fall under Gnaa's curse." Ikuk said, still looking smug. "That's why the DNK never go there."

"So they've taken Harvey to Mt. Gnaa… so they could _brainwash_ him?" Charlotte asked.

"That would be my best guess." Yevrah replied. "And knowing my opposite's selfish attitude, the Well will surely have great effects on him."

"Don't say that!" Rachel yelled. "He's my brother. He may have troubles, but I KNOW he's sweet!"

"No offense, Rachel, but I think you're in slight denial." Nigel replied.

"He has a point." Fanny agreed.

"Ugh. Well, think what you want. I'm still going to save him."

"We're coming, too, Rachel!" Nigel reminded. "But do we even know where this place is?"

"Mt. Gnaa is in Tsew Ainigriv." Eigaoh explained. "That would be the opposite of your 'West Virginia'."

"The Little Traitor Dudes can take you in their limo!" Ynnaf said. At that instant, the Delightful opposites zoomed and stopped right by them in a hippie van.

"Come on, dudes!" they said in unison. "We're, like, TOTALLY gonna get there before you can say… 'Duuuude'!"

"So THAT'S Negative Bruce?" Violet asked.

"You know it, My Girlfriend's Positive!" Ecurb cheered.

"Oh gee." Violet face-palmed. "What's the Negative Violet like?"

"A girl on a total crack job." Ecurb replied.

"Now, get in, dudes! This limo is, like, totally awesome!"

"Are you guys sure you wanna go?" Yevrah asked. "It's not wise to underestimate that mountain's lure."

"Heh." Nigel smirked. "I'm not afraid of any 'evil lure'. I resisted the Dark Side once before, I can do it again."

"Plus, his brain's much too cluttered with all his work to be brainwashed by anything." Eva joked. Nigel shot an angry glare at her.

"Well, I wanna save Harvey, too." Sonya said. "He may be mean, but he's also our friend."

"Yeah! So let's get going!" Angie exclaimed. With that, the operatives boarded the hippie van (apparently a limo in the Negaverse) and drove off to the forbidden mountain.

"Those guys are so dead." Eigaoh figured.

"But ya gotta admire their bravery." Ynnaf said.

"Huhuhuhu! Tell me a knock-knock joke, guys! I wanna hear a knock-knock joke!" Ybba chuckled.

The Negatives just exchanged disbelieving glances and Eigaoh bashed her in the head with a random anvil. "Huhuhu… that's a good one… d'oh." She fainted.

**The Death Egg**

A strange, spherical space station, with a face that resembled Dr. Eggman's, calmly drifted over Earth's atmosphere. Cosmo and Nova, at this time, appeared aboard the base via teleportation, inside an enormous room with a ledge going around some sort of battlefield. The ledge had steel pillars all around it that had green lasers scrolling upwards. The ledge also had several missiles around it, ready to launch.

"I guess this is the Death Egg." Cosmo figured as they looked around.

"This place is incredible." Nova said. "I wonder who would have this all the way up here?"

_"Oh ho ho! Wouldn't you like to know?"_

The aliens stood on guard at this mysterious voice. (Play Eggman's Theme from _Sonic Adventure 2_!)

"Well, if you must know… it's the scientist that's going to seal your doom!" The chubby scientist known as Dr. Eggman lowered himself down in his hovercraft.

"Hey! You're that scientist that was on the KND News!" Cosmo exclaimed.

"Heh, correct! I am Dr. Eggman! The greatest scientific genius in the universe!"

"Pah. Genius or not, we're taking you out!" Cosmo said, readying for battle.

"Oh ho ho! Bravery is admirable, Cosmo, but I'm afraid you're the only one that'll be taken out today! Your girlfriend, however, we have something ELSE planned."

"Huh?" They gasped. "What do you want with Nova?"

"That doesn't concern you right now. And even if it did, I'm afraid your road ends here. Good-bye, Cosmo of Pumparia." Cosmo gasped as Eggman launched missiles.

"Chaos SPEAR!" The missiles were suddenly destroyed.

"Huh? SHADOW?"

The black hedgehog landed on the floor and smirked. "Heh. Surprised to see me, Doctor?"

"Who…" Nova was about to say.

"Grrr. I can't get ANYWHERE from these pests. Huff. No matter. I'll crush all THREE of you. Normally, people have the honor of witnessing my latest creations. But this time, let's get a look at the improved version of one of my older ones. Oh, boys!" (Stop the music.) With that, a door opened in the center of the arena and Eggman floated into it.

They all watched as the hatch closed and an even bigger one opened. (Play the Death Egg Robot Theme from _Sonic Generations_!) They all stared wide-eyed as an enormous robot, designed like Dr. Eggman, rose up from the floor below. Decoe and Bocoe waved from the robot's eyes while Eggman sat in his cockpit on top, smirking. The massive robot jumped and shook the ground, causing the three to fall into the arena.

"Heh. My robot will stomp you. ATTACK!"

_Boss fight: Death Egg Robot_

The aliens and the hedgehog ran in separate directions as the robot stomped after them. It locked onto Shadow and launched its right fist at him, but missed. It then launched its left fist at Nova and grabbed the alien girl, who screamed. Cosmo jumped onto the arm and shot the hand, making Nova drop and the robot start wobbling.

"Whoa! We're going overrrr!" Decoe exclaimed. Shadow saw its rear glowing green and saw the opportunity to Spin Dash it, knocking the robot over.

"Grrr!" Eggman grumbled as the robot stood back up. "I will flatten you!" With that, he made the robot jump and attempt to smash Shadow, but it missed and sent Shadow flying up to the ledge. "Have some o' this!" Shadow dodged as the robot started launching floating bombs from its fingers.

"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Cosmo taunted, shooting at its back. The robot decided to turn around for them, sending some Bladded Spinners after Shadow.

The ultimate life form then aimed one of the surrounding missiles at the robot and launched it, hitting and stunning the robot. Shadow grabbed onto the (apparently) solid lasers and let it take him upwards to the Spinners. Once up there, he Home Attacked off the machines until reaching the robot, hitting its right eye, and knocking out Decoe, breaking his controls.

Shadow dropped down to the aliens as the robot recovered. It aimed its fingers and spun around, unleashing flames all around him. The aliens ducked and rolled to the robot, who stopped spinning and launched another arm at them. It jumped above and attempted to squash them, but Shadow Spin Dashed into its rear, knocking it into the fire and putting it out. The robot stood again and attempted to smash, but sent Shadow flying up toward the ledge again.

This time, the Death Egg Robot jumped up beside him and launched more flames. Shadow hung onto to the upward laser again, narrowly dodging the robot's chainsaw hands. Once Shadow was on top, the robot jumped back to the arena's center. "Uwah ha! Try and make it over here, Shadow!" Eggman taunted, launching more floating bombs from the hands. Shadow simply Home Attacked each one of them and reached the large robot, attacking Bocoe's controls and knocking him out.

Shadow dropped back to the ground as Eggman said, "Ahh! He's not getting away with this." Eggman then dropped more bombs down at the trio, who ran away before they exploded. The Death Egg Robot stomped around, trying to smash them, until Shadow shot into its rear, knocking it over again.

While it was down, Cosmo and Nova took this time to bash its cockpit, cracking the glass a little. Eggman finally made the robot stand back up and jump and quake the ground again, sending Shadow back up on the ledge. It successfully grabbed the aliens with one arm and tried launching its other arm at Shadow. "What? !" It missed and stuck to the ground, leaving Shadow to curl up into a pinball and zoom up the robot's arm.

Eggman fired missiles, trying to destroy Shadow, but he kept rolling up the now-exploding arm. Once at the robot, Shadow jumped straight up, smirking down at a worried Eggman, charged his Home Attack, and pierced right through the cockpit, straight down the middle.

"Eek!" In a few seconds, the robot exploded, sending Eggman and his cronies flying away. "The Eggman's blasting off agaiiiiin!"

Cosmo and Nova high-fived as they all watched the robot parts come down. "Heh. You haven't changed a bit, Doctor." Shadow stated, cockily. (Stop the music.)

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Cosmo exclaimed.

"Heh. He was nothing. But what are you two doing here, anyway?"

"Oh. Well…" Cosmo began. "We're with the Kids Next Door. We heard about this strange base a few hours ago and came here to investigate."

"Kids Next Door?"

"Shadow!" They turned their attention to Rouge, the thieving bat, who flew and landed by them with a small disk in her gloved hand. "Hehe. Look what I snagged off the doctor's computer room."

"At least Vector didn't do it." Shadow joked.

Rouge chuckled. "So who are the aliens?"

"They seem to know something about this world. We'll worry about it later." Shadow turned and walked over to the robot's ruins. There, he found a glowing green gem and picked it up. "Now that I have a Chaos Emerald, I can warp us back to the others."

"Wait! Can we stop by and pick up our ship first?" Cosmo asked. "We left down at that base. Our other friends are there, too."

Shadow nodded. "Hm. We can use your ship to get back to the others. Then you could explain to us the nature of this world. Chaos CONTROL!" At his command, the glow from the Emerald expanded, and warped them all away.

* * *

><p><strong>Perrrrfection! AND that was our first boss. The same as <em>Sonic Generations<em>, only THIS one is designed like the current Eggman! Next time… we will reach Mt. Gnaa. Later!**


	6. The Well of Darkness

**Hey, people. HERE'S our turning point! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Inevident Darkness: Harvey Is Touched by Gnaa!<em>**

**Black Acropolis**

After teleporting, Cosmo, Nova, Shadow, and Rouge appeared by Eggman's base. "We've made it back." The hedgehog said. "Let's find your ship and get out of here."

"There it is." Nova said, pointing to a couple polar bears fighting over an elf. Nova pressed a button, switching off the cloaking device.

"Oooh!" Rouge looked impressed.

When the cloaking switched off, Emily and Annie peeked outside, the two girls rubbing their hands for warmth. "Are we ready to GO, yet? ?" Emily complained.

"Heheh, yeah, we're ready." Cosmo chuckled as they stepped in.

"Hey there!" Annie greeted perkily to Shadow. "I'm-"

"Let's hurry up and go." Shadow stated in his dark tone.

"…Annie." Annie finished.

As the ship flew off, a strange girl in a black hoodie spied on them.

**Mt. Gnaa**

The Kids Next Door made it to the base of Mt. Gnaa. They all stared up at the imposing fortress, the purple column of darkness sprouting from the top. "This is scar-ryyyy!" Kuki quivered.

"Peh… Oi've seen scarier." Wally said, although he was terrified.

"Scary or not… we've got to rescue my brother." Rachel spoke confidently.

"You sure we can't just make up an excuse?" Nigel asked.

"Nigel!"

"I'm kiddiiing!"

"Don't worry, Lass. We're with ya the whole way." Fanny assured her leader.

"Yeah! Let's show this Gnaa guy who we are!" Patton declared.

"Ha ha ha!" Rachel chuckled. "Thanks, guys." She felt more confident with her friends by her side. "Okay… let's do it!" (Play "Mountain Fortress 1" from _Spyro: Eternal Night_.)

_Stage 4: Mt. Gnaa_

_Mission: Climb the mountain and rescue Harvey!_

Rachel, Fanny, and Patton began their trek up the terrifying mountain. It truly was the scariest place they've ever been to. It was really cold. The sky was pitch-black. There were no signs of life or light. The only light came from the evil purple from the top of the mountain. While it made light, it was really the lure of the evil Dark Master.

As they passed up a pathway between some walls, vicious, ravenous baboons jumped down, snarling at the tasty morsels. One leaped at Rachel, but she bashed it with her Yield Staff. Patton punched one in the face when it came at him, then proceeded to punch him some more. Fanny tossed emerald flames as more came, but one of the apes grabbed her arm in its teeth. She jabbed the arm forward, lighting it on fire and scaring the ape away. One more tried to gnash at Rachel, but she caught its fangs around the pole of her staff, swinging him to the ground, and dealing a round of punches using the punching-glove end of her staff.

They made it to a wall at the end of the path, but the right of the wall was rugged enough to climb. They climbed to a pathway above the right wall, overlooking a gorge with some wobbly platforms, which were very skinny at their bases. The two platforms wobbled back-and-forth, to their side, and to the opposite side. When the first foothold leaned their way, they jumped, then waited for it to lean to the next one before they jumped. It then leaned toward the opposite ledge, so they jumped again, reaching a longer gorge.

They hopped down a stairway to the bottom of the gorge. The path was set between an eerie river of some kind of green substance. It looked like the river of fluoride in Knightbrace's cave… except they could feel a _far_ worse energy coming from this river. Compared to this energy, and this whole mountain, they would much rather be in Knightbrace's Cavity Cave, and risk falling in a river of fluoride and gaining extremely shiny teeth, than climb this evil mountain and succumb to the powers of darkness.

Patrolling the river were more of Gnaa's apes, snarling as they ran toward the trio. Rachel and Patton began bashing some apes into the poisonous river, while Fanny shot fireballs to keep some apes back. They ran forward and fought the apes back some more, knocking them out as they proceeded across. They reached the end of this part of the path, and the poison river separated them and the following path. Standing across from the large gap was a slightly bigger baboon, armed with bombs. Fanny tossed flames at him, but the ape dodged and threw bombs back, trying to blow them up. Rachel noticed the tall totem pole beside the ape, which looked weak at the bottom. Rachel grabbed one of the ape's bombs and threw it at the pole, causing it to come down and make a bridge.

The three crossed over as Fanny chucked more forceful flames at the ape, then Rachel proceeded to bonk him and knock him in the river. With that, the three continued, entering a cave in the mountain's side. They came to a straight, narrow hallway with several arches around the walls and ceiling. On the very other side was a small statue of Gnaa's head, its angry eyes glowing as a deadly green beam shone from its mouth, slowly skimming the hallway. The three hid behind one of the arches to avoid its gaze.

"Whaddyou think happens if we touch it?" Patton whispered.

Rachel picked up a tiny pebble and tossed it at the beam. It disintegrated in an instant, and the beam skimmed close to them upon feeling the rock. "Well, it probably doesn't send you to Happy Land." Rachel whispered.

When the beam was very slowly moving toward the other side, the three quickly dashed out and slid behind the next arch, avoiding the beam when it tried to get them. They repeated this for the next arch, and since the exit was on the left side, they had to swiftly avoid the beam and dodge behind an arch along the left wall. The exit was right there, but the beam's source was very close. When the beam was as far as it would go on the right side, Rachel did a '3, 2, 1' with her fingers, and they immediately ran out. In the process, Fanny tripped, but Patton was able to pull her to safety as the beam burned the tip of her left boot.

They entered a room where the path went along the left wall, around a huger, wider floor up above. They followed the path as more apes ran at them, but the kids easily knocked them into the strange, green goo. They made it to some tall steps and jumped their way up, getting onto the large, round floor. Five giant apes; half Grandfather's height, took land around the operatives, the kids glaring fiercely. Fanny jumped and threw fire at the first ape, but it defended as it grabbed Fanny's foot and tossed her over the edge, but she grabbed on and climbed back up.

An ape threw punches at Patton, who countered with his own punches, before the Polish boy was grabbed by another ape and thrown into Fanny, knocking both over the edge again, but Patton gripped the ledge and held onto Fanny. An ape grabbed Rachel from behind, binding her arms, but she kicked its chest and kicked off, flipping over its head and kicking the back of it. Patton climbed onto the field with Fanny, but the Irish redhead grabbed and pushed him back down in anger. An ape ran to crush Fanny with its fists, but she dodge-rolled behind and shot flames at his butt, making him cry and fall over the edge. He landed on the safe ground around the room, but Patton kicked him down into the goo.

Another ape drew a sword and began to clash with Rachel's staff. The blond leader nimbly swung her weapon and knocked the sword away before bouncing up and bashing the ape across the face with her Yield side. An ape snarled and crawled to Fanny, but Patton ran back onto the field, slid underneath, and kicked hard at his crotch. The ape winced in pain as Fanny shot flames at his face and pushed him over the edge. Rachel faced another ape as it readied to catch her, but she dodged its arms and swung at his legs to knock him on his back. She hopped on his chest and dealt quick, rapid blows against his face, then finished by bashing her Yield sign forcefully across his face.

The last ape raised to maces as it faced the three kids. Team Leader (as they were now called) exchanged smirks, and together, they flipped to the ape and sent him to the edge with their combined force, knocking him down.

Upon his defeat, they looked up as a door on a higher ledge was blown open, seeing Angie and their friends standing over them. "HEY, guuuuuys!" Angie cheered.

"Guys? How'd you get up there?" Rachel asked.

"Turns out, earthbending work in here, too." Charlotte replied.

"Come on! Let's go save Harvey!" Angie exclaimed.

The three nodded and hopped up to join them, going onto an outside balcony. Angie stomped the ground and made a rock platform from the ledge. The group stood on as Angie shifted the foothold up along the wall, easily reaching the mountain's peak. The evil purple glow was brighter than ever. (End song.)

Harvey McKenzie had finally followed the shadow up to the top of the weird mountain. He watched as the evil being smirked and lured him over with his fingers, floating down into a hole where all the dark energy, from the purple column to the dark mist, seemed to come from. Harvey slowly approached the glowing purple, staring into it as he heard some weird whisper emitting from it. His face was just inches from the column, and he slowly reached his arm to touch it…

"HARVEY!"

"AHH!" Harvey screamed, suddenly pulled back by Rachel. He turned around to see the others as well.

"Phew! Thank goodness. Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm…" he looked at the dark column, "…fine."

"Harvey!" Angie yelled. "You know the story about that kid that fell in the well. Do YOU wanna have to be rescued by a cute little puppy that'll end up getting fame and glory, get dubbed a hero, and make you look weak by comparison?"

"Hehehe." Rachel chuckled. "Mandy so hated that movie."

"Ah, come on, guys." Harvey whined. "I was just looking around. I know how to look after myself."

"Excuse me for disagreeing, but as your opposite, I… disagree." Yevrah said.

"Who the heck are you? Some kind of 363 wannabe? I know I'm awesome, but you need to work on it, Faker."

"Um, no. I'm your Negative, pally!" he smiled.

"_I think they were switched at birth."_ Kade whispered to Eva and Nigel, who snickered.

"Blech. I bet nobody likes you, Smiley-face."

"That's MISTER Smiley-face to you, buddy." Yevrah shot back, poking Harvey's nose. "And if we don't get off this mountain right now, we'll ALL be in terrible-"

"Don't TOUCH ME!" he yelled at the poke.

Everyone soon felt the mountain begin to rumble. After it stopped, they looked around.

"What was that?" Violet asked.

"Earthquake?" Kuki thought.

"Uh… guys?" Sonya began. "I think it's time we get out of here- WHOA!" A trapdoor opened beneath their feet, and they were sent to the room below.

"Oh- Ah- OW." They all grunted, landing atop one another. Eva and Abby had to shove Kade and Hoagie off from atop them.

"Well, that was a smooth landing." Hoagie remarked as Violet threw Wally into a wall, getting him off of her and standing up.

"What is this place?" Abby asked. She then noticed Kuki's terrified expression.

"G-Guys…" She quaked as she rose her right arm and pointed forward.

The gang gasped in fear, seeing more of the vicious baboons surrounding them. They were in a room where the purple column came from the center of the floor.

"W-What are they? ?" Paddy quivered.

"For baboons, they're pretty psychotic." Charlotte replied. Lee gulped.

"Heh… heh heh heh."

"Huh?" Nigel cocked a brow at the big, buff ape that sat on a throne.

"Welcome, Kids Next Door… to the Mountain of his Imperial Darkness…" the ape spoke in a dark, monstrous tone.

"Wh-Who are you guys?" Hoagie asked.

"Mweh heh heh. Won't you be surprised? We are the Negatives of the little colorful monkeys that keep you Positive girls so happy: we are Rainy Monkeys."

"R…Rainy Monkeys?" Kuki asked.

"This is why some people of your world hate Rainbow Monkeys." Yevrah said. "Because of their connection to the evil monkeys we have here."

"Correct." The ape said. "Of course, we always thought that name 'Rainy Monkeys' was kinda kiddish. Thankfully, when our Master came to this mountain and recruited us, he gave us a more frightful name: we are… the Demon Apes!"

"The Demon Apes?" Abby asked.

"Yes… tremble at our terrifying name, mweh heh heh heh!"

"…Eh… Numbuh 5's heard better."

"Eh, I dunno, it's kinda cool." Hoagie replied.

The Ape King rolled his eyes. "Ugh, forget you… ahem: I am Gaul, the King of Apes. And the most loyal servant to the great Negatar."

"So… the Negatar IS here." Rachel figured.

"Where is he?" Nigel asked.

"Too scared to show his ugly face?" Fanny said cockily.

"Oh, how blind you Positive girls are." Gaul said. "The Dark Master is, in fact, right here: inside that well."

The operatives looked to the dark hole in the center. "So that's…" Sonya began.

"The Well of Shadows: where _all_ Negative souls are cursed to drift forever and ever."

"Ah… huh…" Nigel began to feel terrified. "Ahem. Well, uh, it was nice meeting you and all, but we really must be going." He said half-panicky as they all gave nervous smiles. "Sorry to drop in on you. Take care now, hehe!" Their escape was blocked when some apes jumped in their way.

"Oh, but must you go? My precious apes haven't had ANYTHING decent since that murderous teenager that I dragged here months ago. Why in the world would I turn them down a pack of fresh meat that so helplessly wandered their way up here?"

Wally gulped. "W-Wouldn't… you guys… rather have a hamburger?"

"ATTACK!" At Gaul's command, the pack of vicious apes charged at the frightened kids. Nigel unleashed flames and made a firewall between his friends and the apes. The apes backed up a little, and some of them started jumping right over, only to be batted away by Rachel's Yield Staff.

The fire cleared and the group of operatives ran to attack the apes. Angie used her earthbending to stomp the ground and make the floor crumble below for them to fall while Eva used a Water Fist to smash them. Rachel was fighting back another ape and knocked it on its back, getting ready to stab it when-

"WAAIIT!" Rachel turned her attention to Kuki. "If these monkeys are the Rainbow Monkeys' Negatives, killing them will kill the Rainbow Monkeys, too!"

"Works for me!" Wally exclaimed, punching more apes with his S.L.U.G.G.U.H..

Nigel stylishly punched fireballs at every ape that approached him, smirking in victory. "You pack of fur balls are nothing to the human race!" Unbeknownst to him, a shadow was creeping up from behind. "AHH!" Nigel's legs were suddenly grabbed by Cheshire, and the bald Brit looked in terror as Danika emerged from the shadows, giving a creepy smile.

"Hm hm. You humans are nothing to us goths." She smirked.

"Eeee-yah!" Nigel screamed, making a fire spin as Danika jumped back.

Rachel narrowly dodged as a net fired at her, looking at Nolan York. "Hold still and let me shoot you!" Nolan exclaimed, locking onto Rachel and shooting missiles.

Hoagie and Kade were suddenly hit by some gas balls, recovering and seeing The Terrible Toxic Four, led by Matthew Dimalanta. "Hm. I was wondering when we'd see you again." Matt said.

Nigel rolled in front of Hoagie and Kade, making another firewall between them. "Ha! Take this!" Leo declared.

"NOO! !" Matt and Danika yelled. But they were too late as Leo launched a Gas Bomb, which created an explosion that blew them all back.

"Ugh…" Matt groaned as they recovered. "Ah, you idiot! Everyone knows gas is flammable!"

"No one ever told me!"

"Gee, I wonder." Danika eye-rolled.

"Shut up, Sis!"

"Okay, no firebending." Nigel decided.

"Yup." Abby agreed. "Let's just stick with- AHHH!" She was instantly hit by a psionic blast.

"-kicking your butts." April finished, standing in the doorway.

"It's Chad's sister!" Nigel recognized.

"Alright, blondie, time for some butt-whoopin'!" Wally shouted.

April turned to him and launched another psionic blast. Wally just stood there, confused of what was happening. "Huh? …H-Hey! That kinda tickles!"

"Crud! His brainwaves are too complex." April figured.

"Ha! Too smart for ya, huh?" Wally gloated.

"Actually, they're-"

"YAH!" April was tackled by Sonya. "I didn't expect you to go with these guys."

"You!" April pushed her off and recovered. The Dickson girl launched another psionic blast at Sonya, but Sonya countered with one of her own; a pink one. The two beams pushed for a bit until Sonya's was the one that prevailed, knocking April out.

"WHOA! !" Paddy screamed.

"Sonya?" Lee said.

"What was that?" Charlotte asked.

After the attack, Sonya turned to them, looking nervous. "Guys… there's something I never told you before…"

"Huh? What is it, Son- YAH!" Rachel was cut off when Gaul grabbed her by the neck.

"You kids were always more trouble than you were worth. You've been a thorn in my Master's side for far too long. It's time you-"

"Eee-yah!"

"OOF!" Gaul dropped Rachel when Harvey landed on his head, blocking his eyes.

"Get your paws off my sister!"

"RRAH!" Gaul shook Harvey off and grabbed him.

"BRO!" Rachel yelled as she tried to help him. But Nolan fired a net around her that shocked her.

"First off, apes have hands, not paws." Gaul said. Harvey tried to fidget away as the large ape approached the dark well. "And second…" He lifted Harvey high above him. "By the power vested in me, by his all-powerful Negativity: I, Gaul the Ape King, hereby set my Master FREE!"

"AAHHH!"

"HARVEY!" Rachel screamed as her brother was thrown into the darkness. They all watched in terror as Harvey took an enormous shock from the dark column, screaming in horrible pain. The shocking finally stopped, shooting Harvey into the wall as he fainted.

Black, shadowy smoke started to rise from the bucktoothed McKenzie boy, and everyone gaped at the sight of Phantom Gnaa emerging from his body, taking a huge whiff through his nose. _"Sniiiiiiiff. AHH HA HA HA HA HA HA!"_

"Harvey!" Rachel and Angie screamed, running to his aid.

"Heh heh… EH heh…" Gaul laughed.

"Oh no! Please don't die, Harvey!" Angie pleaded.

"Yeah! 'Cause if you die, I die!" Yevrah exclaimed.

"Uh, guys? We got bigger problems, here." Hoagie said, noticing all the apes that were surrounding them, snarling hungrily. Gaul approached, about to stab Abby and Hoagie with his swords.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" A magic blast fired and knocked the weapons right out of Gaul's hands. They all turned to see the Grim Reaper and Dr. Facilier.

"UNCLE FACILIER!" Abby exclaimed.

Nolan tried to shoot the voodoo witch-doctor, but he yelled, "STUPEFY!", freezing Nolan in place. Cheshire tried to gnash at him, but Facilier's Shadow tackled her back, beating her until she retreated to Danika.

Rachel carried Harvey as they all gathered behind Grim. The apes all backed away as Grim held his scythe ready. The wall suddenly burst open as the Little Traitor Dudes drove in. "Come on, dudes! Let's get out of here and go toga!" Not sure what they meant by "toga", they decided to hop in their van/limo and drive off.

The Toxic Four and Team Brotherhood panted as they recovered. "They're gone…" Matt said tiredly.

"Hnnn… and they've taken our Master with them." Gaul smirked, along with Phantom. The two burst into evil, maniacal laughter. "AHHH ha ha ha haaa!"

**Downtown Chicago**

Buddy Utsukushii leaned against an alley wall downtown, catching glares from all the people that walked by. "Hey." He turned to see his best friend, Noah Heart, who wore a baby-blue sweater, similar to Numbuh 3's, a black mini-skirt, and high-heel boots. While everyone else hated The Quads for their powers, Noah was their only friend, and she especially hung out with Buddy. The two had secret crushes on the other, but neither could admit it.

"Hey, Noah." Buddy greeted as they started walking down the street.

"Still getting the usual hate?"

"Yep. I lost to Rock, Paper, Scissors and had to go return this dumb videotape." He said, holding up a tape with a "Blockblister" wrapping.

"Hey, so am I!"

"Let's just hope we don't run into any trouble. Namely Boba."

"Don't worry. Hopefully, that guys knows better than to mess with me!"

After a while of walking, the two made it to the Blockblister video store. They walked in as the foreign employees in purple shirts and grey pants stood at the counter. "Uh, can we speak to the manager?" Noah asked.

"Papa! These kids beg and plead to speak to your face!" the woman called.

The mustached manager came to the counter and said, "Vonderbwah! Welcome to our video store, I am Gnocchi Blokey, hchow am I to be hchelping yuh?"

"Well, I rented this video yesterday, this is _not_ _Twilight Saga: Eclipse_." Noah explained.

"Oh no no." the daughter said. "You no ask for _Eclipse_. You ask for _Elipse_!"

"Elipse?" Noah asked.

"Yes, this movie better!" Blokey said.

"MUCH BETTER! !" they exclaimed.

"Ugh! Just play it." Noah demanded.

"Yagah." With that, the manager took the tape and played it on the TV. The screen showed the daughter dressed like Bella and the son dressed like Edward Cullen, standing in… what looked like a poorly-drawn flower field.

_"Edward… I like you and I vant to be vampire…"_

_"Ohhh… But I dunno… if I vant to make you… vampire."_

_"I no know, either. I might vant to be werewolf, too…"_

_"OHH. But I… hate… werewolves…"_

_"…I dunno what to choose…"_

Once the "movie" ended, the foreign family applauded loudly. "Ah, vonderbwah!"

"That wasn't the movie! That was just you two freaks!" Noah yelled.

"Yah, that was my daughter, Blini, and my son, Biscotti!" Blokey said.

"But that wasn't the real movie!"

"Yes, this movie better!"

"MUCH BETTER!"

"Ugh! !" Noah shouted.

"Er, anyway…" Buddy began, holding up his tape. "I wanted to ask about this, too. This isn't _Harry Potter_."

"Oh no no no. You no ask for Harry _Potter._ You ask for Harry _Otter_!"

"Harry Otter?"

"Yes, this movie better!"

"MUCH BETTER!"

"Er! Just play it."

"Yagah." The manager said, playing the tape on their TV. Biscotti and Blini were shown, dressed as Harry and Hermione.

_"Hermione… my scar is burning… I feel like I am becoming the more of… the Dark Wizard, yah?"_

_"Oh no… Harry Otter. You are not alone, for you have… the friends here, yah?"_

_"Yes. But my godfather, Sirius… is dead."_

_"Yes… Sirius is dead."_

_"People will make joke of that, yah?"_

_"Yes… it is… very funny."_

The "movie" soon ended and the foreigners clapped. "Ah, vonderbwah, vonderbwah!"

"But that wasn't _Harry Potter_!" Buddy exclaimed.

"Yes, this movie is better!"

"MUCH BETTER!"

"Ugh! ! You people are freaks!"

"Thank you!" Blini said. "How will you be paying me?"

"Pay you? ? PAY YOU? ! ? ! AAAHHHHHH! ! !" Noah cowered behind a stack of tapes as Buddy screamed with rage. The male Quad erupted in a huge explosion of psychic energy, destroying the entire store. Buddy panted as the smoke cleared, and Noah came out from hiding to see the ruin.

Noah perked up as sirens were heard in the distance. "Okay, time to go, sorry for the inconvenience!" Noah said hurriedly, grabbing Buddy and running off. The foreigners watched as several cop cars chased them down the street.

"Papa? This boy have destroyed our video store." Blini said.

"Ahhh. He must have been 'blown away' by your fine achting! Let us dance, kids!" The family played some strange music and started dancing, juggling eggs.

"Yagah. Yagah. Yagah, yagah, yagah." They sang.

As they did so, Boba arrived, walked around, and studied the wreckage. "Sweet diddily. The freakshow strikes again. Ooh, but ol' Boba will get him. Get 'is little girlfriend, too. Next time they see him, Boba's gonna be on 'em like peas 'n'-"

"Oh, velcome, strange man! Dance with us!" Blokey exclaimed, grabbing Boba's arm and making him dance around in a circle with them.

"Hey, hey! Get yo' little foreign hands off Boba! Boba don't want no dance! Boba wanna kill that little boy for ya! Boba don't dance, Boba's a- D'AW, naahhh!"

* * *

><p><strong>Oi, that was complicated. Yes, it's everyone's favorite video store from <em>The Amanda Show<em>. Is not Blockbuster, is better! MUCH BETTER! Heh heh! Alright, next time, Kami, Ava, and Kweeb should have a stage. G'night!**


	7. Jungle Beat

**Okay, people, some story stuff, then the next stage. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chaos in the Jungle! Team Kami Meets Team Kong!<em>**

**Moonbase Hospital**

Sector W stood by Harvey McKenzie as the sector leader lay peacefully in the hospital bed in the Moonbase infirmary. An operative dressed like a doctor, who had a tan, walked out of the room to Rachel and the others with a clipboard. "Is he going to be alright, doctor?"

"Uh, Hawaii, thank you for asking. Anyway, nothing appears to be physically wrong with him as of now. And his brain seems to be functioning normally."

"Phew… that's good."

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about." Nigel said.

"At least he'll be okay." Sonya said, relieved as she walked out.

"I TOLD you guys we shoulda brought a dog named Labby." Angie said.

"Uh-huh." Charlotte said, non-agreeingly. "Now maybe Sonya could explain how she made that blast thingy back on the mountain?"

Sonya put her arms behind her back, shifting on her heels as she glanced down shamefully. "Guys… I'm Chad's sister."

Everybody gasped, and Wally, who was drinking soda, spat it all over Kuki. "Hey!" she yelled.

"YOU'RE CHAD'S _SISTER_? !" Wally screamed.

"Huh. No wonder you never told us your last name." Lee said.

"I'm sorry, guys. I thought if you knew I was related to the biggest traitor in the KND… you wouldn't want me. It's also why I kept my powers a secret."

"You mean that thing you did with the laser?" Paddy asked.

"Yeah. See, me and April were born with this weird ability to control emotions. We can peoples' emotions, and even make their minds hurt until they're dead."

"Whoa. Crazy." Lee said.

"April showed off her powers when she went to training and they had her kicked out because she might be dangerous. That's why I never showed them. I thought if people knew I was a freak, no one would wanna hang out with me." she looked down sadly.

Lee walked over to grab her hands, and she looked up at his smiling face. "You're not a freak, Sonya. You're still the same." Sonya smiled back.

"But wait, how come _Chad_ doesn't have that power?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. But he was always pretty grumpy about it. I wonder…"

**Blue Typhoon**

"Shadow and Rouge just called." Tails reported to his teammates aboard the Blue Typhoon. "They've found some new friends in Eggman's base, along with some information."

"Alright! Now we're gettin' somewhere!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"They said they'll be here soon. I wonder who these people are?"

_"Chaos Control!"_ Suddenly, Shadow and Rouge appeared out of thin light, along with Cosmo, Nova, Zuri, Emily, and Annie.

"WHOA! Teleporting's awesome!" Emily exclaimed.

"More like dizzy." Annie said.

"Zuriii…" Zuri said, dizzily.

"So, this is your ship, huh?" Cosmo asked.

"Who are you guys?" Tails asked.

"THESE two are Cosmo and Nova." Rouge explained. "They helped us break into Eggman's base. And these are their friends, Emily and Annie."

"Errr!"

"And Zuri."

"Zur."

"Cosmo?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah… something wrong?" Cosmo asked.

"Nothing, just… we had a friend named Cosmo once."

"Long story. Sad one, too…" Tails explained.

"Oh… sorry."

"It's okay. Come on, let's take a look at that disk you have, Rouge."

"Yeah!" Mario agreed, and they all headed up to the control room.

"I gotta say, now I wish I were an alien." Emily said.

"Technically, to them, _we're_ the aliens." Annie replied.

"Yeah, but I wanna be the ones with the cool spaceships and stuff! It's awesome!"

"Eh, you can't always rely on technology." Cosmo said. "Especially when having to rebuild all this stuff. I say you humans are the lucky ones."

"Your planet seems much more peaceful, with all the undeveloped technology… no offense." Nova said.

"None taken." Emily said. "But I say we should trade places sometime."

Tails was currently installing the disk into his computer terminal, showing the info on the larger screen. "Okay, so according to the info on this disk… Eggman is associated with a being called 'Negatar Gnaa'."

"Negatar Gnaa? What's that?" Amy asked.

"It sounds like another entity that Eggman's trying to awaken." Tails figured. "Like Iblis."

"Or Chaos." Sonic followed.

"He and Bowser are looking for eight powerful spirits called the Legendary Firstborn." Tails read.

"Legendary Firstborn?" Peach asked.

"It's said that collecting them will awaken the greatest power in the universe. They sound kinda like the Chaos Emeralds."

"AH HA HA HA! !" A laugh was suddenly heard, and they turned toward the doorway to find a petite, blonde girl with a white T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and a blue cap. Her eyes seemed an unrealistic blue. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all day! The Firstborn Spirits are like the Chaos Emeralds. HAAA!"

"Who are you?" Shadow asked, slightly threateningly.

She reached behind her and pulled out Tails' rose in the flower pot. "This seem familiar?"

"COSMO!" Tails shouted.

"OW! What?" Cosmo asked, rubbing his ear.

"No, not you, it's-"

"Hate to interrupt, but this is a nice rose." The girl said. "I think I'll take it with me! Be seein' ya!" With that, she vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Hey, come back!" Tails yelled, running to try and grab her, but missed. They looked around and spotted her reappear above the ship's windshield.

"I'm taking this little plant to the Forest of Light. Come meet me there if you want it back. Laters!" The strange girl giggled as she disappeared in another puff.

"She's gone!" Shadow yelled.

"Who was that girl?" Peach asked.

"I don't know. But she didn't seem entirely human." Blaze said.

"It doesn't matter. If she's going to the Forest of Light, we have to go there now!" Tails declared.

"Where is the Forest of Light?" Luigi asked.

"I've heard of it!" Emily spoke up. "It's in Japan!"

"Well, then I guess we're headed for Japan, then." Knuckles figured (duh).

"Time to rock and roll, team." Tails announced, getting in his control seat. "Let's go." And in a few minutes, the ship had liftoff.

**Plank's Lair**

"My fellow wooden soldiers…" Plank 2x4 paced back and forth along his stage as he spoke to the many legions of wooden followers. Johnny 2x4 still wore his Gourd outfit, and stood beside Plank on stage. "Thanks to the gallons of intelligent potion stolen from the Brotherhood Base, I was able to make you: my glorious army. However: I'm afraid we lack the proper strength to impose any real threat. Which is why I've proposed we expand our forces some more."

"But how?" a plank shouted. "There isn't anymore potion!"

"Ah, true… but I've discovered an even better power source. Behold: the Forest Spirit, Celebi!" Plank gestured to the screen and Johnny pressed a button, switching on the projector and showing a black and white image of a green, plantlike fairy creature. "One of the Eight Legendary Firstborn. This spirit has total control over plant and flora life. As beings who come from trees, we will have limitless power from this ancient being! Celebi will give us the mighty power of the forest we once had and help us take over the world!"

"YEEAAHH!"

"Ready the stolen KND aircrafts! Set a course for Japan! The spirit makes its home in the sacred Forest of Light. Once her ultimate power is in our possession… the power of woods will dominate all."

"YAAAAHHHH! !"

"Hee hee!" Johnny cackled. "Way to get 'em riled up, buddy!" he exclaimed, hugging Plank.

"Oof! Yes, yes, I am extraordinaire. ENOUGH, Johnny!" Johnny set Plank down gently. "Thank you. Now get our ship ready. Our rivals will likely be headed the same direction we are. If we don't get there first, it'll be all lost. Ooh, but I'll have my revenge on them, yet." He said to himself. _"Most notably that handicapped fool and his assistant."_

**Tiki Island**

A fleet of Kremling ships and aircrafts gathered around a small island with a tall volcano. The K. Rool Brothers' ship appeared out of hyperspace and slowly landed as Kremling troops marched into the island's jungle.

The Heart Star was currently passing by and a red light beeped on its radar. "The ship landed on that island." Ava pointed out.

"What are they all doing there?" Kami asked.

"Let's land and figure out. Activate cloaking." Kweeb ordered. Kami pushed a button, turning the ship invisible. After avoiding detection from the ships, the Heart Star landed in the jungle, became visible, and the trio stepped out and walked toward the progressing troops.

Ava, Kweeb, and Kami watched from behind the shrubs as Kremling troops marched through the jungle. "Where are they going?" Kami asked.

"They're headed for that tree house!" Kweeb exclaimed, pointing to a small house in a tree.

Inside that very house, a brown gorilla, wearing a red necktie that read "DK", was getting ready for some dancing exercises. He turned on a radio on a barrel, which began playing music. (Play the DK Rap Theme from _Smash Bros. Melee_!)

As the music played, the ape immediately began dancing, making silly movements. He spun and bounced his way over to the window, looking outside and gasping. "OOOH!" he screamed when he saw the squad of Kremlings outside. He thought for a moment and gave a determined expression. He backed up and charged out the door to the Kremlings.

"I wonder who's in there?" Kweeb said as the Kremlings marched closer while they watched.

They gasped when Donkey Kong landed square in front of the Kremlings. The Kremlings charged and tried to attack, but Donkey began beating them away as they came. He grabbed one by the neck and sent him flying and screaming over a nearby cliffside. He then drew out his Coconut Gun and began blasting away. He even shot one Kremling in the head, then blew the smoke out. He bashed two, ran forward, and rolled into another group, then back-flipped and gave a thumbs up as he danced.

"Wow. That ape's pretty tough." Ava observed.

Kweeb looked over at something, his eyes widened. "Heads up, guys! Here comes another."

At that instant, a little girl ape dashed toward the Kremlings, jumping and shrinking to Kweeb's size as she flew into the Kremlings' eyes, biting away. She jumped out and re-expanded and dodged more Kremlings, twirling and floating with her pigtails over to a tree, which she climbed and jumped down to beat some more. She then began beating more Kremlings with her pigtails, and sliding into some, smiling happily as she did so. She winked before beating some more.

"WHOA! She's awesome!" Kweeb exclaimed.

"Careful, Kweeb! Ava might get jealous!" Kami said.

"Pfft. I am not." Ava said. They were silent for a moment as they watched. "…Oh! Here comes another."

The Kremlings chased the Kongs, but were stopped when Lanky got in their way, making mime movements, which made the Kremlings confused. He began hand-standing, which the Kremlings laughed at, but Lanky became angry and stretched his arms, grabbed one, spun in the air, and smashed him. The others charged, but Lanky puffed up like a balloon, releasing his air and zooming around as he knocked them out, landing and dancing while beating some more.

"That one's kinda funny!" Ava said.

"Eh… he's alright." Kweeb said.

Kami looked to the side again. "Uh-oh! Incoming!"

At that instant, a young chimp, Diddy Kong, dashed toward the Kremlings, bouncing high up on his tail and landing to beat them. Before the others could charge, Diddy switched on his jetpacks and began zooming around, shooting Kremlings with his pistols, then landing and unleashing a sonic wave with his guitar. He then pulled out an Orange Grenade and threw it to some Kremlings, blowing them up.

Ava, Kami, and Kweeb watched as the apes mercilessly and furiously beat up the Kremlings, but eventually became surrounded and outnumbered. "Uh-oh. That's the last of 'em. You think we should help them?" Kami asked.

Kweeb looked up and looked shocked in total shock. "Uh… that won't be necessary." With that, the girls looked up, and stared with utter awe.

The ground quaked as an enormous gorilla stomped toward the Kremlings, four times as high as the jungle trees. The Kremlings were terrified at the booming Chunky Kong, while the Kongs were happy and cheering. He stepped on some Kremlings and kicked some, while some Flying Krocks tried shooting at him, but he merely grabbed them, squished them, and sent them flying and exploding. He then stood still in thought, wondering what to do next. He lifted an enormous boulder his size with both arms, stomping toward the Kremlings. The soldiers hurriedly got on their ship while the Kongs danced in joy. Ava, Kami, and Kweeb gaped as Chunky got closer and closer. He stopped and chucked his boulder with great force, crushing the Kremling ship and making an enormous splash. (Stop the music.)

Chunky then shrunk down to normal size and stood by his Kongs as they all did victory poses.

"Well, don't mess with those apes." Ava said simply.

"You think they got things covered here?" Kami asked.

"YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!" Kweeb screamed.

The Kongs were surprised, immediately turning around to notice them. "OOO-OOO-AHH-AHH!" they all screamed and shook uncontrollably.

The girls angrily looked at Kweeb, who smiled nervously. "Uh… was that too loud?" Kami rose her right hand and- "AHH!" -flicked Kweeb off Ava's shoulder.

The family of apes looked up as more Flying Krocks dropped bombs and other soldiers onto the jungle. The Kongs looked back at the operatives with angry looks. "Oo-oo-oo. Oo-AH-oo-AH!" Donkey shouted.

"What's he saying?" Kami asked.

"I dunno." Kweeb recovered and said. "I don't speak ape."

"I can." Ava said, approaching Diddy. "Just give me a sec…" With that, she grabbed the chimpanzee and embraced him in a kiss.

"EUUUH!" Kami and Kweeb shut their eyes in disgust.

Ava let go and said, "Oooh-ooo-AHH! (Sorry about that.)"

"Ooo-ooo-oo! (I'd be careful if I were you.)" Tiny Kong said. "(That's my sister's boyfriend.)"

"OOH!" Donkey perked up.

Tiny gasped. "OOO! Oooo! (Oh no, that's right! Those Kremlings got Dixie!)"

"Haaa! Aaaa! Aaaa! (We have to save her!)" Diddy exclaimed.

"Ooo-ooo-oooo? (Huh? Who are these guys, anyway?)" Ava asked.

"Oook-ook. (Funny story, actually.)" Tiny said. "(These guys are…)"

Kami and Kweeb just stood dumbfounded, watching Ava speak to the apes. "Oo-ah-oo-ah-oo-ah-oo-ah." Donkey said.

"Oo-oo-oo-AH-AH." Ava replied.

The two operatives just looked at each other in disbelief. "Well, Kweeb: you're dating a monkey."

"E-yep."

"…Better hope she doesn't mistake you for a pea-size banana." She joked.

"Ha ha."

Ava finally finished talking to them and walked back to her friends. "Okay, so these guys are the Kong Family; that's Donkey, Diddy, Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky Kong..." The apes smiled and waved as she introduced them. "And these crocodile guys are the Kremling Krew. They're a band of pirates who constantly attack this DK Island, aiming to steal the Kongs' hoard of bananas. They were banished long ago, but now they've returned."

"What would a bunch of crocodiles want with bananas?" Kami asked.

"I dunno. But they've recently captured Tiny's sister, Dixie Kong. They think they're keeping her somewhere in the jungle still, and they wanna save her before they leave."

"I wonder. Is it part of a Kids Next Door's job to save apes?" Kami asked.

"Kid apes, Kami." Kweeb corrected.

Ava laughed. "Alright then. I guess we'll help them out for now. Something tells me these Kremlings are after more than just bananas…" (Play the "Jungle Hijinx" Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

_Stage 5: Jungle Hijinx_

_Mission: Cut through the jungle and rescue Dixie Kong._

"OOO-OOOO!" the big brown ape hollered, charging to the oncoming Kremlings. He bashed and rolled into some Kritters while Diddy shot some Zingers with his Peanut Pistols.

"Guess we should help out, too." Ava figured. The operatives ran forward and helped the Kongs beat away some Krushas. Ava tried to slash them, but her swords had no effect on their strong abs, so they laughed. Kweeb jumped on one's face, so the other one tried to punch him, only to knock out his friend. When Kweeb jumped on his face, the Krusha ended up knocking himself out when he punched.

Another squad of Krushas were coming, but Chunky suddenly ran in, grew giant, and charged right through them. The operatives shrugged and followed, only to get ambushed by a pack of fat Kremlings called Klumps, who tossed Orange Grenades. Kami tried to punch the front one, but got bounced back by its fat belly. It threw a grenade, but Kami caught and threw it back, exploding and knocking him out. The rest of the Klumps tossed grenades, but Lanky jumped in, caught them all on his long arms, and swung them back, KOing the Klumps.

Kweeb shot his gun at an incoming Zinger swarm, but some of them dropped grenades that blew them away, knocking Kweeb off Ava's shoulder. The white alien then started slashing the huge bees with her swords. Kweeb had been blown into the large grass, where he was startled by a group of snarling Klaptraps. The front one was taken out by Tiny Kong, who had just fallen in, and the two tiny fighters started attacking them all. The Klaptraps sent their jaws out at them, but Kami and Ava arrived to stomp the jaws. Ava grabbed Kweeb and they continued on.

A line of enemy beavers and rats, called Gnawtys and Neeks, were coming along a bridge, but Donkey curled into a ball and rolled over them with Diddy on top, followed by the kids. The apes stopped beside a Barrel Cannon, gestured for the operatives to follow, hopped in the cannon, and fired off.

"Boy, that looks safe." Kami said, sarcastically. The three jumped into the cannon, aimed at a midair cannon over a canyon, and fired over to it. They watched from the next cannon as Donkey and Diddy shot out of a series of cannons throughout the canyon and decided to mimic them.

A couple of Zingers were trying to block their way past the next one, but they avoided the bees and launched past them. They were nearly blasted by Kannon and Bazuka Kremlings on the next one, but avoided them as well. Eventually, they reached the last cannon, which fired them onto a rhino named Rambi on a cliffside.

The three held on tight as Rambi charged down another road, running over several Kritters. They had to make the rhino jump over some spikes and pitfalls in the road, and also duck under incoming branches. When Rambi made a huge leap over a river, the operatives screamed and fell off, but were saved when the parrot, Squawks, flew by, and Ava and Kami grabbed onto his talons.

The surprisingly strong bird carried them partway down the river, but eventually grew weary and let go for them to land on the swordfish, Enguarde. They rode the blue swordfish down the river, dodging any hazardous obstacles and stabbing any enemy fish. "Uh-oh. We're going down." Kami said at the incoming falls.

"OOO-OOHHH!" Donkey shouted, suddenly rolling out of the bushes to the side, into a Barrel Cannon just below the drop, and firing away.

"No we're not. JUMP." At Ava's command, the three hopped off the swordfish over the falls, successfully landing in the Barrel Cannon and blasting after Donkey through another series of midair cannons.

The last Barrel Cannon aimed at a cliffside, while the cannon also moved side-to-side on its own. There was an open entrance on the cliffside, but it was guarded by a large, armored armadillo, called Army Dillo. The large animal cackled as it tried to shoot them using fire cannons built in his armor. Kami shot from the cannon, right past the left cannon, knocking it off as she went past him. Ava fired from the cannon next, taking out his right cannon and landing on the other side with Kami.

Kweeb gulped as the armadillo emerged an even bigger cannon from above his armor, and the Kateenian figured he was too small to launch the cannon on his own. "Ooo-OOOH!" came the call of Donkey Kong, who had just landed in with him. Kweeb smiled, and the Army Dillo gulped as the rest of the Kong Family piled in as well.

"Ready…" Kweeb began as their cannon took aim at the frightened Army Dillo. "FIRE!" And with that, all Kongs and Kweeb fired at the armadillo, the momentum speedily shoving him right through the cave. Ava and Kami watched as the family of apes came out of the other side and landed beside them. They saw Kweeb land right beside them and Ava picked him up, brushing him off.

"Ah-ah!" Diddy called to a monkey with a blonde ponytail, pink hat, and pink shirt in a wooden cage. Ava only smiled as she drew her swords, and cut the cage's bars.

"OOO-OOHHH! !" the Kongs roared after Dixie was set free.

"I take it that means… 'Mission accomplished'." Kami figured. She and Ava high-fived and cheered, "Yeah-ha!" (Stop the music.)

"Ahh… YAH-HA!" Diddy and Dixie cheered, embracing in a hug.

"Aw, how cute." Kami smiled.

The apes turned back to face the operatives. "(Dixie, this is Ava, Kami, and Kweeb. They helped us.)" Diddy introduced.

"(Nice to meet you guys!)" Dixie exclaimed. "(Now how 'bout we kick some reptile butt?)"

They suddenly noticed some minecarts rolling out of a cave with some bananas. "Ahh-ah!" Diddy pointed.

"They're taking the bananas!" Ava translated. They watched as the Kremlings loaded the bananas into several naval ships. The Kongs screamed as they chased after them on separate ships.

"We're not seriously going after them, are we?" Kami asked. "I mean, they're just bananas."

"Hey! If we would go after a band of pirates for a bunch of candy, who's to stop us from chasing a bunch of crocodiles for stealing bananas?" Kweeb shouted.

"Good point. And now that I think about it, this could be a repeat of that incident with Eggman a few weeks ago." Kami figured.

"Then it's decided: we're going after them. Let's shove off, mateys!" At Ava's command, the three operatives boarded a naval ship right before it closed and sailed away.

Meanwhile, the K. Rool Brothers along with Team Chaotix were piling strange, wooden Tikis onto their croc ship. "The troops should have gathered enough bananas by now." Kroctus said. "Phase One of my plan will be complete. With these Tikis, the Kongs' ends will be long before due! MWEH HEH HAH HAR!"

_"I'm still not so sure about this, Vector." _Espio whispered.

"_Don't worry, Espio. We'll figure out these guys' plan in no time."_

"I wonder if I can have any of those bananas?" Charmy said.

"Stick with honey, you overgrown buzz kill." Vector snapped back.

"Aww! But I'm hungry!" As Charmy whined, the Kremlings gathered onto the Flying Krock and took off.

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it. You know, I gotta say, I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but I think I'm doing rather decent at making these action stages. Anyway, we'll obviously be going to the Forest of Light pretty soon… only problem is the only good music soundtrack I could find isn't available on Youtube. But I'll hopefully have the problem worked out before long. Next time, we might reach a boss. See you later.<strong>


	8. Lament of the Leaders

**Hello, people! It's time for a boss! Eh, but first, ever wonder what our favorite galactic leader is up to? Well, let's find out.**

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><p><strong><em>Rachel's Greatest Sadness: Harvey Is Gone.<em>**

**Playground Ruins**

The sky was grey and gloomy over the old, abandoned countryside playground. Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom sat lonely on the swingset, looking down at her reflection in a puddle. The one who was once the almighty leader of the Galactic Kids Next Door, wasted away to practically nothing, just like the time spirit said. It felt to her like all joy in the world had been lost. Even if she was back to life.

"Boo hoo. BOO hoo hoo." Dimentia looked up at the strange, fake sobbing, coming from behind a slide. She stood up from her swing and slowly walked around the old slide. "Boohoo. BOO hoo." She went around and finally saw- "Oh, hello."

"AHH!" she stepped back in fright at seeing Rumpel Stiltskin. She's heard of the deal-making elf, and knows all about his ways of trickery. She knows of his timebending, too, but the only reason she never hunted him was because the spirits suspended his powers, so there was no REAL threat to her.

"Hmm. If it isn't everyone's favorite demented leader. If you're looking to make any friends, this isn't a good place."

"No one's ever been to this wasteland of a playground in ages. That's what I heard…" Dimentia replied. "What are you doing here, Rumpel?"

"Mmm, sinking away in depression of how I can NEVER be powerful. Isn't that sad?"

"Oh, how very pitiful."

"I suppose you would know from experience, wouldn't you?" Rumpel stood up. "That feeling where everything you had just… _disappears_ before your very eyes." Dimentia only turned away as Rumpel approached. "Oh, but how sad it is to watch _you_ suffer. Just because I have to live miserable, doesn't mean you should. However, I can make it ALL better…" He walked in front of Dimentia and pulled out a contract. "If you just sign the dotted line."

She looked at the contract. "What?"

"Sign the dotted line, and I'll take away the day young Nigel Uno was recruited into your ranks. He'll never come to GKND, and you'll never be dethroned. Just sign away…" He gave a creepy grin.

"Forget it, elf." She waved him off. "I know your tricks. And they won't work for me."

Rumpel frowned and rolled up the contract, stuffing it down his shirt. "Oh, you leaders are SO hard to mend. Very well…" Dimentia watched as he took out his wand. "NNGH!" She barely dodged as Rumpel shot a magic blast.

The elf grinned as he pointed behind Dimentia at the playground. The magic blast hit the playground, and the former leader watched as eyes and teeth appeared upon it. The playground came to life and roared at Dimentia.

"WITCHES!" At Rumpel's call, a fleet of witches on broomsticks flew down from the sky. Rumpel's large goose, Fifi came down, and Rumpel flipped onto it.

"What is this?" Dimentia asked.

"I recently got a job working for the Dark Master! I decided to please him by taking out any competition. Starting with you. Ahem: ATTACK!" (Play Porky's Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Stage 6: Playground Ruins_

_Mission: Escape from the monster playground!_

Dimentia hurriedly ran as the living playground began chasing her. She tried to push it back using her Starbursts, but it kept coming, along with Rumpel and his witches. She jumped as the witches tried zooming into her, and dodged as they tossed pumpkin shackles. She grabbed a couple shackles and pulled the witches off their brooms, then hit them with lightning.

"AHH HA HA HA!" Rumpel cackled, launching spells at other fallen playground parts, making them into monsters. Dimentia shocked and stunned them, throwing them into the big playground, but it kept pursuit. She also had to dodge as Rumpel fired spells at her that exploded. She turned around and launched another blast at the elf, knocking him over, but he held onto Fifi and climbed back up.

Up ahead was what looked like a garbage dump of ruined playground parts. She climbed up a slide-tunnel that was slowly being chomped away by the monster. She fell out the other end and landed on some swings, hanging high above the ground. She swung her way over as the monster still chased, and also avoided spells from witches. She swung her way to a rock-climbing wall and started climbing upwards as the monster followed. Once at the top, she slid down another slide that gave way and broke halfway down.

Dimentia fell out but luckily landed on a broom with a witch. She shoved the witch off and started flying away from a squad of pursuing witches. The old hags fired spells and shackles, but Dimentia countered with her lightning hands. She flew over the playground dump and landed near a huge wall of ruined sets, but the monster immediately broke through, so Dimentia kept running.

The livid contraption then started grabbing fallen parts off the ground and tossed them at Dimentia, who ducked. The black-and-white leader ran over some train tracks and ended up getting her shoe caught in the track. "ROOOAAAR!" came the cry of the monster. Dimentia looked back to see it was still there. She heard a loud whistle and looked to her side to see the train was approaching.

The former leader struggled to get herself free from the sticky track as the monster and train approached. The playground roared and leapt, mouth wide open as it came down at Dimentia. The former leader finally got herself free and dodged just in time.

The beast got its teeth stuck in the ground as a result, and looked in horror as the speeding train came closer. As it struggled greatly to get free, Dimentia gave an evil smile and waved as the train shot past and ran the monster over. She gave a victory pose and kept going. (Stop the music.)

Inside the train's control room, Ed, Edd, and Eddy looked below the windshield to see the smashed form of the monster. They went back in, and Eddy smiled and said, "See, Double D, I told ya driving a train would be no sweat."

Double D looked disbelieved, as always. "Well, Eddy, I just hope the children who come to that playground don't get too upset."

"Pfft. It's their fault for puttin' a playground in the middle of the track in the first place. Anyhoo, this train-driving business will have us rich in-" His sentence was cut short when the train crashed into a rock.

"…Train glass tastes like blood, guys." was all Ed said before the train exploded.

"Hmm hmm hmm." Dimentia chuckled to herself as she walked along the gloomy wasteland. "What fools. WHOA!" she jumped back just before a spell hit, looking up at Rumpel Stiltskin and the witches.

"Well, it seems like you're more trouble than you're worth." The elf dealer said. "Shoulda gotten rid of you a long time ago." With that, he waved his wand and yelled, "AvadaKEDAV-", but he and his witches froze in place.

Dimentia uncovered her eyes in confusion. "Wh…What?…"

"What a surprise. I never thought I'd be saving you." Dimentia turned to find a strange, hooded girl. She pulled off her hood to get a better look at the former leader. She had jet black hair cut just above her elbows, and had one strange curl that stuck up in the front. One of her eyes was pale pink and the other was watery blue. She appeared short and slim, and wore a black hoodie, faded jeans and black army boots.

"Olive Pioji." Dimentia recognized her. "I should've expected to see you here."

"How couldn't you?" she smiled. "This place is just SO peaceful and quiet. Probably the only playground on this Earth that _isn't_ littered with snot-nosed pests, ha ha!"

"Yes, you teenagers certainly like that. That's why I was especially glad to kill you first."

"Mm hm hm. 'Course… if I could change history, which I can, I wouldn't so much as THINK about exterminating them. Time is a dangerous power to behold, Dimentia."

"Yeah, yeah. So what are you doing here? Did old Clockslave send you?"

"Dialga, actually. But the Dark Master is returning, and we need your help."

"Forget it." She pouted, turning away. "Like I'd ever help you timebenders. Let alone a teenager like you."

"Tsk tsk tsk." Olive shook her head and walked beside Dimentia. "Oh, Winkiebottom. You're just so dense. If you want things to change for the better, you have to help us."

"Mmmm." She looked down.

"…Got anything better to do?" Olive asked.

"I guess not."

"Good! Then you'll help us!" Olive said, wrapping an arm around her. "And I got just the place to start." And with that, she gestured her finger upwards. Dimentia watched as the massive spaceship, the Blue Typhoon, passed right over them, the engines roaring across the grey skies. Dimentia looked questioningly at Olive, who just smirked. "By the way, can't you fly?"

"Hm?" Dimentia then levitated into the air. "Oh… oops. Hehehe." She chuckled, blushing in embarrassment, figuring she could've just flown or warped away.

**Sector W Treehouse**

_"Boy, what a hothead."_

_"Who let that kid in here, anyway?"_

_"CORK IT, Harvey!"_

_"Harvey is SUCH a whiner."_

_"He is so not cool."_

_"Do aphephobic freaks always come up short?"_

_"-Don't look so powerful to me."_

_"Puny!"_

_"Shrimp!"_

"Ooohhh…" Harvey groaned and held his head in pain, waking up in his room.

The other Sector W members, plus Charlotte and Angie, were watching Paddy and Lee play _Sonic Adventure 2_ 2-player. Sonya, though, still looked upset. "Sonya, you really think they'd kick you out just for having weird powers?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah! Numbuh 362 wouldn't allow it!" Paddy exclaimed.

"Thanks guys. But I'm still not sure…"

"Hey, if you ask me, you have a gift." Lee said. "And if anyone makes fun of you, they better hope I ain't around."

Sonya smiled and giggled.

"Hey, look! Harvey's awake!" Angie exclaimed and pointed as Harvey walked into the living room, still holding his head.

"Are you okay, Harvey?" Sonya asked.

"Mmm… I'm not sure. I got this weird headache… It's probably nothin'."

"Well, wanna play some _Sonic_?" Paddy asked.

"So we can kick your butt?" Lee smirked.

"Oh, you're on!" Harvey said, grabbing a controller and sitting on the couch. They chose a mech level and started battling each other.

"By the way, Chad is Sonya's older brother." Angie decided to say randomly.

"She is?"

_"Angie."_ Sonya whispered in anger.

"Yep! And she can sense peoples' emotions! Right, Sonya?"

"Pfft. No she can't." Harvey denied.

"Actually, I can. And right now, you're feeling really angry at something."

"Huh… actually, I do feel kinda angry. Don't know why…"

"I didn't really want him to find out, _Angie."_ Sonya gritted, glaring at the earthbender.

"Wait, you didn't want me to know? Why not?"

"Well, I kinda feel upset about the whole thing, and you aren't really the best at understanding these things."

"And most of the time, you're kind of a bully about it." Lee said.

"Hey! I am NOT a-"

"WINNER!" Paddy exclaimed, beating Harvey at the videogame and doing a dance. "Eat my dust, Harv!"

"Auugh! !" Harvey shouted, throwing his controller to the floor. "That is SO-" And to everyone's shock and surprise, when Harvey waved his arms in anger, he fired a dark purple laser from his hands, destroying the TV. "WHOA! ! What the heck? !"

"What was that? ?" Sonya asked.

"I dunno… but that was awesome! Let's see if I can do that again!" With that, he threw his arms out, and fired another laser at a wall. "Co-o-ol!"

"He must've gotten that power when he was zapped in the well." Charlotte figured.

"Um… Harvey? Maybe you should be careful with that…" Sonya suggested.

"No way!" Harvey yelled, standing up and looking at his hands. "I wanna have some fun with this!"

"Harvey, I really think we should- WHOOAA!" Everyone gaped as Sonya was suddenly lifted into the air.

"Awesome!" Harvey exclaimed, waving his hands around and controlling Sonya.

"Harvey, put me down!"

"Yeah, yeah, in a minute." Harvey said, making Sonya spin like a wheel.

"ENOUGH, Harvey." Lee shouted, smacking his leader, making Sonya drop.

"Oww…"

Lee grabbed him and said, "Come on, we're goin' to see your sister.", as they dragged him off.

**Rachel's House**

"Come on, kids!" Facilier exclaimed, holding a bunch of cards in his hand to Hoagie's face. They were all gathered in Numbuh 362's house since they got back. "Pick a card, any card!"

Hoagie picked a card at random, looked at it, then put it back in the deck.

Facilier handed the cards to Nigel, who burned them with his firebending.

"…So what's my card?" Hoagie asked.

Facilier smirked. Hoagie's face lit up and became red as steam rose from his ears. "AAAHHHHH!" He suddenly erupted a huge breath of fire from his mouth.

"How should I know? They got burned." With that, the voodoo man and Nigel high-fived.

"…Ha ha! Good one!" Hoagie laughed.

"Hahaha! You're funny, Mr. Facilier!" Kuki exclaimed, standing beside Wally.

Facilier then took his hat off, and held it upside-down in front of Kuki. "Hey, reach in mah hat, win a free toy! No peeking!" The Asian girl smiled as she closed her eyes and reached her right hand in the hat.

Everyone gasped as a gigantic, green-sleeved hand emerged from the ceiling and felt around. "Aaaahhhh!" Wally screamed as the hand grabbed and pulled him up.

Kuki pulled her hand out and held the shrunken Wally in her palm. "Ooh! Hey, Wally, look at-" She turned to show the "doll" to Wally, but he wasn't there. "Huh? Where did Numbuh 4 go?" she asked, looking around.

_"It's me, Kuki! Put me down!"_ the tiny Wally yelled. Kuki gasped and dropped him back in the hat. "OOH." Wally grunted, landing back on the floor with a thud, back at regular size.

"Oh, there you are! Aw, but now I lost my doll…"

"Ugh…" Wally rolled his eyes.

"Ah ha ha!" Facilier laughed, putting his hat back on. "Works every time." Just then, Grim grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

_"Harvey. You know we got a job to do here, right?"_

_"Man, chill, Grim."_ He whispered, pulling free. _"We'll tell them later. Let's just have a little fun."_

"Hmmm…" Rachel and Nigel sat by each other on the couch as the blonde leader looked away in thought.

"Rachel, relax, the doctor said Harvey's fine."

"I know, but what if something _did_ happen? We should've gotten out of there when we had the chance. I mean, we didn't even get anything from that mountain."

"Rachel, you seriously need to lighten up. You're stressing too much. I'm positively sure Harvey's-"

"Numbuh 362, something's wrong with Harvey." Sonya said, walking in with the rest of Sector W.

Rachel glared at Nigel, who gave a nervous chuckle. "Sigh… what's wrong?"

"Check this out, Sis!" Harvey exclaimed, lifting Nigel up with his newfound psychic.

"Whoa! WHOOA!" Everyone gaped.

"Hm hm hm!" Eva giggled. "Way to raise your spirits, Nigel! WHOOAA!" Eva was suddenly lifted up as well.

"I call this one… kissing cousins!" With that, Harvey pressed the two's faces together, making it look like they were kissing.

"Harvey! That's mean!" Sonya yelled.

"So? It's funny."

"Grrr! Harvey, stop-" Sonya tried to stop him, but Harvey aimed a hand at her and began strangling her.

Everyone gaped in total fear. "That's it, Harvey!" Rachel said, getting up and stomping over to him. "As your Supreme Leader/sister, I order you to-"

_"NO!"_ She jumped back in shock. _"I'm through taking orders from you. I'm sick of everyone hating and making fun of me. From now on, _I _make the rules around here."_ Harvey spoke in a terrifying, unison voice.

Everyone screamed when the wall was suddenly blown down, and Lehcar and Scarlet stood in the hole. "Hope we aren't interrupting." Lehcar said.

"Nope! Not at all!" Harvey said. "Let's blow this joint." With that, Lehcar grabbed Harvey, and the two girls ran off.

"HARVEY!" Rachel yelled, running after him alongside Sector W.

"Get lost, Rachel! I'm hanging with THESE girls now. AH HA HA HA HA!" With that, they chased after the evil girls in the forest.

**Open area of the forest**

Rachel and Sector W continued to run after Lehcar, Scarlet, and Harvey. They stopped and gasped when they reached a field area with a huge cliffside, spotting Harvey and the girls, standing beside Ganondorf. "YOU!" Rachel shouted, aiming her staff.

"Let Harvey go! Or I'll make you eat earth!" Angie threatened.

"Heh…" Ganondorf only smirked.

The operatives started to wobble as the area began shaking. "Oh no… what's happening now?" Sonya asked.

They all watched as a massive stone pincher emerged from the cliff up ahead. Another popped out as the area shook more. In an instant, the cliffside exploded into smoke, and a huge scorpion, made of earth and several eyeballs, landed in front of them, snapping his pinchers and roaring. _"AAHHH!"_

"Wh…What is that thing?" Sonya stuttered.

"Cool!" Lee exclaimed.

"Come on, team. Let's take it out!" Rachel exclaimed, drawing her staff. (Play "Poison Spear" from _Sonic and the Secret Rings_!)

_Boss fight: Earth Scorpion_

"I don't know what that thing is, but I'm takin' it out!" Rachel exclaimed as the scorpion screeched once more.

"You fight earth with earth." Angie said. "So let me try!"

The kids dodged as the scorpion stabbed its tail down, then Sonya and Lee avoided when it snapped its right pincher at them. They noticed an eye in the pincher, so Sonya unleashed a psionic blast just before it snapped them, blinding the eye. There was another eye on its right arm, so the pincher continued to attack. Lee swung his yo-yo, wrapped around the arm, hauled himself up, then stomped the eye, breaking the arm off.

The left pincher was going for Charlotte and Paddy, but Charlotte shot a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. at the eye and blinded it. The tail tried stabbing at them, but got stuck in the ground. Paddy climbed the tail and jumped onto the arm, shooting the other eye out and breaking the arm off.

The scorpion screamed in anger as it charged for Rachel, but Angie used her earthbending to hold it back. "Now, Rachel!" Angie shouted. Rachel took this moment to leap onto its back, where she found a large eye with a dark purple aura. She ran forward and slashed the eye with her Yield Staff, then was forced off as the beast shook.

The monster reassembled its parts and started spewing boulders from its mouth. Angie used her bending to grab the boulders and throw them back. She hit back other boulders and also blinded both arms' eyes. She tried hitting the pinchers' eyes, but the claws only grabbed and crushed the rocks.

Rachel ran for the left pincher and tried to slash the eye, but only hit the claw, which tried to snap, but she back-flipped. The claw turned horizontal, so Rachel cut vertical, slicing the eye and breaking the arm. The beast turned and tried to snap her with the right claw. When it lashed, she used the punching glove side to punch the eye out, then bounced off the claw and onto the back before the arm fell off. When the tail tried stabbing her again, she kept doing flips and dodging. When she jumped onto the eye, she tricked the tail into stabbing down, totally blinding the eye as Rachel hopped off.

The Supreme Leader gave a victory pose, but stopped when she saw another eye appear in its mouth. She slowly backed away when the eye flew out and became sharp teeth that started chomping, approaching her. The Sector W team fired their weapons, trying to force the eye back. Sonya and Angie combined their psionic and earthbending (respectively) and forced the eye back inside.

"Angie?" Rachel spoke, aiming her Yield side at the eye.

"Got it!" With that, Angie stomped the ground, flinging Rachel straight at the eye. Her staff stabbed right into it, making dark energy spew out as she fell off. In a few seconds, the Earth Scorpion crumbled into nothing.

"Kids Next Door: Mission accomplished." Rachel said in victory. (Stop the music.)

"Uh… what's that?" Lee asked, noticing a strange, dark-purple crystal in the spot where the scorpion was standing. The crystal emitted some kind of whisper and dark aura, and also sounded like a boiling teapot.

"KIDS!" They turned their attention to Grim, who stood by the forest. "Dat t'ing's an Evil Crystal. Destroy it quick, before that t'ing comes back!"

Rachel did as told and quickly ran for the dark crystal, using all her strength to slash it with her Yield Staff. After a few swings, the gem cracked, and Rachel was able to shatter it completely, creating a blinding flash of purple, as well as a screaming sound. The flash went away as Rachel began sweating and panting.

The other operatives ran to her aid. "Are you okay, Rachel?" Sonya asked.

She took a second to catch her breath. "Yeah… I'm fine."

"Woo, that was close." Grim said. "Let's get back home, kids. There's something we need to discuss."

"But we can't let them get away with Harvey!" Rachel said.

"It's too late, Rachel. Harvey is long gone." And with upset expressions, the 6 operatives followed Grim back. Rachel looked up to the cliffside where the villains escaped to. She didn't want to accept her little brother was gone.

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><p><strong>Man. I procrastinated a lot with this one. Anyway, the Earth Scorpion is based off the Sand Scorpion from <em>Secret Rings<em> (duh) and the Evil Crystals are from _Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon_. Next time, the main group will learn their mission. Later.**


	9. Story of the Eight Firstborn

**Time to do the usual main-group-hearing-what-they-have-to-do-in-the-sto ry scene. Here we go.**

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><p><strong><em>The Quest Officially Begins. Hunt for the Eight Firstborn.<em>**

**Mt. Gnaa**

"Oh…" Dr. Eggman groaned, limping into Lord Gnaa's chamber with Decoe and Bocoe, where Bowser and Brain also waited.

"Hey, Eggman! How'd it go?" Bowser asked perkily.

"Not well, Bowser."

"Cosmo and Nova defeated you?" Brain asked.

"Worse: they had help from Shadow the Hedgehog. If he's here, no doubt he brought Sonic and the others with them."

"And THEY probably brought Mario, too. The jackals!" Bowser shouted angrily.

"I suppose we'll capture the Guardian later." Brain said.

"Grah. When the heck is Gnaa getting here?" Bowser asked, angry. "K. Rool and his guys are WAY ahead of us by now. I can't just stand around here and do nothing!"

"Patience is key, Bowser." Brain said. "And it is not a race. We will _all _have what we want by the end of this."

"Blah blah, says Mr. I-have-a-whole-army-of-villains-from-different-wor lds. I'm normally a patient Koopa, but I want action!"

_"HEH…"_ Phantom Gnaa hissed in Bowser's face.

"Hey, back off, Creepo! Lord Gnaa better get here, or I'm gonna-"

"Care to finish that?" At this, they looked as Ganon, Lehcar, and Scarlet came in with a sleeping Harvey.

"Hey, hey, you brought the brat! Well?" Bowser asked.

Lehcar laid the sleeping boy on the ground, the four villainous allies standing over him. After a few seconds, his now-dark-purple eyes shot open, and his body levitated, putting him back on his feet. A dark aura emitted around Harvey as he studied his form.

_"You are free… Master."_ Phantom spoke.

_"…No. Not completely. My soul is now inhabiting Harvey's form… but my body remains trapped in the well."_ Lord Gnaa explained, walking up to Gaul's throne. The large ape stepped aside, allowing Gnaa to sit in the throne. _"I can only be at full power while in my real body. Any lesser is futile."_

"And we can get your body out if we spread enough darkness, can we not?" Gaul asked.

_"…Yes. Anything that can spread darkness. Poison, Shadow, Psychic, or Fear. Such dangerous elements come from dangerous emotions."_

"I pick Fear." Ganon said.

"The apes have also finished mining Evil Crystals." Gaul said. "They are ready to ship out."

_"Good. The crystals will help us further into spreading evil in the hearts of others. We will use them to power our Darkness Cannons."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but can we get on with this quest already?" Bowser asked.

_"Hm hm hm. Yes. Spread your forces out and conquer. But stay focused on the mission: find the Eight Firstborn, and turn the Guardians to our side."_

"Grah HAR!" Bowser exclaimed. "Finally! I gotta go make sure my son's ready. Later, guys!" With that, Bowser excitedly ran off.

Eggman smiled. "Oh hoho hoho! I think I should be getting ready, too! Now, where are those dingbots?"

At this time, Orbot, Cubot, and Bokkun were hauling Hoagie's old teleporters into the room. "Hoof… hoof… here we are." Orbot panted.

"Perfect! Now, watch this. Ahem." With that, Eggman made a whistle, calling in a bear with a platypus on its back.

The bear stepped into the transporters as Eggman activated them. In a flash, the two animals disappeared and reappeared in the other one, merged into a bear with a platypus mouth and tail.

"OH ho ho ho! I call it… a platypus-bear! And I'll have plenty more other hybrids coming shortly."

"But don't such creatures exist in the Avatar Realms?" Brain asked.

"Yeah… but these ones will work for US!" But Eggman's pride was cut short when the hybrid growled and started slashing at him. "WHOA." He jumped back. "E-Easy."

"RRAH." Ganondorf punched it back, then started whipping it. "Sit." The monster did as told. "Good. Now… I'll make the hybrids and control them myself." Ganon decided. "They'll look great with my demons. …Though I'll probably just forget. You worry about your robots. Incompetent scientist." With that, Ganon led the creature away.

"Oh…" the Eggman looked down in shame. "Betrayed again by my own creations. Perhaps my genius alone isn't enough."

"Need some help?" Brain asked.

"Nnope! I appreciate the sentiment, Darth… but the only genius smart enough to help me… IS ME! OH ho ho ho! Now to just give him a call…" With that, he walked off.

"Sounds like he has a PLAN!" Cubot exclaimed as the henchmen followed him.

"Well then…" Brain spoke, "I believe I shall finish what Eggman started. Monsieur Mallah:" The Brain's gorilla assistant approached him. "Send the call to Nolan and his friends, and tell them to go to the Forest of Light. Make sure Celebi's Guardian catches Celebi in the Spirit Ball, and tell Nolan to attack."

"Vith pleasure, Sir. But zere is one other problem. It seems ve have picked up the wrong person."

"Which one?" Mallah then bent over and whispered into Brain's ear (where his ear should be, anyway). "…Hmmm. I was not aware of the Dickson boy having _another_ sister."

**Rachel's House**

"Hoo… that was pretty rough." Rachel sighed as she, Sector W, and the others got back to her house.

"No kidding." Nigel said, leading Rachel to the couch and helping her sit down. "Still, you usually don't wear off so easily. What happened, Rachel?"

She panted. "I don't know… I was feeling fine when I fought that monster… but destroying that crystal… sure took a lot out of me." she said in between breaths.

"That was an Evil Crystal." Grim said. "Evil Crystals are dark gems that are found in the Underworld. Staying near an Evil Crystal for too long can make one go mad. They drain the energy from your very soul and make ya crazy with anger, mon."

"I guess that's why I'm feeling so beat." Rachel said.

"So, Ganon was using an Evil Crystal to power that monster?" Nigel asked.

"Yes. Evil Crystals can influence the very area, manipulating it in unnatural ways." Grim explained.

"They got plenty of them things growing on Mt. Gnaa." Facilier followed. "They probably usin' 'em for whatevuh they have planned."

"Wait, why Mt. Gnaa?" Lee asked. "You said they grow in the Underworld."

"Actually, the closest place to the Underworld from the mortal world is Mt. Malladus, where the gods imprisoned Malladus Uno." Grim mentioned. "Malladus was the main spirit of evil, and his influence on the mountain was growing the Evil Crystals. But Mt. Malladus was the Positive of Mt. Gnaa, and if something happens to one, the opposite could be effected as well. So, Evil Crystals grew on Mt. Gnaa."

"Hmm… Negatives really _aren't _so different from Positives, are they?" Nigel asked.

"Hey, guys!" Wally shouted as he and Abby came in. "Some guys are upstairs in Rachel's room!"

"They said they wanna see you." Abby said.

The two led the curious bunch upstairs to Rachel's room, and were slightly surprised at who awaited.

"Hello, kids." Clockwork spoke, drinking a cup of hot tea. Lying on Rachel's bed was a strange boy with dark brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue shirt with a broken clock, black pants, and black shoes. He was reading a Dr. Time-Space comic book.

"Pfft. That scientist don't know nothin' about-"

"Hey, give me that!" Rachel shouted, snatching the comic book. She smiled and blushed nervously, hiding it behind her back from the others. "Hehehe…"

"Rriiight." Nigel drew out, disbelieved.

"Ahem, kids: this is Clockwork, the Ghost of Time. He's an old friend of mine." Grim introduced.

"Clockwork? My dad told us about you." Nigel said. "You were the apprentice of the God of Time, right?"

"Indeed. I, and many others, serve as Dialga's assistants. This boy here is my apprentice, Jagar." The boy in question stood up. "The clock on his shirt was what he used to control his timebending powers. But it was destroyed by the Dark Master himself, so he's lost total control of his powers."

"So, you've fought the Dark Master?" Sonya asked.

"We and the other timebenders fought Lord Gnaa long ago." Jagar said. "We helped lock him up in that well. But my powers became disrupted when he destroyed my clock."

"That's why I'm currently teaching him to use his powers normally." Clockwork explained.

"Jagar… have I seen you somewhere?" Rachel asked, thinking he looked familiar.

"You'll have time for questions later." Clockwork said. "We must discuss something, regarding your little brother."

"You mean Harvey? And his new powers?" Rachel guessed.

"I knew Harvey was a bully, but… he was all right at first. Now, he's just a jerk." Charlotte said, grumpily folding her arms.

"It wasn't entirely Harvey's fault." Clockwork said. "He has been manipulated by the mind of the Dark Master."

"Manipulated?" Eva asked.

"Right now, Negatar Gnaa is inhabiting Harvey's very soul. He's using Harvey's body as a vessel to roam free from the Well of Shadows and get what he's after."

"But what is he after?" Sonya asked.

"You kids know the answer… don't you?" he smirked. The gang thought for a moment.

"You mean… the Eight Legendary Firstborn?" Patton asked.

"What are the Eight Firstborn, exactly?" Eva asked.

"Here's the story:" Clockwork began. "As you know, powerful gods and spirits watch over our universe, and work to keep balance. Such as Kyogre, God of the Sea, or Mother Wisp, Spirit of Color. Each spirit plays a roll in guarding a part of the universe."

The kids nodded in understanding.

"But… there's a story that tells of eight spirits whose power is said to be greater than that of the other spirits. Those spirits are the Eight Firstborn. Eight powerful spirits that age no older than 1. While the other spirits inhabit the forms of seemingly powerful adults, the Eight Firstborn take the form of newborns. You see, since children are younger than adults, they are brand new, and are therefore more efficient because they have more energy. And since Firstborn remain their child age forever, they contain incredible, immense power."

"I guess that's why the Irken Empire was so strong." Rachel figured.

"Yeah. Hey… Jirachi was a Firstborn, wasn't he?" Nigel asked.

"And Manaphy." Eva remembered.

"Correct. Then you must remember how powerful they were." Clockwork said. The group nodded. "Then you must _also_ remember what happened when Dimentia and Davy Jones got hold of these spirits' powers." The group nodded again, with frightful expressions.

"So, there're six others just like them?" Kade asked.

"Correct. And the Dark Master wants them all. If he succeeds, the very fabric of reality will fall into Darkness."

"Then we have to find them first." Rachel knew.

"No problem!" Wally exclaimed. "This'll be just like any other story! We'll just GO around the world, FIND the Eight Firstborn, wipe the floor with Lord Gnaa, and be home by Chapter 30! In our time, that's about a week!"

"You only wish it were that simple." Jagar said. "But finding the Eight Firstborn isn't like finding Seven Stars, Seven Talisman, or… God knows those Chaos Emeralds aren't… anyway, the point is, the Firstborn are powerful spirits. Lord Gnaa has his forces scattered all around the world. And even if you find the Firstborn first, it's not that simple. You see, each Firstborn has a mortal Guardian."

"Guardian?" Rachel repeated.

"That's right. When the Firstborn were scattered, the gods were worried about them falling into the wrong hands. So, they chose eight different mortal beings to be their respective Guardians, and when the time was right, those Guardians would hear their call." Jagar explained. "And the Firstborn won't side with anyone until they've been found by their respective Guardian."

"But who are the Guardians?" Sonya asked.

"The Guardians will reveal themselves." Clockwork smirked. "As soon as they've found their selves."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. I don't get what this guy says either most of the time." Jagar said.

"So, basically, we're supposed to look for eight really powerful baby gods, who can only be found by eight certain people, and… we have no idea where to start, do we?" Hoagie recapped.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that last part." Clockwork said.

"That's right." Nigel remembered. "What Ganondorf said: I have a cousin!"

"Ahem." Fanny and Eva spoke.

"Ugh. I meant _another_ cousin. She's Father's daughter."

"Father has a daughter?" Sonya asked.

"Apparently."

"Then I guess Father's place is the first place we go." Numbuh 5 figured.

"Right. We go to Father's mansion, confront him, and make him talk!"

"This is a visit I've been anticipating." Violet smiled, extending her fingernail claws.

"Take Jagar with you." Clockwork said. "His timebending powers may be weaker, but they're strong enough to provide you assistance. I have other matters to attend to, so I cannot help you."

"But wait! You haven't told us where the Firstborn are!" Rachel yelled.

"Now what's the fun in adventure if you don't figure out yourself?" Clockwork smiled. "If you have to ask, you'll never know where to go. If you know where to go… you need only ask. _Hm hm hm hm hm hm hm..."_ The spirit chuckled as he slowly faded away.

"…What the crud does THAT mean?" Wally shouted.

"I don't know. That guy annoys me." Jagar said. "So… we all ready to go?"

"Sorry, mon. But me and Harvey here have other matters." Grim said.

"Heh heh. Sorry, Abby." Facilier said.

"It's okay, Uncle Facilier. We got it under control."

"Well, I guess we're headed to Father's first." Nigel figured. "You ready to go, Rachel?"

"Yeah… I'm fine now. I just hope Harvey will be okay in all this. And who knows what else is going to happen?"

**Middle of the ocean; _Boogey Bay_**

The seas were calm and quiet as the _Boogey Bay_ sailed along. Creeper studied some sort of map and said, "Oi, Captain Mandy. Are you sure this map is… accurate?"

The malicious, cold-hearted demon child, Mandy McKenzie, looked sick as she leaned over the railing, turning to Creeper. "How should I know? I just woke up, and there it was, right under my pillow. It has to lead to some kind of treasure."

The demon pirate looked at the map harder from different angles. "Eh… if you ask me, this thing keeps changing. I feel like it's following… us."

"Don't be ridiculous." Mandy said, finally standing straight and walking over. "You're probably just holding that the wrong… Oh…" She started groaning.

"Uhn? You okay?" Creeper asked.

"Ohhhh." She fainted.

"Captain Mandy!" Creeper exclaimed. Everyone gathered around as he began shouting, "OI! CAPTAIN DOWN! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S FEARSOME AND MONSTROUS, THE CAPTAIN IS DOOWN! ! !"

* * *

><p><strong>Heh heh heh. And so we have our mission. Can anyone guess why Mandy fainted? Anyway, next time, we'll see why, then we will have a stage… or maybe two. Later.<strong>


	10. Celebi, Spirit of Woods

**And, once again, Morgie guessed right! Also, Nigel has boy cousins, including Yang, Paddy, and Shaunie. (Actually, not even Paddy and Shaunie.) :P Okay, play the Dream World Theme from _Spyro: Eternal Night_. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Journey to the Forest of Light! Celebi: Spirit of Life and Time.<em>**

Mandy awoke from her unconscious state, finding herself on a floating asteroid in the depths of space. "Huh… where am I?"

_"Mandy McKenzie…"_

"Whuh? Who's there?"

_"Do not fear, child. I am The Chronicler. Spirit who watches over the lives of people."_

"A stalker."

_"Seriously? Sigh, just listen."_

"No, you listen." She demanded. "I don't know who you are, but I should let you know, the last few guys who kidnapped me didn't end up too well."

_"You are not kidnapped. You are asleep. This is the Dream Realm. A part of the realm that exists deep within peoples' souls."_

"Souls? You have the wrong girl…"

_"Yes… I can see your mind is very troubled. Such a side-effect is to be expected from fear."_

"What? Are you saying I'm afraid?"

_"Yes… walk to the temple ahead, and I'll explain more."_ With that, a floating rock path appeared for Mandy. The cold-hearted girl decided to walk along that path to the temple ahead.

"Listen, buddy, if this is some prank to scare me, it isn't going to work." Mandy said, now arriving at the temple, where there was a dark-red glowing space. "I'm not afraid of anything. In fact, it's everyone else who fears me."

_"Yes… your power to induce fear is great. But to use such a power, you would originally have to have fear yourself. Step into the light."_ Mandy looked at the dark-red aura and hesitantly stepped onto it. She was shown a vision of herself as a toddler, being frightened by various things, like dogs, butterflies, and smiling caterpillars.

_"Mandy… so vulnerable and so young… so full of fear. You feared just about everything. Rarely even smiling…"_ Mandy watched her younger form hide in a dark closet, looking sadly at her younger self. She was then warped to a park, where she looked terrifyingly at a gang of large bullies. _"But fear is an emotion. Like any emotion, holding it in will result in chaos and discord."_ Mandy gulped as the bullies came closer, taking in a deep breath. _"Now… let your fear… out."_

She took another breath, and finally… "AAAHHHHH!" launched a deafening Fear Scream, blowing the bullies away. She finally stopped to catch her breath as the vision went away, and she was back at the temple.

_"Good. Now… proceed."_ A gate of dark-red fear energy vanished, allowing Mandy to step through. She walked along a path until reaching a gate that was protected by a terrifying guard which Mandy gulped at. _"People try to feel strong by looking fearsome. When in reality, they their selves are full of fear. Fearbenders can sense that fear and bend them to their will. You commonly use this ability. Use it now."_

Mandy did as told (well, that's weird) and approached the smirking, cocky guard. She furrowed her eyes as she glared into his. His expression became frightened as he sensed the evil in Mandy's eyes. He started shaking and screamed, "AAHHH! D-Don't hurt me! AHH!" and jumped over the edge, dropping the key which Mandy used to open the door.

She walked further until she came to a large wall of seemingly unbreakable glass. _"Fear can strongly be expressed in the lungs. When you feel afraid, don't hesitate to let it out… in a massive scream."_ Mandy took a breath and erupted a Fear Blast, cracking and breaking the glass. _"This technique is also commonly found in opera singers. Oh ho ho!"_ Mandy only glared. _"…Just keep going."_

Mandy eventually came to a large, open field where legions of stone soldiers with horns awaited her with grim faces (not Grim Reaper, they're just really scary). _"The feared ones will try to mend your fear to their will. You must take your own fears… and face them."_

"Pfft. Like I'm scared of these guys." With that, Mandy ran forward and started beating and punching the stone soldiers. She shattered some soldiers using Fear Scream, and used Scare Stare to look into their eyes, making them scream and run off the edge. She then coughed out Fear Spheres which homed in and knocked some out. By the time she finished off the demons, she was surrounded by hundreds more.

She looked frightened at first, but closed her eyes and took a breath. _"By the time your greatest fears have taken over your mind…"_ The demons formed together, creating a giant image of adult Mandy and Erwin staring into each others' eyes. _"Do not deny that it frightens you. Merely… let those feelings out."_ Mandy watched in terror as their older selves were about to kiss. She took a breath, and just before their lips touched…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! ! !" She screamed louder than ever, her lungs exploding with Fear Energy, destroying the vision and cracking the very ground around her. She finally stopped to catch her breath.

_"Good… but you have not yet mastered your fear. While the power may be with you, it still secretly controls you, and blinds you to trust those closest to you."_ A vision of Grim and Billy appeared, and Mandy began to feel sad. _"You use fear to control people… even your closest friends. Fear has moved in to where trust should be."_

"Pfft. Just get on with it. Why did you bring me here?"

_"Come to the temple."_ She noticed a stairway appear, leading to a floating temple that had several elemental doors around it. She walked up the stairway and through a door of Fear Energy, coming to a room with a glowing light circle in the center.

"Why did you show me all this?"

_"Lots of destinies are being awakened, including yours, young one. There is another power that lays dormant inside you. A power that binds you with your family roots."_

"My… roots?"

_"Yes. But first, you must learn more about your fear. Go to Nightmare Land, and speak to the spirit, Darkrai, the Nightmare King."_

_"…I can sense your thoughts, child. You feel you have no love or value to anyone. But remember… to look deep inside yourself. And remember… who you are…"_ (Stop the music.)

**_Boogey Bay_**

"'ello? Mandy? WAKE UP! !"

"HUH?" Mandy finally awoke on the deck of her ship, at Creeper's shout.

Fred Fredburger walked out with nachos and said, "I got nachos! Yes!"

"Er… what happened?" Mandy asked, sitting up.

"You passed out. Must be seasick." Creeper said.

"Anyway, we still couldn't figure out that map." A pirate said.

"Where do we go next, Captain?" Another pirate asked.

Mandy stood up and looked off into the oceanic horizon. "…We're paying a visit to my favorite spirit. Set sail immediately."

"Uh, yes Captain." Creeper replied.

As the ship changed its course, Mandy looked off into the sunrise in thought. "My fear is blocking my trust… is that what the spirit was saying?" She shook this thought away. "Peh. What does some weird echo know? I've never had friends because of my fear. And I don't intend to make any. If fear is what I used to get this far, I can use it to go farther. And I will…"

**Sector J Treehouse**

Marine the Raccoon continued to relax on Sector J's beach, wearing sunglasses and drinking her Mango Smoothie as she watched some operatives surf in the ocean. She took another sip through her straw and sighed. "Ah… this is the loife, eh? If I ever 'ave a daughter, Ah'm gonna teach her how to relax like this. Still… Ah sure wish I coulda spent more time with that Elijah fellow. Bloke ain't half bad, ever since… huh?" She tilted her glasses up when some kids were suddenly knocked off their boards.

In the distance, she could see that Johnny, the green robotic shark racer, was zooming along the ocean on his waterbike, taking out operatives. "Aw yeah! The sea-speed king is back, baby! Kept the fans waitin' long enough!"

"'ey! Didn't that bloke fall inta Davy Jones' Locker?" Marine asked. "If he's 'ere, then…"

"D'AARRRR!" A robotic ship emerged from the depths, and Captain Whisker stood on the front end, knocking water out of his ears. "D'arr har har! Cap'n Whisker be back from the dead, mateys! Time ta waste the deck with these scallywags and make me boss proud!" With that, swarms of robots on speedboats started running about, terrorizing the operatives.

"Ugh. Ol' fuzzy-face NEVER learns." Marine stood up. "Oh well. Time for a little bit o' action, eh?" she said, looking at her waterbike, the SS Super Marine, sitting along the shore. (Play "A New Venture" from _Sonic Rush Adventure_!) The little raccoon girl threw off her sunglasses and hopped on her waterbike, and shot off into the ocean.

_Stage 7: Seaside Surf_

_Mission: Save the coast side from the robo pirates._

Marine rode her waterbike to the incoming pirates, using her fist to shoot Light Spheres, knocking them over. Some mechanical sharks tried jumping at her, but she switched on her speed boost and zoomed right through 'em, pushing them into other robots.

She sped her bike up a ramp and did some spin tricks before landing on some water mines, but bounced them into enemy sailboats, then sped through the resulting smoke. A massive wave was rising up, but Marine simply rode up it as well, shooting midair after reaching the top and punching energy balls at more robots from above. She landed back on her bike and started riding in a watery cyclone, eventually coming out of the other side and zooming towards the beach.

Marine skidded her bike for a halt on the beach, then hopped off and ran to help the terrorized operatives from the robots. Some larger robots threw ball-n-chains at her, but she swiftly jumped, then did the classic trick of making the robots kill each other with their huge weapons. She beat away a few spinning-arm robots before running for Sector J's treehouse.

She tried to jump onto a robot with a steam gun, but it blew its steam, blowing her up onto the treehouse's balcony. Some piranha robots were chasing kids in the swimming pool, but Marine jumped in and punched them as well, saving the kids. She reached another pool where some robot was throwing water mines in, but Marine used her energy rope to grip the diving board and swing over, kicking the robot in and blowing him up.

Marine saw two robots relaxing at lawn chairs under an umbrella, so she charged her fist and shot Light Spheres to take them out. She then jumped on the bouncy umbrella, flinging her to an upper level that had a pool with tall fountains spouting up from it, each one at different heights. Marine jumped in the pool, then jumped onto the lowest fountain, in which the water was solid enough to push her upward. She jumped to other fountain tops as she went higher, and some flying pirates were trying to shoot her down. She dodged their fire and punched back as she made it to the top of the highest, center fountain. From there, she shot a Light Sphere to a high tree branch over the edge, making a Light Chain to swing to other branches, and then reach a new pool.

More pirates were threatening to slice kids with swords, but she shot charged Light Spheres and wiped them out. She also stepped on three switches that were around the pool, causing a huge glass tube to lower down to the center of the pool, and a huge stream of water to flow up. She jumped in the pool and swam up the stream, zooming at high speeds before shooting into a distant, higher pool. A bunch of pirates flew using jetpacks, blasting their guns at the raccoon lass, but Marine quickly swam out of the pool and punched back at them. She dodged their fire as she hurried over and climbed a set of ladders, soon reaching a high part of the treehouse.

Marine made it at the top of one of the 300-mile waterslides, sliding down the long contraption as she jumped several oddly-placed mines. Some parts of the slide were broken off by robots, but she used the momentum to jump those parts, bouncing off the robots' heads to the other side. She made a couple more tricky jumps before the whole slide finally gave way, sending her screaming and falling below.

She thankfully pressed a remote and called her waterbike over, allowing her to land safely and continue speeding through more pirates on speedboats. "Haha! No one scares Captain Marine, eh?"

"WAARRRR!" screamed Captain Whisker as his ship shot over to her, revealing a large cannon on the front. (Stop the music.) "It's time to be ending yer adventures, lassie!"

"YIPE!" (Play the sped-up version of the song!) Marine hurriedly sped away as the ship chased her at a fast pace, firing its massive cannonballs. She also had to dodge left and right as sharks jumped at her. She shot up a ramp that flung her several feet above her bike, allowing a cannonball to pass between them, then landing back on her bike on the water.

She squeezed between two narrow rows of water mines, trying not to touch them as she outran the _Jolly Walrus_. "Hey, kid, didja miss me?" Johnny asked, suddenly speeding beside Marine. "Okay, champion milk-drinker, let's see you drink the seawater!" With that, the two water-bikers began ramming each other as they avoided Whisker's cannon fire.

A cross mark then appeared over Marine as she looked back to see the massive cannon locking on. She looked ahead and smirked, and the pirates formed faces of horror as a massive shadow loomed over them. Marine was currently speeding to a tidal wave the size of the treehouse, using the full force of her bike to make it up.

Johnny tried to mimic her, but his bike was slowly losing power, then screamed, "AHH!" as he fell to the sea.

"Come on, my li'l baby, let's do this." Marine told her waterbike. And just before it ran out of boost power, "WOOHOOOO! !" Marine waved her arms in victory when she reached the top of the tidal wave.

"D'AARRRRRRR! !" Whisker screamed as the wave engulfed his whole ship and washed it along Sector J's beach.

Marine stylishly slid off the wave, back on the beach, as the wave retreated back to the ocean. "Ha ha! That was RIPPER!" (Stop the music.)

"Arrr…" Whisker groaned, sitting up and holding his aching head. "ARR." He grunted when Marine jumped on his stomach.

"Alright, start talkin', ya drongo. How'd you come back?"

"D'arr. Me boss brought us back."

"What? You mean that mustachioed weirdo?"

"Arr, yes. They were kind enough to fish me from the ocean floor. He wanted us to terrorize the lot o' these brats so as to find some possible clue as to the whereabouts of Manaphy, eh?"

"Manaphy? You mean the Sea Prince? He's gone with the temple!"

"That's what I told him, but he said thar be a way. So he sent me here to find that wretched princess. But no luck. What could _he_ be doing down in Chicago, anyhow?"

"Chicago?" Marine asked.

Mini and Mum appeared just then, and Mini yelled, "Boss! Boss!"

"You said too much!" Mum finished.

"D'arr! Tricked again! Ye little sea brat!"

"Hehehe!" Marine laughed. "Oi, yer still a funny drongo, ya know that?"

Johnny then sped up to them, pushed Marine off, lifted Whisker on his back, and shouted, "Let's go!" And Mini and Mum jumped on as well as Johnny carried them off on his bike.

Marine pulled her face out of the sand and spat some out. "'ey! Get back 'ere, walrus face!" She panted after her loud yell. "Ah, forget them. If wot that bloke says is true, then I hafta be headin' down ta Chicago, now, eh?" With that, she got back on her bike and sped off into the sea, watched by the Sector J team. She immediately came back and asked them, "Uh… which way ta Chicago?"

They all pointed to their left.

"Thank ya, mates!" With that, she sped off.

"…Mango Smoothie, anyone?" Numbuh 112 asked her friends.

Marine came back again, took a smoothie, and sped off.

**Blue Typhoon; over Japan**

The country of Japan looked beautiful from the sky as the Blue Typhoon hovered over the island country. "It's so pretty!" Amy smiled.

"I've always wanted to come to Japan!" Emily smiled.

"Hm hm, and other aliens think Planet Earth inferior." Nova chuckled.

"Where is the Forest of Light, anyway?" Cosmo asked.

"It's down there." Nova said, indicating a massive forest down below.

"Huh? You mean you've been here?"

"I don't know. I just… sensed it."

"Good enough place to start. Okay, team: we're arriving at the Forest of Light." As Tails spoke, the massive spaceship landed before a stone gate to the forest.

They all stepped out of the ship and entered the forest of tall and enormous trees, with fat trunks, and sunlight shining between the leaves. "So, this is the Light Forest." Blaze observed.

"Hm. Not bad." Knuckles said simply.

"This is the loveliest forest I've ever seen." Peach said admiringly. "We should come here for vacation sometime."

"Uh-huh." Mario nodded.

"As long as their isn't any goo." Toad said, shaking. "Huhuhu. That was creepy."

"Hey, guys!" They looked to see the mysterious girl on a large tree branch.

"You!" Shadow shouted.

"Haha! Looking for this?" she smiled, holding up the plant.

"Give Cosmo back!" Tails demanded.

"Hm?" Cosmo raised a brow.

"Uh- the PLANT Cosmo!" Tails corrected.

"You'll have to catch me first, ah ha ha!" With that, she speedily jumped the trees.

"Whoa, what is she, a squirrel?" Knuckles asked.

"I feel like there's something odd about her." Cosmo said.

"No… really, Cosmo?" Amy asked, sarcastically.

"Just a simple statement." Cosmo rolled his eyes.

"I feel your pain." Knuckles replied.

"We have to go after her." Annie said. "Come on!" (Play the "Forest Maze" Theme from _Super Mario Kitiku_! (I went through a lot of trouble to get it, too. -_-))

_Stage 8: The Forest of Light_

_Mission: Follow the mysterious girl._

_Act 1_

The forest truly did look beautiful on the inside. The trees were gigantic, and there was little view of the sky or sun; except for the tiny beams of light that poked through the leaves. The grass and leaves were a rich, light green, colorful flowers blossomed, and butterflies and other bugs fluttered around them. There was an atmosphere about this forest that relaxed their minds. It seemed like this forest lasted for hundreds of years, with no violence or dismay. It went for ages and ages with only wind blowing through the trees, and animals living happy, peaceful lives. Emily was sort of an environmentalist; not as big as Nova, and a forest like this filled her with wonder. She feels like she would murder anybody that would try to ruin this forest. It was so amazing. They couldn't really admire it for long. They had a mission: chase this mysterious girl.

Annie led in front as she and Emily chased her, and the strange girl giggled and jumped more trees. She kept changing paths as the two followed her, walking through large grass, and soon reaching a small trench in which a log crossed over. Emily and Annie carefully balanced across the log, and once on the other side, they hurried down a wide hill. They came to a ledge with some ground below, but the path continued beyond another ledge across from them, too far to jump. They saw a vine curled up on a tree branch above, so Annie shot it with her slingshot to make it uncurl. They used it to swing across, then hurried down another hill, where they took several more paths to chase the girl.

At one point, a large tree root blocked their way, but they climbed over, only to be ambushed by a group of big, brown bears called Ursarings. The large bears stood and tried to scratch them, but Em and Annie dodged back as Annie whipped out her slingshot and shot in their eyes. Emily then ran to punch and kick the bears, then the two hurried further while they were down.

Some Caterpies tried to catch them in their webs, but they avoided and squished the bugs. "Ooooohh I'm sorry, guys." Emily apologized, feeling sort of guilty for crushing the small bugs. They saw the girl Wall Jump her way between two close trees, and hurried over to Wall Jump after them.

They reached the treetops, and had to keep their balance as they jumped the branches, but the girl was well ahead of them, jumping much more swiftly. The strange being waved to them as she jumped through a swarm of Beedrill. Emily then switched into her ghost form as she carried Annie through the swarm of Beedrill, and the two dodged as beehives fell from the trees.

Emily landed them, and they watched the girl smile and wave as she ran down another path. The two chased after, but eventually lost her trail. The area they were in now had four different paths, each with different-colored butterflies fluttering around them. "Where did she go?" Annie asked.

"We'll just look around." Emily decided as the two of them ran straight ahead. They then took a left path, then a right, another right, left again, and then straight. They kept running around more, but it still felt they were running in circles, and every area looked the same.

"Emily, we're not getting anywhere!" Annie yelled. "I think we're lost."

"Dang it. There's gotta be SOME way…" Emily looked around for any hints, then noticed some pink flowers in the trees. She looked back and forth between them and the pink butterflies that were by one path. "I know! Come on!" Emily shouted, dragging Annie along that path. The flowers in the trees were now black, so she led them down the road with black butterflies. They kept repeating this for the other roads: yellow, blue, black, pink, blue, pink, yellow, black, and pink again.

They finally made it out of the maze as they saw the girl jump her way up an even taller tree, in which they could barely see the top. They exchanged a nod before climbing up after the girl. Some Beedrills tried to sting them, but Emily hit them with ecto blasts while Annie used her slingshot, continuing to climb after the girl, using ropes, trunk ladders, Wall Jumps, or simply swinging vines to get up the tree.

They were nearly at the top when they reached a small balcony on the tree, where they found a huge mosquito with purple eyes, a yellow sucker, and floating gloves and yellow shoes, separate from his body. The mosquito, whose name was Moskito, buzzed as he flew to the two girls, ready to suck on them. Annie simply fired her slingshot at him, making it dizzy, then did it again once he recovered.

Moskito then began zooming around the area, trying to hit them, but Emily zapped him twice with her ecto blast. Moskito shot off into the distance and gained momentum as he was flying back. Emily tried to hit him, but he was a quick dodger. Just before he could stab his sucker into them, they rolled away, causing him to get stuck in the wooden tree trunk. Annie knocked him out with one final slingshot pellet. The girls high-fived as they continued on. (Stop the music.)

Emily and Annie were finally at the top of the tree, and were soon accompanied by the others (the Mario team, however, stayed back to guard the ship). They watched as the girl carefully pulled the plant from its pot, and plant it in the ground (or what the tree had of ground). A green, plantlike, fairy creature flew out of a small opening in the tree. Many animals gathered and watched as the fairy closed her eyes and touched the plant lightly, making a little, green sparkle.

The group stepped closer and stared curiously as the fairy hovered in the air. "Um… what did it do?" Emily asked.

"Your friend was brought to life by Celebi's will." The strange girl explained. "She's bringing her to life again. But not right away. It may take a few years."

"…So… Cosmo will come back?" Tails asked, feeling hopeful.

"Eventually. NOW I bet you're glad I kidnapped her! Huh?" the girl grinned.

"Grrr. Start talking: who are you? !" Shadow demanded.

"My name is Misty Greene. And that creature right there is the Firstborn Spirit, Celebi."

"Wait… THAT'S a Firstborn?" Amy asked.

"Awww! It's so cute!" Emily grinned.

"It looks like a baby." Nova said.

"Of course she is!" Misty beamed. "Firstborn Spirits age no older than one. They keep their same age, even after millions of years, and therefore have unlimited energy. Just like any child."

"So, the Firstborn are powerful… because they're children?" Tails asked.

"Yep! And Celebi here is the Guardian of the Forest."

"Hm… not bad." Knuckles said simply. "So what do we do now?"

"Wait! If what the info says is true… Celebi is in grave danger!" Tails exclaimed in realization.

"And here we come to the reason _I'm_ here." Misty said. "You see… I'm a time spirit."

"A time spirit?" Tails asked.

"That's right, one of four. And we were sent here from the Spirit World to deliver the Spirit Balls to the Firstborn Guardians. The Guardians are mortal beings, chosen by the gods to be the Firstborns' trusted protectors, who will eventually bring them all together."

"So the reason you brought us here is because we have a Guardian with us?" Tails asked.

"Yup! In fact, she heard the call of the Firstborn. That's how you found this place!"

Suddenly, all eyes were on Nova. "M…Me?"

"Nova's the Guardian?" Emily asked.

"So THAT'S how she's able to speak with animals!" Cosmo deduced.

"Correct! Nova was blessed with Celebi's powers." Misty explained. "The animals always listened to Celebi's will, and Nova has that power, too. And as her trusted Guardian…" she gave Nova the Spirit Ball, "she'll listen to you, too."

_"Guess again."_ They all gasped when a large spaceship came out from behind the trees. A shadow emerged from the ship and landed on the ground, revealing to be Danika, Nolan, and April.

"It's them again!" Cosmo shouted.

"Sorry to ruin your reunion, but that Firstborn is OURS." Nolan shouted.

"So if ya don't like blood, hand him over." Danika threatened, drawing her daggers.

Some forest animals charged at them, but April made their minds hurt with psionic blasts. The team tried to attack them, but the poisonbenders landed, and Leopold faced his rear at them and unleashed a fart that stunned all of them.

"Euh, gross! !" Emily shouted as they coughed and desperately tried to wave the stench away.

"You're a real joy, Leo." Danika sighed sarcastically.

While they were stunned, Nolan launched a net and caught the Firstborn inside, afterwards shocking the spirit. Several wounds appeared on her as she gasped for breath, and Elijah and Jeremiah ran to grab her. "We got the pixie!" Elijah exclaimed, running back.

Danika became a shadow and slid over to Nova, popping up and taking the Spirit Ball. "This will help us."

"NO!" Nova shouted as some rope ladders lowered from the ship, and the villains grabbed on.

Danika held onto Nolan as she handed him the ball, and a chain lowered to haul his chair up. Matthew unleashed a cloud of purple gas, clouding the heroes and forcing them to grow sleepy. "Thanks for the fairy, suckers!" Matt laughed as the ship flew away, leaving the stunned heroes to eventually fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO, that was a long one. Heck, two stages. :P And we found a Firstborn! :D But didn't catch it. -_- Next time, we will see what the baddies do. Later.<strong>


	11. The First Born Caught

**Hel-loooo. Time to chase after these baddies! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Cosmo and Nova vs. Johnny and Plank! What Does the Forest Bring?<em>**

**Team Brotherhood's ship**

_"BIII! BIII!"_ the Forest Spirit shook and shook, trying desperately to shake away from Elijah and Jeremiah's grasps.

"Gah, hold still, you whiny baby!" Jeremiah shouted.

"These brats are supposed to be the ultimate power?" Elijah asked. "Who the heck comes up with this crap? !"

"You're holding him wrong." April said, taking the child spirit from them. "You're supposed to do it like this." She lightly rocked the fairy spirit in her arms, and Celebi calmed down.

"Awwww!" Leo cooed.

"Reminds me of how Victoria rocks Leo to sleep." Danika said.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" her brother shouted.

Nolan smirked as he tossed the Spirit Ball around in his hands. "This is too good. Already the start of the quest, and we kidnapped the Firstborn right from under them!"

"It's like taking a really tasty candy from a bunch of babies!" Leo exclaimed.

"In other words, taking a candy from Leo." Matt remarked.

"HEY! !"

"Gary, Dan, get Darth Genious on the line. I want him to see this." Nolan ordered.

"We're on it." Gary replied, pressing some buttons.

A TV screen sparked to life on the wall behind Nolan and showed Brain's image. _"Ah, my new operatives. Have you accomplished your mission?"_

"Did we ever." Nolan said, proudly. "Behold…"

"One real-live Firstborn!" Danika exclaimed as April held the child up.

Brain, however, didn't seem too amazed.

"And now, for the finishing act." Nolan began, holding up his Spirit Ball. "Go, SPIRIT BALL!" With that, he tossed the spirit-made Poké Ball at Celebi's head, bouncing back to his hands, and the spirit became engulfed in light before being sucked into the sphere, with Nolan closing it tight.

They all watched anxiously as the ball made a beeping sound and shook, trying to hold Celebi in. At that instant, the ball shot open, a light energy beam forcing Nolan out of his wheelchair and into the wall behind him before the light formed back into Celebi, who groaned as she barely stayed afloat in the air.

"Errr…" Nolan groaned, holding himself up on his arms. "What happened? ACKK." Brain's dome became green and his eyes red as Nolan was suddenly levitated in midair, choking as Brain held him by the neck with his psychic.

_"You fool. The Firstborn can only be captured by their respective Guardian. Any other who uses the Spirit Ball, and the Firstborn will be rejected."_

"Argh! Ack…" Nolan tried to speak, but Brain kept choking him, his face turning red.

Danika and April looked worriedly at each other. "Hey, let him go! It's not his fault he didn't know." April shouted.

"If you kill Nolan, I'll kill myself." Danika swore, a serious look in her eyes.

Brain's lights immediately went off, and he released Nolan from his grasp, the former sector leader dropping to the floor. Danika helped him up back into his chair as Brain spoke, "_Just make sure the Guardian captures the Firstborn. And do not fail me again."_ With that, the screen switched off.

"Phew… thanks, Danika." Nolan sighed.

"Gee, how did you know that would work?" April asked.

"I don't know. Sometimes when I'm desperate, I say really random things. I just…", Dani looked away in embarrassment, "wouldn't know what to do without Nolan. He's my best friend."

"Uh… eh hehe." Nolan chuckled and blushed.

"Heeheehee. Someone's in wooo—OW!" Leo yelped when Matt smacked him.

"Still, it sure sounded like Brain really didn't want you to kill yourself." Matt said. "I wonder why he would care?"

"Maybe he's got a spot for you!" Dan the Stormtrooper joked and laughed.

"Aw, shut up, Dan." Gary said. The then turned around in his seat to ask them, "So, you guys want us to turn back or-" As he spoke, a shadowed figure was flying toward the windshield, behind the Stormtroopers, and the others' eyes widened.

"BEHIND YOU!" Leo yelled.

"Huh, what the- AHH!" Gary ducked when the figure smashed through the window.

"YOU!" Nolan shouted accusingly.

"Well, if it isn't the little legless boy." Plank 2x4 spoke in his high British accent, attached to the end of Johnny's mop-staff. "Having fun being half-empty toothpaste?"

"Heeheehee! Good one, Plank!" Johnny laughed.

"Ugh, you again." Danika sighed as they readied for battle.

"Alright, you two: time for you to get lo-" Before Nolan could finish, a couple more Plank Troops broke in through the door and blew stun darts at them, making them faint.

Gary and Dan put the ship in autopilot and tried to shoot them, but Johnny flipped behind the Stormtroopers and whacked them beside the head, knocking them out as well. "Men: grab the Firstborn." At Plank's order, the Plank minions bounced on Nolan's chair and fired a net at the Firstborn, zapping her again.

_"BIII!"_

Plank hopped off Johnny's staff and walked over to the fairy. "It pains me to do this to you, my dear. But once we're done here, this world will be repopulated by the Wooddom you so helped create." He turned to his assistant. "Johnny: take us back to base."

"Roger that, buddy!" Johnny exclaimed, sitting at the controls. "But what do we do about these guys?"

"I have a plan for them. Just take us back to HQ first. And send the Plank Troops back in the forest in case we're followed. All-powerful Forest Spirit gone missing, the forest media'll be all over that."

"Will do, Plank!" Johnny cackled evilly as the ship sped away from the forest.

**Forest of Light; back with the others**

The Sonic and KND gangs awakened shortly after falling at the hands of the knock-out gas. "Oh… what happened?" Tails moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Those guys came and took the Firstborn." Sonic reminded.

"I remember them." Cosmo said. "That goth chick and the handicapped guy tried to capture us before, and we even saw them at the Brotherhood Base."

"I wonder if Gary's with them? There's a few words I wanna say to that guy!" Annie yelled, still angry about Gary tricking them and nearly getting Emily killed.

"If they have the Firstborn, they might have unlimited power!" Tails yelled.

"I don't think so. Without the Guardian, the Firstborn won't cooperate very well." Misty said. "But they could still FORCE her to work."

"Then we have to go after them!" Cosmo exclaimed.

"The Blue Typhoon might not be fast enough." Tails said. "And it'll take a while to run back to it, anyway. …Except for Sonic, but he still can't fly good." The hedgehog shot him a glare. "What do we do?"

Just then, the large mosquito from before; Moskito, flew and landed beside Cosmo and Nova, gesturing for them to get on his back. "I guess he wants us to ride him." Cosmo guessed.

"Okay, you guys can ride him, and I'll go ghost and carry Annie and Zuri after you." Emily said.

"Oh, great. More ghost flying." Annie complained.

"Zuri…" Zuri agreed.

"We'll try and meet up with the rest of you later." Emily told Team Sonic, who nodded.

"Good luck, you guys!" Amy cheered as the aliens got onto Moskito, and Emily became a ghost, grabbing Annie and Zuri.

"Hi-ho, mosquito!" Nova exclaimed, and they all took off. (Play the "Moskito Ride" Theme from _Rayman 1_!)

_Forest of Light, Act 2_

The two aliens held tight as Moskito quickly carried them through the Forest of Light, after the villains' ship. Some Plank minions were floating down with little leaf petal propellers, but Moskito spat spit wads and knocked them down. Some missiles were being fired at them, but Moskito sucked them in and spat them back at the Plank Troops.

The aliens flew in a large spider web, but Emily fired ecto blasts to get them free, and Moskito fired at any more webs they came to. A swarm of Beedrill was approaching them, but Moskito blasted them and flew through a hole under a tree, dodging when a family of Ursaring swiped their claws at them. Some Plank Troops on the ground started shooting them with stolen B.E.A.R.-H.U.G.G.A.H.s, hiding behind boulders so Moskito couldn't hit them, but Moskito spat at tree branches above the minions, and the shots bounced off and hit the troops.

"Ugh. Can't this bug go any faster?" Cosmo complained.

"Now, Cosmo, don't be so mean to him." Nova said.

"Bzzz? Bzzzt!" the mosquito buzzed.

"WHOA!" The mosquito suddenly flew at rapid speeds, and the forest rushed by the aliens quickly.

"Hey, wait up!" Emily shouted, flying faster to keep up.

Moskito made several turns, dodging trees and rocks, and the aliens had to duck incoming branches. Some Plank Troops ahead were cutting down trees, but Moskito still dodged the falling wood, even knocking over two troops. "Well, Mac… we sawed our own kind for nothing…" the troop said to the other before fainting.

Up ahead, some Plank Troops were closing the gates to the forest. "They're closing us in!" Nova exclaimed. Moskito flew even faster, determined to make it through, and when the gate was inches from closing, the three shot through, blowing the Plank Troops away.

As the minions recovered, they saw Emily fly over them, holding Annie and Zuri. "Even if that worked, we coulda just flown over." Emily told them as they followed their friends.

Before they knew it, the aliens and Moskito were flying over the ocean, drawing farther away from the great forest. "There they are, we're getting close." Cosmo said as they caught up to the villains' ship. The vessel launched missiles at them, but Moskito sucked them in, blowing them at the engines. Some Plank Troops flew by on 2x4 jetpacks and tried to hit them with stolen G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A.s, but Moskito spat and knocked them out of the sky. He sucked some Plank Troops in and spat them at the ship's engines as well.

"Bah… curses." Plank said as they felt the ship rumble.

"Cosmo, what's it doing?" Nova asked when the ship extracted a large laser turret, which locked on.

"It's a laser cannon! Watch out!" Startled at the massive laser, Moskito narrowly dodged when it fired. It locked once more and fired, but Moskito dodged again. The ship launched a few more missiles that Moskito sucked in while the ship was charging a homing laser. Before it could fire, Moskito shot the missiles back, destroying the large cannon.

"All right!" the operatives exclaimed.

"NO!" Plank shouted. "Get us away from them, Johnny." With that, the ship sped off over the horizon.

"Hey! Get back here!" Cosmo yelled, flying after them faster. (Stop the music.)

**Peach Creek Cul-de-sac**

Soon, the ship landed in the cul-de-sac, and Johnny stepped off, carrying Plank and Celebi. Some Plank minions walked out, dragging the Toxic Four and Team Brotherhood, as they followed Johnny and Plank into the tree stump that led to their secret lair.

Inside Plank's Lair, they threw the seven villains into what seemed like an old refrigerator, closing it and turning a dial. They woke up just in time to see where they were. "Whuh…what's happening?" Nolan asked.

"Oh, so you're awake." Plank said, hanging onto the small window on the machine to look at them.

"Plank! Where are we? !"

"You're in my secret lair. I am about to unveil a taste of Celebi's power, but first I need to dispose of you. Right now, you are in the Eds' pathetic excuse of a time machine. They once tried to fool us into thinking we've been sent to the dinosaur era by that thing. Only THIS time, it WILL work. You see, not only does Celebi rule the forest, she is also a time spirit. Once Celebi's power over time has been added, the lot of you will be sent so far back, you'll never stand in my way again."

"You seriously think this thing'll work?" April asked.

"We'll soon find out, won't we? And if it so happens to explode from the energy, you will be exterminated regardless. Connect the power source." A couple Plank Troops placed the still-weakened Celebi onto a platform, shocking the spirit as it absorbed her energy, which flowed through some cords and into the time machine.

"Bring us back a fossil!" Johnny exclaimed. "If you ever get back, that is! Mwah ha ha ha! GO!" With that, Johnny slammed the red button, and the machine erupted to life.

The seven Brotherhood villains shielded their eyes and screamed as the light engulfed them. It erupted a flash that nearly blinded everyone, and once it vanished, the Planks saw that the machine was gone along with its seven passengers.

"Where'd it go?" Johnny asked.

"If my calculations are correct, much like my beauty…" Plank began, smiling in his handheld mirror, "the machine has taken them back to the Jurassic Era. Or it could've just exploded. Either way, those fools are gone. Now it is time for Celebi's grand debut of her power. Grab her."

**Outside**

Cosmo and Nova soon reached the cul-de-sac, waiting for Moskito to land before stepping off. "Thank you for your help." Nova said to the large bug before he took off. Emily, Annie, and Zuri landed soon after.

"Oh… I'll never get used to that." Annie groaned, as did Zuri.

"There's the ship!" Cosmo exclaimed, pointing at the ship they were previously chasing.

Nova noticed the tree-stump entrance, which was still open. "They must've headed in there."

"We'll check the ship." Emily said. "You guys look down in there." The aliens nodded and jumped down into the open stump.

Emily, Annie, and Zuri ran onto the ship and gasped when they saw Dan and Gary knocked out. "Ohhh…" the soldiers groaned, weakly recovering. "What? You?" Gary noticed.

"Nice to see you again, too." Annie replied, glaring.

**Plank's Lair**

Cosmo and Nova landed and dashed into the underground wooden hideout. Cosmo knocked out Plank Troops with his bo staff while Nova shot them with a 20x40 gun. "They have to be in here somewhere." Cosmo said.

"In there!" Nova pointed to a room where a dim light shone from. After knocking out a few more troops, the two stopped before the door and peeked into the auditorium, slowly sneaking in behind some trashcans as Plank and Johnny stood on stage, overlooking the soldiers in the audience.

"My fellow hunks," Plank spoke in his British accent, "after many annoying encounters with our fleshed adversaries, the moment for conqueration is nigh!"

"YEEAH!"

"Minions… I give you: CELEBI!" The aliens gasped as Plank threw open the curtains, revealing the Forest Spirit trapped inside a capsule in the core of some machine. There were cords linked to the capsule, connecting to a helmet. "The foolish Darth Genious sent his minions after the spirit to capture it, and they did. But thanks to MY genius, and Johnny's agility, we stole the Firstborn right from under them! And now…" He hopped over and used his tree-branch arms to place the helmet on his head. "It is time to-"

"STOP!" Cosmo shouted as the aliens ran forward.

"Release the spirit NOW." Nova demanded.

"Oh, well it seems we have a few more loose ends." Plank said. "No matter. You'll be done with soon enough."

"What is that thing?" Cosmo asked, indicating the machine.

"_This _is my Florestation Prototype. A device meant to harness the power of the woods and grant me power almost EQUAL to Celebi's. It will grant me the power I need to RULE this pathetic planet, and dominate ALL with glorious plant life! Johnny!"

"Heeheehee!" The gourd-wearing boy dashed over and flipped a lever. (Play "The Encounter" Theme from _Kingdom Hearts 2_!)

_"BIIII!"_ Celebi felt immense pain when the machine erupted to life, transferring her energy to Plank's helmet. The wooden genius levitated to the air as power surged through him. He unleashed green psionic waves from his helmet, zapping the Plank minions and giving them their own branches, which took the form of sharp swords and other weapons. He then levitated a bunch of acorns from Johnny's pockets and shot them into his mouth.

The human assistant cackled maniacally as roots started spreading around him, the aliens gaping as he grew bigger with muscles. Johnny's muscles became hard as tree-bark, and leaves and branches emerged from his ears and nose. "RRRAAAHHH!" the boy ripped off his shirt, revealing his now half-tree body.

"Johnny has embraced the power of the forest, much like we have. Now… FINISH THEM."

_"You said it, Boss! Mwah ha ha!"_ Johnny saluted in a deep voice.

_Boss fight: John Wood and Plank 2x4_

Plank used his power to raise the machine and the stage up, away from the aliens as John Wood jumped down, landing so hard, he broke the floor and made them fall to the room beneath, which was just a large and empty wooden room. Cosmo tried to jump and whack the beefed-up Johnny, but the metahuman swatted him away. Nova backed away in fear as Johnny approached her, smirking, but Cosmo jumped onto his head, trying to shield his eyes.

Nova's eyes perked when she felt like she heard something beneath the floor, bending down and pressing her ears to the wood. She gasped and said, "Cosmo, make him break the floor!" Cosmo did as told and hopped in front of the monster. Angered, Johnny tried punching him, but Cosmo dodged and made him break a hole in the floor, revealing swarms of termites down below.

_"TERMITES?"_ Johnny shouted in fright. Nova used her powers to call up the termites and attack the large mutation of John Wood. "_Hey! Get off me!"_ Johnny then gripped the edge of the hole they fell through and hauled himself up. Cosmo and Nova grabbed on, getting pulled up as well.

Once back in the auditorium, they fought back Plank soldiers that came to attack them. Cosmo clashed with some Sword and Spear Planks while Nova shot the ones with 2x4 weapons. Nova used her power to call up the sea of termites, and the two aliens then started climbing up the risen stage as the termites flooded the room, narrowly dodging as Plank launched energy balls at them. Once at the top, Cosmo whacked the floating piece of wood a few times before Plank finally flew down to the termite ocean (still wearing his helmet).

Plank yelped in pain as the termites bit him, jumping around and trying to get away. Eventually, he used his new powers to levitate in the air and unleash a psionic blast, making the termites flush back down below, then sealing the hole in the floor where they came from. He went back over to the stage and reattached the cords to his helmet, then blew Cosmo and Nova back to the lower room. John Wood hopped back down there as well.

"Minions: after them!" At Plank's command, some teeter-totter Planks jumped down and started flinging large boulders and bombs at them. Other Plank minions with 2x4 weapons and branch-attached weapons leapt down, attacking the aliens. Cosmo stole a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. from one of them and shot at others. Nova stole a water gun from one and used it to wash their drawn faces off. The now-blinded soldiers just walked into each other aimlessly and fell down.

Johnny then started trying to stomp them again. Cosmo ran around him, but Johnny kicked him away. Nova screamed when he grabbed her by the hair, held her by his face, and said, "_You're pretty!"_ Nova just squirted water in his eyes with the water gun, making Johnny yelp and go crazy, punching a hole in the floor again.

Nova once again called the termites up, making Johnny grab onto the hole above and pull up, Cosmo and Nova holding onto him. Plank surrounded himself in a green barrier as he made circular platforms rise from the ground, then made wooden spikes rise from the rest of the floor. Cosmo and Nova carefully jumped the platforms, dodging as minions blasted 2x4 weapons at them, but Cosmo jumped and kicked them over. Johnny landed on one platform, trying to block their way, but Cosmo spat in his eye, making him back up and fall on the spikes.

Nova used her power to summon up the termites again, and the aliens climbed their way up the stage as the room flooded, reaching the top, but Plank was still protected by a barrier. Cosmo dodged as Plank fired energy balls at him, while Nova looked worriedly at Celebi, still in pain. "Celebi!" she shouted, running over and banging on the glass.

_"Bii!"_ Celebi yelled back, forcing out more energy. Then, the glass started to crack.

Plank was about to zap Cosmo when he felt his barrier disappear. "…HEY! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" he yelled to Nova, but Cosmo already batted him down to the termites. Plank yelped as the many bugs nibbled his wooden skin, but finally made it back on stage, reattaching himself to the machine. He blew the two aliens into the termite sea, at the very other side of the room, where they tried to swim.

"Johnny! Finish them!" With that, Plank launched another psionic blast into the sea of termites.

"_RAAAHHH!"_ Johnny roared, shooting up from the termites, bigger than before. The aliens tried to swim their way through while John Wood splashed termite waves at them. The area shook when Johnny punched the wall, trying to hit them, leaving dents.

Cosmo ran up Johnny's arm, trying to poke his eyes with his staff. Meanwhile, Nova made it up to Plank's stage, looking to Celebi. "Don't worry, Celebi. I'll set you free." She ran over to the lever and tried to pull it, but jumped when Plank fired a blast.

"Oh, come now, dear, you really think Celebi would listen to you? A being of flesh with no true knowledge of the forest?"

"I may be made of flesh, but you have even less knowledge of the forest, Plank." Nova yelled back. "The forest may be powerful, but it also gives life, to plants AND animals. True, humans DO cut down trees for their own desires, and some of them don't understand the true importance of plant life… but they really don't mean any harm. And if they knew what purpose the forest gives, they wouldn't hurt them as much. Still, you shouldn't need to hurt them back."

"Ah, and the humans WILL know the power of the forest, once we've dominated each and every one of them! AHH!" Nova dodged another psionic blast.

She recovered and saw a dial on the side of the machine, which seemed to be different power levels. There was 'Low', 'Medium' (which it was set to), 'High', 'Very High', 'Intense', and 'You do not wanna f**kin' be doing that'. Nova's eyes became serious as she turned to Plank. "Very well. If you want power, you can have it."

"What are you-" Before he knew it, Nova ran up and turned the dial to the highest setting. "NO! IT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO GO THAT HIGH! Oh, why did I put that setting on there?"

"_BIIII!"_ Celebi released more power than ever.

"NOO!" Plank's helmet started to electrify, immediately blowing up. "Whoooaaaaa!" Plank was blown over to the other side of the room, with Johnny watching him. Cosmo hopped off the mutated boy as Johnny looked to the machine, wide-eyed as it unleashed a powerful green laser.

"WAAAHHHH!" Johnny screamed when the power was absorbed from his body, the boy shrinking to his normal form before he fell into the termite sea. (Stop the music.)

The termites then began to drain out as the risen stage sunk back down, the spike floor clearing up as well. Nova ran to Cosmo and helped him up, and he brushed himself off as they examined the ruined room of knocked-out Plank Troops and the dizzy forms of Johnny and Plank.

They gasped back at the overloading machine, which immediately shut off when Celebi broke the capsule, weakly levitating off the stage and landing on the ground. Nova glanced beside her and noticed the Spirit Ball on the ground, walking to pick it up. "The other villains must have dropped it."

"What did that spirit girl say?" Cosmo asked.

Celebi then started glowing, making a quiet ringing sound. Nova felt the Poké Ball doing that as well, looking at it in her hands. "I… think I catch her."

"How?"

Nova's face became serious as she looked to Celebi. "Eeee-YAH!" She tossed the mysterious ball with force, hit Celebi, and watched the spirit become light as it sucked inside, the sphere closing tight. The aliens watched as the ball shook and made a beeping sound. Nova slowly walked over and picked the ball up.

The ball stopped shaking and beeping. It made the same ringing sound and hovered in the air as it erupted in a bright green light. The top half was now dark-green while the lower half was bright-green. The sphere lowered itself back to Nova, who smiled and held it. She spun around and held the ball in the air in victory.

**Nova caught a _FIRSTBORN_! Only 7 more to go!**

"Hehe!... Good going, Nova!" Cosmo congratulated.

"Thank you!"

"No problem! But what's supposed to happen now?"

"I'm not sure… Misty said the Guardians would eventually bring the Firstborn together. I guess we have to wait for them…"

"But how long will that take?"

"I guess we'll find out. But there's something else I want to know…" With that, she walked over to the barely conscious form of Plank 2x4.

"Ohhh…" he groaned when Nova picked him up.

"Plank, what happened to the others that took Celebi? The ones you stole her from?"

"Oh…" He opened his eyes weakly to face her. "I used Celebi's timebending powers to have them banished to the Jurassic Era. They're now millions of years back from us, where they'll likely be eaten."

"Well, at least there are SOME problems taken care of!" Cosmo smiled, victoriously.

Nova didn't feel as victorious. She didn't feel it was right to forget about them. "…We have to help them."

"What?"

"They may be evil, but they don't deserve to die now. Everyone has good in them somewhere."

"Even Dimentia?"

"Well… maybe… but we have to help them anyway!"

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Plank asked. "The machine vanished with them. And it won't work without Celebi's power. Also, the-"

Just then, the Spirit Ball shook, and Celebi was suddenly free, smiling as she appeared better than ever. "Celebi! You're healed!" Nova exclaimed.

_"Bi! Bi bi!"_

"Huh?" Cosmo asked.

"She said, 'A Poké Ball gives a Pokémon a vision of its natural environment, and also helps them slowly heal. And the Spirit Balls do that with Firstborn.'"

_"Bi. Bi bi bi."_

"'But its powers for that can only be activated when that Firstborn's Guardian has truly awakened their self.'"

"You can understand her?" Cosmo asked.

"I can now, I guess."

_"Bii! Bi bi BI!"_ Celebi exclaimed, doing flips.

Nova gasped happily. "She said she can go back in time and rescue them!"

"Are you sure? What if they just decide to catch you afterwards?" Cosmo asked.

_"Bi… bi bi, bi bi."_

Nova turned to Cosmo and smiled. "'Like Nova said… everyone has good in them somewhere.'"

"Mmm…" Cosmo just shrugged, unsure about rescuing their enemies.

"Okay, Celebi, go and help them!"

"_BIII!"_ With that, the cheerful spirit opened a Time Gate, and warped back in time to help the villains.

* * *

><p><strong>FINALLY! ! Oi, that took me forever. It's hard to find inspiration. Well, we finally have the first Firstborn! The next ones won't be so easy! Next time… we'll see where we go. Later!<strong>

**…**

**_Spoiler alert: Plank won't be the only villain obsessed with trees and plant life._**


	12. Dino Fury

**Alright, then… LET'S get back on this quest, shall we?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Dino Fury! Team Brotherhood's Bout in the Jungle!<em>**

**Blue Typhoon**

The Sonic and Mario teams left Japan on their Blue Typhoon and were currently flying over the United States through the nighttime skies. Misty Greene was onboard as well, as she told the lot she was planning to meet someone.

Suddenly, the ship began to shake, and a beeping alarm was heard. "What's happening?" Amy asked.

"Oh no! We're out of fuel!" Tails exclaimed.

"What? !" Sonic shouted.

"Must not have very good budgeting on this thing!" Knuckles yelled.

"I'm using the Chaos Emerald to give it extra power, but it shouldn't have run out!" Tails yelled back.

Everyone could feel the ship slowly sinking down. "Wawawawawawawawawawa!" Mario exclaimed, waving his arms in the air frantically.

"Okay, if everyone could just calm-" Toad tried to say, but looked up and saw a group of small compartments sliding open with lots of junk. "Oh-no." Toad grunted in pain when each little object fell on top of him, followed by more heavier ones, like a piano. "How does all that fit up there?" he asked dizzily.

"Hold still, Mario." Peach tried to calm him. "Everything's going to be o-" Right before the ship hit the ground, they all felt it stop. "…Huh?"

The group looked upward to see Dimentia above the windshield. "Don't look at me, SHE'S the real time witch here."

Tails turned on the monitors to view below the ship. Another figure was apparently holding the ship in place, and Misty's eyes alit with joy. "Olive!"

"Misty!" Olive exclaimed.

In a few moments, the ship was safely on the ground, and everyone gathered around a campfire set up by Dimentia. Tails glumly sat on a log, studying the green Chaos Emerald in his hand. "Wait, so it was MISTY who sabotaged our fuel? !" Tails yelled.

"Not really! I just used my timebending to speed it up so it'd run out faster!" the girl said innocently.

"And HOW is that any different? ?"

"Because technically, it ran out naturally!" Misty grinned.

"So, you use Chaos Emeralds to power that, huh?" Olive spoke, looking kind of smug. "Hmph. If I had a dollar for every Chaos Emerald someone found… well, I could afford a surgery to bring me back from the dead! Ah ha ha ha!"

"Very funny." Sonic replied, sarcastically, roasting a marshmallow. "So, Misty… these friends of yours?"

"Well, one of them is." Misty spoke. "This is Olive Pioji." The older timebender gave a grin. "She's the one that kept your ship from crashing; using her own Time Brake. The freak with the face is Dimentia." The former GKND leader scowled.

"Are you two timebenders as well?" Peach asked.

"No. They are. I bend space." Dimentia replied tonelessly.

"Dimentia, hmm…" Luigi closed his eyes in thought. "You look familiar."

Mario's eyes perked up as he looked closer at the former leader. "Ah wawawawawawawa!"

"Oh! She DOES look like Dimentio, doesn't she?" Peach said.

"Yoshi?" Yoshi rose a brow.

"Hm? You know my twin brother?" Dimentia asked.

"Brother?" Luigi asked.

"Dimentio tried to destroy the universe some time ago." Peach said.

"Hmm… family tradition, then. Dimentio was my twin brother, and we both desired one thing: immortality. He sold his soul to darkness, and he ended up lost for generations. Until you guys found him, apparently."

"Dimentio's been destroyed, now." Luigi informed.

"Hm, good. Never did like him. My parents always liked him better."

"So what's the story with you?" Toad asked.

"Well, I-"

"Long story." Olive interrupted. "Basically, she died, and we had to bring her back to life for some important mission."

"Finding the Eight Firstborn?" Peach asked.

"Yeah."

"He brought me back to life to give me a second chance." Dimentia told them. "But that's stupid. After everything I've done…"

"Who brought you back to life?" Tails asked.

"Our leader. Clockwork." Misty answered. "The highest ranked timebender and Dialga's second-in-command."

"And pretty hard to compete with, seeing as he's been with Dialga since the beginning." Olive followed.

"Speakin' of which, shouldn't Jagar have brought the others to Chicago around now?" Misty asked.

"That's right! We should head there." Olive perked up.

"Huh? Who's at Chicago?" Tails asked.

"A few people you'll have to meet." Olive said, standing up. "They play a real big part in this journey. Shall we go?"

"But… what about the Blue Typhoon?" Tails asked, looking worriedly at his ship. "Can't you use timebending to put the fuel back?"

"Sorry!" Misty grinned. "Protocol Number One means NOT changing the past using timebending!"

"But you used timebending to DEPLETE the fuel in the first place!" Tails argued.

"That technically isn't the same thing, and the rules didn't say we couldn't do that! Besides, your ship will be fine. I mean: WHO'S the time spirit here?"

Tails glared at the blue-eyed girl. Somehow, he just couldn't stand that girl, tinkering with his own ship. Still, he decided he was gonna play along with her anyway. "I guess I can leave it…"

"Wonderful!" Olive exclaimed, beginning to walk off. "Let's get going!"

"You can count me out."

The two spirits looked questioningly and surprised at Dimentia. "Don't you want this second chance?" Misty asked.

"I'm not ready to face them, yet." She said, her head still down. "Besides… they already know I'm alive."

Misty put her hands on her hips in thought, but Olive whispered, _"Don't worry. Chances are, old Clockwork will pay her a visit."_ Misty smirked and nodded.

"Alright then." Misty decided, giving a clap. "The REST of us will go to Chicago, and you can just stay here and mope."

"We can use our other ships to get there." Amy figured.

"Alright, guys: let's get going." Sonic declared.

"With any luck, we may even find Bowser there!" Luigi hoped.

"Yea!" Mario nodded. Both groups headed inside the Blue Typhoon and took off in their own ships; with Sonic and Shadow riding atop the X-Tornado's wings, while Misty and Olive rode inside its extra seats. Dimentia only watched with hate and disgust as they took off. She didn't really care for this whole mission, and she questioned if it mattered. She continued to eat her marshmallows alone, with the only light or warmth coming from the small fire.

**Millions of years earlier…**

Dinosaurs of all kinds roared and screeched throughout the jungle of the old Earth. In a dense part of the jungle, four dino children, a light-blue female pterodactyl named Shiny, a green female pterodactyl named Tiny, a green male pterodactyl with a fatter mouth named Don, and a short, orange, and blue-spotted dino named Buddy, watched as a small, green portal started to open out of thin air.

They gasped, "Celebi!", when the Firstborn Spirit emerged from the portal.

"What's wrong?" Shiny asked.

_"Bi! Bi bi BI!"_

"A mad scientist sent seven kids back to this time and you were sent here to rescue them?" Buddy asked.

_"Bi… bi bi."_ Celebi nodded.

"Wait here. We'll bring them to you." Tiny said before they flew (and Buddy ran) off.

**With Team Brotherhood**

"Oh…" Leo groaned when they all woke up in the dense jungle.

"Where are we?" Matt asked.

"Dude, stop saying that before that line gets overused." Elijah remarked.

"Did that machine send us back in time?" Nolan asked.

"That's the best I can draw from it." Danika said, walking forward and examining the area. "All I can say is I don't like the look of this-"

"ROOAAR!" A huge, dark-pink dinosaur suddenly emerged from the trees ahead.

"AAHHHHH! !" Danika and Leo screamed in total fear, holding each other tightly.

"Eek! D-D-Big dinos!" Leo stuttered.

"So big!" Danika followed.

They all ran and hid behind a rock, watching as the massive dino looked around before stomping away. They all sighed in relief. "That was close…" April said.

"Wait, did T-rexes exist during the Jurassic Era?" Matt asked.

"Honestly, I don't think anyone cares, or even remembers what era the dinosaurs are from." Elijah said.

"Yeah, I just wanna get back home." Jeremiah said.

"AAACK!"

"What was that?" Nolan gasped with a start. They looked up to find three pterodactyl children flying toward them, and a small dino running alongside them. Danika held her daggers ready as they landed before them.

"Hang on. They don't look evil." April said.

Shiny flew onto Nolan's lap and started chirping. "What did it say?" Danika asked.

"Anyone speak dino? What about you, Steve?" Leo asked his imaginary friend.

"…"

"…Sorry, guys, Steve's clueless." Dani and Cheshire face-palmed in disbelief.

"Sigh… hang on, Mallah upgraded a translator into my wheelchair, just in case." Nolan said, pressing a button that extracted his mini computer. The pterodactyl chirped some more as her words appeared on the small screen. "She's saying they're the Pteranodon Family, and they're here to take us to the Time Gate that Celebi opened."

"Time Gate?" Danika repeated.

"She's saying Celebi was sent here to rescue us. I guess we just have to find it then."

Shiny chirped some more and flew off with the others.

"They said to follow them."

"Yipe! You mean… into the jungle with big, scary dinos?" Leo stuttered.

"For once, I'm with Leo, there's no way I'm going out there." Danika said, still using her hoarse, depressed voice, but was secretly afraid.

"Alright then." April said, walking off with the others, with Nolan rolling his own chair. "You can just stay here and be eaten."

"Yeah! Maybe Leo's gas will keep them away." Nolan chuckled as they soon left Dani and Leo beyond the shrubs.

Dani and Leo held each other tightly, still quaking in fear. Stomping was heard behind them as the ground quaked, and looked they up to see that same pink dinosaur.

"ROOOOAAAR!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!" The reptile dove its mouth down, snapping its sharp fangs, but the two dodged and hurried after the others just in time. (Play the "Dinosaur Jungle" Theme from _Sonic and the Secret Rings_!)

_Stage 9: Jurassic Jungle_

_Mission: Find the Time Gate!_

The seven child villains slowly, but quickly hurried away from the massive dino, following after Buddy the Dinosaur. He hopped through some shrubs and the gang followed, but ended up falling down a small trench which Buddy had jumped over, the orange dino watching as they fell to a small path, and roared after them.

"What'd he say?" Matt shouted.

Nolan gasped, seeing his translator. "Run for it!" Immediately, they had to run away from a triceratop stampede. The Toxic Four slowed the dinos down using gas blasts, but they still kept coming.

"Up there!" April pointed to Tiny on a small branch. The others jumped on top of the branch while Nolan stayed below because of his wheelchair. The former leader closed his eyes before the dinosaurs' impact, but Danika and April hauled him and his chair up just before the branch crumbled, and they were all riding the triceratops.

The six narrowly jumped the dinos, ducking or jumping other branches, but Nolan couldn't very well do so in his chair. They saw a ledge on the side of the trench wall that led down another path. "Come on." Danika called, leaping over to the ledge with the others.

"Heeelp!" They all looked back down and saw Nolan still riding one, about to ram into a rock wall the dinos were running under. Danika sighed in frustration, snapping her fingers and sending Cheshire to stretch out, pull him in a shadow, then drop him back with the others.

They kept down the path until they reached a fast-paced river. They saw a log bridge and decided to carefully walk over it, with Dani and April lifting Nolan as they tried to keep balance. But with all their combined weight, the log slid off into the river, and the seven began surfing on it. "Hey… if this is the past, shouldn't we be worried about effecting the timeline?" Jeremiah asked.

"The Hell with that, they're just gonna be destroyed by the meteor anyway!" Nolan shouted.

"WHOOA!" they all screamed when the log fell down a waterfall, but a pterodactyl flew by and caught April by the hands in her talons, with Nolan holding her legs with one arm and the chair with the other. Danika held onto his legs, followed by Matt, Leo, Jeremy, and Elijah.

The dactyl carried them to its nest on a mountain, where Shiny, Tiny, and Don were waiting. The children gestured to follow them as they dropped down the cliff and took flight. "H-Hey!" Leo shouted as the mother pterodactyl shoved them off her nest.

"Grab on!" Danika ordered as Nolan and April grabbed ahold of her. She then used her shadowbending to make the three become a shadow, then started flying over the jungle.

"What about us? !" Matt shouted.

Leo faced directly down as they fell, yes widened at the impending crash. "GRAB ON!" The poisonbenders held onto Leo as he charged, and released a fart so powerful they BLASTED off after the flying shadow.

They watched the dactyl children fly down a long cactus slide, which is where Danika landed them after becoming tired, and the poisonbenders landed there, too. Dani and April sat on Nolan's lap as his wheelchair rolled them down, while the poisonbenders sat on each others' shoulders with Leo at the bottom.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Leo grunted as the thorny cactus spiked his butt. They were coming at a lump in the slide which Nolan jumped. Leo gasped at the incoming lump, and his face froze when his crotch came in contact with it, but still kept going. Down below was a gathering of brontosauruses, standing in a large part of the river.

The cactus ended at a ramp, flinging the group upwards and landing on a brontosaurus' head, sliding down its neck, then jumping onto the head of another one, which held them to another's head that they slid down, hopping off its back and onto safe ground. They kept going while Leo ran frantically, the spikes still lodged in his bottom.

They saw the four dino kids up ahead and ran after them, Danika slicing any shrubs and large bushes that stood in their path. "We should be getting close." Nolan said, still hurriedly moving his wheels.

As they ran, April looked up and took notice of something up ahead. "Uh… not quite."

"AHHH!" Leo burst into screams when they ran into an open field, which was guarded by the massive, dark-pink T-rex, roaring and stomping towards them. It gnashed down, grabbing Nolan by the legs.

"AAAAHH!" the handicapped boy cried as the dino shook him around. Thankfully, he felt no pain in his numb legs.

Danika became fueled with rage as she ran up a circular pathway that went around the monster. She dodged when the beast tried whacking her with its tail, but still shaking Nolan around. She eventually grabbed hold of its tail, running up his body. The T-rex tossed Nolan above him, mouth wide open, but just before he could swallow Nolan whole, Danika jumped and caught him in her arms, the dino growling as they landed on the ground. Dani set Nolan in his wheelchair as the monster opened wide and gnashed at them again, but Leo released another fart, shooting gas straight into its mouth. The dino became dizzied by the gas and fainted, landing with a thud.

The seven gave a sigh of relief and high-fived each other. Danika felt a high-five from an invisible force, and felt it might've been Steve. …She shook this thought away as the dino kids arrived. (Stop the music.)

"Hoo. That was pretty rough." Nolan sighed in relief.

The dino kids cheered as well, hurrying over to join them. But everyone looked in horror when the T-rex stood up again. It was about to snap at them, but they heard a screech and looked up at the pterodactyl mother, Mrs. Pteranodon. It flew beside the T-rex and chirped at him. "EAH, ya ya, eah eah! (Honey! What did I tell you about terrorizing the children's friends?)"

"Aaauuuuhn. (Aw, I was just kidding around.)"

"Eeeaah! Eeaah! (Don't scare them so much, Darling. Now, let's show these kids the Time Gate like the children said.)"

"Eaaauuuuhn. (As long as we can have that Special Caveman Surprise you made for dinner!)" With that, the humans followed the Pteranodons to another area of the jungle, covered by shrubs.

They went behind the large bushes and found the green portal Celebi created. "There's the Time Gate!" Nolan exclaimed, eager to get back home.

"I guess Celebi already left." Danika figured. She looked at the dino kids and said, "Anyway, thanks for the help. …I guess some dinos aren't really so bad."

They heard a screech in the distance, and watched as another T-rex caught a pterodactyl from the sky and began to munch on it. The kids looked at the dino family with fearful expressions. "Uuummm… but I'd rather not come back here. Well… see you later." The kids and the dinos waved good-bye as they stepped into the portal, which immediately shut.

**Realm Between Dimensions**

"O-kay, this is feeling weeiiirrrd." Elijah moaned as they flew through the vortex between times.

"We should be back any minute. Oh!" Nolan groaned, holding his stomach in sickness.

"I just hope we don't get… Ohhhh…" Before Matt finished, he fainted.

"Ha! I coulda sworn it'd be me!" Leo exclaimed. "…Oomp! BLEEEHH!" He immediately threw up.

"If that stuff hits me on the way out, someone's gettin' sliced." Jeremiah stated.

"Everyone! Hold on to each other so we don't get-" April's sentence was cut short when the area started shaking.

"WHOOOOAAAA! !" A bright light separated Team Brotherhood from the Terrible Toxic Four as they were dropped back in their own time. But not where they wanted to be…

* * *

><p><strong>AND there we go. Next time, we'll finally get back to the MAIN group. And thanks to Morgan for giving me the idea to use the Pteranodons! Too bad her idea with the time train thingy went to shambles in her universe. :P Also, Matt didn't faint from sickness. I'm sure you can guess what happened. :P Later!<strong>


	13. The Long-Lost Princess

**Okay, people: it's time for the main group to head to Chicago. But FIRST, another Dream Realm segment. :P So play the "Dreams" Theme from _Spyro: The Eternal Night_. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Onward to Chicago! A Calm Drive Through Virginia Forest!<em>**

Matthew Dimalanta slowly awakened, gripping his head, finding himself in some weird space. He looked around. "Where am I? Leo? Jeremiah? ELIJAH?"

_"John Matthew Dimalanta…"_

"WAH! Who's there? And how do you know my first name?"

_"Relax… my name is The Chronicler. Spirit who watches peoples' lives…"_

"A stalker?"

_"Ugh! I swear, the next kid that calls me a stalker, I'm gonna… sigh, never mind."_

"What do you want?"

_"Ahem: I am here to teach you of your Poison Element."_

"Oh, so you're here to remind me of my curse."

_"Matthew… your powers are so much more than a curse. They are a blessing from a mighty spirit. People just don't understand the value of great power, and tend to fear it. Step forward… to learn more."_ As the floating rock path appeared before him, Matt decided to walk along it, his face emotionless.

He stood before a toxic gas gateway and a glowing gas-green circle. _"Step into the light."_ Matt obeyed and stood on the circle. There, he was shown a vision of when he first discovered his poisonbending powers, mocked by all who walked by. _"Poison is the Element of Hurt. Because of your powers, people constantly threw hurtful words at you… poisoning your very feelings. Many poisonbenders feel this pain… the pain of being cast aside… dumped."_ Matt was taken to a dumpster of smelly trash and toxic waste. _"They have taken this mental poison… and turned it into physical poison. As a way of expressing their hurt feelings. Now…"_ Matt closed his eyes and remembered all the insults he was given, because of his powers, while poison gas slowly began to circle him. _"Let the hurt… out…"_

Matt waved his arms, drawing in more toxic gas, and released it all in an expanding gas tornado. The vision ended as Matt returned to the Realm, the poison gate opening for him to proceed. He arrived at a small path of buff guards, looking perfectly still with fearful expressions, except it looked as though they were falling asleep.

_"When in your sleep… the poisons can still make you uncomfortable, never letting you have a peaceful rest. Let this feeling out in its own poison…"_ With that, Matt took a breath, and exhaled softly, letting a light-purple cloud of gas float to the guards. Their eyes became weary as they fell asleep from the knock-out gas, falling off the path and into the infinite abyss.

Matt continued along the path and reached a metal wall, cans of toxic waste by his side. "_As a result of the poisons people give you, sadness can overcome your mind, and tears are formed. While actual tears aren't poisonous, they are still symbols of waste, burning away the good feelings. Use your powers to bend the waste, and make your way through."_

_"I already know this sh…"_ Matt mumbled to himself before using his bending to control the waste, rubbing it onto the wall and melting the metal away.

He then reached a part where the road was blocked by large boulders with no way around. _"People poison you by throwing insults. Those insults usually come from the mouth."_ Matt chuckled at this. _"And some people tend to throw those insults back. Since burping is a gas that comes from the mouth, as a poisonbender, you can use that to your advantage."_

"Burping? Seriously?"

_"I have coffee with that guy every Sunday. But if you don't like burping, another way people threw insults back was by far-"_

"Okay, I'll try the burping." Matthew cut him off. He took some Purple Flurp Soda from his pocket and guzzled it down. In a few seconds, he let out a loud, "BUUUURRRP!", unleashing a wave of Gas Bombs from his mouth that blew the boulders away.

He finally arrived at the large open field where the army of stone soldiers awaited, as well as several spilled waste cans. _"The evil ones are here to poison you some more. Use your powers and poison them back."_

"Heh. I _am _the evil one." With that, Matthew fired a Gas Bomb in the center of some soldiers and blew them away. He bended some toxic waste from a can and threw it onto some more soldiers, watching them melt. He blew Sleeping Gas at another squadron, knocking them out, then shoved them over the edge. He destroyed the last bit of soldiers by throwing Gas Blasts from his hands, pushing them over the edge.

Matt was soon surrounded by another army of stone demons, readying his guard. He closed his eyes, taking in the hurtful names those monsters called him. _"When the amount of poisons is so great, you now have a tornado of illnesses spiraling inside you. Your power is at your greatest. Let your poison out."_

The gas tornado surrounded Matthew again. He waved his arms and threw them out, sending the massive tornado expanding and wiping away all the stone demons. _"You have done well. But remember, you must beware of whom you're throwing the poisons at. Sometimes, you may even feel poisoned by those that are closest to you, but they mean you no harm. Just remember who your friends are."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get me outta this joint."

_"Sigh, typical. Come to the temple."_ Matt noticed a floating stone stairway appear, leading up to the temple, and proceeded upwards. It led him to the poison gate, which he passed through to get inside, looking at all the other elemental gateways as he approached the light circle in the center.

"So, what was the point of this? I already know what I can do. I may have learned a few new things, but this element is still evil."

_"Matthew… there is Light and Darkness to all things. Especially the elements. But things are only dark when you make them that way. You must look at the good your powers possess."_

"Hmph. Easy for a spirit to say."

_"Look in the Pool of Light. It'll point you the next way."_ Matt did as told once more and approached the small pool. He took a breath and stuck his face in the water. (Stop the music.)

_The pool showed him a vision of a rather colorful planet. On that planet was a strange swamp with purple water. "What is this?" Matt asked._

_"This is Planet Avalar. On this world lies a dark forest along the Silver River. You must go to this forest and meet with the Spirit of Poison, Hexxus. There, you will learn more…"_

**Somewhere in the Sahara Desert**

"Matt? Hello, Matt? Wake up!"

"Ohhh…" Matt was barely waking up, seeing Elijah and Jeremiah loom over him.

Jeremiah ate some rotten cheese, his breath becoming putrid as he leaned down for CPR. "O-kay, let's see if this works." The poisonbender was about to put his mouth on Matt's until his mouth was forced shut by the now-conscious leader's hand, saying-

"I'm awake." The two of them helped Matt up as the leader brushed himself off, looking around to see they were on a small cliff above a cactus field, the sun setting over the distant desert. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the Sahara." Elijah answered. "We must've got separated from Danika and her team."

"I hope they're okay." Matt said, looking around. "Where's Leo?" Just then, he saw some of the cacti shake.

"YYYEEEEEOOOWWWW! ! !" the dimwitted poisonbender screamed, flying up from the cacti and landing face-first on the cliff beside them.

"He's… in the cactus field." Jeremiah answered.

"AAHHHHH! OW! OW! OW! AHHHHH! !" Leo ran around in circles uncontrollably as the thorns stuck in his rear.

"Hold still!" Matt ordered, walking over and kicking him hard in the stomach, the momentum knocking the spikes out.

"Oh ho. Ow!..." Leo grunted. …At that instant, the puke that Leo released while in the vortex came out and landed on his head. He gritted his teeth in anger as his friends snickered. "It's NOT FUNNY! …" He then glared beside him. "…STOP LAUGHING, STEVE!"

Matt turned disbelievingly to his snickering teammates, who stopped shortly after. "Hehehe!... Sorry!" Elijah said.

"Sigh…" Matt slowly walked to the cliff's edge and jumped down, carefully landing on the small path in the cactus field. "Come on. The Brain's base should be a few miles away. We need to take one of his ships and go to the Silver River on Planet Avalar."

"What's on Avalar?" Leo asked.

"When I was asleep, a creepy stalker spirit taught me a few things about my Poison Element and said to speak with the Poison Spirit on Planet Avalar. So let's get there."

Jeremiah and Elijah shrugged as they hopped onto the small path after him. Leo, however, looked worriedly at the cacti, and said, "You know, I'll just find a way AROUND the dangerous spiky plants." With that, he went over the small rock hill behind him. "See you guys la- Huh?" He stopped when he encountered a group of three grey hyenas. The three scavengers turned to the frightened boy and growled in hunger. "Uh-oh. AAHHHH!" Leo hurried away from the hyenas, jumping into the cactus field. "YAAAAHHH! !" The others watched as Leo flew out of the prickly plants and ran far ahead of them, the pain giving him the energy to run.

"Well, there's something he forgot to teach me." Matthew remarked. They hurried after him as the hyenas barked at them from the cliffside.

"BARK BARK! BARK BARK! (Hey, get back here, you little morsels!)" Shenzi shouted.

"Grrrrr! (Well, go get 'em.)" Banzai told her.

"(I ain't goin' in that field, you want me lookin' like that li'l kid?)"

"(D'aw man, how come you never do the hard stuff. Aw, well. But LISTEN:)", he yelled to the poisonbenders. "(If you ever come back: WE'LL KILL YA!)"

"(Aw, man, you always say that.)" Shenzi said.

"OOH HOO HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH." Ed kept his dimwit expression as he laughed hysterically.

**Delightful Mansion**

Father peacefully sat by his fireplace in Delightful Mansion, wearing his yellow robe and reading the newspaper in boredom. The doorbell sounded, and his butler, Jenkins, walked over to answer it, finding a rather skinny mailman. "Ahem, uh… package for, um, Benedict Uno Jr.." he said in a Jamaican accent.

Jenkins noticed a rather large package beside the mailman and grabbed the side of it. "Thank you, Sir." Was all the butler said before dragging it in and closing the door. Jenkins dragged the heavy package all the way to Father's living room. "A package for you, Sir."

"What? I didn't order any package." Father told him, standing up with a questioning look as he walked over. "Who in the world-"

"REOW!" Violet screamed, pouncing out of the large box.

"AHHH- HEY!" Father frantically waved his arms as the werecat clawed at his face. "JENKINS, HELP-" The butler merely threw off his disguise, becoming the Interesting Twins. "Yin and Yang? What did you do with JENKINS?" Father yelled, lighting with fire.

"Oh, you don't need to worry." Nigel Uno said, dropping in the chimney with the others. "We tricked him to going on a… _paid vacation."_

"NOOO! ! You MISERABLE-" Father was about to throw a fireball until Eva froze his hand with waterbending from behind.

"Wow, you really cooled down, Uncle Ben." The anchorwoman taunted before freezing him completely against the wall, leaving only his head exposed.

"F-f-f-f…" Father shivered. "I h-haven't done anything to you kids in m-months, and THIS is how you pay me a visit-t-t?"

"Believe me, we would've loved to leave you in peace, but something suddenly came up." Rachel said, aiming her staff at his head.

"Now, spill it: do you have a daughter?" Abby asked.

"WHAT?"

"Don't lie to us, Father." Eva followed. "I'm a professional news reporter."

"And a pretty one, too!" Kade perked.

"I know."

"You better start explaining, Father." Violet glared in the half-demon's yellow eyes, aiming a claw at his neck.

"H-Hey. What makes you think I know anything, huh?"

"We do." Dr. Facilier said, walking in with the mailman. The skinny mailman threw off his disguise, revealing to be the Grim Reaper.

"Harvey…"

Harvey Facilier approached the shadowed man, waving a hand for Violet to hop off. "Come on, Ben, you've kept this secret for nearly 10 years. Isn't it about time you told them about the long-lost Demon Princess?"

Father looked away in thought. "…Okay… I'll tell you."

At this, Eva decided to unfreeze him, bending her water back in her bottles. "Okay… spill."

Father sighed. "15 years ago, I went to Japan and met a woman. Her name was Natsume. I fell in love with her, took her on a date, and… things went on from there. One day, she decided to move to the States, to Virginia… so I helped her. We got married eventually and she moved in to my mansion here. Everything was fine from there on until… I got her pregnant."

They gaped.

"And at the same time, Monty's wife was having a kid of her own: Nigel Uno. And I knew, not only would Malladus want them to rule the Underworld by his side… I knew that Ganondorf monster would be after them as well. So… I left Natsume. She moved to Chicago, Indiana, fell in love, and got married to some other guy named Johnathon Levine-Kelly, who decided to take Natsume's last name, Utsukushii. A few months later, she had her baby daughter. I wasn't about to let her get mixed in with our demonic affairs… so I had to leave her. I'd sooner let my nephew get involved with them."

Nigel gritted his teeth at his uncle, but calmed down. "So… I had another cousin all this time? And she's a part of the Royal Family?"

"Lucky she isn't part of the servant family." Fanny said angrily, remembering her family ancestry.

"Speakin' of which, Fanny, are those demon horns I see?" Patton asked.

"HUH? WHAT? WHERE? !" she panicked, scratching her head for horns.

"HA HAA! !"

"So, our cousin is living in Chicago now…" Yang said.

"Can you take us there?" Yin asked.

"I can't… I can't bear to see her again." Father covered his face with his hand in shame and leaned against the wall.

Facilier leaned down to him (he was several inches taller than Father) and said, "Ben, Malladus Uno is gone, and you can't keep the secret from them forever."

"Sigh…" he sighed.

"Ben… remember our deal: if Abby ever found out I was working for Malladus, you agreed to find that daughter o' yours and tell her the truth. …And you're months overdue…"

"Sigh… you're right, Harvey." Father stood up straight. "Alright, pack up, kiddies, we're goin' on a road trip." Facilier smiled and pat him on the shoulder.

They all headed outside where the kids were piling into Father's limo. Rachel saw Sector W talking amongst each other, with Jagar standing by them, tapping his foot. "This is as far as I can help now." Facilier said, getting into his freaky fancy car with Grim. "Good luck, Abby."

"Thanks, Uncle Facilier." She smiled.

"Okay, you guys, into Father's car." Rachel told Sector W, who smiled and nodded.

Father was the last one in his limo, getting in his driver's seat and turning the keys in. "Alright, the fastest way from here to Chicago is through the Virginian Forest. Matter of fact, that's become sort of a popular area, lately. Let's hit the road." With that, the limo backed up and drove off into the nearby forest.

**Virginian Forest**

The gang sat patiently as Father drove them down a dirt road in a deep part of the Virginian Forest, which seemed to have tall, towering trees. "Hey, this is the same forest I hung around when I turned giant." Fanny remembered.

Patton snickered. "Better hope the wildlife aren't so pissed at you for squashing them! Or for farting on them…"

"Ugh."

Rachel and Jagar were watching scenery pass by as the Supreme Leader decided to talk to him. "So, Jagar… have we met before?"

"Well, yeah… I used to be an operative before I was killed."

"Oh, that's right! You were in Sector IC with-"

"Don't say his name."

"Oh… sorry."

"Anyway, sometime after his banishment, Dimentia snuck into my treehouse and killed me. Three days later, she set up the test to bring Numbuh 1 to GKND. Three months after that, well, she was killed."

"Not anymore." Rachel replied. "Dimentia is-"

"Alive, I know. You have Clockwork to thank for that."

"What?"

"Dimentia escaped from the Underworld and made her way to this forest. Then Clockwork found her and used his powers to make her young again. In return, he wanted her to help with this quest. He wanted to give her a second chance. She should be with the other timebenders by now."

"So, how did you and the others stop Lord Gnaa before?"

"Well, after I died, I met with the other timebenders in the Spirit World. They knew I was a timebender, so Dialga let me keep my powers in the afterlife if I worked with the rest of them as his assistant. I was told to travel back 5 years and help the others fight Lord Gnaa when he finally achieved his full power. I wasn't good at my element at the time, so this clock was made to help me." She looked at the broken clock on his chest. "But Lord Gnaa destroyed it during the battle, so I'm not very good anymore. Since then, Clockwork's been trying to help me get better at it."

"Wow… sounds like you're having a rough time, huh?"

"Yeah. But on the bright side, the other timebenders have been great friends. In fact, one of them… uh, never mind." He blushed.

"Okay… well, that's good!" Rachel grinned.

"Hoo! Ah LOVE road trips!" Father said perkily. "Why, I don't think I've been on one since-" He was silenced when a squad of fat, red demons dropped from the treetops, holding up shields and aiming spears. "What the-"

"They're Bokoblin!" Nigel pointed, remembering those creatures from the Underworld.

"They're Fatblin." Father corrected. "These are Ganondorf's minions."

"Hey, get lost!" Wally shouted, sticking his head out a window and shooting a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. at them, but they protected. Nigel and Father just decided to shoot fire at them, burning their shields and scaring them off. But another gang of regular Bokoblin dropped down, holding swords and clubs.

"Ugh, they must have this whole forest overrun." Rachel figured.

"Demons? I was hoping for this." Violet said, unbuckling her seat and leaping outside. She threw shurikens at a few Bokoblin before pouncing onto a tree and leaping her way up the branches.

They heard the sound of a motorcycle's roaring, turning around to see Bruce Farley speeding down the road. "Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late."

"Bruce?" Nigel questioned. "We didn't really call-…"

"Violet did. Thought you guys needed the help. …Or maybe she just wanted the company." He smirked coolly. "Eat rubber, Boko bozos!" With that, the Sector Z leader sped by the demons, running them over with his bike.

"Hey… that's my bike." Father noticed.

"JUST play some stage music!" Wally whined. (Play "Right There, Ride On" (Sonic's version) from _Sonic Rush_!)

_Stage 10: Leaf Scamper_

_Mission: Cut through the demon-infested forest!_

_Act 1_

Violet scampered up the tall tree trunk before cutting through a hole and dashing down a large tree branch. She ran by some Bokoblin with clubs and sliced them before they could strike. She afterwards started swinging vines around another tree, avoiding the Green Chuchus that tried to drop on her.

She swung inside the trunk and started climbing her way up the inside of the tree. A giant spider, called a Skulltula, was blocking her escape, but she scratched and cut its large web, kicked it upside down, and stabbed it before running further. She ran along a path on the side of the tree and started Wall Jumping between that one and another tree next to it.

She reached the top and was above the leaves where she started jumping trees while Bulblins shot arrows at her from below. A swarm of arrows nearly hit her, but she gripped the side of a tree and started sliding down using her claws. She then got onto a vine rail and started grinding across, ducking any arrows the monsters shot at her and throwing shurikens at them.

She started climbing an upwards branch while some Miniblin skipped down and poked pitchforks at her, giggling, but the werecat kicked them away and continued to climb. She jumped into another opening on the tree and ran down the hollow trunk, dodging all Skulltulas that dropped down on her.

She made it outside and grabbed onto a vine, swinging around the tree before flinging off and landing on another set of vine rails. She looked back and saw a gang of Miniblin on unicycles pedaling towards her, aiming their pitchforks. But as they pedaled closer, Violet kicked their wheels, causing them to trip and fall below. The center rail led up around another tree while the others were cut off, so Violet grinded up the center one, leaving the Miniblin to roll off.

Violet grinded up and around the huge tree, then grinded down around a second one, getting back on the wooden path and running ahead. She arrived at a wooden bridge that was protected by three Fatblin. She ran to the first one, who held up its wooden shield, and stylishly sliced the shield to pieces before scratching his face, making him fall over. She ran up to the second one, sliced up its shield, kicked away his spear, then scratched his fat belly several times before he fell.

When she arrived at the third one, she tried to scratch his shield, but gripped her claws in pain after failing to slice the metal shield. The monster thrust his shield at her, but she leapt back, then ducked when he stabbed his spear. She kicked the heavy weapon, causing him to turn around, allowing Violet to poke his behind. The monster yelped and was sent upwards, coming down and splitting the bridge in two with his body weight. Violet gripped the other side of the bridge as it dangled, effortlessly climbing up and continuing on.

She headed up another spiraling path around another tree, then started hopping from branch to branch. She landed and went up a wooden loop-di-loop, coming downwards, then running off the edge, gripping a branch and stylishly swinging branches. When she gripped the last branch, she flipped around it a couple times before sitting perfectly still on it like a cat.

"Normally, this is where the cat would be meowing for help… but THIS cat's looking down at all the others and laughing. Ah ha ha ha!"

"WAAAH!" screamed a Bokoblin on a vine, holding a sword, swinging over to Violet and cutting her branch.

"REEOOOW!" (Stop the music.)

Violet frantically waved her arms and legs as she fell, but found herself landing on the back of Bruce's motorbike. "Don't worry, Violet. It's not over yet!" (Play Blaze's version of "Right There, Ride On"!) Violet wrapped arms around her boyfriend as they sped down the forest on his bike.

_Act 2_

Some Bokoblin, pretending to be apes, were swinging on vines, landing ahead of them and attempting to attack with their swords or clubs, but Bruce ran over them. There was a nest of Skulltula up ahead, but Bruce sped up a ramp, jumping clear over the giant spiders. His motorbike got stuck in some Red Chuchu, so Violet had to scratch the gooey substance off. As they sped on, Violet licked the strange jelly off her claws.

Bruce made some narrow turns as demons started cutting large branches off to block them, and also had to dodge incoming arrows. They hit some logs in the road, but the bike only flipped and kept going. They soon found their selves being followed by Bulblins on Bullbos, shooting fire arrows at them. When one of the monster warthogs got beside them, Violet merely scratched it, making it go crazy and ram other ones, making the Bulblins fall over.

Another squadron of Bulblin riders were approaching from ahead of them, but Bruce drove the bike down a hole in the ground, into a dark tunnel. Some Keese tried to gnash at them, but Violet scratched them away as well. Soon, they flew out of the tunnel on the side of a hill, landing back on the main road, with Bruce turning the right way and speeding ahead.

"We should be getting close to the exit." Bruce said.

Violet looked back, eyes widened with fright. "Uh… you might wanna step on it."

Bruce looked back. "AAHHH!" he screamed at a gigantic Skulltula, wide as the road and as big as a house, with 5 eyes, charging toward them. Bruce immediately hit the gas. The giant spider demon spat venom balls at them, but Bruce narrowly dodged while Violet tossed shurikens at his eyes, slowing him down.

Bruce looked ahead and immediately hit the brakes, stopping the bike before running into the enormous spider web. Violet stood and leapt several feet in the air, throwing a shuriken at its last eye. The spider screeched and flipped on its back, its weak spot on its belly exposed. Violet smirked and made one more leap onto its belly, stabbing the purple center. She hopped off as the spider screamed and quickly shrunk down to the size of a regular one. The spider regained vision in his eyes and looked up, and the last thing he saw was a towering Violet's gigantic foot, stomping down on him.

The spider web faded away as well right when Father's limo stopped by them. Bruce threw his motorbike in the trunk before hopping in with Violet, the couple high-fiving. As the limo drove out of the forest, Violet scraped the squashed spider off her shoe, licking it off her claw. "Hey, this isn't half bad!"

The others just looked sick while Bruce threw up on Wally. They continued their road trip past the sign that read _Chicago, 40 miles away_.

**Peach Creek Cul-de-sac**

"So, that's what happened." Annie said after hearing Gary and Dan's story. Emily was staying watch outside at this time, and it was nighttime at the cul-de-sac.

"Yeah. That talking wood and his buddy ship-jacked us." Gary said. "Boy. Who knew those Firstborn were so popular?"

"So, how's your daughter doing?" Annie asked.

"Jessica? Oh, she's fine. Hangin' out a lot with this foreign boy. …You know, I think they're sneakin' off to a secret club."

"How's Brain?"

"Oh, he's good, too. He's, eh… bein' evil and stuff."

"Do you even like working for that jarhead?"

"Well… honestly, I don't. But it isn't easy when you have a family to think about."

"Why don't you just find some other job, instead of killing people for some criminal?"

"I already told you. We weren't born from parents like regular humans. We were made as soldiers to BE soldiers, and a soldier's only purpose is to serve who outranks them."

"So? You may be soldiers, but you're still human. You don't have to act like mindless robots."

"Aw, and who put you in charge of knowing everything?" Dan asked. "Gary's right… for once."

"Hey!"

"We were cloned by Emperor Palpatine's orders, and no matter what, his wish is our command. And his last order was for us to obey his son, Brain."

"So, if Brain ordered you to shoot and kill each other, you would obey?"

"Er… uh…" They both scratched their heads in thought.

Just then, Emily, Cosmo, Nova, and Zuri hurried in excitedly. "Guys! Nova caught Celebi!" Cosmo exclaimed.

"Look!" Nova said, taking out her Spirit Ball and releasing the spirit.

The Stormtroopers gasped. "The Firstborn!"

_"Bi. Bi bi, bi bi."_

"You've rescued the villains? !" Nova asked joyously.

"Huh? Wait, where are the others?" Gary asked.

_"Bi bi, bi BI bi."_

"They were transported back in time via Plank's time machine, but Celebi went back and rescued them. She says they reappeared on two ends of the Sahara Desert." Nova explained.

"The Sahara? !" the Troopers exclaimed. They immediately pushed a button, dropping the five down a trapdoor out of the ship, with Celebi flying down with them.

The five recovered and saw the ship lifting off. After retracting its legs, it shot off into the distance. "HEY! COME BACK!" Emily yelled as the six of them chased them quickly. They cut through the cul-de-sac's construction site, the ship miles away in their sight, and kept chasing until…

"OOF." They hit some kind of invisible barrier.

"What the heck?" Cosmo asked.

"Zuri?" Zuri agreed.

Emily looked ahead and saw the problem. "Aw, man! It hasn't been designed yet!" With that, they saw that the area ahead of them was some kind of white limbo, for the area had not been graphically designed yet.

"HEY! WHAT'S WRONG UP THERE? !" Annie shouted to the sky.

**Gameverse Studios**

A group of graphic designers from Sega were asleep at their stations, heads rested on desks and snoring away. They shot awake at the sound of a gunfire, and looked back to see Nick, holding a gun upward and looking threateningly. "Hey! We ain't payin' you to sleep all day, so get to work." He shot the ceiling one more time before walking away from the groaning designers.

"Why are we taking orders from a bunch of kids?" one designer asked.

"Whatever. I just wanna make this thing and get paid." With that, they went back to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Heh heh heh! I got that one from <em>Family Guy<em>! :P Next time, both teams should be arriving at Chicago, where the main group will finally meet The Quads! :D Later!**


	14. Bounty Hunters and Stowaways

**Time to be arriving at Chicago! But first, a scene with our favorite _Teen Titans_ villain! So, play Darth Vader's Theme from _Star Wars_! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Arriving At Chicago! Already Action Downtown!<em>**

**Final Brain**

The Sahara Desert skies were oddly cloudy over the newly built base. Stormtroopers marched in and out, and villains' ships and vehicles were landing inside. The supreme criminal mastermind, Sith Lord Darth Genious, aka The Brain, waited patiently on an elevator, his gorilla assistant, Monsieur Mallah by his side, along with bounty hunters, Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.

The elevator came to a stop, opening as the devious jarred brain rolled his canister into a room where Professor Chang and Finbarr Colamitous were mixing a large, round chemical pool. The Brain stopped beside the pool as two tiny robotic arms emerged from below his skull face, hauling itself out. The Brain's dome had a small, skinny mechanical body, which stood from the canister and stepped into the chemical bath. He kicked back and relaxed as Chang handed him some tea, which Brain used his tiny arms to poor it into his jar.

"Ah, my glorious leader. So wonderful to have you back." Chang smiled maniacally.

"Indeed. Nothing soothes the irritation of failed minions more than tea in a chemical bath."

"I told you those children were no good." Bane said. "I should have gone after that Firstborn."

"Where are those brats, anyway? Shouldn't they have reported back by now?" Aurra asked.

"Patience is key, my dear Sing. Even with annoying children." Genious replied.

"Bah. Children are more trouble than they are worth." Colamitous said. "Speaking of which, my new master, when will we get to destroying Jimmy Neutron and those other do-gooders?"

"When the time is right." The Brain said. "If the world is to be truly engulfed in Darkness, the heroes of this universe must be disposed of as well. But the last time we attempted to conquer, we suffered a cold defeat. I will make sure that does not happen again. We must get all we can on our side. Evil must prevail."

"All beings can be manipulated somehow." Mallah said. "Much like your greatest victory in manipulating zat Nolan boy, Master."

"Correct. And Nolan has become a most marvelous operative in our ranks. If impatient at some points…"

"Sire: we are getting a call from your Stormtroopers." Chang reported.

"Put them on." Chang did as told and turned on the terminal, showing Gary and Dan's image.

_"Uh, Sir. We got ambushed by some kid and his talking wood, and they stole the Firstborn."_ Gary informed him. _"Apparently, Nolan's group ended up in Sahara."_

"Then they are very near here." Brain said. "Fly back here and pick them up. We may have lost the spirit, but the Guardian has captured her. Our victory has yet to come."

_"Yessir."_ With that, the transmission ended.

"But with the Firstborn captured, we must now manipulate the Guardian to turn evil."

"It vill not be an easy task, considering her kind nature." Mallah said.

"General Immortus?" At Brain's call, the ancient general stepped in through the slide-open doors.

"Sir: I have been reported this already. I sent some of our Teen Ninjas after them, as well as the Six Gum Gang." Immortus told him.

"Good. There will be no place for the Guardians to hide. We will find them all, and the Firstborn. By the way… Monsieur Mallah."

"Hm?"

"Have you gathered enough of the… _special_ water?" (Stop the music.)

**Approaching Chicago, Indiana**

The operatives were sound asleep in Father's limo as Father continued to drive. Nigel and Rachel, Bruce and Violet, and other couples were lying their heads on each other. They've been driving for hours without any conflict, so it's natural they would get bored, and sleeping inside the rushing limo was very comfy and relaxing. "Hey, kids, wake up, we're here!" Father called. The gang slowly opened their eyes and yawned, stretching their arms and legs.

"Wh-Whuh…?" Rachel asked, tiredly.

"I said, we're here." Everyone looked ahead of the vehicle to see they were approaching the town of Chicago, Indiana itself, passing a sign that read, _Now entering Chicago. Ignore that creepy guy by the library._

Father calmly drove through a downtown street while the kids looked at the scenery. "So, this is Chicago, huh? It's okay, I guess." Wally said.

"I wonder if this place has any Rainbow Monkey stores!" Kuki said happily.

"I wonder where we can start looking for my cousin?" Nigel wondered aloud.

"Hm. Place hasn't changed much, has it?" Jagar said to himself.

Rachel suddenly thought of something, and turned to the time spirit. "So, Jagar. You said you had to go back 5 years and help the others fight Lord Gnaa."

"Yes?"

"Doesn't that mean Lord Gnaa just appeared recently?"

"Well, sort of. Lord Gnaa is actually about 113 years old, but he performed his first dark act 5 years ago."

"What did he do? Sink the city of Atlantis?" Wally asked.

"Actually, Numbuh 4, there is no Atlantis. The undersea kingdom was Oceana, remember?" Kade corrected.

"Where did they come up with Atlantis, anyway?" Eva asked.

"Well, that's not what happened." Jagar said. "What happened was-"

"HEEELP!" Father stopped the limo when a crazy man in a green jacket ran around his car and stopped by his window. "There's a huge fight going on at the park!"

"Hmm, sounds like a good place to start." Nigel figured.

"It is, but, why are you telling us?" Rachel asked the man.

"Isn't this a police car?" he asked.

"Uh, no. Police cars are the ones with the bright red and blue lights, and they make the annoying ALARM sound." Father told him.

"Oh, thank you! Ahem: HEELP." With that, the man ran off.

As he did so, the gang noticed a newspaper fly out from his jacket. Nigel decided to reach out his window and grab it, reading it as Father kept driving. "'Metafreaks Run Amuck. Numerous sightings of inhuman freakshows throughout our world, bringing havoc and chaos.'" They saw a picture of Lehcar and Scarlet, running from a burning building with devious grins. "'Thankfully, our fair city is kept safe by Commander Gunkan, whose GUN Troops are selflessly ridding the world of these pests. Family of psycho-freak siblings still running loose in Chicago, but Gunkan has hired bounty hunter Boba Fett on the case.' Boba Fett?"

"Ugh. Not him again." Fanny groaned.

"Something tells me we better get to that park. Let's go, Father!" With that, the shadow man sped them faster down the street.

**Chicago Park**

Meanwhile, Buddy sat beside Noah on the park bench, watching the blonde girl throw food crumbs at the ground for pigeons. "Aren't you a little worried of being out in the open?" Noah asked.

"Aren't you a little worried of being seen next to a wanted fugitive?" he smirked.

"Hm hm hm!" she giggled. "Please. These cops couldn't catch a wild goose. Let alone that-" Suddenly, a light-blue electric net fired and wrapped around the girl, screaming as Boba Fett reeled her in.

"HM mm mm." The bounty hunter held up Noah's net. "Poor little lady shouldn't be hangin' around these psycho freaks."

"Let her go, Boba!" Buddy yelled, running to attack him, but Boba switched on his jetpack and took off, hovering above him.

"You're gonn' have to be growin' some wings and fly, pretty boy. But I've been chasin' you guys long enough to know your moves. And you ain't very good with your powers, ain't ya? You or your siblings."

Buddy suddenly remembered he had a lightsaber, feeling for it in his pocket. He looked up at Boba and said, "I may not be a Jedi, but I can do THIS!" With that, he whipped out his red saber and tossed it at the net, slicing it and making Noah drop."

"Ow! Careful with that thing…" Noah said.

"Hehe. Sorry."

"OHH. Gosh, dang it." Boba whined, landing on the ground a few feet away from the two, drawing out his lightsabers. "Ah well. Ah'll just take you out the old fashioned way. You see this blue lightsaber?" He held up the blue one. "Scored this baby off a psychicbender I ousted when Ah was a kid." He held up the red one. "This red one just popped up outta nowhere, but I figured, I'll take it! Time to take you little kiddies out. Get ready for your trip to the Land of the Dead, assholes!" With that, they readied for battle. (Play the "Silver Boss" Theme from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Boss fight: Boba Fett_

The galactic bounty hunter charged toward the psychicbender, swinging his two sabers, but Buddy clashed back with his own. He tried slashing Boba's legs, but he jumped and flew back via jetpack. He hovered above the ground and did an aerial roll into Buddy, swinging his swords, but Buddy rolled under him as Boba landed. Once behind him, Buddy slashed the jetpack, making Boba bounce back.

"Bah. Boba don't be likin' that. Lessee if this long-range missile does any—Yes it does!" With that, Buddy started dodging as Boba launched missiles at him. Boba bent down as seven missiles emerged from his armor, aiming directly at Buddy, but they instead launched straight upwards. Buddy looked up and dodged the seven missiles as they landed straight down.

Boba stood back up and switched on his jetpack. "Takin' to the sky, psychonaut." He said, hovering several feet above the ground, flying around and shooting at Buddy. Buddy used his psychic to grab a park bench and throw it to him, but Boba quickly dodged to the side. He then lifted a tree, aimed the top part at Boba, and flew it to him, but using his swords, Boba sliced off the top section, middle section, and kicked the last part away.

Boba flew behind Buddy, landing and charging for a spin attack. Buddy ran as the bounty hunter spun rapidly, hovering a few inches with his jetpack as he chased Buddy, and stopped when he tired out, dizzy. Buddy decided to walk behind him, grab a bench, and throw it at his jetpack, pushing him away.

Boba recovered and switched on his jetpack, rapidly flying around the Utsukushii boy. He stopped and landed in front of him, slashing rapid swings with his two swords that Buddy narrowly flipped and dodged. Buddy dodged one last double-horizontal slice before Boba stopped and flew off.

Buddy looked and saw the bounty hunter charging his jetpack, running as Boba did a propeller spin toward him, landing back on the ground stylishly, only for Buddy to throw a trashcan at his jetpack. Boba took off and landed several feet away again, bending down, holding his swords out, and charging his jetpack. Boba dashed, the jetpack giving him more speed, and attempted to slice Buddy, but he avoided. Boba turned around and repeated this, but missed again.

Buddy had an idea and went to stand in front of a tree. When Boba performed the attack again, Buddy dodged and allowed the bounty hunter to ram his head in the tree, making him dizzy. The male Quad took this time to grab a trashcan with psychic and throw it at his jetpack. Boba recovered and flew off again.

"Aw, that's it. 't's time Boba gave you a li'l ol' dirt nap." With that, Boba crouched down again as a sort of circle formed itself atop his back, which became a laser cannon. The weapon glowed to life before launching a massive energy ray, Buddy running around to avoid the blast. Buddy's face turned to horror when he tripped, shielding his eyes from the laser's impact, but Noah quietly crawled underneath Boba, and kicked him in the crotch. The laser stopped as Boba yelped and bounced around.

Buddy smirked as he went to pick up the severed tree parts with his psychic. One at a time, he tossed the fallen parts at his jetpack, the last one causing it to malfunction. "Yuh-oh. WAAAHHH!" Boba started flying around the area uncontrollably. His jetpack finally stopped, and Boba found himself five stories above the ground. He waved his arms and legs frantically and finally landed on his head with a thud. His body was upside-down, with his legs aiming upward, but his body fell down after seconds. "Ooooohhh… ugh." He rose his head up in dizziness, but finally fainted, and Buddy and Noah high-fived. (Stop the music.)

The two kids looked at the fallen bounty hunter and slowly approached him. When they were inches away from his head, Boba flipped back and fired two metal ropes, wrapping the two and making them fall over. He smirked cockily behind his helmet, pacing around them. "So, thought old Boba was gonna bite that easily, eh? Mm mm mm. Kids today never learn."

Boba rolled Buddy beside Noah on his back and put his foot on him.

"You thought you freaks were clever with yo' psychic. Well, listen up, psycho. There ain't no place for freaks in this world." He leaned his head closer to him. _"'specially you heartless psychics._ Hey, what the- WHOA!" Boba suddenly jumped back when a fire blast came at him.

"We just can't go anywhere without running into you, can we?" Nigel said with flames in his hands, the others standing by him. Eva ran up and used Water Slice to cut Buddy and Noah free.

"I was hopin' to run into ya." Fanny said, aiming her M.U.S.K.E.T..

"Wah-hey! If it ain't Godzilla! Irish version! Boy, ol' Boba woulda had ya if it hadn't been for yo' little bratty brothers."

"Grrr." Paddy grit his teeth.

"Anyway…" Boba said, starting his jetpack, "I'd love to stay and play with you kids, but Boba's got somewhere to be right now. Catch ya on the flipside, heh heh!" With that, the cocky hunter winked to them before flying away, backwards.

Yin and Yang proceeded to help the two kids up. "Are you okay?" Yin asked.

"Y…Yeah…" Buddy looked at the Chinese girl, then the others, and immediately recognized all of them. "Hey… you were the kids from Truth or Dare!"

"And that race!" Kuki exclaimed.

"I remember them!" Sonya said. "That one girl made Harvey give her a foot massage!"

Lee snickered.

"You kids okay over here?" Father asked, walking over to them.

"Huh? You?" Buddy asked, remembering him as well.

"Ahem: this is my uncle, Father." Nigel said. "He drove us all here to find my cousin, and his daughter. …No rhyme intended."

"Say, young man, do you know a woman named Natsume?" Father asked.

"Natsume? That's… my mom's name."

"Your _mom_?" Nigel was baffled.

"Yeah. I'm actually a Quadruplet child. My sisters are at home. But… you actually already know them, hehe."

"Um.. we were told Father only had a daughter." Nigel said. "Didn't you?..."

"I was certain I did. It is strange..." Father replied, lost in thought.

"This is a matter worth looking into. Can you take us to your house?" Nigel asked.

"Sure. My name's Buddy. This is my friend, Noah." The blonde girl waved.

"Hi, Noah! I like your shirt!" Kuki exclaimed, noticing Noah also had long sleeves.

"Thanks!"

"That's enough greetings, everyone." Rachel interrupted. "We have to see what's up with this whole… thing. Everyone in the limo." They all nodded and got back in Father's limo, including Buddy and Noah. They drove off as Buddy pointed them the direction of his house.

**Kremling Fleet**

The Kremling Navy fleet sailed under cloudy skies as soldiers were still stacking boxes of bananas. The sun was rising in their region, alighting the bottoms of the dark clouds. The seas were very calm and peaceful, and the brushing waves and calm breeze made the Kremlings feel relaxed as they did their work. "Hoo! I think that's finally all of 'em!" one Kremling sighed in relief after bringing the last box.

"Hey, I hear there's a disco party on the _Kremlicht_!" another said. "Wanna hit the sake?"

"Croc yeah!" the Kremlings cheered as they hurried down to the boats.

On one ship in particular, Kami and Ava were peeking from behind two crates with Kweeb in between them, who was peeking through the tiny crack in the middle. They went back behind and Kami asked, "When are we going to do something? We've been hiding here since Chapter 7."

"There are tons of Kremlings on this ship." Ava said. "It's not easy making a move without getting caught."

"Good thing I never have to worry about getting caught!" Kweeb said, cockily. Kami simply, as usual, flicked him into a wall.

"What is this ship, anyway?" she asked.

Ava turned and read the red label on one of the crates. "'SS Kremlicht'? I guess that's the name of this ship…"

They heard the doors open and kept quiet once more as the pirates stacked a few more crates of bananas, brushing their hands off afterwards. "Well-p, that's the last of 'em." One of them said.

"Hey, what are we gonna do with these bananas, anyway?"

"K. Rool says it's for an important project. They did research on it down in the Oceanic Base." This caught the operatives' attention. "I forget what it was…" The Kremling scratched his head. "I think he said it was for a… Tetris or something?"

"So, he just wants an iPhone game?"

"Aaaahh I dunno. I'll ask 'im later."

"Well, I'm not sure what they plan to do with bananas. Oh well. Let's go down in the disco room and get funky!"

"Aw yeah!" With that, they hurried out excitedly.

Once they were gone, the three kids came out from hiding. "Did you hear that?" Ava asked.

"Yup. They're definitely doing something with these bananas." Kami replied.

"Where should we go now?"

"I say we check out this Oceanic Base." Kweeb said. "This ship has to have a few subs around here somewhere."

"With all the guards around, it won't be easy." Ava said.

"Oh well." Kami followed. "Time to kick some reptile tail!" (Play the "Opening/Menu of Metroid" from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Stage 11: SS Kremlicht_

_Mission: Sneak through the ship and find the submarine!_

The three operatives walked out of the room into a dark hallway with plenty more crates, guarded by Kops, Kremlings in white outfits with flashlights. Kami snuck up behind the first Kop and punched him backside of the head, knocking him out. They hid behind the crates as another Kop came to check on him. Ava snuck around the crates and took out the other Kop. They kept going and found the door guarded by two Klumps. The Klumps noticed them and started throwing Orange Grenades, but Kami caught the bombs and threw them back, knocking the fat Kremlings out. She walked over and dug around in their pouches, taking some Orange Grenades and stuffing them in her pockets. "I feel like we're gonna need these."

And right she was, as they entered the next room, protected by Robo-Kritters and Robo-Zingers. They hid behind crates while Kami tossed a grenade and destroyed a robot. The other ones saw and ran for them while Kweeb grabbed onto one's leg and squeezed in an opening, dismantling the insides. When he hopped out of the robot, he shot at other ones, damaging them slightly. The Robo-Zingers started dropping bombs on them, but Ava grabbed Kweeb and tossed him onto one, allowing him to crawl inside and hack into it, taking control and dropping bombs on the other Zinger and Kritter robots. Afterwards, they proceeded to the next room.

They found even taller stackings of banana crates, quietly sneaking around the corners. They peeked around a corner to the center of the room at a gang of Kasplats, blue Kremlings with black jackets and sunglasses, sitting at a table and drinking… swamp water.

"2 kajillion crates of bananas on the boat! 2 kajillion crates of 'nanas!" they sang. "Take one down, from another ape crowd, 2 kajillion and 1 crates of bananas on the boat!" They were interrupted when Kami tossed a grenade and blew up their table.

They recovered and spotted the two girls (and not Kweeb), running to attack them. Two of them got Kami by the arms, but she kicked the one on her left in the nose, then flipped behind the other and kicked it to some crates. Another one wrapped its arms around Ava, but Kweeb got behind his glasses and poked his eyes, Ava shaking free and knocking him out. The last one slammed the floor, creating a shockwave, but they jumped and Kami ran up to him, punching him a few times before he knocked out.

"Man. How big is this ship, anyway?" Ava asked as they continued down another hall.

"For a bunch of crocs, they have some advanced technology." Kami said.

Kweeb gasped, "Yuh-oh! Here comes some more!" At this, they saw that another gang of Kops were approaching with flashlights.

Kami saw an air duct to the side and said, "In here.", tearing it open and crawling in, followed by Kweeb who jumped in and simply walked. Ava was the last one, closing the vent as the Kops walked by.

"One of the benefits to being small is not having to crouch into tight areas." Kweeb bragged. Kami stopped crawling for a sec and kicked him to the side.

"It also means you get kicked easier when you brag."

Kweeb recovered and said, "You just love doing that."

Kami stopped over another vent and said, "Let's drop down here." She took open the vent and dropped down. Ava grabbed Kweeb and dropped after her. "Since we're on the bottom, we should be close to the place where they have all the submarines." (Stop the music.)

After a little walk, they stopped and stared at the room before them. "Uh… this is odd." Ava said. (Play the "Disco Star" Theme from the _Spongebob Movie_ game!)

Before them was none other than a disco room, various Kremlings in fancy, colorful outfits, and fancy hair, dancing on the blinking square floor. The large room seemed to have different levels of disco floors. On one side of the room was Vector the Crocodile, working the DJ, while Espio and Charmy danced on the floor.

"Who knew a naval ship would have this?" Kami said.

"How are we gonna sneak past all these guys?" Ava asked.

"I can do that easy!" Kweeb gloated.

"Yeah, if you wanna get yourself stomped." Ava replied.

Kami noticed a door on a higher level with a sign that read 'Submarine Docking Bay'. "There it is, guys. They seem pretty distracted, so let's just walk by 'em." With that, they proceeded to walk out and dance their way past the Kremlings.

As Ava did so, she accidentally bumped into Espio. "Oh, sorry."

"No worries. Huh?" the chameleon watched confusedly as they danced by casually. Charmy flew beside him and watched as well. The two exchanged glances and headed over to Vector.

"Hey, Vector, get a load of this." Charmy said, indicating the two children (still not noticing Kweeb).

"Whuh? Who are they?"

"Spies sent here to investigate, perhaps?" Espio thought.

"Then they're on our side?" Charmy asked.

"Maybe. But if we let 'em run around, K. Rool will suspect something." Vector said. "This oughta make them dance." With that, he pressed a red button, making the square tiles blink red rapidly.

Ava stepped on a red tile and yelped, "Ow!", when the disco shot a laser at her.

"Whoa!" Kami yelped as a laser almost hit her.

"Must be their defense system." Kweeb guessed.

"Well, what do we do?" Ava asked as they only danced randomly.

Kami noticed they were dancing on green tiles, then noticed a blinking green tile path. "Follow me." she told them, quickly jumping the green tiles before they switched to red. Ava and Kweeb mimicked her and jumped on their own green tiles.

They hurried up a staircase to the next floor, seeing the green tiles blinking diagonally down a red floor. They hopped on and ran to stay on the fast-moving tiles, jumping to a green tile on the next floor. The green path kept warping, so they got on and hurriedly jumped to wherever it appeared next.

They reached the next staircase and headed up to the last floor, in which the Chaotix hopped onto it and started making random dance movements along the changing tiles. "I guess we have to do what they do." Ava said, so they each got onto some tiles and mimicked their movements. Kami followed Vector, Ava followed Espio, and Kweeb did Charmy.

Kami followed as Vector made weird Egyptian movements left and right, and slowly moved the two closer to each other. Espio was making a bunch of karate poses that Ava copied. Charmy just did moonwalks, which Kweeb mimicked. When Kami and Vector started Egyptian walking closer to each other, Kami spin-kicked him on the side of the head, knocking him out. Ava and Espio did spins closer to each other as Ava kicked and knocked him out. Finally, Charmy and Kweeb moonwalked to each other, turned around, and Kweeb set his gun to 'Stun', fired, and made the bee freeze stiff.

Once they were out, the tiles all turned green. Ava and Kami high-fived, Ava grabbed Kweeb, and they headed into the submarine room. (Stop the music.)

As soon as they left, the three Chaotix recovered, rubbing their heads in pain. "Ugh… I think they made it." Vector groaned.

"What should we do now?" Espio asked.

"Hmm… we can't make K. Rool think we let them slide on purpose. So let's call and tell 'em what happened. Then he can send other troops after them."

"Oh… this whole spy thing really bites." Charmy groaned, still stunned.

**Oceanic Base**

At this time, the three K. Rools were in the Oceanic Base, squashing bananas into some old Tikis, making them spark back to life. "Hmm, my, whoever would have thought Evil Tikis could be revived by simply giving them bananas?" Baron asked.

"These Tikis will help us with our ultimate plan. They are what we need to ensure our goals."

"D'arrr, you mean finding the Sea Prince?" Kruckers asked.

"No, not the Prince, you fool. We've already learned what we needed to know, on this disk." He held up a small disk, then stashed it back in a computer. "We are after _another_ Firstborn. One whom will be a key factor in our quest. And once that Firstborn is in our possession, the Kongs' days will be numbered. MWEH HEH HEH HAH HAR!"

* * *

><p><strong>And once again, this took nearly three days. -_- Next time, the gang will meet The Quads for real. Until then, guess what Firstborn (Pokémon) Kroctus is looking for. See you later.<strong>


	15. Battle Down the Bayou

**Hello, everybody! Time to meet The Quads! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Meet the Quadruplets! The Secret Members of the Unos!<em>**

**Outside Utsukushii home**

The limo finally reached the home of the Utsukushiis, Father parking in front, allowing the others to step out. The kids were about to walk toward the house, but stopped and turned to Father, still in his car. "Uh… I'll catch up. You kids go on-"

"Oh ho ho, no." Nigel interrupted as he and Eva opened his door and forced him out.

"You're knocking on that door and confronting her." Eva ordered.

"Er, can't I have a minute or so to clean- AHH!" Eva whipped his butt with a Water Whip. "I'M GOING, I'M GOING!" With that, he ran to the front door. He stopped for a bit to take a breath and gulp. With a forceful inhale through the nose, he finally ringed the doorbell.

In a few seconds, Natsume answered the door. "Yes?"

"Uh… hello." Father scratched his neck nervously.

"Hey, Mom." Buddy greeted.

"Ruburd? Who's this?"

"Hey, Natsume." Father said.

She gave a slight gasp. "How do you know my name?"

"Natsume, it's me. It's…" He switched off his dark silhouette, revealing his nerdy, human form. "Ben."

"…" She was silent.

"Hehehe…" Ben chuckled…

"…"

…and grinned nervously.

"…"

"…AAAHHH!" He was immediately sent flying into his limo, with only his legs sticking out.

"Buddy, who are these kids and how did you find them?"

"Ahem, well, uh, Boba Fett attacked me and Noah at the park, then these kids showed up, and, well, ahem… Well, they were looking for you. And this one boy thinks you only had _one_ daughter." He motioned to Nigel.

"Ahem, my name is Nigel Uno." Nigel introduced.

"…Nigel _Uno_?" she looked baffled.

"Ahem, yes, Aunt Natsume. I'm supposed to be your nephew, and we came here to see my cousin. Uncle Ben's daughter." Natsume remained speechless.

"Not sure if you're at the right place." Buddy said. "I have four sisters. Three of them, plus me, are Quadruplets, then I have a younger sister."

Benedict helped himself out of the limo and approached the woman again. "Ahem… seems we _both_ have some explaining to do, Natsume. Care to show us your kids? _Our _kids?" He grinned some more.

Natsume only shot him a glare and said, "Come inside." They followed her into the living room, where she called, "KIDS, come down. Someone's here to see you."

At her call, the four sisters scampered down the stairs. "What is it, Mom?" Athena asked.

"Kids… this is Benedict Uno Jr.. Your blood-father. He's the reason for your psychic powers." The Quads gasped at him. "Ben, these are your children: Morgan Catherine Uno, Athena Aphrodite Uno, Sophie Hera Uno, and Ruburd Apollo Uno."

"Uh, who's the other one?"

"Oh, this is Beckah. She's mine and John's daughter. You know, the man who _didn't_ leave me."

"Hey, you guys have Greek names!" Hoagie exclaimed.

"Aha, yes, well…" Ben stuttered, sweating a little. "I suppose it's time I told you why I left you. Ah-ahem. You see… the truth is… I am Benedict Uno Jr.. Demon Prince of the Underworld and grandson to Demon King Malladus Uno!"

Their eyes widened.

"You… you're a half-demon?" Natsume asked, shocked.

"Yes. And our kids are descended from royal blood. The blood of the mighty Demon King. However, their psychicbending comes from my grandmother; Amy Dark, who was one of three daughters of Pariah Dark, the Ghost King."

"So… we're royal blood… of demons?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, that is awesome!" Buddy exclaimed.

"So the five of you… are my cousins." Nigel spoke.

"Uh, the four of us are, apparently." Sophie corrected. "Beckah is your half-cousin."

"But you have powers, just like us?" Athena asked.

Nigel once again formed his flame. "I firebend, I don't do psychic. Anyway," he put his flame out, "there's business we need to discuss."

"Well, can you discuss it with Morgan?" Buddy asked. "She's practically our leader."

Nigel smirked. "Leader, huh?"

"Hehehe. I am." She shrugged.

"Maybe you can discuss business later, it's getting late." Natsume spoke. "You kids can spend the night for now, since you came all this way. Noah, you should head home."

"Aw, why can't I spend the night?"

"Hehe. I don't think we have enough sleeping bags. You should go." Buddy said.

"Well, okay. But if any cops come and take you guys away, and I wasn't there to help, I'm kicking your butt! Byeee!" With that, she happily dashed out the door.

Soon, they got the sleeping bags and spread them out along the floor, and everyone was in their pajamas. The operatives were having small conversations with the other siblings while Nigel talked with Morgan beside the couch. "So, you guys are part of an organization of saving kids from evil adults, and recently, a man with a skin condition attacked your Moonbase and said something about a long-lost cousin of yours, and… that's why you came to find me?"

"That's right. Though he didn't really say anything about your siblings. And Father apparently didn't know either. Weird, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, hehe…" Morgan looked a little nervous.

"But ever since that Truth or Dare game, I had a feeling there was something about you. Something… that I liked. And I guess that was the Uno flame."

"Probably so. After all, I'm apparently the Demon Princess of the Underworld."

"Hehe, yeah. …So, what's it like down here, anyway? Your family seems real mixed up with that bounty hunter, Boba Fett."

"You know him?"

"Kind of. He used to be one of my dad's enemies as a kid, and he attacked us one time before."

"Yeah. Ever since I, er, _we_ were born, people made fun of us for our powers. The army and the police even sought, and are still seeking, to imprison us because we're freaks. Almost a year ago, Commander Gunkan hired that bounty hunter, Boba Fett, and he's been hunting us ever since. He seems to have a real problem with psychicbenders."

"His father was murdered by one long ago. That's what my dad said."

"But then why would that matter? Just because one did him wrong, why does he need to kill every one of them?"

Nigel shook his head. "No one knows. But let me tell you something." He spoke as the two walked beside the window. "When people found out I was the grandson of a demon, I didn't get very warm welcomes either. But then I went to GKND and saved the universe, so everyone let that stuff go! Even after they found out, well, I was the great-grandson of a much worse demon. Hehe. The point is, Morgan, if you want people to stop hating and hunting you, you need to show everyone what good you can do."

"Easy for you to say." She looked down sadly. "You got to join GKND, I never really had the chance to do anything big." Morgan felt a hand touch her shoulder, and looked at Nigel's smirking face.

"Like I said, Morgan, you have the Uno flame. It's in your blood, I know it. One day, you'll go on to do big things." Morgan smiled back.

As Natsume was cleaning the table from dinner, Ben approached her. "Uh, hehe. Some nice kids you got here, Natsume." He said nervously.

"You had your chance to be their father, Ben."

He sighed. "Come on, Natsume, try to understand. I had to leave you. If I'd have stayed, I knew Malladus would be after our kids. Not to mention that horrible Ganondorf. I'd risk my nephew's life, but not my kids! Natsume, I left you to save all of you. And if I'd have told you the truth before, you would've insisted you stay."

She paused from her work and sighed. "Ben… of course I would've stayed. I loved you. We were supposed to face any challenge together, that includes these demons. I wish you would've told me anyway."

"I couldn't. You deserved a better life, away from mine and those demons. …Sigh, but now all this crazy 'Dark Master' stuff is happening… it's just how fate plays it, huh?"

"Sigh… at least you finally came back and told the truth. I suppose I can't be mad at you for doing what you thought was best for us."

Ben looked up and gave a smile.

"…It's getting late. You should grab yourself a sleeping bag."

"Can't I sleep with you?" he grinned.

"No."

Back with Nigel and Morgan, the bald boy gave a yawn and said, "She's got a point. Let's get some rest. I'll tell you more in the morning."

"Okay. Good night." With that, Morgan and the other siblings headed up the stairs to their room.

Outside, Boba was secretly watching them through the window from the bushes. "Damn it. Now that those Kids Next Doodlies are here, ol' Boba'll never get them Quads. Ah, this whole deal really bites. Maybe I should call in for help. But who? Wait a second! That Nigel Uno boy's on the wanted list of my old friend! Time to give old Wolfie a call, heh heh!" The hunter started pressing buttons on his wrist, sending a call to Team Star Wolf.

**African Savannah**

"Ohhh… yaaawn…" Nolan yawned, stretching and rolling on the ground. His eyes opened to see some kind of dark green lizard.

_"Crrrroak."_ It croaked.

"AHH! AHH! AHHH!" the paraplegic screamed, waving his arms.

"Sheesh, Nolan, calm down." Danika said, standing over him beside April. "It's just a lizard…"

Nolan watched as the animal looked around and walked off. "Phew…" The two girls helped him onto his wheelchair as he noticed their surroundings: they were in a wide savannah, with the star-filled blue night sky hanging over them. "Boy, this place seems familiar."

"If I were to guess, these are definitely the Pride Lands." April said.

"We just can't have enough _Lion King_, can we?" Danika followed. They looked up as the area became darker, seeing storm clouds quickly covering the sky.

"Great. Isn't there someplace out here to provide shelter?" Nolan asked.

"…There!" April pointed to a fat, hollow tree several feet away. Dani pushed Nolan's chair as the Dickson ran ahead.

Rain started to pour on the area as the three arrived at the hollow tree, the leaves blocking every raindrop. "Well, I guess it's a good place to stay for the night." Nolan figured.

"Hey, who's the monkey?" April asked, noticing a grey baboon sleeping in a hammock.

"Oh, God…" Danika mumbled, recognizing the ape.

"He looks like one of Gnaa's apes." Nolan said.

"Well, he doesn't look evil." April said. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind us staying here for a while."

A few minutes passed as the trio just watched the rain fall down the distant savannah, the sounds of quiet thunder booming through the skies. "By the way, April, you never told us how you got involved with the Brotherhood. I mean, what's your story?" Danika asked.

"Huh?" She turned to them. "Well…" She looked back at the rainfall. "When I was little, I always wanted to be like my brother, Chad, so I tried to join KND. But I was born with these weird powers to sense emotion, and to make the mind hurt. I showed everyone my powers when I went to training, so I was accused of being a freak. They marked me off as a villain and kicked me out, including Chad, so I started hanging out with villains. Then The Brain came and recruited us all one day, and… he seemed real interested in my powers. I wanted to take the opportunity to get revenge on Chad, and Sonya."

"Why Sonya?" Nolan asked.

"…She's my little sister. She was born with the same powers as me, but she never showed them off, so they let her join."

"Wow. Talk about a total backstab." Danika laughed.

April only frowned. "…So, what's the story with you guys? Are you two an item or something?"

"!" They blushed greatly. "NO, NO WAY, NUH-UH!"

"Riiight."

"Actually, I wanted to join KND, too, but they wouldn't let me in because of my shadowbending." Danika said. "Everyone made fun of me, including Nolan. He's the only one of us that actually got to join. He wasn't born with freaky powers."

"Hehehe…" Nolan grinned and scratched his head nervously.

"Can't say I'm surprised. The handicapped ones get all the luck, ironically." April said.

"Hey, hey, come on, girls. I'm sure if they gave you a chance, they would've let you in."

"Well, you didn't exactly help with that, did you?" Danika asked hurtfully.

"Oh. Uh…" Nolan suddenly remembered being one of the ones to make fun of Danika.

"You weren't born handicapped, nor were you born a freak. You'd never know what we 'inhumans' have to endure." With that, Danika stood up and went to the other side of the tree to sit down.

Cheshire slapped Nolan out of his chair as she drifted by, the boy hauling himself back on, then rolling over to Danika. "Dani… I'm sorry about all that. But I do know how it feels… sort of. That alien girl tricked me into disabling Moonbase's defenses, and I got accused of being a traitor." He sighed. "They never gave me a chance to explain myself."

Dani was silent. "Even if we were given the chance, I guess it's too late now."

"Yeah… now that we're Brotherhood villains, we'll always be on the run."

"The Brain and all the villains is all we have." April said.

"I guess it's our fate to be villains." Nolan followed. "No other place in the universe for a couple freaks."

"Yeah…" Danika said, depressedly.

"…Well-p, I'm going to bed." April decided.

"Me too." Dani agreed. "See you in the morning, Nolan." With that, the two girls lied down and went to sleep.

Nolan only rolled his wheelchair by a tree window, looking out, too depressed to sleep. "Sigh… maybe I don't understand. Even in this wheelchair, I have been human my whole life. Maybe I don't know what these…these 'inhumans' have to endure. Maybe I should've been born one. Ow!" He yelped when a stick whacked him in the head.

He looked up at the hammock to see the baboon awake, jumping down and glaring at Nolan, holding a long stick with some kind of round fruit.

"Hey, take it easy, we're not staying here. Only until this storm lights up. Huh?" The ape waved a finger in his face and shook his head. He then looked over the two girls, studying their faces. He broke his fruit in half, then scraped some goo out of the fruit with his fingers, painting their faces on the wall.

He afterwards walked up to Nolan, staring closely at his eyes. He was about to scrape off more goo, but instead shoved the fruit in Nolan's face, getting him covered, then grabbing the crippled boy and pressing his face to the wall, getting his image to show. The baboon put Nolan back, smiling as he drew a heart in the center of the three faces, drawing arrows from them to the heart.

"Uh… huh?" Nolan looked confused.

"AH HA HA HA! AHH!" the ape laughed.

Nolan kept his brow raised in confusion. He could tell the ape was trying to tell him something with that drawing… but what? "Ah, forget it…" he decided, shrugging it off. "I'll figure it out in the morning." With that, he helped himself out of his chair and lied on the floor beside Danika, drifting to sleep.

Rafiki just shook his head, disbelievingly, but still smiling, and got back in his hammock.

**Louisiana; Badness Bayou**

"Sniiiff… ah, the sweet smell of the swamp." Facilier sighed as he and Grim were currently driving through an old, dark swamp. "Old Louisiana SURE brings back the memories of when I got arrested."

"You do know what we're doing here, right?" Grim asked.

"Relax, Grim, Ah know. We gotta do somethin' 'bout that Ganondorf problem, right?"

"Exactly. As long as he roams around, Nigel Uno and the rest of his family are in mortal danger. We got to find a way to end him."

"Well then, I know the perfect place to start looking. If Mama Odie don't know anything, no one will. She lives in this swamp, so let's-"

"Wait! Who's that?" At this, the witch-doctor stopped the car, noticing something behind some trees.

The two approached and found the beings were three Kids Next Door operatives, the team of Sector X. "Oh… these kids are operatives!" Facilier observed.

"What happened here, mon?" Grim asked Numbuh 78.

"Oh…" Angelie slowly recovered. "Mr. Facilier. Grim! We just got attacked by some weird old lady and a bunch of Tikis."

"Huh? What old lady?" Facilier asked.

"Ugh… she was in this white robe… and she looked blind."

"WHAT?" Facilier was surprised.

"Why is it that blind people always hit harder than everyone else? ?" Numbuh 42 whined.

"You don't think…" Grim said.

"No. Naw, naw, this can't be. Mama Odie wouldn't NEVER do that!"

"You think someone's pullin' a voodoo leg, mon?" Grim asked.

"Ah dunno, but SOMETHIN's goin' on here. We have to find Mama Odie, let's go." (Play the "Bayou Boogie" Theme from _Donkey Kong Country 2_!)

_Stage 12: Badness Bayou_

_Mission: Find Mama Odie._

The two magic men started their trek through the eerie swamp. A few Zingers and blue dragonflies, called Flutters, flew over to them, but Facilier swat them away with his cane. They were then ambushed by some Tiki Drums, some on fire, some not. Facilier pulled out a green flubber whip, using it to whack them away. He grabbed some Tikis and threw them into ones on fire. The two of them saw some barrels drifting down the swamp and decided to hop on one. Grim noticed some wooden arms reaching up to them and cut them away with his scythe. One of them grabbed his scythe by the handle, but Facilier fired a spell from his cane and forced it off.

The barrel started to sink, but they noticed some tall grass on lilipads. They jumped to grab and hold on, then jump to the next ones. Facilier found some Klinger Kremlings trying to climb up and easily whipped them off with his flubber. After reaching the last grass blade, they found some tree branches hanging over a short river. Grim held onto Facilier as the witch-doctor used his flubber to swing the branches. They saw some winged Tikis and decided to bounce on them, landing on a lilipad on the other side.

They were at a pond of lilipads with red piranhas, called Lockjaws, which hopped over the pads, and also Kannon Kremlings shooting cannonballs at them. Facilier and Grim swat the piranhas as they bounced their way across, keeping balance and dodging the Kannons. When they were almost at the other side, some short, yellow Kremlings called Kutlass flew out of the swamp, trying to slice them with their double swords.

"Stupefy!" Facilier called, throwing his stun spell, making the Kremlings fall, while Grim only ducked and touched them, knocking them out by his touch. A cannonball was fired at them from a Kannon, but Facilier grabbed it via flubber and threw it back. They got onto the land where the Kannons were and Facilier whipped one of them until it KOed, while Grim just tapped the third one on the shoulder, making him faint.

They proceeded further down the path as winged Tikis flew by and spat fireballs at them. Facilier spun the flubber like a tornado, caught the fireballs, and swung them back, destroying the Tikis. A couple green Kutlass' were standing guard ahead, spotting the two, and running to slice them, narrowly dodging their rapid slashes.

"Ah!" Grim yelped when one cut his cloak. "Oh man! I just got this cloak back from de cleaners." With that, Grim just warped behind the Kutlass, tapped him, and put him to sleep. The other one kept trying to slice Facilier, but he grabbed the dual swords with his flubber and threw them back, sticking the Kutlass to a wall.

They kept going and found a swarm of Flutters going down a river. Grim held onto Harvey as he used his flubber to grab them and swing their way across. They landed on a small island and saw a strange boat in a tree ahead. "There it is!" Facilier pointed.

"Okay. Now let's-" Grim was cut off when a gang of three Cat o' 9 Tails, blue cats with nine tails, pounced out of the swamp and started tail-whipping the two.

One of them wrapped its tails around Facilier and spun him into Grim. Once they were down, another cat just whipped some more. "Rah!" Facilier yelled, leaping back to his feet and wrapping his flubber around one the cat's tails, swinging him around into another one. The last one tried to spin at Grim, but he dodged and made the cat fall into the swamp, where it was eaten by Lockjaws.

"Hoo. That was close, mon."

"Alright, let's go see if Odie's okay." With that, they proceeded to the boat. (Stop the music.)

"Mama? …Mama?" Facilier called as they climbed into the boat in a tree.

"AIEEE HEE HEE HEE!" The two gasped and saw the two witches, Koume and Kotake, floating over a dizzy-looking old blind lady in a white robe. (Cue Koume and Kotake's Theme!)

The two witches turned around and noticed the two. "Oh, well it looks like we have some visitors, Kotake, oh ho ho."

"Indeed we do, Koume, ah ha ha."

"What did y'all do with Mama Odie? !" Facilier demanded.

"We had her brainwashed, oh ho ho!" Koume answered.

"With some Tiki music, eee hee hee!" Kotake followed.

"We knew you would be looking for a way to destroy Ganondorf…"

"So, we got to the first person you would look for!"

"Let her go, you old hags!"

"Afraid we can't, Dearie. It's simply not in our nature." Koume replied.

"Now we should be heading back to Ganondorf, Koume." Kotake said.

"Indeed we should, dear sister. We'll leave this old woman to deal with them. Until next time, fellow wizards." With that, the two witches vanished in a puff of smoke. (Stop the music.)

The two watched as a Tiki, designed like a banjo, began playing music, hypnotizing all the animals in the surrounding area as it float above Mama Odie. "YEEE HEE HEE!" the old hag exclaimed, dancing crazily. "Old Mama's gettin' FUNKEH!" With that, she spun around, and the two gasped at the purple crystal in her white hat.

"AN EVIL CRYSTAL!"

"OH HO HO, YEAH!" she exclaimed, turning back around. "Get ready to DANCE, boys! !"

_Boss fight: Mama Odie_

The Tiki played its music, controlling the animals, while Mama Odie danced and casted spells. Grim and Facilier dodged the spells as she sang.

_Mama: The swamp has changed, Harvey, since you've been away._

_Now this place runs Negatar Gnaa's way!_

_Facilier: MAMA, please!_

_O, can't you see you're wrong?_

He sang, trying to counter with his own spells.

_Mama: Once, you were my student._

_But now, you're nothing but prey!_

_The Dark Master's back and he's_

_Planning to stay!_

A couple snakes wrapped around his legs, but Facilier zapped them off. Some flamingos tackled and danced on Grim, but he warped and stunned them all. Mama continued to fire spells at Facilier, but the agile witch-doctor danced and dodged.

_Facilier: It's a crazy web you're weaving._

_Negatar Gnaa will soon be leaving._

_MAMA, please._

_It's not too late!_

_Mama: My magic will seal your FAAATE!_

Facilier was thankfully able to stun the possessed hag. He then launched his flubber and pulled down the Tiki, proceeding to whip him with it while Grim ran behind Odie and slashed the Evil Crystal, which made a scream and flashed with each slash. Mama finally recovered and blew the reaper back, then zapped Facilier while the Tiki flew above her and continued his hypno music.

_Mama: My spells will spice you_

_My animals will bite deep._

_And when it's all over,_

_Your niece, Abby, will weep!_

_The days of your good-natured_

_Mayhem are through._

_I'll tear up this land_

_And I'm starting with you!_

Facilier grabbed some flamingos via flubber and threw them at the Tiki. Grim got behind Mama again and slashed at the crystal, but the old lady felt this and jumped around, throwing spells that Grim danced and dodged.

_Well, now, Demon King_

_Seems you've lost your crown._

_In a few mere moments,_

_you'll be six feet in the ground!_

_Grim: Stop at once_

_This whole thing is absurd._

Grim tried throwing his own spells, but Mama was able to block them.

_Mama: No more tricks!_

_Your friends are now your foes!_

_And now this dance is nearing its close._

_Facilier: Those three kids that you were hurting,_

_Mama Odie, it's disconcerting._

_MAMA, please._

_Yo' brain is all whack!_

_Mama: In a moment, you'll be hitting the SAACK!_

The brainwashed woman started throwing rapid spells as the animals began to attack faster.

_Grim: All dis fighting and dancing_

_Is giving me a headache._

_If I don't stop, I feel like_

_Me bones will break._

_Mama: Careful now, Dearie_

_After this attack._

_I have much more_

_So better watch your back!_

_Facilier: You throw spells to attack me_

_But this ain't the real you._

_The Dark Master's making you_

_Do things you wouldn't do!_

_His intentions are evil_

_His ways are all bad._

_When we're all done with this_

_We'll be roasting that cad!_

_When we get that evil,_

_Foul crystal off you._

Facilier stunned the old woman once more as Grim raised his scythe.

_You'll see no more foe._

_But a friend that is true._

The reaper stabbed his scythe into the dark gem, exploding it into light.

_AAAAHHHHH!_

"Ooooo… huh?" Odie finally regained consciousness, looking up to the frightened Tiki that tried to fly away. "Aw no you don't!" With that, she fired another spell, sending the wooden creature flying away. "Eh hee hee hee heee! Them ol' witches really got me there!"

"Mama! What happened here?" Facilier asked, helping the old woman up.

"Aw, them witches came here with a bunch o' pirates and floating Tikis and used them to brainwash the animals. I was too smart for a brainwashing, so they put that crystal in my hat. It made me LOOPIER 'an a loop-di-loop, YEEEAH! So, how you boys doin'?"

"We need yo' help, Mama." Facilier answered. "It's the Dark Master; he's back, and he's hired-"

"Ah know, Ah know, that old Dark Master's back and he's got Ganondorf in his group. Jus' because Ah'm blind, don't mean I don't know nothin', heh ha!"

"Er, anyway… with Ganondorf around, the Uno Royal Family is in grave danger." Grim said. "Harvey here thought you could tell us how to stop him."

"Bah." She waved him off. "Some Demon King you are, Grim. You don't remember it was the Master Sword that showed ol' Ganny the door."

"We know that it was the Master Sword, Mama, but it isn't that simple. It's been lost for ages. Not a mortal alive knows where it is. And even if we did, the Hero that wielded the sword is long gone."

"Well, why don't you ask his descendants?"

Their expressions lit up. "Of course!" Grim remembered. "The Hero is gone, but the descendants carry on his will!"

"Uh, but who are these descendants?" Facilier asked.

"Good question…"

"Well, you said their isn't a mortal ALIVE who know!" Mama exclaimed. "So, why don'tcha talk to someone who's dead?"

The two were silent as Grim pointed at himself, questioningly.

"Uh, technically you're 'undead'. I meant someone who's TOTALLY dead."

"Hmmm…" the bone man began thinking. "Unfortunately, the only being I can think of that might know somethin' is… Malladus. He knew about Ganondorf better than anyone else."

"Well, what we gonn' do about that? Malladus is dead, man." Facilier said.

"Maybe. But if I use my powers, I can probably take us to a point when Malladus was alive and unsealed. Let's try the day after Ganon's Trial, 35 years ago."

"So, what you're saying is, we GO back in time, GO down in the Underworld, GO to the Underworld Castle, KNOCK on the front door, and say, 'Oh, hi, Malladus! We were just wonderin' if, um, you knew anything about the old Hero's family, and if, um, you knew where we could find the Master Sword? Oh, by the way, how's it going being supreme merciless king of da UNDERWORLD, and bein' supreme hater and killer of ALL mortals EVERYWHERE.'" Facilier exclaimed with sarcasm.

"Well, it's worth a shot. No one said you had to go."

"Hey, I'm going. I'm staked on this deal, too, you know."

"Hey! If you see ol' Cole down there, tell him Ah want a refund on that cereal!" Mama Odie yelled.

"Uh, will do, Mama Odie." Facilier replied, unsure.

"Let's go, Mon." With that, Grim waved his scythe, and the two were instantly teleported back in time.

* * *

><p><strong>Holy crap, this chapter was long. (PAH HA ha, what comes later?) The song comes from <em>Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge<em>. Alright, next time, we'll go to the Underworld and hopefully get some information from Past Malladus. Later.**


	16. Ask Malladus

**Alright, people. …Let's do some things! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ask Malladus! The Location of the Current Hero!<em>**

**Countryside road**

After leaving the cul-de-sac, Emily, Annie, Cosmo, Nova, and Zuri were exhaustedly walking down an old countryside road in the middle of nowhere under the blue night sky. "Man, I'm exhausted…" Annie groaned.

"We'll never catch up to that ship at this rate." Cosmo moaned.

"I sure wish that time spirit coulda gave us specific directions on what to do after catching the Firstborn." Emily said.

"Zuriiii…" Zuri was barely able to crawl at this point.

"…OHH." They all finally fainted.

"Why can't Emily carry us, anyway?" Cosmo asked. "She can fly."

"I am WAY too tired to carry all of you." The teen girl stated.

"Perhaps that mosquito will come back with friends." Nova hoped.

The silence in the air was broken when they heard some motor sounds, and Emily weakly turned her head the way they came and saw some headlights, immediately jumping to her feet. "Hey, guys! Maybe we can hitch a ride!" At this, they all stood up, smiling excitedly.

However, their smiles went down when the vehicles got closer, turning out to be the Six Gum Gang on their hovercraft and Teen Ninjas on their armored bikes. The vehicles circled around the team before coming to a halt, one of the Teen Bikes retracting into Cree's armor as she approached them. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the two teenagers and their little alien brats."

"Zuri!" the creature yelled.

"Oh. And the little bat thing, too."

"I know you! You're that Cree chick!" Cosmo exclaimed.

"Nigel's told us all about you, traitor." Nova said.

"What do you want?" Emily asked.

Cree smirked as she stepped a bit closer, flicking some hair back. "We know you kids captured one of the Eight Legendary Firstborn. So why don't you make like good little kids and hand it over." She held an open hand out.

"Or else, we'll just wrangle it from youse!" Runt said.

"You're never getting your hands on Celebi!" Nova vowed, pressing the glowing Spirit Ball to her chest.

"Eh hu hu hu hu. Oh well. The Brain wants all 5 of you, anyway. Mainly the Guardian and that half-ghost freak."

Emily looked shocked. "What… me?" She pointed at herself.

"You don't think you got those powers by accident, do you? The Brain built that machine for the very purpose of giving you those ghost powers, while also allowing him to recruit the ghost villains. Anyway, The Brain knew how much you wanted to be just like a ghost, so he gave you those powers. In return, he wanted you to join his group."

"What? Why would I join his group just because he gave me ghost powers?"

"Oh, please. Pretty soon, you'll have to. You're a freak now with those powers. Pretty soon, humanity will shun you like any other metahuman. But The Brain is openly welcoming all metahumans to his care. It's where they belong."

"Sorry, Sister. But I follow my OWN path. …Which is currently an endless, boring road."

"Sigh... Hate it when people get like that." Cree shook her head. "Alright, guys, let's take 'em in. What the-" Before they could act, another Teen Ninja bike zoomed by and ran some other bikes over, creating a smoke cloud. In the smog, a shadowed figure leapt out and knocked out all the ninjas. The Six Gums tried to lasso him, but the being grabbed their ropes and swung them around, knocking them out.

The 5 others coughed as they stepped out of the smoke cloud, looking back as the figure finished and stepped forward. "Um, thanks. Who are you?" Emily asked.

The smoke cleared and the figure stepped out, revealing to be Chad Dickson, the teen boy giving a smile. "Looks like I'm just in time?"

"Hey… you're that… who are you?" Emily asked, recognizing the boy from the Brotherhood base.

"Chad… how did you find us?" Nova asked.

Right then, the 5 of them gasped as a certain teenage boy, with white skin, silver hair, and purple clothing, stepped out from behind him. "I helped him."

"Vaati?" Annie recognized.

"I knew that Gnaa's guys would be after the Guardians, so I came to Emily's house first, because I knew Nova was the Guardian." Chad explained. "You weren't home at the moment, but Vaati was there, and told me where you might be."

"But… he's a bad guy." Emily mentioned.

"I'm not totally bad. Right, Emily?" Vaati raised a brow.

At this, they turned to Annie, who scratched her head. "Well… he found out it was my birthday, and… brought me a cake."

"Awwww." Emily smiled.

"To be honest, I think Vaati's a little weird in the head." Chad said.

"Does Ganondorf know?" Annie asked Vaati.

"Nah. He's busy bein' evil and stuff. But I'm still on his side. This is more of a one-time deal, 'cause I don't like him. Come on. Let's move before these guys wake up." With that, they proceeded down the road.

**35 years ago…**

Grim and Facilier finally reappeared, landing in a field in the gloomy darkness of the Underworld. Grim smiled and immediately took a whiff through his nose. "Sniiiiff. Ah, the Underworld. Smells as good as it did 35 years ago." He pulled out a glowing light-blue stone necklace from his robe pocket and tossed it to Facilier. "You'll need dat." He said as Facilier put it around his neck. "De Underworld's no place for mortals."

The two of them proceeded to walk through the town, passing by a window of TVs, which showed the news. _"For the murder of the wife of Malladus' son, Ganondorf Dragmire was BANISHED to..."_

"Grim, just what do you plan to do, anyway?" Facilier asked. "We can't just go up to Malladus and ask him."

"He-hey, Grim!" greeted some small, green and orange bat-like demons with big noses. "Did that Ganondorf scare you or what?"

"Oh, please. No mortal is any match for de Grim Reaper!"

The little monsters took notice of Facilier. "Hey! What's that mortal doing here? !"

"Oh, he's with me. It's, uh… for a job."

"Oh. 'nother soul, eh? Have fun where you're going!" The bats laughed as they flew away.

Facilier and his Shadow just blew a raspberry at them. "Come on." Grim ordered, dragging him along.

The two soon arrived at Castle Hell, where a Phantom guard paced back and forth along the drawbridge. "Hey, you can't bring that mortal in-" Grim simply zapped him with a sleeping spell. "Ughhh…" He fainted.

Grim removed the armor from the Phantom's body and dressed it onto Facilier, the skinny witch-doctor barely keeping balance with the heavy armor. "Whoa! Ain't these demons wear anything lighter, Grim?"

"Not from what I remember. Now let's get going." Grim walked ahead as Facilier followed him into the castle.

After walking down a large hall aligned with several torches, the duo reached a massive door with Malladus' shadowy image. They gulped as Grim used his powers to make the door open. The fiery demon sat in his massive thrown, surrounded by fire, drinking a large bowl of Sanzu Water.

The two held their fearful expressions when they were close to the Demon King. "Uh… Malladus?" Grim spoke, worriedly.

Malladus sipped his water for a few seconds before looking down at them. "Grim? What business have you and that seemingly buff guard here when I am still trying to wash down my hatred for that foul Ganon?"

"Uh… about that, um… we were actually wondering if… you could tell us… about the Legendary Hero that… wielded the Master Sword?"

"Hmm?" The demon rose a brow. "You mean the one that defeated Ganon long ago?"

"Er, yes… dat's de one."

"Hmmmmm…" Malladus sat back in his throne, putting his bowl down, folding his hands, and closing his eyes in thought. "As you know… somewhere in the Spirit World lies a place called the Sacred Realm. Long ago, three of the Firstborn Spirits created a sacred relic… known as the Triforce. The Triforce was divided into three parts: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Ganondorf, an evil man from the desert, found a way into this realm, and attempted to take the Triforce. As a result of his evil heart, the Triforce scattered its parts. The part Ganondorf believed in the most, which was Power, dwelled within his form. While Wisdom went to the Princess of an ancient kingdom, Zelda, and the Courage… went to the Hero you speak of. His name… was Link.

"Because of the Triforce of Courage being infused within him, the Hero was able to draw out the Master Sword: a sacred sword forged by the spirits to smite evil. The Hero took this sword, and dealt away with Ganon, banishing him to the Underworld. However… while his powers were downgraded, Ganon still held the Triforce of Power in his hand. So, to seize more power, he spent the rest of his time trying to overthrow the Uno Family, and take my place as Demon King."

"Oh… uh…" Grim thought for a second on what else to ask him. "Do you… know anything about the family of… the Hero?"

"Hm?" Malladus rose his brow again. "Why are you asking all these questions, anyway?"

"Er… just wanting to get to know my… Underworld-related history. Eh hehe!"

Malladus took a breath and released through his nose, slouching back in his throne again. "As I recall… Link and Zelda got married and had kids. As a result, their Triforce marks were passed down to them, and every generation that came after that. I believe that the blood of the Hero… now runs in that of the veins of the McKenzie Family."

Grim's expression sparked with realization. He remembered this Hero, and the way Rachel fought, and even her hair resembled that of the Hero (a little). "OF COURSE! ! Why didn't we t'ink of it before?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Uh, nothing, Your Highness." Grim bowed.

"Hmph. Is there anything else?"

"Uh, yes, uh… where is the Master Sword?"

"That… I do not know. But it may still be with the McKenzie Family yet."

"Ah, yes, well… we'll just be on our way now!"

"Uh, excuse me, My King!" Grim and Facilier's faces turned to worry when Grim's past self walked in. "The Moogers are going crazy again, and I was wondering… if…" He noticed his future form.

Malladus looked shocked as well. "What? ! There's two of you? ?"

"That's not me!" Past Grim exclaimed.

"Well then, one of you is an imposter. Until we can decipher who it is, _both_ of you will be put through a series of incredibly painful torture."

Grim immediately knew he couldn't put his past self through that, lest he end up not existing. So, he decided, "I confess! It's me! I'm the imposter!"

"Awww…" Malladus looked sad. "Well, that was anti-climatic. Oh well. Ahem, GUARDS!"

"RUN FOR IT, MON!" Present Grim screamed, pulling Facilier by the hand as they ran, the witch-doctor being forced out of his armor.

They dashed out of the throne room and ran by Octoroo. "Oo-ah-ey! Don't let them get away! Anizore. Stop them today!"

"Did someone call ANIMAL CONTROL?" At that instant, a Nighlok with a lion's head, tiger-face chest, snake arms, bear legs, and a monkey tail dropped down.

"Go stop them, Anizore." Octoroo ordered.

The two intruders were about to cross the drawbridge until Anizore emerged from a gap in front of them. "No one handles animals better than me! Have a little taste of this Jungle Fury! ROOAR!" (Play the "Egg Breaker" Theme from _Shadow the Hedgehog_!)

_Boss fight: Anizore_

"Ah'm gonna strangle you REAL good!" Anizore exclaimed as he tried to rap his snake arms around the two, but they ducked and flipped back. Grim swung his scythe at the monster when it charged to bite them. "Bah. Fishbone!" Anizore sent out a telepathic wave, summoning a bunch of bonefish from the river, shooting out to bite the two.

"Urgh! Get off!" Facilier shouted as fish bit his head and legs. He shook the skeletons off and used his flubber to grab and throw them at the Nighlok, biting him.

"Hey! What kind of pet bites his master?" Anizore shouted. He spun around, shaking the fish off of him, and spun over to Facilier, wrapping his snake arms around the human. Grim tried to rescue him, but Anizore yelled, "This'll give ya a monkey of a time!", swinging his tail and trying to whip the reaper. Grim only ducked and grabbed the hybrid's tail. "What the-" Anizore tried to say, suddenly being swung around himself and dropping Facilier. "WHOOA." Grim sent him flying into the Sanzu River.

"HAHA! Not so fast! Get 'em, fishies!" A swarm of more bonefish started swimming toward them, but Grim swung his scythe, and Facilier threw spells to keep the monsters away. Anizore hopped back on the bridge and started clashing with them again.

After several hits from the scythe, the Nighlok leapt several feet away, his tiger chest yelling, "ROOAR!", and blowing the two back in the castle. He used his animal telepath to wake up a swarm of bats on the ceiling, flapping down to nip at the two, but Facilier batted them away with his cane, then used his flubber to throw them at Anizore.

Grim ran to slash him, but the tiger chest, "ROOAR!", once again, blowing him back. Facilier threw a spell to stun the Nighlok's chest, leaving Grim to run and slash it. Anizore slid behind him and gnashed his snake arms, but Grim ducked and sliced them off. After one last slash at the chest from Grim, Facilier wrapped his flubber around the Nighlok, dragged him to the bridge, and threw him in the Sanzu River.

"ROOOAAAR!" The Nighlok suddenly emerged from the water in his Megamonster form. He charged down the river toward the bridge, but Grim channeled power in his scythe, releasing a blinding blue energy beam straight at the Nighlok's lion head, making it stop and shake in pain.

"OH NOOO! One year of the show isn't enough. I knew I shoulda ripped off of _Dino Thunder_. W-Wait! That's even worse! NOOOOO! !" And with his last words, the Nighlok toppled over and exploded.

Grim and Facilier high-fived before Grim warped them out of there. (Stop the music.)

Malladus stomped out just in time as they left. "Curses! I was hoping to have an execution today! I'll have to give the audience SOMEthing. Ahem: ladies and gentlemen: Mr. Conway Twitty." And the screen cut to Conway Twitty, who began playing one of his classic songs. Unfortunately, I know none of them, so let's cut to Toxic Four. :P

**Africa; Sahara Desert**

The Terrible Toxic Four continued to limp through the desert. The sun started to rise as they spotted a man atop the hill. "Hey, look! It's Ganon!" Leo pointed.

The Dark Lord stood still, looking at the ruined village below. The four benders stood beside the dark man as he breathed calmly through his nose. "Such cruel fate on the most unsuspecting places. While the Wind Spirit brings peace and serenity wherever his wind blows… all he brings to the desert is ruin. He shows us that no good can come in the world… without consequence. And shows us that all great power brings… is destruction."

The four boys couldn't help but look pitifully at the ruined village. Deep down, it made them feel, if wind could cause that destruction, what hope was there for their powers of poison? That's why Matt was hoping this Poison Spirit could teach them otherwise.

Ganondorf glanced to the two boys, then back at the desert. "Come. The Brain is awaiting your return. It's time we… get back to our daily tasks." The four watched as Ganondorf walked down the hill.

The poisonbenders stood and watched him for a moment before following him.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahh, I'll cut this one short for now. Next time, we'll get back to Chicago. We'll also see what Mandy's up to. Anyone wanna guess where, or <em>what, <em>the Master Sword is? Later.**


	17. Both Teams Meet

**Okay, let's get on with this quest!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Two Teams Finally Meet! KND and Sonics, the Unbeatable Team!<em>**

**Mt. Gnaa**

"…Oh!" Harvey McKenzie shot his eyes awake, startled, sitting up from a bed and rubbing his eyes. "Man, what happened last night?"

He heard the door creak open and shot his head toward Lehcar EiznekCm, who smirked as she walked in. "Good morning, Harvey. How was your rest?"

"Lehcar?…" He looked around and saw he was in a strange, dark green bedroom, with a couple of green torches lighting it up. "Where am I?"

"You're in Mt. Gnaa. Home of the great Dark Master, whom you've had the marvelous honor being his vessel."

"Huh? Vessel?"

"Your newfound powers! The Dark Master now inhabits your very form, and his power is now yours!" she said perkily.

"Oh yeah… that was awesome!" Harvey exclaimed. "But where are my friends? And my sister?"

"Hmph. What friends?" Lehcar began with a smirk, slowing approaching the boy's bed. "None of them ever cared about you, including your sister. Always mocking and talking behind your back…" The devious girl then sat down beside the boy.

"Well… yeah, they were always kinda mean. But I'm not sure, I mean… they were my friends."

"They _were_ your friends. But you deserve so much better than measly KND. You deserve ALL the power in the universe! And with Lord Gnaa's power, everything you want can come to reality! And all those FOOLS who dared mock you before will know your wrath!"

"Hmm… it sounds cool. But I don't know… I…" As he tried to speak, a shadowy cloud slithered into the room, emerging to be Phantom Gnaa. The being waved his right arm past Harvey's face, the black smog touching his skin. "…Actually… it does sound pretty good!" he smirked.

"Those are my precise thoughts." Lehcar smiled innocently, patting his shoulder. "Now, come on. Let's see how the fools are doing down in that wretched Positive city." With that, the two evil children walked out, followed by the strange phantom.

**Pirate Fleet; middle of the sea**

"Okay, guys, let's head up to Nightmare Land ASAP." Mandy ordered to her crewmembers as the sun started to rise over the sea.

"Uh… and just how do you plan we get there, Cap'n?" Creeper asked. "It's in the vastness of space. It's not like this rust-bucket can fly."

"Hmm… so the question is, how to get to a monster-populated realm in the depths of space. Wait! I seem to recall, from Truth or Dare, that Nigel kid having a sister."

"Aye! That Katie girl!" Creeper spoke. "She was made by the Nightmare King! She's a Nightmare!"

"Then it's settled. We're going to Virginia to find that Nightmare girl."

"Oi, Cap'n." a pirate with a telescope spoke. "Thar seem to be quite a handful of ships out there. Word on the seas is some Dark Master's returned and 'e's recruited the Kremling Krew to wreak mayhem for 'im, eh?"

"A Dark Master? Now I'm intrigued. We'll look more into this later. But right now, let's blow this fleet and get to Virginia. Load the cannons! Go!" (Play the "Rattle Battle" Theme from _Donkey Kong Country 2_!)

_Stage 13: Pirate Party_

_Mission: Clear the Kremling-infested sea!_

The _Boogey Bay_ sailed toward the large fleet of Kremlings, the front ship having a drunk Klinger swinging on a rope with other pirates cheering away. Mandy took aim with her cannon and fired, perfectly hitting the drunken pirate, sending him flying into the sea. The other pirates yelled in anger, immediately dropping their sails and charging to the demon ship.

The _Boogey Bay_ blasted the first ship as they passed, while it fired back. The cannon fire hit the demon ship a little, making the Boogey Pirates run around screaming in circles. "Ugh, fools. I'll do it myself." Mandy said, proceeding to blast the cannons on her own, successfully taking out the first ship. They passed between two more ships, but Mandy ran back and forth between sides, shooting and taking out the enemies' cannons, then hitting the masts. She noticed a group of speedboats coming on both sides, driven by Klumps, but Mandy shot the cannons and blew them off.

"That's how you do it." She told her crewmembers. "Now man the guns and guard the ship. I'll take care of things here." With that, she lit a cannon's fuse and hopped in, the cannon shooting her far off, ramming another ship's mast as she landed on the deck, while the mast toppled over.

She drew out her sword and began clashing with the Klomps onboard, easily taking them out. Afterwards, she hopped in a cannon, aiming to the front of the ship, and fired herself over to another one. A couple Krunchas grabbed her arms, but she stomped the right one's foot and flipped behind the second one, pulling his fist and making him punch himself out. She jumped around when a couple Kutlass tried to slice her, but she knocked their swords away and knocked them out.

She then grabbed a rope, hanging from the mast, and swung to a close-by ship, landing in the center of a circle of barrels. Klobbers emerged from those barrels and tried ramming into her, but she leapt and made them bump their selves. They chased her, but Mandy jumped on the railing, flipping back over them and tricking them into running over the edge. She got into another cannon and fired atop the sails of another ship, where two Krooks stood on both ends. Mandy ducked as they threw their hooks, making them knock the other off, then slid down the sail to a group of Klampons. The blue, big-mouthed crocs chomped at her, but Mandy bounced and KOed them all.

She then cannoned over to the sails of another ship, ducking as two Kannons shot cannonballs at her, only for them to shoot each other. She jumped to the deck where a gang of Tikis were waiting, spitting fireballs that she only dodged. She sliced all the Tiki Drums and saw some flying Tikis lined up to another close ship. She jumped the winged Tikis and landed on a ship where two Kaboings stood on the topsail. The springy Kremlings leapt down and tried to jump Mandy, but the evil McKenzie sliced their peg legs and made them slip.

A red Kremling in a TNT barrel, called a Kaboom, then ran after her, but Mandy quickly crawled into another cannon. When the suicidal Kremling ran into the cannon and exploded, the cannon shot Mandy to another distant ship. The ship was too far for her to make it, but a few winged Tikis were flying beside it, so Mandy used them to bounce up and land at the back of another ship.

A Kannon stood atop the crow's nest and started to shoot cannonballs straight at the deck, rocking the ship, making the cannonballs roll around. Mandy kept her balance aboard the rickety ship, barely dodging the rolling cannonballs. She made several scratches on the mast with her sword, causing it to lose balance and topple over the side, the Kannon falling in the sea. Mandy jumped in a cannon and shot out to another ship, dodging as some vultures, called Neckys, swooped down. She saw her ship up ahead and was about to jump in another cannon, but was stopped when a Black Klobber shoved her to the railing. Before it could push her to the sea, Mandy sliced at the front of his barrel before kicking him over, grabbing and throwing him overboard. Afterwards, she got in the cannon and fired back to her ship as her pirates cheered, sailing away from the Kremling fleet.

To their dismay, however, a large crow with a captain hat, whose name was Krow, woke up from the crow's nest of that last ship and flew over to the _Boogey Bay_. The big bird tried to jab its beak at the McKenzie girl, but Mandy sliced its chest with her sword. It flew around her and tried to peck again, but she cut it back.

The huge crow then flew out and rammed the side of the ship, rocking it to make Mandy lose balance, but Mandy easily sliced the bird when it jabbed again. For one final strike, Krow flew out miles away, and the pirates watched as it was charging to knock the ship over. But Mandy, thinking fast, dropped a ball in a cannon, lit the fuse, and aimed straight at the bird, hitting it clear in the head. The massive crow's head rolled in dizziness before falling in the sea.

"YAAARRR!" cheered the pirates for their captain, who spun her sword in victory before sheathing it.

"Let's celebrate with nachos! Yes." Fred Fredburger said.

It was then that Creeper thought of something. "You know, if you hadn't knocked that one guy off at the start, they probably woulda let us pass."

"Yeah. I know." Mandy replied casually. The Creeper just shrugged at this as they sailed on. (Stop the music.)

**Chicago; Morgan's House**

_"O great descendant of the Legendary Hero of Old. I awaken the call that will summon me back."_

"Huh?" Rachel gasped, waking up in her sleeping bag on the living room floor.

"Errr… what's wrong, Rachel?" Nigel asked, waking up, eyes still worn with tiredness.

"I… thought I heard something. It… must've been a dream, I guess."

"Yaaaawn." Nigel smacked his lips, putting on his glasses. "Oh, what a great sleep. I'm going to get something to drink." He said, walking to the kitchen.

Rachel picked up her Yield Staff beside her, holding and staring at it with wonder. She yawned and decided to drop back to sleep.

**Downtown Chicago**

At long last, the teams of Mario and Sonic had arrived at the city of Chicago, and were currently walking downtown, seeing tons of people passing by. "Well-p, seems we finally made it." Knuckles said.

"Wow, Chicago's a really big place." Peach said with wonder, staring up at all the tall buildings.

"Eh, I've seen bigger." Sonic replied coolly.

"Who are we looking for again?" Luigi asked.

"Oh, you'll know them when you see them." Misty said.

"That is, if Jagar did his part of the job." Olive followed. "For once."

"Let's just be on the lookout for now." Luigi said. "Bowser and those Koopas could be-" He stopped and looked shocked at a little girl, who was playing with a turtle. "Th-There's one now! HIYAH!"

"No, Luigi!" Peach yelled as the younger plumber charged to the turtle.

"HEY!" the girl screamed as the man in green began jumping on the turtle's back, damaging it greatly. "You hurt my pet turtle!" The girl pushed him off and held up her turtle.

"Nnnnn, I need a bigger shell." The dizzy turtle groaned.

Tears formed in the little girl's eyes. "WAAAAHHH!" She ran away crying.

"O…kay…" Luigi scratched the back of his head, confused.

"That's gonna bite us later on." Tails said as the others looked disbelieved.

"We-a need some Coins." Mario said, going over to a small, brick window balcony. "Ohh—MMPH!" When Mario jumped, he bumped his head on the hard brick, falling down, his head bruised.

"Mario!" Peach rushed to his aid.

"Mmama Miaaa…" the plumber moaned, dizzily.

"Boy, this place is a lot different from the Mushroom Kingdom." Toad said.

"That's it! A mushroom would make Mario better!" Luigi beamed.

"But where will we find mushrooms in a place like this?" Peach asked.

"Why don't we look over there?" Tails asked, pointing to a restaurant across the street, that was named 'Shroomy Dooper'.

The gang walked into the shop, seeing a man and his teenage daughter at the counter. "Hello! Welcome to Shroomy Dooper! Would you like to try one of our delicious mushrooms?" the daughter asked happily.

"That's funny." Tails said. "I recall reading that this place was a sushi shop. Or was it ice cream. Cookies?"

"Uh, we would like you to never mention that again." The dad said.

"We're mushroom people!" they both exclaimed.

"Uh, well… do you have any mushrooms that can, I dunno, help with Mario's bump?" Tails asked.

"Well, you could try one of our Scab Shrooms." The girl suggested.

"Scab Shrooms?"

"Made from real scabs!" the dad grinned.

"Uh… I don't think it's what we're looking for."

"Well, how 'bout one of our Rainbow Shrooms?" she asked, holding up a colorful mushroom.

"That looks tasty." Peach said. "But how did you get it in that color?"

"We painted it!"

"Painted it?"

The dad held up a large can of paint, still smiling brightly. "With REAL house paint! MMMMM!"

Amy looked unsure. "Uh… I don't think that's healthy."

"Please, we just want something that can give Mario some strength." Peach pleaded.

"Ooh, I know!" The girl reached below the shelf and held up a… rather wilted-looking mushroom. "We got this mushroom from a nice guy hiding behind the library!"

"He looked like a wizard. MMMMM!" the dad smiled.

"A wizard?" Peach said, sounding impressed. "Well, try it, Mario!"

"Yeah!" With that, the red plumber took the mushroom and swallowed it in one bite. "Oooohhhh…" The Italian's eyes and head started spinning dizzily.

"Uh, I think that might've been a poison shroom." Tails said.

"Oh ho, yeeeeeaaaaaa…" the short plumber drew out, walking dizzily outside with the others.

"Well, at any rate, we should probably check around for anything weird." Tails figured.

"Tails is right." Blaze agreed. "Our foes may be arriving here any-"

"HEELLP!" screamed the crazy man in the green jacket, running around the two teams, then stopping. "A fat scientist and a turtle demon are headed to the outskirts with a bunch of robot clones!"

"It sounds like they're already here." Sonic concluded.

"That's right, but… why are you telling us?" Tails asked.

"Aren't you guys police animals?"

"Well, Rouge and I are government ages." Shadow mentioned.

"Oh, okay! So yeah, there's-"

"Trouble in the outskirts, got it."

"Okay, good. HEELP!" He ran off.

"Well, time to see what those two are up to." Amy said.

"Let's-a GOOO!" With that, Mario grabbed his brother's arm and hopped over to a convertible, landing in the driver's seat with Luigi in the passenger's.

"Mario, wait!" Sonic yelled as the drugged plumber drove off.

"Uh, M-M-Mario-o-o, is this safe?" Luigi stuttered.

"Oh ho ho ho! Of course! Look-a Luigi, there are some Coins!" Mario pointed ahead at several citizens. But in his dizzy, drug-induced eyes, they looked like Coins.

"Mario! NOOOO!" But despite his brother's cry, Mario proceeded to run the citizens over. Right away, a squad of cop cars drove out and started chasing the Italians. The rest of their gang chased after them.

The people from the mushroom shop watched as they drove off, creating chaos in their wake. "Looks like we done it again, Daddy!"

"We sure did, Pumpkin!"

"WE'RE MUSHROOM PEOPLE!" They smiled brightly and widely at each other.

**Morgan's House**

Meanwhile, the operatives and The Quads were awake and playing out in the front yard, while Nigel walked and talked with Morgan. "Ganondorf said that you and Harvey were important keys to Lord Gnaa's freedom. He's already possessed Harvey, but we still don't know what it has to do with you."

"You mean Negatar Gnaa? I heard of him."

"You…You have?"

"In a book I read once. It just appeared in my room one day. I think the author was… the Taler… or somethin'. The Storyteller?"

"Hmm. Never heard of him."

"Anyway, the book talked about how Gnaa never had any friends, so that led him to become a Dark Master. And after reading it, I felt kind of sorry for him. If he just had one friend, maybe he wouldn't have become what he is."

"Maybe, but what's done is done. He's a Dark Master now, so we have to-"

"WATCH OUUUT!" Hoagie screamed, shoving them out of the way from some gunfire. Everyone turned to see a bunch of Voldemort, Sentinel, and Palpatine Clones.

"Sigh… not these guys again." Abby groaned.

"Alright, team, spread out and-" Nigel was about to say, but-

"OH MY GOD, IT'S VOLDEMORT!" Morgan screamed. "I square-square-square-square-square Voldemort!" She then felt all eyes on her. "What? I'm a big _Harry Potter_ fan."

"Yeah. You have an unhealthy obsession with it." Buddy said.

"Shut up, Ruburd!"

"Ahem." They looked above at a floating pod, which they knew was that of Dr. Eggman's.

"Dr. Eggman? What are you doing here? !" Hoagie snapped.

"Heh… heh heh."

"Huh?"

"Excuse my laughter. But you… you kids are so cruel." The scientist spoke, no emotion in his voice.

"What?"

"You taunt me by not using my full title."

"Man, what are you goin' on about now, Eggman?" Abby asked.

"See? There you go again. But in the end, you will be defeated by…" He tilted his pod downward, giving them a good view of his form. The man who was NOT Eggman was just as fat, but he had a white mustache, wore a black jacket, red jumpsuit with a white stripe going down, and had black-and-yellow-striped shoes. "Dr. Eggman Nega!"

They gasped. "OHH HO HO HO HO!" Just then, the real Eggman flew down. "I'd like you kids to meet my Negaverse counterpart, Ovi Kintobor, better known as Dr. Eggman Nega! He may not have the spirit, but his brains are equally brilliant and evil!"

"One does not need the spirit with great intelligence, Dr. Eggman." Nega replied, still no emotion.

"Yes, yes, save it for the interns. Anyway, after a recent failure, I have located my dear opposite counterpart and brought him to assist in our nefarious goals."

"This Dark Master sounded most intriguing. I decided to comply and accompany my dear Positive counterpart."

"And guess who ELSE is staked on this deal, gwah ha hee hah!" At this, they looked up at the Koopa King in his Koopa Clown Car.

"Bowser!" Fanny shouted, still angry at Bowser for almost hurting her brothers.

"Hey, hey, Fanny! I hope you enjoyed stomping me before, because it WON'T happen again! Ahem. Clones: ATTACK!"

"Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!" At Nigel's cry, the kids charged for the clones. (Play the "Menu" music from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!) The Quads drew out their lightsabers (which they got from Truth or Dare) and went for the Palpatine Clones, clashing against their sabers. Buddy and Morgan flipped behind two of them and sliced their heads off while Athena and Sophie used psychic to smash them into each other.

The Voldemort Clones threw spells at Nigel and Eva as they fought back with their water and firebending. Eva sliced some heads off with Water Slice while Nigel took their fake wands, blowing stun spells back at them, then breaking the wands. Several more clones cried as they ran for the kids, but they were smashed by the ground clapping them, Angie Granite smiling victoriously.

Hoagie ran around as some Sentinel Clones shot at him, firing a S.C.A.M.P.P. at their faces. Wally climbed on one and punched its face with a S.L.U.G.G.U.H. until it fell over, and Abby tricked them into shooting each other. Rachel then hopped across some clones' heads, stylishly chopping them off with her Yield Staff.

There was one last squadron of Voldemorts and Palpatines, plus one Sentinel. Sonya used her powers to hack into the Sentinel's mind, brainwashing it into blowing the other clones away. Sonya finished the Sentinel off by making it shoot his head off, the body falling to the ground. (Stop the music.)

"Mm mm mm mm." Eggman just shook his head. "Heh." He and the other villains snapped their fingers, summoning legions of Koopas and robots.

"Aw, man. What is with bad guys and their minions?" Abby asked.

"Ha ha HA! The clones were just to wear you out. Now our minions will FINISH you!" Eggman laughed.

"Grar har har! No one can help you now!" Bowser declared.

A distant, Italian voice yelled, "Herrrrre WE GO!"

"Grar?" At that instant, a purple convertible zoomed out from the bushes, running over a line of Koopas before spiraling and crashing. The car exploded as Mario and Luigi leapt out, ready for battle. "MARIO!" Bowser screamed.

Suddenly, a blue spinning ball zoomed in and bounced off several robots before coming to a complete stop next to Nigel, the blue hedgehog giving a thumbs up and a smirk. "S-S-SONIC!" Eggman shouted.

"HUYUH!" A spinning fire tornado shot in, piercing through large Hammerhead robots, the purple cat stopping by Violet.

"B-Blaze!" Eggman Nega stuttered.

Soon, the rest of Teams Sonic and Mario arrived as well, all ready to battle the enemies. "So, I'm takin' it you're against them, too?" Sonic asked Nigel.

"It's a safe bet we're on the same side." The bald Brit replied.

Jagar was ready to battle when he heard someone behind him, turning to find his two friends. "Misty! Olive!"

"Well, whaddya know. He made it!" Misty beamed, impressed.

"Here. Take this." Hoagie tossed Tails a S.C.A.M.P.P..

"Thank you." The fox smiled.

"Kids Next Door:" Nigel began.

"Team Sonic:" Sonic began.

"MMMA-RIO!" Mario cheered.

"GOO! !" (Play the Battlefield Theme (Ver. 1) from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

The blue hedgehog Spin Dashed and bounced off more robots, landing, and just when more were about to charge at him, Nigel threw fire blasts and took them out. Hoagie and Tails ran through the squad of Eggrobos, shooting them off with Hoagie's S.C.A.M.P.P.s. A blue one launched a missile at them, but Tails grabbed and flew Hoagie up, spinning and throwing the husky boy into the robot.

Kuki happily twirled and dodged the robots while Amy bashed them all with her hammer, the two girls smiling to each other. Some Goombas came, but Peach only bashed them with her golf club and other objects. "RAAAH!" Wally and Knuckles roared, charging to beat away a few Hammer and Boomerang Bros. A helmeted Hammerhead came to them, but Toad ran up, pounced, and blinded his vision, making the robot pound himself. Rouge carried and flew Abby upwards as she spun around, sending the African-French girl spinning and kicking into some Hammerheads.

Three Fire Bros spat fire at Fanny, who countered with her green fire. When a swarm of Boos flew her way, Luigi jumped in, drew his Poltergeist 3000, and the Boos turned away, but failed to escape as the green plumber sucked them in. He and Fanny smirked and gave the other a thumbs up before fighting side-by-side with their green fire.

Nigel exchanged a nod with Mario beside him as the two shot fire at a gang of running Piranha Plants. "BARK BARK!" A couple of Chain Chomps charged at them, but the two leapt over, grabbed them by the chains, and swung them into each other.

Blaze and Violet stood back-to-back as Koopatrols surrounded them, Blaze throwing her flames and Violet tossing her shurikens. Meanwhile, a referee Koopa blew a whistle as 5 Chargin' Chucks all lined up their footballs, which were held to the ground by other Koopas. From right to left, the Chucks kicked their footballs, 1, 2, 3, 4, but the 5th football was pinned down by Lucy from _Charlie Brown_, who moved the football, causing the Chuck to trip. The little girl giggled, but the Chuck only kicked her in the face, taking the ball and kicking it over.

The footballs were about to come down at The Quads, but they grabbed them with their psychic, throwing them back. Just then, a squad of Koopa Strikers grabbed their soccer shells and kicked them over, but the siblings ran and kicked them back, KOing the Koopas.

Shadow the Hedgehog warped around the area, kicking any robot he appeared beside. He landed next to Rachel, and the two charged, with Rachel batting the robots over with her staff while Shadow Chaos Speared them. Sonic grabbed Nigel's arm and spun the bald Brit as he produced fire from the other hand, spreading the fire around and burning Goombas.

Three E-2000s surrounded the timebenders, but Misty and Olive froze them and used Rewind to make them into old junk parts. Jagar was about to do the same, but his distorted powers only made the robot twitch crazily, so Misty proceeded to do it for him.

The gangs watched as an E-3000 descended onto the area. Sonic and Nigel only smirked to each other. "You ready?" the hedgehog asked.

"You bet!"

"Sonic, catch!" Tails called, tossing him a Ring.

Sonic grabbed it in his left hand, taking Nigel in his right. "Let's go!" With that, Sonic and Nigel spun in a pinball, lit on fire due to Nigel's flames. With a powerful charge, the spinning fireball shot into the large robot's red eye, erupting in a blinding explosion.

"OHH!" The three villains gaped at their power.

Sonic and Nigel took land on their feet, laughing victoriously as they high-fived. (Stop the music.)

"Had enough, Eggmen and Bowser?" Sonic asked snarkily.

"Grrr. This isn't over yet." Eggman growled. "ROBOTS!"

"Koopas!" Bowser called.

Instantly, another squadron of minions appeared. "Awww. Can't you give us a break?" Abby groaned.

The henchmen stopped when they heard a roaring sound coming from the sewer. "WOOHOOO!" Marine the Raccoon cheered, breaking through the sewer lid in her waterbike, running over some minions and stopping beside the teams. "BLAZE! !"

"AHH!" Blaze screamed when the raccoon girl tackled her.

"OI, BLAZE! Where've ya been, mate? ! It's been YONKS, eh?"

"Ergh! Good… to see you… too… Marine!" Blaze choked.

"Ahem." Bowser spoke up. "As I was saying… ATTACK!"

The minions were about to attack when… they suddenly stopped.

"GWUH? ?" the villains gaped. Everyone turned their attention at Clockwork, raising his glowing staff.

"Oh no. Not you!" Eggman said.

"Bah. This really bites." Bowser whined.

"It's time we make a retreat." Eggman Nega suggested. "I won't forget this." He flew away.

"You'll regret this!" Eggman vowed, flying after him.

"I'll get you next time, Mario!" Bowser left, too.

As the kids watched them leave, a familiar voice was heard behind them. "Nice to see you kids all right!" They turned around, smiling brightly at the voodoo witch-doctor.

"Uncle Facilier!" Abby embraced her uncle in a hug.

"Hm. Sounds like I arrived in the nick of… _time_." Clockwork joked. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!…"

* * *

><p><strong>ARRRR-GEH! So, the teams finally meet. Next time, they'll introduce each other! Later!<strong>


	18. A Wreckful Drive

**Hello, everybody! The gangs finally meet! But first… here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Escape From Chicago! Rachel is the Hero of Time!<em>**

**The Fulbright House**

Mario carefully jumped Bowser's fireballs as the two held their epic clash upon the bridge above the boiling lava within the castle. Just as Bowser jumped, Mario quickly ran under to try and flip the switch that would make the bridge crumble, leading to Bowser's demise. But it was too late as Bowser came down and squashed the plumber flat, and the screen on the television read 'GAME OVER'.

"Aw, man! I'm never gonna beat Bowser!" Shaunie whined after failing the game. The 5-year-old stopped playing his game for a second, hearing a forceful knock at the door. "AHH!" he screamed when the door blew down, a squad of Stormtroopers marching in.

The boy quaked in fear as the leading Trooper held and read a sheet of paper. "Shaunie Frideric Fulbright: by order of Sith Lord Darth Genious, you are under arrest for assistance with the KND and crimes against evil."

"NO! ! I'M TOO YOUNG TO GO TO JAIL! PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME!" Shaunie begged, weeping on the floor.

"Alright, boys, take him in."

"HEYAH!"

"OOMPH!" The captain was suddenly knocked out by Mushi Sanban, jumping and kicking the back of his head. The other Stormtroopers were about to shoot her, but she flipped and kicked off more of them. Tommy Gilligan also appeared and beat the soldiers with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R..

Once they finished, Mushi grabbed Shaunie's arm and yelled, "Come on!", dragging the boy out of there.

"Ohhh…" one of the Stormtroopers groaned. "Seriously, why do we even need this armor? It can't even protect from bratty punches."

"We'll file a complaint to Brain later." The captain said. "For right now, let's go after those brats and-"

"Oh, 'ello, boys!" greeted Mrs. Fulbright, walking in with a tray of steaming chocolate chip cookies. "There's a whole bunch of cookies in the kitchen if you're hungry!"

"Oh boy, cookies!" The Stormtroopers cheered as they ran into the kitchen.

The three children kept running as Mushi dragged Shaunie, stopping as Tommy opened a sewer lid. "In here." Mushi instructed, leading him down the lid.

The three of them made their way to a secret underground hideout, the same one from before the battle against Malladus. There, they found several other kids: Sammy, Jessica, Joey, and, floating at the front of the room, Luvbi. "Ah, finally, thou art here. Taketh thine seats. We hath much to discuss."

Tommy and Mushi smiled and sat on some cardboard boxes, Shaunie doing the same, looking confused.

"Now… ast thou mayhap be wary, our fair world ist being invaded by beings most foul." Luvbi spoke. "Whilst Sector V and many others art on great adventure to yonder, 'tis up to us to provide assistance when needed! We must fighteth off these wicked beings and saveth our world!"

"Excuse me? Ms. Luvbi?" Jessica spoke. "Will we be hurting my daddy? He works for these guys and I'm worried about him."

"If we art fortunate, thy father wilt come out of this unharmed. Our first priority, however, wilt be to infiltrate an enemy stronghold."

"But how're we going to do that?" Tommy asked.

"A baba blaba boo!" Joey gibbered.

"Mmmm. Seemeth young Joey hath a plan." Right away, the baby Beatles led the small group to a secret passageway in the wall, leading down a staircase.

The children walked down the stairs before stopping and hiding as they watched Koopa soldiers throw supplies onto a train, led by Bowser Jr.. "Hurry up, guys! My dad and Kammy need all this junk to power our minions! That mean Mario guy might be here and we need to be ready!"

"What are they up to?" Shaunie asked.

"Some plan most foul." Luvbi guessed. "Let us stowaway in one of their crates. I feel that this train will taketh us further." The team of kids then snuck past the Koopas into a crate of Mushrooms. Two Koopatrols closed the crate and hauled it onto the back of the train.

"Uh… Luvbi?" Shaunie spoke.

"Yea?"

"Didn't you use to date that Harvey kid?"

"Sigh…. Yea." She sighed. "He and I hath broketh up. Right when I thought I found mine prince, he hast turned into toad and hopped away."

"Oh… sorry."

"Nay, doth not be. 'Tis no real worry anyhow. We must stay focused on task at hand and stop these foul ones."

"Do you think we'll be okay, Sammy?" Jessica asked, worriedly.

"Do not worry, Jessica. As long as we are together, nothing can stop us!" Sammy declared.

"All right! The Tommy is off on another adventure!" Tommy exclaimed.

"YAAAY!" Mushi cheered.

"Ahh, that's the last of 'em." Bowser Jr. sighed, loading the last crate. "Alright, all aboard. Let's shove off. Oh, and when we pass by the Forest of Darkness, no one wet their pants. I just cleaned this thing." With that, a Koopa driver pulled the rope and blew the whistle as Bowser Jr. got on and the train rode off.

**Chicago, Indiana**

"All right! We did it!" Tails exclaimed after their victory.

"Hehehe. That was sweet." Sonic said.

"We couldn't have done it without you guys." Nigel said, shaking Sonic's hand.

"No problem. I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I'm Nigel Uno. Numbuh 1 of the Kids Next Door."

"Huhuhu. Nice shades!"

"Wow, this weapon is incredible!" Tails exclaimed with wonder, holding the S.C.A.M.P.P.. "I've never seen a laser weapon work with this sort of material!"

"Thanks! I got tons others back home! Name's Hoagie Gilligan!" the chubby pilot introduced.

"My name's Miles Prower! But my friends call me by my nickname, Tails!"

"Hey, Tails, you should see my planes sometime."

"I LOVE planes!"

"'ey, Mate! Good fists on ya!" Wally said to Knuckles.

"Thanks." The echidna smiled. "My name is Knuckles. Unlike Sonic, I don't chuckle."

"Ah'm Wally Beatles!" The boy shook Knuckles' hand. "You and me should have a boxing match one day!"

"I won't miss that!"

"Wow! Great hammer!" Kuki said happily to Amy.

"Thank you. My name's Amy. Amy Rose."

"Hiya, Amy! My name's Kuki, but my friends call me Numbuh 3. I like your dress!"

"Thanks! Nice shirt!"

"Hey, girl! Nice boots." Abby said to Rouge.

"Thanks. I'm Rouge the Bat, but… you can call me Rouge."

"Call me Abby. I'm a spy."

"Really? So am I!"

Shadow was turned away as Rachel stood by him, thinking of what to say. "Uh… hey! I'm Rachel! I'm, uh… the KND leader."

"…Hmph. I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog. I am the ultimate life form."

"Cool!"

"Hiya!" Violet greeted Blaze. "My name's Violet McCleary! I'm a werecat!"

"Hm. I am Blaze. Blaze the Cat. Princess and Guardian of the Sol Emeralds."

"Nice vacuum." Fanny said to Luigi. "I'm Fanny."

"Hey, Fanny! I'm Luigi! This is my older, er, more famous brother, Mario."

"Oh ho ho ho." Mario still looked dizzy from the mushroom earlier.

"Poor Mario. My name's Princess Peach." The princess introduced. "And this is Toad."

"Hey!" the mushroom head waved.

"Wow! Nice dino!" Paddy complimented.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi thanked him.

"So, how did you guys get here?" Nigel asked.

"Funny story!" Sonic perked. "See, we-"

"Ahem." Clockwork coughed. "If I could have your attention… I am here to indulge some important info. First off, the Firstborn Spirit known as Celebi has been found by Nova, her Guardian."

"One of the Eight Firstborn has been found?" Sonya asked. "That's great!"

"Yes. In other news, Grim and Facilier have learned something important. If you would?"

"Ahem, first of all, Grim had to leave 'cause he had Underworld stuff ta do." Facilier spoke. "Said he can't hang around wit' these mortals forever. Anyway, we learn somethin' 'bout Ganondorf. Ages ago, Ganondorf was defeated and sent to the Underworld by a Legendary Hero, who wielded a powerful sword. The Master Sword. A'ight? Anyway, Grim and I learned that the Hero is the ancestor of… the McKenzie Family."

All eyes were now on Rachel, who looked shocked. "Y…You mean me?"

"The blood of the Hero runs within your veins." Clockwork said, changing to an old man. "The power of the Triforce of Courage dwells within you, just as the legendary sword has been in your possession."

"…You mean… Rachel has the Master Sword?" Nigel asked, finding this hard to believe.

"Indeed. In fact, she's been using it all this time."

"What? No I haven't. The only weapon I use is my staff." She said, holding up her Yield Staff.

"Really? And just what did the one who bestowed the staff say about its background?"

"Well… Chad gave it to me. Before I became leader. He said it was a weapon meant to be passed down from leader to leader."

"That's because it's been ordered by the very first leader, who wrote it in the Book of KND. When Numbuh Zero found the book, he read where it was stated. He told his successor, Robert McKenzie, to pass it to the leader after him, and so on. Because the spirits knew, eventually, the one who was descended from the Hero would one day hold the sword. And now that that time has come…" Clockwork held out his glowing right hand, "the sword will recognize its master."

Rachel held and stared at the staff as it started to glow a bright blue. Clockwork waved his hand as the staff flashed, turning into a silver sword with a dark blue hilt and a golden emblem. "Coool." Lee drew out as they all gaped.

"Heh hey! This is pretty awesome!" Rachel said, rubbing the smooth, shiny sword. She then felt the sword start to shake. "Hey. Wh-What- WHOA!" The sword immediately unleashed a glowing light ball that flew around the area before crashing on the ground before Rachel. (Play Fi's Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

The light formed together, becoming a strange, light-blue female spirit in a purple robe, who seemed to have blank eyes. The strange being stood up to face Rachel. _"I have been awaiting your call, Master."_

"Uh… who are you?"

_"My name is Fi. I am the Spirit of the Master Sword. Eons ago, I assisted the Great Hero in vanquishing the evil demon. When his journey was complete, I was sealed inside the Master Sword. When the kingdom where the sword had been forged was long since forgotten, the sword had taken the form of a Yield sign. After thousands of years of eternal rest, I am finally awake to serve my master's descendent, with the newly revitalized Master Sword."_

"So I have my own spirit servant now? Aw, baby!" Rachel cheered.

"Cool!" Wally exclaimed. "Let me have a swing at it!" Wally was about to take the sword when- "AAAAHHHHH!" It gave him a blinding shock. "Uhhh…" he groaned, covered in soot.

"Don't take what isn't yours, Wally!" Angie scolded, Charlotte laughing.

_"As you might infer from the short Australian's shock, the sword can only be held by the Hero's descendants."_

"'EY! I am not short!"

_"I calculate an 80% chance that you are shorter than most 10-year-olds."_

"Alright, that's it! I'm gonna-" Wally punched the spirit dead in the stomach, only for his face to freeze from the pain in his knuckles. "….YOOOOOOWWWWWW!"

_"I forgot to inquire that my skin is made of 90% pure diamond, so any punching attacks will likely be ineffective."_

"Ohhh…" He fainted.

_"Moving on, I am quite gifted with intelligence about the world around you. If you should require any helpful hints, I await your call, Master."_ With that, she jumped back in the sword. (End song.)

"…Hehe… this day's been full of surprises, huh?" Rachel chuckled.

"The Master Sword is the blade of evil's bane." Clockwork said. "Holding it, you hold incredible power in your hands. But, as with all beings, power comes in light and darkness, so you must learn to control it. The power of Darkness can come in any shape and form. Tell me: Did you not see the black shadow that rose from Harvey's form?"

"You mean that black, bald kid?" Sonya asked.

"That was Phantom Gnaa. An evil spirit that makes up Gnaa's Darkness. Phantom Gnaa is the incarnation of Darkness that Gnaa has endured throughout the years, mixed into a body of its own that now serves as Gnaa's only friend."

"Wow… that's kinda sad." Morgan frowned.

Clockwork nodded. "And people who rely on Darkness will only live in Darkness."

"But why does Lord Gnaa need Harvey as his vessel?" Rachel asked.

"Harvey and Lord Gnaa share a similar darkness. They both feel betrayed and mocked by people around them. Gnaa sensed this darkness and was able to mend Harvey's soul with his own when he was thrown into the Well of Shadows. Gnaa was able to take control of Harvey's body, and manipulate him to his will."

"But… what does Morgan have to do with it?" Nigel asked.

"Hmm…" Clockwork smiled, changing to a baby. "All will be revealed… in time."

"Ugh. Figured." Jagar whined.

"Well, can you at least tell us where to go now?" Nigel asked.

"I know one thing: I wanna master our psychic powers." Buddy said.

"Totally." Athena said. "I mean, with all THIS going on… can anyone help?"

"I have a suggestion:" Clockwork spoke. "His name is Mewtwo. He lives on an island called New Island, out in the middle of the ocean. He is an ancient psychicbending master, and the most powerful of all. He will be an excellent teacher for the 4 of you."

"We can take the _Old Orleans_!" Facilier perked up. "Mah yacht's faster than ANY in the port!"

"Another sea adventure? I'm in!" Eva agreed.

"Aw, that'll be RIPPER, Mate! Cap'n Marine out on another wild adventure!" Marine exclaimed.

"Uh-huh… so, do you guys know Marine?" Nigel asked Sonic.

"Aw, of COURSE they do, Mate!" Marine said, wrapping an arm around Sonic's head. "Me mates, Sonic and Tails 'ere are what got me on my great adventures! Thanks to them, I'm the great adventurer you see today!"

"Ugh… so how do _you_ know her?" Sonic asked.

"Uh, we'll tell you about it later." Nigel replied.

"Right." Morgan nodded. "Let's just get onto Facilier's yacht, go to New Island, and-" She stopped when they felt rumbling, everyone looking around.

"WOOHOOOO! !" The team dodged to the side as a massive black semi-truck, with a large rectangular box; which had a "G" symbol, on the back, flew overhead, landing and turning around, parking beside the team.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Boba Fett exclaimed, popping out of the box, shooting electric ropes at The Quads that stunned and zapped them. Some Cop Cars sped up to them, the police running out as they grabbed and threw the siblings into the crate, shutting it tight.

Driving the huge truck were none other than the Eds themselves. "Forget train driving." Eddy said. "This truck business is where the money is, baby!"

"Um, Eddy, what cargo are we carrying again?" Double D asked.

"Ah, I dunno. They said some animals, I think. Ahem, okay, boys! Let's haul these babies back to GUN H.Q.!"

"I hope we're carrying chickens, guys! Uh hu huah hu!" Ed laughed, and with that, the huge truck sped off.

"Catch you down the open road, kids! Ahh ha ha ha!" Boba laughed, sitting atop the truck and waving.

"They're taking them to their headquarters!" Shadow exclaimed.

"We have to help them!" Nigel yelled.

"Patience." Clockwork spoke, switching to his normal form. "Someone has it covered."

Noah Heart watched from her window as the truck drove away with her friends. She immediately ran downstairs, finding her mom doing taxes at the living room table, seeing her car keys on the counter. She grabbed them and quickly said, "Mom, I'm taking the car to save my friends from the police." before running out.

"Okay, just be back by… wait, what-"

Noah hopped into her baby-blue Camaro, starting the car up, backing out of the driveway, and shouting, "I'M COMING, BUDDY!", as she chased after the truck. (Play the "Classic City Escape" Theme from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Stage 14: City Retreat_

_Mission: Chase after and rescue The Quads!_

Noah Heart chased the massive truck, leaving the outskirts and entering the city. "Oh no you don't!" Boba Fett said, spotting Noah and standing up, trying to shoot the blue car, but Noah swerved and avoided.

"This'll be easy going, boys!" Eddy exclaimed, driving the truck with sunglasses on.

Edd looked in the side mirror, seeing the blue car chasing them. "Um, Eddy… it seems someone doesn't want us to get there."

"Ah, relax. We'll get 'em. Stop it, Ed!"

"I'm an upchuck!" Ed said. He laughed goofily as he dropped things out of the truck, such as a vase, a club, a desk, a piano, but Noah dodged them.

"Ahh… time to ditch it!" With that, Eddy quickly turned the large truck down a corner to the side.

"WHOA!" Boba yelled, nearly falling off from the momentum. Noah only continued straight ahead, looking for a way to ambush the truck. But right away, it came back down another road, getting behind and chasing the Camaro.

"HAHA! This oughta ram ya!" Eddy shouted, smirking.

Noah looked worried as the GUN Truck got closer. She saw the autopilot switch in the car, pressing it, then rolling out, the truck passing by and chasing only the car. "Phew." She sighed, standing and brushing herself. She heard sirens and looked back to see a bunch of Cop Cars coming over. She ran ahead, but some cars were coming from there, too.

The cops stopped and got out of their cars, running to grab the girl. Noah only punched and kicked as she ran from them. They tried to shoot her, but she ducked and kicked them some more. She was encountered by a fat cop with yellow skin, who said, "Alright, little girl, ride's over."

Noah only smirked as she proceeded to crawl under him.

"Ah, aw, no, don't do that." The fat cop said, unable to bend down. "I can't bend down enough to reach-" His pants then slid down. "Aw, noo! My keys…"

Noah kept running down the street to a highway bridge. A voice screamed from the distance, _"SLOW DOWN, ED!"_

_"I don't know how to drive, Eddy!"_ Noah looked to the left to see the large truck flying over some buildings. The girl immediately ran to the other side of the highway bridge as the truck landed and ran over the whole bridge. When she kept going, some Laser Hunter robots landed and tried shooting her, but she ran and slid under their shields, kicking off their legs.

When she made it to another crossroad, she saw her Camaro speeding down a hill to the left, jumping in when it passed, then driving it herself. She rode over a highway going around, looking to see Boba Fett to the right, standing on the large truck below the highway, firing five missiles at the girl. Noah boosted the car as the missiles gained close behind her, but they ended up bumping sides and exploding themselves, allowing Noah to keep going.

As she continued, the truck came up a hill to the right, chasing after the girl again. She decided to turn on the autopilot again, hopping out right and rolling down a rough hill, finding herself at a construction site. She ran toward the construction tower and got on a steel beam which a crane lifted and stuck onto the building.

_"Ed, you don't even know how to drive!"_ Eddy shouted from the distance.

_"I thought YOU were driving, Eddy!"_ Edd replied.

_"Guess not! WHOOAAA!" _The huge truck flew over some more buildings and landed at the construction site, speeding and running over the bottom part of the steel building, making it shorter as Noah fell to the ground. She watched as the Eds turned the truck around the building, then around again coming toward it. She saw two vertical beams close together and decided to Wall Jump up them, getting to a higher area before another section was run over, the building sinking.

The truck was making another round, so Noah climbed a rope hanging down, reaching another section before the truck ran over the lower one, sinking the building more. Some floating GUN Beetles made a staircase to the top section, so Noah kicked off the military drones and reached the top of the tower (which was now very shortened).

Just before the truck could ram the rest of it over, Noah grabbed onto a crane's hook, hauling her up and carrying her to a cliff where a skate park was. She saw a skateboard on the ground and jumped on, skating and grinding a rail down some stairs. She rolled into one of the skating ditches, dodging several skateboarders as she went into a tunnel, flying out at the other side, where there she saw tons of stairs going down a hill, several turns along the way.

She landed on the rail and proceeded to grind down the long staircase, ducking any GUN Beetles that flew or shot toward her. After reaching the bottom, she saw her Camaro drive by, jumping off her board and into the driver's seat, driving down another street. (Play the "City Escape Truck Chase" Theme from _Generations_!)

"YEEEEHAAAWWWW!" Noah looked behind in horror and sped the car even faster as the truck came after her at high speed, with three saws at the front. "Let's see if you can dodge THIS!" Eddy shouted, pressing a button, making the center saw try and slice her, but she moved left. Eddy pressed another button, making the left saw try and slice her.

As Noah avoided the saws, Boba Fett flew over her with a trashcan, dumping various things in front of her which she also had to avoid. She was coming up to a line of Cop Cars, but she drove up a ramp, flying right over, the GUN Truck following close behind.

The large truck then started firing lasers, burning along the ground, following Noah as she drove away from it, while dodging the chainsaws. Boba Fett shot missiles that she narrowly dodged, then proceeded dropping more trash. "Bah." Eddy grumbled, pushing a button and switching on some boost rockets. Noah went at full speed, but the truck came even faster. "End of the line, blondie!"

However, the Eds' expressions turned to pure horror when they saw Boba Fett dump out a banana peel.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The massive truck slipped on the tiny banana peel, flipping upside down and scraping along the ground. The truck flipped again and started rapidly spinning vertically, with the front and back hitting the ground. As a result, the door on the back of the box forced open, causing The Quads to fall out, landing safely on the ground.

The truck then scraped along its side, sliding over to a towering hotel building. "WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! ! !" the Eds' screams echoed across the city.

Cleveland Brown, taking a bath in that hotel at the time, looked out the window in horror as the truck approached. "Oh no! Why does this always have to hap-" But before he could finish, the truck collided with the tower, erupting in a massive explosion that took the whole tower down.

"Ssss-oohhh… WELL-P, Ah'm out." Boba Fett admitted defeat, flying away immediately.

"Ohhhhh…" the Eds groaned, dizzy and covered with soot after the explosion.

"Grrrrr!" The Eds gulped at a naked and angry Cleveland Brown, glaring at them.

"AAHHH!"

"COME BACK HERE!" the naked man yelled, chasing the cowering Eds down the streets.

Noah immediately drove over to her friends as they brushed off. "Are you guys okay?"

"Great! Thanks for saving us, Noah!" Buddy thanked.

"No problem! But just one more thing…" she said, getting out of the car and walking to Buddy.

"OW!" he yelped when she slapped him.

"Told you I was gonna beat you!" The girls just laughed as Buddy rubbed his arm. (Stop the music.)

Soon, the rest of the gang ran over and accompanied them. "Nice work, guys!" Tails exclaimed.

"Boy, you kids are somethin'." Knuckles said.

"Hey, what's that?" Sophie pointed to a light-blue glow in the spot where the truck exploded.

Shadow immediately ran to it, finding a light-blue gem. "A Chaos Emerald!" he exclaimed, picking it up.

"Guess GUN had it with them." Rouge figured.

"What are Chaos Emeralds?" Hoagie asked.

"A waste of gems if you ask me." At this, they turned to the time spirits. "Chaos Emeralds are SOO easy to find." Olive said. "It's hard to believe there're only seven."

"But the Chaos Emeralds are magical gems." Amy replied. "They're full of light and make people happy!"

"What she says is true." They turned their attention to Clockwork. "The Chaos Emeralds are a perfect example of using Light or Darkness. For a while now, they have been used for both purposes. And while their power is nothing compared to that of the Firstborn, they are still quite strong."

"Well, aren't YOU the knower of EVERYTHING?" At this voice, they immediately looked to the top of a building, spotting Lehcar, Scar, and Harvey smirking down at them. The three child villains leapt down, landing flat on their feet.

"Harvey!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Harvey's gone. I'm blessed with the awesome power of Negatar Gnaa! Thanks to him, I can be somebody, instead of the kid everybody picks on."

"Well, at least NOW we have a good reason to pick on you." Angie retorted. "OW!" Sonya smacked her.

"Harvey, please. I know we have our struggles sometimes, but you're still our friend. Please come back to us." Sonya pleaded.

"For-get it. Besides: Lehcar makes a MUCH better sister than _Rachel_ ever will."

"You hear that, Rach?" Lehcar smiled proudly. "Your brother likes ME over YOU now. But don't worry. You can have Yevrah."

"Give him back!" Rachel demanded, drawing her Master Sword and aiming at her Negative.

Lehcar gave a loud, shocked gasp. "The Master Sword! But… I thought it was lost forever..."

"Heh. I just found it." Rachel smirked.

"…" Lehcar shook it off. "Heh. No matter. The Dark Master will STILL be victorious."

"And speaking of which, he has a little message for you." Scarlet said. "Oh, Yllaw?"

They all jumped around as Yllaw held and aimed a Darkness Cannon. "Have a little look at your DARK side!" With that, the short boy charged the cannon, aimed at Morgan, and FIRED, hitting the girl clear in the chest, knocking her out.

"MORGAN!" Athena yelled.

"AH HA HA HA!" Yllaw cackled as he went over by Harvey and the girls, running away with them.

"We gotta go after them!" Sonya shouted.

"But what about New Island?" Eva asked.

"We have to split up." Rachel said. "I'll go after my brother."

"That Lehcar seems familiar somehow." Shadow said. "I will accompany you."

"I'm with Shadow." Rouge said.

"I'm with Rachel." Fanny said.

"Fanny." Patton followed.

"We're coming, too." Sonya said, nodding with Sector W.

"Yeah, I mean… it's up to the friends of a jerk to teach the jerk a lesson." Charlotte remarked.

"The rest of you will take Facilier's boat to New Island." Rachel told them.

"Rachel? Shouldn't we stick together?" Nigel asked.

"There are times when all close friends have no choice but to divide." Clockwork said. "But never fear. Your paths will cross again."

Rachel walked over to Nigel. "It won't be for long, Nigel." And kissed him on the lip. The Brit only blushed.

"Great! Then le's get on wit' the adventure, you lot!" Marine exclaimed. Their ears perked when they heard more sirens.

"And we better move quick." Rachel suggested.

"Your paths have been chosen, and your destinies upon you." Clockwork said. "Good luck." With that, the Time Ghost opened a portal and drifted in.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Rachel asked.

"You guys go." Jagar said. "I've got my own matters to attend to." With that, he started to walk off.

Misty and Olive exchanged confused glances and followed him. "Um… where are you going?" Misty asked.

"Clockwork said we had to-" Olive tried to say.

"Deliver the Spirit Balls to the Guardians and bring these guys to The Quads, I know. But we only found _one_ of the Guardians, and have no idea who the other ones are. Clockwork is the only one who does, and he won't tell us." Jagar sounded furious. "If he's not gonna help us with our job, I ain't gonna do it. I'm doing my own thing right now. So, are you with me or not?"

The girls just exchanged another glance and decided to follow him.

That's when the Cop Cars arrived and surrounded the kids. "Alright: you're all under arrest." The chief spoke.

"Herrrrrre we GOOOO!" At that instant, Mario and Luigi sped over a ramp in their convertible, Beckah in the back seat. The car landed and the two brothers proceeded to attack the cops. Mario took some of their guns and shot at the military robots. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE! !"

"Time to go. Good luck, Nigel." Rachel said before she and her group ran in the direction of Harvey.

Violet was about to join Nigel's group, but saw Bruce heading the other way. "Bruce, where are you going? ?"

"I'm going to help Father watch after Natsume." He answered. "I'll call my team in for support. I mean… we can't trust Father, right?" he winked.

Violet sighed, but agreed with his decision. "Oookay…" She ran over to engage in a kiss real quick, and then letting go. "Good luck, Bruce." He nodded as she ran off.

Some cops tried to grab The Quads, but Beckah ran and kicked the back of their heads, knocking them out. "Where my siblings go, I go."

"Come on. Help us carry Morgan." Buddy said as they lifted their sister.

Facilier jumped in front of them as the cops surrounded. "RAHH!" the voodoo man threw down a smoke bomb, engulfing the gang in pink smoke. When it cleared, they were long gone.

As the cops searched around confusedly, Natsume and Father stood and watched, alongside Bruce. "Well… it was only a matter of time." The woman said.

"Heh. You know what they say about destiny." Benedict replied.

"I knew this was going to happen… I just hope they'll be okay. I mean; they're only just kids."

"Hehehe. In that case, they'll be perfectly fine. Trust me."

"Even HE knows it." Bruce winked at them.

"Hm hm hm. That's a fine nephew you have there." Natsume said. "I trust they're safe with him."

"Well, when you saved the world several times… it's hard not to trust you."

**With Lehcar and Scar**

At this time, Lehcar, Scar, Harvey, and Yllaw were a good distance away from the city, looking back. "With that Master Sword… Father may be in real danger." Lehcar said. She then noticed Harvey panting. "…Are you okay, Harvey?"

_"…I'm fine. Now that Morgan has been hit with the Darkness Cannon… I am even closer to my goal."_

"Oh. Very good." Lehcar smiled. "Now let's keep going. We'll cut through the circus Mumbo Jumbo has set up ahead."

_"Good. I fear in the presence of his old friends, Harvey may be able to break free. Keep me away from them as MUCH as possible. Let's go!"_ And with that, the four villains continued off. But it was then Lord Gnaa thought of something: _"Where the heck is Rumpel Stiltskin?"_

**Playground Ruins**

Rumpel Stiltskin and his witches were still frozen in time at the Playground Ruins after Olive's little trick, with a floating magic clock counting down. Right when it was at zero… "VRA!" Rumpel finally yelled his Killing Curse and fired at nothing. "What the… CRAP! We got frozen!"

"Geh. Cursed time spirit." A witch complained.

"What'll we do now?" another witch asked.

Rumpel pondered for a moment, then smiled mischievously. "I think it's time to visit an old friend…"

* * *

><p><strong>Aye-aye-AYE, this was the longest one YET! Next time, the journey to New Island!... plus other things! Heh heh, see you then!<strong>


	19. Battle in the Skies

**I wonder how Nolan and his gang are doing?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Meet Ghirahim! Battle in the Sahara's Skies!<em>**

_Morgan awoke and found herself in a realm of darkness. "Where am I?"_

_"Relax, my dear. You are in no danger."_

_"Huh?" She turned around to see a pitch-black bald child, giving an evil smile._

_"It is I… Negatar Gnaa. I have been dying to speak with you, Morgie."_

_"You… you're the Dark Master."_

_"Yes." Gnaa approached. "But not the real one. This is merely a vision you are having due to the Darkness Cannon."_

_"Darkness Cannon?"_

_"An invention of my own creation. I forged them with the help of Dr. Eggman. He designed the cannon, and I infused them with my own darkness. When someone is hit by a Darkness Cannon, they are shown a vision of their inner darkness, slowly manipulating them to come to the Dark Side. But you, Morgie… I designed this one specifically so we could talk."_

_"Talk?"_

_"I won't deny that I am a master of pure evil. But I would prefer you see me, not as a monster… but as a friend."_

_"Friend?"_

_"I have been watching you for a long time, my dear. Having no friends, growing up as a child. I was just the same way… until I discovered the true potential my powers could have. I have met with my inner darkness and became friends with it, and it helped me become the powerful being you see today. I was able to take my revenge on all those fools who opposed me… and you can, too."_

_"Me?"_

_"Yes..." He began drifting around her. "I sense great power in you, Morgie. No doubt the power of Malladus Uno, my favorite deity. You have been tormented your whole life because of your power, but you can become so much more! Just stand by my side…"_

_She looked away. "I…I don't know. I mean… what about my family? And the Kids Next Door?"_

_"All those wretched fools will meet their ends. Ordinary humans like them don't deserve a fair place in a world with beings like _us. _But I see you need time to gather your thoughts. I have other matters to attend to. I'll see you again, Morgie." And with that, the vision faded._

"MORGAN!"

The girl immediately gasped awake, on a bed in a white room with her siblings. "Buddy? Guys, where are we?"

"We're on Facilier's boat." Athena said.

"We escaped from the military police and now we're going to New Island." Sophie followed.

"We had to carry you, too, so you better be grateful. It'll take forever to clean these cooties off." Buddy said, wittingly.

"UGGH!" Morgan shot up, and Buddy immediately ran as she chased.

They ran outside to the deck where everyone else was, and the gang watched as Morgan tackled her brother, the two starting to battle each other. Abby walked over, split them up, and said, "Ahhh, break it up, you two."

"Fighting resolves nothing." Blaze stated.

"He started it." Morgan pointed.

"Prove it." Buddy smirked.

"Uugh. I'm just going to hang out with my cousins." With that, she walked beside Nigel and Eva, standing at the railing.

"Hm hm." Nigel chuckled. "You two fight a lot?"

"Hehe, yes. It's become pretty typical in our family. We fight each other, we leave bruises, cause property damage… just the days in the life of a family of freaks."

"Well, what can you do. You should see the fights me and Eva have."

"Assuming he doesn't want to risk humiliation for when I beat him." Eva remarked.

"Grrrr." Nigel growled.

"Hey, guys!" Beckah suddenly ran out, holding a strange ball. "I found this ball in Jagar's sleeping bag! He must've left it."

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

"Jagar said something about Spirit Balls before he left." Nigel said. "You think this might be one of them?"

"Hm, looks pretty." Eva said, taking and holding it. "This'd make a nice earring…"

"Hey, Morg, wanna check the rest of the ship out?" Beckah asked.

"Sure!" The two sisters ran off.

"Now that she mentions it, we never got breakfast." Eva remembered. "Wanna get some grub? Facilier's is actually pretty tasty."

"Sounds fine by me!" Nigel perked. The two walked to the kitchen, and Nigel asked, "You think Rachel will be okay?"

"Sure she will! Heck, she's got her own spirit helper! Even Lehcar doesn't have that!"

"Heh heh, yeah, she doesn't!"

**Mumbo Madness**

Lehcar, Harvey, Scarlet, and Yllaw arrived outside of a large amusement park. At this time, Harvey was unconscious, so Lehcar was forced to carry him. "Huuuu… we made it." Lehcar panted.

"Ehhh, not for long. Your bratty opposite's still probably on our tail." Yllaw panted.

"Where are we taking this brat, anyway?" Scarlet asked.

"Ganondorf has ordered we bring Harvey to the Rocky Mountains, where they'll pick us up. We're supposed to cut through this amusement park so Mumbo can keep them distracted."

"Nothing more distracting than a park. But what was that sword Rachel had?"

"It was the Master Sword. And if _Rachel_ has it, my father will be in trouble. We must find the one who holds the Triforce of Wisdom, so that when all three pieces are together, Father will be able to use the Triforce and regain his powers."

"Well, what are we worried about Rachel for?" Yllaw asked. "I mean, you've got that Devil Sword or whatever. Isn't that supposed to be the Master Sword's opposite?"

"Hm… you're right." Lehcar drew out her sword and stared at it. "But still… what good is it when even _I'm_ not sure of its powers. What the-" All of a sudden, the sword erupted in a dark red light, unleashing a red energy ball that flew around before landing before Lehcar. (Cue Ghirahim's Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_!)

A strange figure emerged from the ball: a slim man with pure white skin, white hair, purple lips, and a red cape. The being stood straight up, turning around to face the three surprised kids, taking a huge whiff through his nose. "Sniiiiiff. Ah, the sweet smell of freedom. Oh, how I longed to be free of that cursed sword. Oh, how I LONGED… to taste the feeling of hate and anger."

"Who…Who are you?" Lehcar asked.

The strange man bowed. "I am the great Spirit of the Devil's Sword, the Demon Lord. You may call me… Ghirahim."

"Ghirahim?"

The demon stood up. "And YOU… you are the new holder of the Devil's Sword. A pleasure to meet you… my master."

"Master?" Scar asked.

"I can feel it. The power of rage, hate, and anger dwells within you. Your lust for power is unparalleled. Truly, you are the master I awaited all these years."

"Hehehe." Lehcar grinned. "Well, I am pretty great, aren't I?"

"Most certainly. But the fact I have been awakened… means the Master Sword has been found."

"Oh, it has." Lehcar replied, snarkily. "My worthless opposite found it somehow. With it, she can be even stronger."

"Heh heh ha ha ha ha heh heh. Ah, yes, but you can be JUST as strong… if not stronger, with my help. As you know, the Devil's Sword is the Master Sword's opposite. But all the Master Sword's spirit has is knowledge. I come fully trained and thirsty for blood. On your command, Master, I will gladly kill. My anger has been FUELING me during that long time in that sword! It is ready to be unleashed."

The three villains smirked wickedly. "With our own spirit servant… our chances increase. Father will be most pleased at this."

"I'd hate to be on the bad side of you right now." Yllaw said, frightfully. The four's evil laughter echoed across the heavens. (Stop the music.)

**Africa; the Pride Lands**

It was currently high noon over the African savannah, which it was safe to assume those were the Pride Lands. Nolan and his two partners were finally awake and yawning, the shade from the tree blocking them from the sun. "Boy, I haven't slept that well in ages." Danika yawned.

"We need to get stranded in these kinds of place more often." April agreed.

Nolan scratched the back of his neck as Dani stood up and slipped on her jacket. "Dani… I'm sorry about last night."

"Hm?" Dani looked at her partner sitting on the ground, giving a small smile. "Don't worry about it." She said, helping him back into his chair. "You're still my best friend, right?"

"Hehe… right." He smiled.

"…Hey, you have a little something…" She began, noticing the goo on his face.

Nolan felt it and remembered, "Oh, uh… the monkey… kinda woke up and… I dunno."

Danika scooped the goo on her fingers and stuck her fingers in her mouth, licking it off. "Mmm… tasty."

Nolan only gave a wide blush.

"Hey, guys!" April exclaimed, jumping and waving her arms outside the tree.

Dani rolled Nolan out as they looked up at the sky to see a ship was landing. "There you guys are! How'd you wind up out here?" Gary the Stormtrooper called.

"Gary! Dan! You made it!" Nolan called back.

The ship landed on the ground and allowed the three to step in. "Where are the poisonbenders?" Danika asked as they took off.

"They landed someplace else." Gary said. "Ganondorf already found them."

"Good." Danika sighed, relieved her brother was okay.

"Let's get back to the base as soon as-" Nolan was about to say.

"Uh-oh! We have a problem." Dan said, spotting several red dots on their radar. "KND operatives. They must've found the base and planned an invasion. They got this whole place surrounded."

"The villains are fighting back at least." Gary reported.

They looked outside and saw the KND Armada ahead, in a deadly, midair brawl against Brotherhood villains. _"Come on, BOYYS! Send these Brotherhood wimps straight to Sanzu!"_ Numbuh 20,000 exclaimed.

"Gah. Help me up there." Nolan said, opening the side door. Danika and April helping him onto the ship's left wing. "Time to have us a little vengeance! Let's get 'em!" (Play the "Levitated Ruin" Theme from _Sonic and the Secret Rings_!)

_Stage 15: Sahara Skies_

_Mission: Break through the KND Armada!_

Gary and Dan drove the ship forward as Nolan took aim at the 2x4 ships. _"We got another one, boys! Take 'em down!"_ 20,000 ordered from his flagship.

"Ha. In your dreams." Nolan taunted as some kids on jetpacks flew over, shooting S.C.A.M.P.P.s at them. Nolan locked onto the ops and fired missiles, easily taking them out of the sky. More kids came by, rapidly shooting G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A.s, but Nolan fired his own built-in gun and took them out.

A S.C.A.M.P.E.R. flew by and launched several missiles, but Nolan countered with his own missiles before shooting the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. down. Three S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.s were headed their way, but Nolan locked on all three and took them out. When some kids on hang gliders flew by, they were suddenly shot down by Gizmo, flying with his mechanical wings. "You kids are such losers!" the brat taunted.

"Let's go!" Nolan exclaimed, the girls grabbing on as he launched a grappling hook from his chair, latching onto a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. and hauling them on its roof. Some soldiers climbed on top and tried to shoot them, but Danika used Shadow Veil and slid over to them to kick them off. Cheshire slithered into the pilot's seat, grabbed the pilot, and sent him screaming and falling.

The three of them hopped over atop a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. before the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. crashed as more operatives on jetpacks flew over and shot at them, but April used her psionic blasts to knock them away. Ahead of them, they saw Mad Mod, inside a flying Britbot, fighting off more ops. Nolan aimed his missiles and shot the kids down. The British madman twirled his cane and sent other Britbots to make bridges from atop their S.C.A.M.P.E.R. over to other ones. The three villains went over the Britbot bridges over a series of S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s, shooting down other KND ops.

The last S.C.A.M.P.E.R. barrel-rolled them off, but they landed safely on Control Freak's flying remote. Danika then grabbed hold of them and used Shadow Glide to fly and take out more operatives with jetpacks. They finally landed on a flagship (which was designed like the ship where they had the treaty signing). The three ran over the massive ship as Teen Ninjas were fighting off operatives, taking some kids out.

They reached the control room of the flagship, where several operatives, led by Numbuh 48-Flavors, were fighting The Steve and Punk Rocket, who both launched sonic waves from guitars. Danika slid over and sliced the brats' weapons before kicking them out. April dodged as 48-Flavors shot at her, but she used her powers to give him a headache and cease, allowing Nolan to catch him in a net and stun him.

Punk Rocket grabbed the netted boy and said, "Oi, finally! Le's blow this joint, Steve!"

"You betcha! This is totally gonna blow them away! LITERALLY!" With that, both villains turned up the volume and strummed their guitars, blowing a massive sonic wave that split the ship in two, making both parts tilt down. Steve and Punk Rocket hopped on their guitars and flew away, carrying 48-Flavors.

Dani, Nolan, and April slid down and fell, but landed back on Gary and Dan's ship, proceeding to fly further. _"Sir! They've taken out one of our flagships!"_

_"Ahhh! Send these villains to their DOOOOM!"_ 20,000 cried.

More S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.s flew by and fired missiles, but Nolan still countered with his own, and the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.s were shot down by Teen Ninjas' bikes. Gary's ship kept going until it was above Stickybeard's flying ship, the _Sweet Victory_, the three villains hopping off and landing on the deck. Candy Pirates and Hungry Men were in combat against operatives, so Team Brotherhood helped them out. Robin Food and Stickybeard were clashing against Numbuhs 34 and 42, but Danika slithered by and knocked 34 out. 42 was about to shoot her, but Cheshire emerged and screeched, scaring him. The boy cried and ran away.

They saw Dodgeball Wizard launching a barrage of dodgeballs at Numbuh 78, who was on a jetpack as she swiftly avoided. Nolan launched a grappling hook around her legs, detached his end of the rope, and April tied it around a cannon, shoving it off, the weight forcing Angelie downwards.

They saw a TIE Fighter zoom by, so Nolan latched another hook onto it, the girls holding onto him as they flew off, hanging from the TIE Fighter. The ship dropped them onto a large Yokian ship, where several Yokian soldiers fought against the operatives using electric spears. April used her powers once again and hurt the kids' minds, allowing the Yokians to shock and stun them. They saw King Goobot trying to battle Eggbert, who had an egg gun. Danika just cartwheeled over and sliced the boy's weapon before kicking him off.

Professor Calamitous flew by in his mech suit and grabbed the three in its arms, dropping them off on another KND flagship. They found some KND bikers battling some Girl Troops, pedaling fast on their bikes as the girls failed to shoot them. Danika tossed her daggers and cut the bikes' wheels, allowing the girls to Girlify the boys. The three made it to the control room where Numbuh 10-Speed was fighting Margie. Danika tossed a dagger and stuck him to the wall, and Lance screamed as Margie shot him with a Girlifyer, making him female. Some Girl Troops came in on jetpacks as Margie hit the ship's self-destruct, splitting it in two as the troops carried her and the now-female Lance away.

Dani, Nolan, and April fell out, landing back on Gary's ship. "Great work, you three!" Gary congratulated.

"Let's go for the last one!" Dan suggested.

_"S-S-SIR! ! They've taken out another flagship!"_

Numbuh 20,000 was struck speechless. _"…ALRIGHT! You guys want a fight? ! COME GET SOME!"_

_"Wh-What? ? Y-You-"_

The villains' ship charged for the gargantuan flagship, designed like a conch shell. Some SKWID Squad ships came their way and launched fast missiles, but Nolan locked on and took them out like before, afterward destroying the ships. Soon, their ship landed on a runway on the side of the flagship, the three villains charging forward.

The KND scientists were now in large mechs, but Mammoth, Atlas, and Adonis were fighting them. Danika simply slithered into the robots and sliced them from inside while Nolan blasted them, leaving the muscular villains to throw them off. They were about to head into the flagship, but the entrance was guarded by Numbuh 71.562 inside a bigger mech. Thankfully, Steamroller and INSTIGATOR landed on the ship, easily ripping the robot to shreds, grabbing the squirming boy by the shirt collar and jumping off.

The others proceeded into the ship and fought off many SKWID Squad troops as they made their way through. After fighting their way through, they nearly reached the captain's room, but Numbuhs 58 and 59 dropped from the ceiling, aiming their guns. "Well, lookee here. The boy that caused it all." Doug observed.

"Having fun with your new freak friends?" Gwen asked smugly.

"Out of the way, you two." Nolan demanded.

"No. We're taking you in for decommissioning." Doug declared.

"Oh yeah? Let's see what my 'freak friends' have to say about that. Get 'em, girls!" With that, Danika slid over and cut Doug's weapon while April ran and kicked Gwen's away. Both girls grabbed the operatives and bashed their heads into one-another, knocking them out. "You two take them away. I'll deal with Mr. Loudmouth." The girls nodded and Danika used Shadow Glide to fly them out through a window with the operatives.

Nolan shot a missile and blasted down the door, rolling into the captain's room where Numbuh 20,000 turned worriedly to him. "So… this is it! The battle to end all battles is finally here! I, Numbuh 20,000, will fight 'til the last man! And I will never stop until you and ALL your lackies are out of this-" Nolan simply shot a tranquilizer dart, making him stop. "Oh-weeee, mommyyyyy." He fainted.

"Well, that was easy." Nolan said, rolling over and grabbing the child. He saw the self-destruct button and proceeded to press it.

_"Self-destruct in T-minus 60 seconds. 60. 59. 58…"_ Nolan immediately rolled them out of there as the place flashed red. He saw SKWID Squad operatives screaming and flying out of there. When he got back to the runway, the remaining scientists and other Brotherhood villains began to retreat as Nolan hurried to the ship.

"Hurry!" Danika called.

_"10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5…"_ Nolan panted as he rolled his wheels faster, their ship already beginning to lift off. _"3… 2… 1…"_ Dani stood in the doorway, reaching her arms down for Nolan to grab with his left hand, holding the wheelchair with his right. _"Would the owner of a Black Corolla; oh, never mind. Zero."_

The massive conch shell erupted in a huge explosion, and the villains immediately hurried out of there.

"EVERYONE! RETREAT!" An operative yelled, immediately flying away with the others.

"YEEEAAAHHH!" the villains roared, high-fiving and nudging each other.

"Haw, yeah!" Gary and Dan cheered, high-fiving.

"Phew. Let's get back to base." Nolan sighed, and with that, the Brotherhood Base was in sight, the villain armada flying closer with victory. (Stop the music.)

**Final Brain; arena chamber**

"A most noble effort, Kids Next Door." Darth Genious spoke as he slowly strolled past the captured operatives, who were sitting on a treadmill in an enormous arena-like chamber. Mallah, Madame Rouge, and Immortus watched them as Brain spoke. "But I'm afraid your invasion was all naught." He then turned to the Brotherhood villains, who were bowing their heads downward. "And congratulations to all of you. We won a great battle thanks to you villains."

Nolan slowly looked back up when he felt Brain approach him.

"This makes up for your past failure, Dear Nolan. You have been a fine operative during your time here…"

"It was my pleasure. I wanted to have my revenge."

"And you got it, just as I promised. You may very well be… the apprentice I've been looking for. And you are not even a psychicbender. Yet your strength is incredible."

Doug and Gwen looked at Nolan with hate.

The Brain turned and moved aside, allowing Nolan to see them. "Now… because I am generous, I will let you have a few words with your… _former _friends." At this, Nolan decided to roll up to them.

"So… this is your new job, huh?" Gwen asked.

"I knew you were no good." Doug said. "We should've arrested you when we had the chance."

"Yeah… but you didn't. Now after all the crud you gave me, I finally have my revenge." Nolan replied.

"Wonderful." Gwen said. "You know, Nolan, you may've hung out with a bunch of freaks, but you were still an operative."

"So?"

"There's a reason we let you go, you know." Gwen continued. "We did it so you could have a second chance. We did it because…because you were an operative. You were one of us."

"Er…" He looked away, unable to say anything.

"Nolan _was_ an operative…" Brain spoke, approaching them. "But I have seen bigger… _better _for him. He _is_ one of us now. His destiny is chosen… isn't that right, Nolan?"

"Uh..."

"You were leader of the Prospectors for a reason. A team of 'freaks' can only be led by a 'freak'. The Brotherhood of Evil consists of _all_ outcasts and criminals alike. You were always meant to be… _one of us_."

"…Y…Yeah. You're right! And THOSE two were always AGAINST them!" Nolan yelled with remembrance. "Who needs them? !" He shot his head to Gwen and Doug. They only felt disappointment.

"Good…good… now, Nolan… I will give you the honor… of executing their fate." The boy looked over at Professor Chang, who stepped aside a control panel, and rolled over. Nolan looked hesitantly at his two former friends, as they patiently awaited his next move.

Nolan took a breath and pressed a button. A glass tube lowered from a machine above the two, encasing them inside. The kids looked frightfully as Nolan held his finger over a big, red, square button, his arm shaking. The boy shut his eyes and pressed the button, and the machine sprayed incredibly cold liquid nitrogen into the tube. When the nitrogen cleared, Nolan's eyes were wide, face stricken with horror. His two former friends were frozen into stunned and scared icicles.

The Brain rolled beside the frozen operatives and turned to his villains. "Behold: the machine that once sealed _our_ fate, will be used to seal their fate: the Freezer 5000. Incredibly cold liquid nitrogen, specifically designed to form our beautiful trophies, _from our enemies_."

"YAAAAAHH!" the villains roared.

Nolan only closed his eyes and looked down in sadness as Brain approached him. "This… is the fate that's to become of those who lose the game of chess. No matter how good the other team may seem… the Side of Evil is always the strongest… and _it_ will take the crown."

Nolan only spared one last glance before depressedly rolling himself off, followed by Dani and April.

"Now… who will freeze Lance?" Brain asked as the treadmill scrolled down, so that Girl Lance was under the Freezer.

"I wanna ride my rainbow bike!" the girl declared.

"YAAAY!" Margie and the Girl Troops cheered.

**The base's entrance**

"Ah, FINALLY, we made it back home!" Leo exclaimed as the poisonbenders were walking down a hall.

"Man, am I ready for sleep." Jeremiah said.

"We can sleep later." Matt said. "We have to find a ship and take it to Planet Avalar ASA-"

"Avalar?"

"WAH!" they jumped, startled at Dani, Nolan, and April.

"What are you four up to?" Danika asked.

"WE'RE GOIN' INTO SPACE—OOMP." Leo shouted, but was punched by Elijah.

"Ugh, we're going to Planet Avalar." Matt decided to tell them.

"An important mission?" Nolan asked.

"Yeah… sort of."

"Mind if we come?" Danika asked.

"Not me." April yawned. "I had enough adventuring for a while. I'm going to take a nap." With that, she walked off.

"Okay… see you later." Nolan called.

"I guess you guys can come." Matt said. "Now, let's go, before we're spotted."

The six of them snuck past Stormtrooper guards as they made their way through the halls. Eventually, they reached the hangar and found Bane's ship. They were about to sneak on when-

"Where do you think you're going?" They were startled by Cad Bane, with Aurra by his side.

"Uh… w-we're…" Dani tried to think of something.

"Going to Planet Avalar on an important mission." Matt said. "Er, but it's top secret, so don't tell anyone."

"Do you kids even know how to fly this thing?" Bane asked.

They all thought for a few seconds, then shrugged.

"Sigh… come on, we'll take you." Bane said as he and Aurra got onto the ship.

"You kids'll implode before you even reach the stratosphere." Aurra followed.

The kids boarded the ship as the two bounty hunters pushed buttons, starting it up. "Actually, I might be able to pilot it on my own." Nolan said.

"No, no." Bane replied. "Planet Vaporia's along Avalar's path. You'll need our help navigating around that planet."

"What's on Vaporia?" Matt asked.

"Hopefully, you won't find out. And if you do, hopefully it won't be through experience. Let's go." With that, the ship faced toward the sky and took off for outer space.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO, this one wasn't so bad! SO, the poisonbenders are going into space now. Anyone know what's on Vaporia? It's not good, I'll tell you that much. Next time, we'll get going to New Island. Later.<strong>


	20. New Arrival

**Hello, everybody! Time to head to New Island. Lllet's go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Arriving at New Island! The Most Powerful Psychic Ever.<em>**

**Countryside road**

It was now nighttime over the countryside. Cosmo, Nova, Ann-

"Hold on, hold on." Cosmo interrupted. "Look, just so you don't have to say our names EVERY single time, we're gonna come up with a team name." Oh, thank God. "Now, what should we call ourselves?"

"How about Team Forest? We have the Forest Spirit with us, after all." Nova said.

_"Bi bi!"_ Celebi cheered.

Alright, cool! Ahem… Team Forest, plus Chad and Vaati, were resting under a tree by the road. The Forest Spirit Celebi was flying around a small pond, taking drinks of water. "So, that's the Forest Spirit." Chad said, watching as she flapped her small wings.

"Yup. The one and only Celebi." Emily replied. She then turned to Chad. "So, I… heard a lot about you, Chad. They say you're a traitor."

The blonde sighed. "I only pretended to be a traitor. I was really a spy… 'course, that didn't really change anything. Except I'm on the bad side of BOTH teams... sort of."

"Hehe. Well, that sucks, huh?"

"Yep. I still hope I have a future with Danika though."

She rose a brow. "You mean that goth chick?"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but… there's something about her, you know?"

"Uh… hate to tell you this, Dude, but I think she's taken. She and that handicapped kid seem to have a thing goin' on."

"I know. That's why I don't like that kid. But don't worry. I have a plan. I just need to sneak into at least one of their bases…"

"Oh, I can probably help with that!" Emily smiled. "I am half-ghost after all."

"Heh heh. Yeah, about that…"

"We don't have _time_ for that." Cosmo said. "Don't we still need to find the other Firstborn Guardians?"

"You mean you know where to look next?" Nova asked.

"I… alright, fine, but I still say it's more important than Chad's little _love_ quest."

"Heh heh heh heh. You kids have no idea what you're doin'." Vaati laughed.

"Mm-hm. Is that why you're not turning us in right now?" Annie asked.

"I don't like it when things are too easy. Besides… not turning you in now might make Ganondorf pretty pissed. Which I'd enjoy."

"Won't that get you killed?"

"Nah… I'm too slippery for Ganon." Just then, he heard something ringing in his pocket. Vaati reached in and pulled out his communicator. "…It's Ganon."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Vaati walked a few feet away and answered. "Hello?"

_"Where are you, Vaati? We sent you out to get the Firstborn a day ago. Did you find them?"_

"Er… I lost their trail."

_"Ehhh… what will I do with you. Very well, return to base. We'll start searching again for the Triforce of Wisdom. Hurry up."_ He hung up.

"Hmph…" the airbending sorcerer turned back to the others. "Time for me to go. I'll see you later, Annie." With that, the teen ran off.

"Okay… later, Vaati."

**The _Old Orleans_**

_Nigel Uno fell asleep, and awoke to find himself floating through the Dream Realm. "Huh… where am I?"_

_"Nigel Uno. It is I… The Chronicler."_

_"Not you again. What is it this time?"_

_"Listen to me: you must learn more about your Fire Element. Go to the Dusty Desert in South America… and seek the Sun God, Solaris, in the Sun Temple. He will guide you further…"_

"Oh… huh?" Nigel woke up on a bed, still in Facilier's yacht. He got up and walked out to the ship's deck, seeing they were now under a dark, cloudy sky.

"Hey, Nigel. Have a nice nap?" Eva asked.

"Yeah… I had a dream."

"Kissing Rachel?"

"No! It was that guy again… The Chronicler."

"What'd he want now?"

"He wanted me to visit the Dusty Desert in Europe. To see some Sun God called Solaris."

"Solaris, huh? Well, I guess that'll make another trip, then. I mean, we couldn't just find the Firstborn and call it done, huh?"

"Nnnope."

"Uuuugggghhhh." The two looked over at Wally, Violet, and Sonic, holding their heads over the railing with sick expressions.

"I hated sea-venturing during _DUTCHMAN_… I hate it now." Wally groaned.

"Man, I hate water levels…" Sonic said.

"Mmm… BLEEEEAAAAHHH." Violet threw up.

"A storm's comin'." Facilier said. "No doubt we gettin' closer to New Island. Mewtwo uses his powers to make storms surround his island, to keep out those who ain't worthy."

"He can control storms?" Athena asked. "He must be pretty powerful."

"WOOHOOOO!" They looked down at Marine the Raccoon, who was speeding around the boat in her waterbike.

"Marine, get back up here." Sonic said.

"A storm is coming. It's dangerous to be in the water." Blaze followed.

"Ah, don't chuck a wobbly, mates. There're no worries here, eh? I 'aven't even heard any lightning-" Just then, a lightning bolt came down and struck her, covering her in soot. "…Owie."

A sound was then heard in the distance. "Uh… you hear that?" Buddy asked.

"WHOA!" A large cannonball splashed in the water right beside them.

"Over there!" Kuki pointed. Everyone looked ahead to see a fleet of navy ships as rain started pouring down. Lightning started to flash in the sky as the navy began to fire.

"It looks like they tracked us!" Buddy exclaimed.

"Ah man! We gotta get through THESE guys to get to New Island!" Facilier shouted.

"No problem, mates!" Marine said. "Ah'll distract these drongos. Leave it ta me!" With that, Marine sped toward the naval fleet on her bike.

"Marine, wait!" Tails called.

"Gotta admire her spirit." Sonic said before throwing up. (Play the Pirate Storm Theme from _Sonic Secret Rings_!)

_Stage 16: Naval Storm_

_Mission: Get to New Island!_

The young raccoon charged for the fleet, dodging left and right as the ships fired cannons. She swerved behind a ship on her left and grabbed an anchor, hauling herself up. She punched Light Spheres at the navy troops, dodging as cannons aimed and fired, destroying their own ship. She tricked them into blasting each other a couple times before hopping back down to her waterbike.

The _Old Orleans_ sailed forward while Marine distracted them, but one ship sailed beside them. The Quads were able to jump to it and used their powers to grab and throw enemy GUN Beetles. Buddy grabbed some Beetles and tossed them into some cannons, clogging the gunfire and exploding them, the siblings hopping back over to the yacht.

The waves and currents of the sea started to get bigger as they drifted further. Marine sped over some huge waves and dodged some reefs, watching as the waves pushed other naval ships into rocks. She saw a ramp beside another ship and used it to shoot straight over. When she landed back on the water, she saw a large tidal wave ahead and took the opportunity to zoom straight upwards before coming down, the wave's momentum helping her avoid other cannon shots.

The yacht sailed by another ship that The Quads leapt over to, several GUN Hawks coming out and firing lasers. Buddy tried to grab a laser with his psychic, but only took a hit. "Urgh… I guess you can't grab lasers with psychic." He figured as his sisters helped him up.

"Let's just avoid them." Morgan suggested, throwing a Psycho Sphere at GUN Hawks. Once they were destroyed, some Rhino Springs rolled out on the deck. They charged for the siblings and rammed them, knocking them onto their backsides. Afterwards, they shot them several feet in the air with their springs.

"Uh-oh! INCOMING!" Athena yelled as the ship aimed a cannon. It fired a missile, but the four were able to grab hold of it, using it to fly around, dodging other missiles. The four were coming down at another ship and jumped off before the missile could crash and destroy another cannon on another ship. The Quads saw the yacht pass by and hopped back on before the ship sank.

Meanwhile, Marine was coming to another tidal wave, dodging more rocks and shooting up the large wave. She went so high that she landed on a missile of her own, cheering as she flew and dodged other missiles. She was flying to another ship's cannon, which fired another missile, and Marine jumped and grabbed onto it, leaving the other missile to blow up the ship. She repeated this maneuver for another ship, jumping to another missile while the other one crashed. She looked below and saw her bike, jumping off the missile for it to crash into another ship, then landing on her bike.

She spotted another wave making a water cyclone and decided to surf through it, avoiding debris from other fallen ships, then surfing out and through a series of sharp rocks, while also avoiding small whirlpools. After making it through, she surfed up another tidal wave, going over it and speeding back to the yacht. She went up a ramp that landed her back on with her friends.

"Whoa! Nice going, Marine!" Sonic gave a thumbs up.

"Oi told you lot it was foine!" Marine grinned.

The sickened Wally looked up, his eyes widened at what was ahead. "Uh… guys?" They all looked where he pointed, and their eyes widened at the towering cyclone.

"HOLD ON, KIDS!" Facilier exclaimed, steering the ship right of the tornado. They ended up caught and sailing along its side. The gang held on as the ship tilted sideways, dodging various debris in the cyclone. Once they reached the top, the cyclone forced the ship miles away, landing safely back on the sea, in sight of a strange island with a castle of windmill towers.

"There it is! We made it!" Tails exclaimed.

"Finally…" was all Violet could say, relieved. (Stop the music.)

"WOOHOO! That was RIPPER!" Marine cheered.

"Now we can get to New Island." Morgan said hopefully.

"Yeah… so let's-" Before Sonic could finish, a massive blue-and-yellow seasnake, with a wide, square-shaped mouth, emerged from the sea.

"ROOOAAAAR!"

"What is that thing? !" Noah shouted.

"That's a Gyarados!" Morgan pointed.

"A what?" Eva asked.

"A kind of water Pokémon. We've heard of them." Buddy said.

"What's that?" Beckah asked, indicating a strange Tiki that just flew out of the water, shaped like a harp.

"A Tiki Spirit!" Facilier exclaimed.

"A what?"

The strange Harp Tiki started playing hypnotic music, mesmerizing the Gyarados. The Tiki flew into its mouth, possessing the serpent. "ROOAAAR!" (Play "Blue on the Run" from _Sonic Secret Rings_!)

Marine immediately got back on her bike and sped toward the monster. "I'll handle this, mates! Let's go!"

_Boss fight: Gyarados_

Marine charged for the gigantic seasnake as it spat several water balls at her. The monster swam away as Marine gave chase, but was splashed back by a wave from his tail. The raccoon recovered and kept going, dodging more water balls. She reached the Gyarados' tail and sped up its body, jumping high above his wide-open mouth where she charged her fist and punched an energy ball at his uvula, landing back on her bike.

The sea monster swam further from her, using his tail to splash more waves that she dodged left or right. The Gyarados then dove underwater and swam in circles under Marine, trying to catch the sea-lover in whirlpools. She was able to evade, so the monster came back above the surface, throwing more water balls at her. When all shots missed, Gyarados charged his Ice Breath and blew an ice beam, freezing a straight path of water and getting the waterbike stuck.

Marine just leapt off and slid along the ice path as Gyarados was charging a Hyper Beam. However, this left his weak spot, the uvula, wide open, allowing Marine to charge another shot and punch it. The Gyarados nearly coughed up the Tiki as the ice path broke, Marine getting back on her bike and chasing the monster.

The Gyarados then proceeded to send more waves her way, but she dodged left and right again. When the Gyarados jumped and splashed a large tidal wave, Marine surfed up and over it, continuing after the monster. Gyarados dove back underwater and made a large whirlpool under Marine. The raccoon kid was sucked under, driving her bike through an underwater tunnel of water. Gyarados tried to whack her with his tail from outside the tunnel, but she was able to avoid.

Marine shot back above the surface and continued after the Gyarados, the water demon spitting more water balls her way. The Gyarados went faster away as it charged its Hyper Beam. Once it finished, Marine narrowly avoided as the huge and powerful laser chased her, boosting closer to the monster. Marine charged her energy fist, and just before the Hyper Beam struck her, Marine jumped and punched at the Gyarados' stomach, pushing it away, making the Tiki fly out of its mouth. Marine gave one final charged punch to the Tiki, flinging it into the Gyarados' head, the beast knocking out and sinking underwater. The Tiki bounced off and fell in the sea afterwards.

"Ha ha! No first generation Pokémon can stop me, eh?" the cocky raccoon exclaimed, giving another thumbs up.

"Alright! Now we can get to the island!" Sonic declared. (Stop the music.)

"Well… there it is." Morgan said, looking at the island. The storm was beginning to subdue and they could all see a huge hole in the clouds over the island, allowing them to view the peaceful night sky.

"Let's go." Buddy said, getting into a boat with his siblings.

"I'm coming, too!" Noah yelled, jumping in with them. The boat lowered itself to the water as they paddled to the New Island.

**New Island**

The six paddled to a large, wide set of stairs that led into the castle. As they got closer, they spotted a 12-year-old Filipino girl; with mocha colored skin, light-pink glasses, shoulder-length black hair, and wore a red shirt, black skirt, black vest, black Mary-Janes, and red knee-high socks, sitting on the stairs.

That girl spotted them as they disembarked, giving a wide smile as she walked over to them. "Heeeey! Are you here to see Mewtwo?" she asked ecstatically.

"Uh, yeah… who are you?" Morgan asked.

"My name is Mikaela Corella! Call me Mika. I'm Mewtwo's apprentice!"

"His apprentice? So, you're a psychicbender!" Athena deduced.

Mika reached her open left hand out and lifted Buddy upwards using psychic, dropping him in the water. "That's right."

"Pleah! Great…" Buddy spat water out, annoyed as he climbed back on land.

"Come on! I'll take you to him!" Mika walked up the stairs as the six followed.

They soon reached a gargantuan double-door, with Mika stopping in front. "…Well? How does it open?" Buddy asked.

"Psychicbending, of course. Care to try?" Mika asked with a grin.

The four siblings stood before the door and focused their powers. In a few seconds, the door slowly opened.

"Well, that passes your first test." Mika said.

"So, where is he?" Buddy asked.

"Come on. Just up these stairs." Mika instructed, leading them through a large dining room and to a flight of spiraling stairs going straight up. (Play the "Prologue" Theme from _Beauty and the Beast_!)

The group of six, plus Mika, reached the room in the tallest windmill tower. On the other side from them was a strange, white being sitting in a chair, turned away from them, looking out the large window, the glowing full moon shining brightly. His head tilted up as he felt their presence. _"Mika… who have you brought here?"_

The girl bowed her head. "Master… these siblings here… they're psychicbenders. They're here to learn from you."

"Are you the master, Mewtwo?" Morgan asked. "We came a long way."

The being looked back down and closed his eyes. _"Yes… I am Mewtwo. I'm afraid… you wasted your journey."_

"What? You won't train us?" Buddy asked.

_"No. It is far too dangerous. Only fools seek their own destruction."_

"Destruction?" Beckah asked.

_"There is a reason so few psychicbenders exist in the cosmos. It all began years ago, when the Emperor Palpatine rose to power. He became the darkest Sith Lord in the galaxy… and even manipulated a heroic Jedi: Anakin Skywalker. Anakin was strong with the Light Side of the Force… but despite his strength, the Sith Lord manipulated his ways. Anakin became Darth Vader… and together, they eliminated all the psychicbenders. They spread fear and darkness, until… Vader killed Palpatine. Then he, himself, died shortly after. The point is… no matter how light a being may seem… no mortal can control such power. Psychic is a dangerous element. No one can imagine such power."_

Mewtwo rose his right arm, and Buddy felt his neck be grabbed, being forcibly levitated as he choked.

_"The power… to grab a man by the neck and choke him to death simply by seeing it happen in your mind. No mortal can master such power… without being manipulated by Darkness. This is why the humans shun us. I can see your pasts: you were hated and feared for your power, and you hope to master it to make things better. But you will only make it worse. You're better off just the way you are."_ With that, he dropped Buddy.

The male Quad stood back up and caught his breath. "…So? Just because Palpatine and Anakin were taken by Darkness… that doesn't say anything about us."

_"It says everything."_ Mewtwo shot his head slightly right, his dark purple eye glaring at them. _"No mortal can control this power. Psychic all relies on the mind. Without a clear mind, you are doomed. Bound to travel to the Dark Side. Even I could not control myself… I was created from the very DNA of a Firstborn. Mew. I was created by mankind… as a mere test subject. A mere copy. This angered my very soul, and I could not control myself!"_ Mewtwo angrily squeezed his right palm together. _"I destroyed that island base with my psychic… and rebuilt this very castle over it. I forever remained here, away from humanity, and this storm was to keep out any intruder. But how could I expect a group of children to control the powers of psychic, when you can't even control the anger of those two there."_

Morgan and Buddy exchanged glances and scratched their necks nervously.

_"Two fools who fight day and day… will destroy each other. And this power will only help you faster. You are not ready."_

Buddy thought for a second. "Well… what about Mika? You taught her."

_"Mika… is different. She had a different sort of mind. Her psychic… her aura… was pink. She had a vibrant mind. She did not care for power or petty desires. Even after the death of her parents… her mind… was happy. I've never seen anything like it… since…"_ Mewtwo's mind seemed to wander off. He shook back to focus and continued, _"But she is only one in a million. You are no different than any other mortal. You cannot be taught…"_

"You still have to give us a chance." Buddy said. "Look… I know me and Morgan can't control ourselves… mainly her."

"Hey!" Morgan yelled.

"But not all psychicbenders can be bad. And if you don't give us a chance, we can never show the world what good the psychics can bring. You have to give us a chance. Please…" Mewtwo only looked away and closed his eyes.

"Mew…"

_"What?"_ The master looked up to see a small, white catlike creature outside his window.

"Mew! Mew Mew Mew. Mew Mew Mew!"

_"So… you're saying there's good in everyone. And that good won't be shown… unless they're given a chance?"_

"Mew!"

_"Hmm…"_ He shut his eyes. _"Very well."_ The creature flew away as Mewtwo stood up and turned to face them. _"I will teach you."_

"Yes!" The siblings high-fived.

_"Of course… I had planned to teach Mika further today. But no matter…"_ He walked over to his apprentice. _"You will be given a substitute today."_ With that, he waved his right arm, and the Filipino girl immediately passed out.

"Mika!" Morgan exclaimed.

_"She will be okay. The rest of you downstairs. We will begin your training."_ With that, Mewtwo led the others downstairs, leaving Mika unconscious.

* * *

><p><strong>Arrrgh, this chapter was terrible. Next time, we'll check in on Rachel and her gang. Guess who's training Mika. Later.<strong>


	21. Magician Madness

**Arrrgh, 'nother Chronicler scene. Play the "Dreams" Theme from _Spyro: Eternal Night_. By the way, I decided to relocate this story to the KND Archive, considering it has more KND-related stuff than I expected. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Craziest Circus Ever! Entering Mumbo's Bigtop!<em>**

Mika slowly awoke and stood up, holding her aching head as she found herself in the strange space realm. "Where am I?"

_"Mikaela Corella…"_

"AH! Who's there?"

_"My name is The Chronicler. Spirit who watches peoples' lives. I believe Morgan referred to me as… 'The Taler' and 'The Storyteller'."_

"Are you a stalker?" Mika randomly asked.

_"Ugh. Seriously? Ergh, just let me tell you why you're here. To learn the ways of The Force."_

"Ooooh! I'm a Padawan! …But, wait, _Mewtwo_ was teaching me the ways of The Force. Why you…"

_"He was teaching you the physical side of psychicbending… but now you must learn the spiritual. Step ahead, into the light please…"_ With that, a floating rock path appeared straight ahead as Mika walked down.

She arrived at a gate of psychic energy, and in front of it was a glowing light-blue platform of psychic. Mika, feeling the need to step in the light, did so, and was shown a vision of space itself. _"Psychic is the Element of Imagination. It is the most powerful of the Dark Elements. It is the main one the gods use. They use this Force to keep planets in place, it makes gravity pull downward, and is the main Force that keeps the balance. The very element is similar to Space… but they are two different powers. While many would not guess it, the power of psychic relies on the mind. Such things have only happened, because the gods imagined it to be so. And just as well, many things came to be; such as videogames or the Eifel Tower, because people _imagined_ them to be so. _

_The calm mind can imagine great things, and even envisage the best. The psychicbenders have mastered this power, and have become Jedi Knights, warriors who use their great power to protect the worlds. Their minds are calm, peaceful places… and so is yours, Mika."_

The psychic girl closed her eyes, feeling several asteroids levitate around her via psychic.

_"The Force is what gives a Jedi Knight their power. It surrounds us. It penetrates us. Mmmmm. This Force is Imagination. With pure imagination, anything can be possible. Now… unleash your imagination, and unleash its Force."_ Mika kept her eyes closed and felt the psychic force surround her. She threw her arms and legs out, unleashing an explosion of psychokinesis. Right away, the vision was gone. The psychic barrier vanished as Mika walked ahead.

The girl walked ahead and found a closed gate with a switch above it, several rocks lying around. _"The most typical power of psychic is telekinesis. Telekinesis is the ability to float things in the air. See the rocks levitate in your mind… and throw them."_

Mika looked down at a rock and reached her hand out, using her power to make the object float. She swung her arm at the switch, throwing the rock into it, opening the gate. Afterwards, she walked ahead to a stone wall with a steel box beside it. The path seemed to be on top of the wall.

_"Now, stand on the objects, and imagine them lifting you upwards."_ Mika did as told and stood on the box, using her powers to make the crate float and lift her. Once she was high enough, she jumped atop the wall and continued, arriving at a rather far jump. _"You can also use this power to make yourself float. Stay focused, and guide yourself to the other side."_

Mika stepped back and jumped over the edge. A peaceful smile was on her face as she floated in midair. She glided to the other side before landing softly on the path. She walked further until she was at another rock wall, the path seeming to lead into a tiny hole.

_"The power of psychic also enables you to change size. See yourself see things from a bug's point of view… and let your form diminish."_ Mika closed her eyes, picturing herself shrinking smaller and smaller. She focused her energy, and her size decreased, eyes wide with wonder as she was small enough to walk through the hole. Once on the other end, she repeated this process, imagining herself growing back to normal size.

She pressed forward until arriving at a battlefield of stone demons, who all readied for battle. _"Even the greatest imagination… can be interrupted. Manipulated by dark forces. The evil ones are trying to mock you for your dreams. Show them the true power your mind possesses."_ With that, Mika ran ahead and threw pink psychic blasts at the demons. She also lifted them up with her mind and tossed them over the edge. A lightsaber fell onto the ground for Mika to pick up. _"With the power of imagination, you don't need your eyes. Close them and sense the enemies beside you."_ Mika switched on her blue lightsaber as she closed her eyes, flipping behind some demons and slicing away. Five more surrounded her, but she leapt and smashed her hand to the ground, creating a Psychic Shockwave that stunned them all, allowing her to spin and slice their heads off. Three more of them came, but she caught them in a psychic grip and imagined them getting smaller, and she was able to shrink and stomp on them. Once they were gone, thousands more came.

The psychic girl closed her eyes once more, feeling the imagination flowing, the psychic energy surrounding her. _"When your imagination is at its greatest… your power is at its full potential. Now… unleash the full Force of your power."_ Mika felt her body alight as the power flowed into her. With a great burst of power, she unleashed a massive explosion of pink psychic energy, forcing the demons over the edge. When it was all done, she opened her eyes and took a breath. _"Good… but remember: people who face great anger are bound to imagine horrible, dark things. Your worst enemy being choked around the neck, for instance. Sith is a kind of dark psychic power. Psychicbenders who imagine dark thoughts… are called Sith Lords. With such great power, it is so easy to be manipulated by evil. But… we need not fear this from you."_

"Theeen why'd you tell me?" she asked cluelessly.

_"As you know, Mewtwo is training new apprentices. In time… one of them will need you. But first… there is another destiny you must fulfill. Look into the Pool of Light."_ A floating stairway appeared to take Mika to the temple. She stepped through the psychic gate and stared at the Reflecting Pool in the temple's center. The Philippine girl held her breath and stuck her face into the pool. (Stop the music.)

_An enormous tree stood perched at the top of a wide mountain range. But Mika's vision was suddenly blocked by flames. Helicopters and cop cars roamed the streets, and strange, mutated people were handcuffed and led into vans. The flames burned brighter with the great "G" logo stationed firm on the wall behind them._

**New Island**

"AHH!" Mika gasped, finding herself in Mewtwo's room.

She heard someone coming up the stairs outside, looking to see Morgan. "Oh, hey! You're awake!" Mika stood up as Morgan walked in. "Mewtwo sent me to check on you. What happened?"

"Oh… just some weird dream." Mika responded. "Hey, Morgan… you heard of the Chronicler, right?"

"The Chronicler?"

"He said you called him 'The Taler' and 'Storyteller'."

"Oh yeah!" Morgan smiled with remembrance. "He was the one that wrote the book I read."

"What book?"

"Um, I'll explain later. Anyway, my siblings have gone to sleep for the night. We should, too. In a more… comfortable room."

"Hehehe. Good idea." Mika grinned, getting up. Morgan walked downstairs, followed by the mocha-skinned girl.

**Outside**

Outside, the rest of the gang was waiting down in Facilier's yacht while Marine was speeding around the island on her waterbike. "Oi, this place is gihugic! Ah'll bet that Mewtwo bloke 'as some treasure lying around 'ere somewhere. Oh?" She then spotted a strange green light below the surface. She dove underwater and found a green, rectangle-shaped glowing gem, sitting on a rock. She swam further and grabbed the gem, swimming back up. "Oi, mates! 'ave a gander at this!"

Blaze looked at the stone, immediately recognizing it. "It's… A SOL EMERALD!"

Marine looked at the stone once more, recognizing it as well. "Oh… well, 'ow did it get here?"

"I used the Sol Emeralds to warp myself to Sonic's world to assist them. They must've scattered into this world somehow." Blaze explained.

"Hehe. Guess we have to find them, too." Sonic figured.

"What are Sol Emeralds?" Nigel asked.

"The Sol Emeralds are the most treasured gems in my kingdom." Blaze explained. "They are said to be given to us by the sun itself. As the princess, it is my job to protect them. But I was never sure of their entire history…"

"Hmm… perhaps we should… find out?" Nigel raised a brow.

"Find out? How?"

"Last night, I dreamed that a spirit told me to come to the Sun Temple in Dusty Desert to speak with the Sun God."

"The Sun God? !" Blaze exclaimed. "I must come with you."

"Hm, just what I hoped!" Nigel smiled. "Anyone else wanna come?"

"I know I am." Eva said. "If we're just waiting for THOSE guys to get back."

"I'm with Eva." Kade said.

"So am I." Sonic said. "Anything to get away from this water."

"Ah-huh." Mario nodded.

"I'm with you." Violet said.

"We'll stay here, just in case we're attacked again." Tails said as the rest of their friends nodded.

"Be careful, Sonic." Amy cautioned with a frown.

"You too, Mario." Peach followed. Both men smiled to their girlfriends and gave them thumbs-ups.

"Well, now that that matter is taken care of: ahem, GRIIIIM!" Nigel yelled.

The reaper POOFED out of thin air, looking angry as he was naked, except for a shower cap and towel around his waist, and a scrub brush in his right hand. "Siiigh. You kids may be nicer than MANDY, but you're STILL just as annoying!"

"Whatever. Look, Grim, we need to go to Dusty Desert in South America. Can you take us?"

"Siiigh. Well, someone has to keep you safe, what with Ganon running around. Buckle in, kids." The aforementioned characters gathered close to Grim as he waved his scythe, warping them all instantaneously.

"Oh man…" Wally groaned as he just woke up, walking outside. "Hey, where's Numbuh 1? I was wondering if he had more of that deodorant ice cream."

"Grim just warped him, Eva, and some others off to some desert in South America." Numbuh 5 answered simply.

"WHAT? I wanna come, too! ! Facilier! Get me off this boat!"

"Sorry, kid. Ah'm savin' this magic for some real danger." The voodoo man smirked.

"NOOOO!"

**Mumbo Madness**

Team Leader, Team Dark, and Sector W finally arrived at an amusement park, decorated with a red and white color scheme. "I'm sure those guys took your brother _somewhere_ through here." Rouge said.

"I think they have. What is this place?" Rachel asked.

_"AH hahahahaha!"_

The team readied their guard at the mysterious cackle. "What was that?" Patton asked.

_"Welcome, Kids Next Door, to the carnival of danger and fantastication!"_ A bunch of searchlights aimed at a small stage. _"Please, enter the marvelously wonderful circus, owned by the one and only amazing…"_ a man rose from below the stage, a magician with light-blue skin, white hair, black tux, red cape, and a magic hat, "MUMBO JUMBO!"

"Mumbo Jumbo?" Rachel questioned.

"AND his newfound assistant, KNIGHTBRACE!" The evil dentist hopped up on stage as well, beside Mumbo.

"KNIGHTBRACE!" Rachel exclaimed, aiming her sword. "What are you doing here? !"

"Me and Mumbo met sometime after me and the other villains were recruited." Knightbrace answered.

"We started a quick friendship and are now doing evil schemes together." Mumbo continued.

"In this circus, you can have fun on rides AND have good dental hygiene!"

"Aw, look. The kids are already having fun." The operatives looked around the amusement park, which seemed littered with Mumbo and dental-themed decorations. Many kids were tied up on roller coasters and other rides, forcibly sprayed with toothpaste and cavity drills. "We strongly hope YOU kids have fun, too! AHH HAHA HAHA!" Both villains cackled as Mumbo warped them off.

Fi then emerged from Rachel's sword and said, _"Master, I sense your brother's presence here. I calculate a 90% chance he and his accomplices have been through here."_

"No duh, Sherlock." Patton remarked.

"Rachel, shouldn't we save these kids first?" Fanny asked.

"You're right, Fanny. We're still Kids Next Door operatives, one way or another, so we have to save them from these hygiene-happy freaks."

_"Further analysis indicates that the rides in this park are specifically designed for good dental hygiene."_ Fi said.

"She sure points out the obvious a lot, huh?" Charlotte said.

"Hm. I can clear this park, no problem." Shadow smirked cockily.

"The rides do look fun, at least." Sonya smiled.

"Eh… I got a bad feeling about this." Was all Lee could say. (Play the "Circus Park" Theme from _Shadow the Hedgehog_!)

_Stage 17: Mumbo Madness_

_Mission: Save the kids in the park and find Harvey!_

Shadow immediately sped into the park, already Spin Dashing over several carnival stands. He stopped at a group of Stormtroopers that tried to shoot him, but the black hedgehog simply Home Attacked them, knocking them out. Meanwhile, Rachel, Fanny, and Patton were fighting with evil ninja bunnies, who threw egg grenades and carrot darts. "Bunnies? Is that the best this stoopid magician can do?" Fanny asked, throwing fireballs at them.

"You're no prize yourself, Fanny." Patton remarked.

Sector W ran through another end of the park, spotting several Stormtroopers putting mechanical braces into kids, making them into zombies. "They're Denta Drones!" Sonya exclaimed.

"Let's help them out." Charlotte said, taking out a S.C.A.M.P.P. and shooting the Stormtroopers. Lee swung his yo-yo and wrapped around the braces, pulling back and ripping them out, the kids jumping for joy after being freed. The kids kept going and saw a bunch of kids tied up in spinning cups, mechanical arms forcibly brushing their teeth while water poured on them, supposedly washing their mouths clean. The team saw a clown controlling the machine in a booth and ran to attack him. The clown blew a bunch of balloon animal snakes, which came to life and slithered to them, but Angie jumped and stomped them while Sonya ran to knock out the clown. Charlotte then shot and destroyed the controls, releasing the kids.

Shadow the Hedgehog fought through more Troopers, making his way to a roller coaster. He stole one of their guns and proceeded to shoot any more. Afterwards, he hopped in the coaster and took off, going uphill, downhill, then over a loop-di-loop. A couple of Stormtroopers tried to shoot him, but he shot back. He was then speeding beside another coaster, then had to hop between the two to avoid toothpaste waterfalls on either side. When some cavity drills tried to cut him on the track, he shot and destroyed them.

"Shadow, jump!" Rouge called from below. Shadow saw the track broken ahead and decided to jump off, Home Attacking off a series of Mumbo balloons nearby. He was soon over a circus tent and decided to pierce through, landing inside where several more Stormtroopers were holding an elephant hostage. Sector W ran in just then to watch Shadow Home Attack and shoot all the troops. He was about to shoot the elephant when-

"WAIT!" Sonya called, making him stop. She then walked over and borrowed his gun, proceeding to shoot off the shackles holding the elephant. The large animal hollered as it walked over and rubbed Sonya with its trunk. "Hm hm hm! He's not evil. He was just being forced to work by Mumbo. WHOA." The elephant grabbed her with its trunk and tossed her on its back.

"Guess you're going for a ride." Charlotte observed.

"Aw man! I'm jealous!" Paddy pouted.

Sonya rode the large animal, charging out and running over more Stormtroopers. Rachel saw her riding it under an upside-down roller coaster, so the leader ran and leapt onto the elephant, grabbing the coaster as it passed by. She held onto the coaster as it zoomed through the park, some clowns on balloons trying to blast her, but Rachel swung her sword and sliced them. The track ended when they were hundreds of feet in the air, so Rachel let go, screaming as she fell the long drop.

Seeing this, Shadow ran to a firework rocket, grabbing on and flying up, letting go to drop and grab Rachel, then falling through three fire rings before landing them safely on the ground. They saw more Stormtroopers and Denta Drones ahead, but Shadow Home Attacked the troops while Rachel cut the braces off the Drones. The two ran ahead and started going down a long slide, jumping any pitfalls in it.

At the end of the slide, the two shot into a spring that shot them into a gong up above. The two bounced off the gong to a series of Mumbo balloons, bouncing their way across before landing atop a circus tent. The two grinded a rope down and off the tent, landing on an elephant that just ran out, rode on by Patton and Fanny.

"Turns out, Fanny has a thing with these guys." Patton said. "She probably-"

"SHUT UP!" she yelled at him. The four rode the elephant into a larger circus tent, which had several swinging men and tightropes. Below them was a net, unsurprisingly made of floss.

The elephant ran over more Stormtroopers before Rachel and Shadow hopped off and ran into a cannon, firing their selves up to one of the platforms on the poles. They kicked off more Stormtroopers and balanced along the tightrope, which was also made of floss. Some Denta Drones came after them from the other end, but Rachel sliced their braces and knocked them off. Once across, the two were at the swinging clowns. They looked up and saw Charlotte and Rouge breaking in the tent and coming down the two swings, knocking the clowns off and swinging their selves.

Rouge reached her arms out to grab Shadow and Rachel, swinging them over to Charlotte, who grabbed and swung them across. They reached and balanced across another tightrope floss, but saw an angry group of clowns on a unicycle pedaling toward them. Shadow and Rachel grabbed onto the tightrope as Rachel cut it, making both ends drop down, the clowns falling off. The two started climbing up their end as the clowns climbed after them. They reached the top and Rachel cut the rope, making the clowns drop.

The two then saw a rope leading up and out of the tent, proceeding to climb up. Once at the top, they grinded over another rope over the roof, coming to another series of Mumbo balloons and bouncing across. They arrived at a Ferris wheel that had kids trapped in cages. As the wheel went clockwise upwards, Rachel cut open the cages, the kids jumping out.

Once they were all saved, they rode the wheel to the top where some larger Mumbo balloons floated above them, their floss strings dangling. Rachel and Shadow grabbed and swung across the ropes, landing on another roller coaster and zooming down. Before the ride crashed into a wall, Shadow grabbed onto Rachel as he Home Attacked off some flying clowns. Afterwards, they landed on another elephant with Sector W, charging over more Stormtroopers. "Great! We're almost there!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Let's get moving." Shadow followed.

The gang rode into another circus tent, the biggest of them all. Inside, they found a gargantuan green balloon dinosaur, covered in patches, who seemed to be inhaling kids through his mouth of toothbrush teeth. "Ahh! What is that thing? !" Sonya yelled.

_"Master."_ Fi spoke from the sword. _"Subject identified as Mr. Patch. Its weak points appear to be the patches."_

"Funny how names give weak spots away." Paddy replied.

"Let's just take it out." Shadow said.

"AHH ha ha, ha ha!" Knightbrace laughed, controlling the balloon monster from above. "Have a taste of my fluoride drool!" With that, Mr. Patch aimed at them and sprayed fluoride from its mouth.

"Look out!" Rachel called, jumping off the elephant with the others, the animal taking the hit.

Rouge flew into the tent from the ceiling and spotted them running from the monster's blows. "Shadow! Hang on!" Rouge yelled, performing a Screw Kick into the patch on its neck, letting some air out. Rachel climbed one of the poles to a platform with a firework, lighting the fuse and shooting it into another patch.

Sonya saw a patch on its tail and grabbed on, hanging on as the tail swung and crawling to the patch, ripping it off. Lee saw more patches up his back and used his yo-yo to grab the tail and haul himself up, then wrapped it around its back spines, bringing him up further. He then threw a yo-yo into a patch, pulling it out.

Mr. Patch saw Charlotte climb to Rachel's platform, then the two of them balance their way to another one across a tightrope. He launched giant beachballs at the girls, but Rachel sliced them away while Charlotte went ahead, reaching a platform with another firework. She shot the firework lit the fuse, sending the missile into another patch.

The balloon beast looked down and noticed Shadow, spitting giant beachballs at him, but Shadow Home Attacked off them to his mouth, then destroyed another patch. On the other end, Paddy climbed another pole to a platform, grabbing a swing and swinging into another patch on its back, ripping it off.

The gang then noticed one of the walls burn down, seeing Fanny and Patton run in. "There they are!" Patton pointed to their friends fighting the monster. Fanny kicked on her own rocket shoes and flew toward its mouth. Mr. Patch shot exploding beachballs at her, but she avoided and threw a fireball at another patch by his nose. Patton hopped into a cannon as Fanny flew back down, lighting the cannon's fuse and blasting him into another stomach patch.

Angie spotted a patch on his neck, stomping a sharp boulder out of the ground and kicking it to the patch, puncturing it. "Is that all of them?" Rachel asked.

"The last one is on his head." Rouge pointed out. "I'll destroy it." The bat flew to the final patch, spinning rapidly with her sharp heels aimed.

"No! Wait-" But to the dentist's dismay, the batgirl pierced through the top patch, then straight down the middle. The trapped children started to drop out of the bottom as Mr. Patch blew fast around the tent, Knightbrace hanging on to him. "AAHHHH!" The large balloon flew and bounced around the tent, slowly making the whole tent collapse. As the whole tent lay flat on the ground, the team cut or shot their way out (depending on their weapon), looking to a dizzy Knightbrace. "Ooohhh…" he fainted.

"YAAAY!" the kids cheered, jumping around in joy. Rachel and Shadow smirked and high-fived after completing their mission. The team then headed away from the tent, with Paddy tripping on a rope tied around his foot, shaking it off and hurrying after them. (Stop the music.)

"Aside from all the evil scheming, this circus wasn't half bad." Sonya said.

"Cool." Lee smiled at the circus.

"Still not one I prefer." Rachel said. "Hopefully, all these kids can get to safety. This place is a nuthouse."

"AHHH ha ha, ha ha, ha ha! It's still the last one YOU'LL see, my friends!"

The gang kept their guard up, hearing the cackle. "Grrr. Where are you?" Rachel shouted.

"SURPRISE!" Mumbo exclaimed, poofing in front of them. "Mumbo JUMBO!" With that, the magician's hat enlarged and caught them all inside.

**Mumbo's Hat**

The group found their selves in a pitch-black chamber. "Where are we?" Rachel asked. Just then, a bunch of spotlights came on, lighting up the stage, and a large audience gave their applause, all of the people resembling Mumbo Jumbo.

"AHH ha ha ha ha!" The gang turned to a platform on stage, Mumbo appearing from a puff of smoke. "WELCOME to my SHOW! Where I will make the Kids Next Door, plus their two otherworldly friends DISAPPEAR!... _forever!_"

They all drew out and aimed their weapons at the crazy magician. "Sorry, Mumbo, but one of us is getting cancelled, and it won't be us." Rachel told him.

"Well, we'll soon see about THAT, little girl! OH, moments like this make me SO happy, I FEEL LIKE SINGING! Mmmaestro?" A Mumbo sitting at a piano grinned as he began to play. "A 5-6-7-8!" The music started playing, and they all went to battle.

_Boss fight: Mumbo Jumbo_

_Mumbo: Don't bother getting up, you're in my control._

_No way for you to fuss and fiiight!_

As Mumbo sang, a bunch of giant cards came to life and stood.

_My cards are ready to fight, SO lucky you!_

_You'll be destroyed in here toniiight!_

_Rachel: Are cards the best you have, OH how very sad!_

Rachel sang as she sliced some cards away.

_Mumbo, you truly are a cad!_

_Mumbo: You have your combat. But _I _have powers!_

_By the end of this, you will be HAD!_

The operatives fought back as a bunch of clowns appeared on stage.

_Mumbo: I am the Master of CEREMONIES_

_So let me SET you STRAAAIGHT. (He is the sorcerer!)_

The audience chorused as Mumbo waved his wand around.

_With just a WAVE of my MAGIC wand, I'm_

_Master of your Fate._

Mumbo used his magic to make that phrase appear, but Shadow and Rouge dashed up to lay some kicks upon him. Shadow threw him to Rouge, who kicked him to a wall. The magician shook his head and stood back up.

_Shadow: HA, this is so pathetic, you and this whole plan!_

_I'm the ultimate life form, Foolish Man!_ Shadow smirked.

Mumbo smirked as well.

_Mumbo: Foolish, I am not._

_But rather very MAD!_

_Though this magic right here_

_Is totally a FAD!_

Mumbo women then walked on stage, singing as well.

_Women: He is the Master of CEREMONIES_

_So let him SET you STRAIGHT! (He is the sorcerer!)_

Rouge and Fanny, disgusted, attacked the Mumbo women. More clowns floated down on stage, but Charlotte jumped around and kicked them.

_Women: With just a WAVE of his MAGIC wand, he's_

_Master of your fate._

Lee and Sonya ran, grabbed his cape, and flipped it over his head while Patton kicked him down, blowing punches across his face. Mumbo kicked them away and stood up, but his butt was burned by Fanny's fire, the magician gripping it and running around. A clown hit his butt with pie, then sprayed water on it. Mumbo smacked the clown and went back to sing.

_Mumbo: Well, kids, it's closing time, SO let's make this fast._

_You meddling children will not last._

_Angie: I wanted ta see a bunny_

_PULLED out his hat!_

_Mumbo: Well, why did you nooot just say that?_

"Eek!" Angie yelped when a bunch of ninja bunnies hopped out his hat, throwing carrots at the little girl. Angie narrowly flipped and dodged the carrots, grabbing one, biting it, then throwing it at a bunny. She repeated this process and took out the other ones.

_Fi: Chances of you winning are_

_Kajillion to one._

Mumbo growled at the spirit.

_Mumbo: Well then, just, listen to THIS, Hun!_

_I am the Master of CEREMONIES_

_The one who SETS you STRAAAIGHT! (He is the sorcerer!)_

_With just a wave of my MAGIC wand, I'm_

_Master of your Fate!_

Lee wrapped his yo-yo around and tripped more Mumbo ladies.

_(Master of your Fate!)_

Shadow shot two more clowns with Chaos Spears.

_(Master of your FATE!)_

Fanny burned three more cards.

_(Master of your Fate.)_

Mumbo danced his way up some stairs, Rachel chasing after him.

_Mumbo: NOW for the BIG finale_

_And the reason why we're HEEERRRRE!_

"To shut your big mouth UP!" Mumbo looked in horror as Rachel leapt above him, her sword raised.

"Oh no! OH DEAR!"

Rachel immediately landed, sticking Mumbo's cape to the floor, then kicking him off. Mumbo dangled from the stairs by his cape as Rachel flipped and kicked him down, his cape ripping as the magician landed on the floor with a thud. Rachel jumped back as Shadow charged his Home Attack, forcing him through the floor. The entire gigantic hat flipped and knocked them back outside.

"Ohhh…" Mumbo groaned, dizzily. "Show's over, kids… maybe next time… d'oh!" He fainted.

Rachel smiled, twirled, and sheathed her sword. She then picked up the now-smaller hat and looked inside with the others, the tiny Mumbo audience cheering away. "Yay! I love magic shows!" Angie exclaimed.

"I like them, too!" Charlotte smiled. "Only… without all the evilness involved."

"…Huh? What's this?" Shadow asked, noticing one of the Mumbo women with a glowing white gem on a ring. The hedgehog reached in as the lady held it up, and Shadow pulled out the white Chaos Emerald. "A Chaos Emerald!"

"My, my, that was a clever way to hide it." Rouge said.

"It seems the Brotherhood is collecting them as well." Shadow deduced. "We need to find them."

Mumbo woke up and smirked, leaping back on his feet and whipping out a Darkness Cannon from his sleeve. "Not so fast, kiddies!" They faced him. "A magician always has tricks up his sleeve! Now about a taste of your BAD side? Hocus…" he charged the cannon, "DARKNESS!"

He aimed and fired the cannon directly toward Rachel, who was frozen in fear. Shadow, thinking fast, pushed the girl out of the way, taking the hit himself.

"SHADOW!" Rouge yelled.

"AHHH ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Mumbo flipped beside Knightbrace, who recovered as well. The magician waved his wand and warped them.

_Shadow found himself surrounded by darkness, gripping his head as he looked around. "Ugh… where am I?"_

_"Shadow…"_

_"OHN?" He shot his attention to some shadowy, exoskeleton-like form of himself. _(Play "Mephiles' Theme" from _Sonic 2006_!)

_The figure slowly walked closer. "It is I, Mephiles…Mephiles the Dark! It's a pleasure to see you again, Shadow."_

_"N-No. We destroyed you. You aren't supposed to exist anymore!" Shadow exclaimed, sounding afraid._

_"Ha ha HA HA ha ha! I will always exist in your mind, Shadow. After all… we are… _one_."_ _The evil being looked dead into Shadow's frightened eyes._

_"Argh!... No… you won't get to me."_

_"Oh, won't I, Shadow? Different world, different timeline… but it'll all end the same. It's only a matter of time before humanity goes against you…"_

_"I don't care. Rouge promised she-"_

_"She… what? Always remain by your side? That's just all talk. A promise says nothing. When the time comes, she will betray you, too. They _all _will. It is futile. It is pointless to risk your life for those who will persecute you later. Just like the Dark Master. He learned that the all-powerful ones were never meant to be loved by humanity. He knew they were meant to rule them. And that is what you must do, too, Shadow. You are the ultimate life form. With the Chaos Emeralds, you control the powers of Time and Space. You are made from the blood of Black Arms, created to bring destruction to the world. It is your destiny. You cannot decide around it!"_

_"NO! I-It's not true!"_

_"Do not deny, Shadow! AWAKEN, and realize your true calling! REALIZE your true destiny, and TAKE YOUR REVENGE!"_

_"NOOO! !"_

_"MWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" _(Stop the music.)

"Shadow?... Shadow! Get up!" Rouge yelled, shaking the hedgehog's unconscious form.

"Er… Arrr…" Shadow bore an angry expression as he panted and shivered. In an instant, his blood-red eyes shot open, glowing a darker red as his body brimmed with a deathly red aura. _"Death to all who oppose me!"_ The gang jumped back as Shadow curled into a pinball and shot into the park. _"Chaos… BLAST! !"_ He erupted in a massive explosion, destroying several stands and Stormtroopers, as many frightened kids cowered away.

"Oh no! He's transformed into Dark Super Shadow!" Rouge exclaimed.

"Shadow! Stop!" Rachel yelled as they ran to help him.

The angered hedgehog erupted more Chaos Blasts and destroyed more rides. He swiped a machinegun from a Stormtrooper and started blasting away. He gritted his teeth when he felt his left arm grabbed, turning to see Rouge holding him back. "Shadow. I don't know what's happened, but you have to get control of yourself. Stop this, now."

The hedgehog continued to stare angrily into the bat's worried eyes. After a few seconds, the hedgehog sighed, and his redness vanished as he calmed down. "Rouge…"

"There. You better now?" she smiled.

"Yeah…" The others joined them as they looked around the park. Many rides were torn down, and many stands burned, thanks to Shadow's outburst.

"Well, we don't have to worry 'bout THIS place anymore." Rouge concluded.

"Then we have to keep going." Rachel decided. "The exit to the park is that way. Let's go." With that, the operatives and Team Dark dashed out of the park.

* * *

><p><strong>And there we go. I was going to make this longer and put another level with Ava, Kami, and Kweeb, but you know what? Screw it, this has gone on long enough. I'll do them next time, I wanna get this uploaded. Later.<strong>


	22. Mermaid Monster

**Okay, NOW let's do Kami, Ava, and Kweeb's level.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Venture Through Oceanic Base! The Mermaid Who Shot Poisons!<em>**

**Oceanic Base**

King K. Rool had fallen asleep in his control room, and the chubby croc was snoring loudly. His terminal started to beep, and K. Rool wake up with a light start. "Hnn? What is it?" He pushed the button, and Vector's face appeared onscreen.

_"King K. Rool. We just got attacked by two girls in one of the ships. An alien with white skin and some blonde girl."_

_"There was also a third one."_ Charmy said, getting in Vector's way. _"A yellow boy alien. Only he was really, really small." _Vector shoved him away.

_"They stole one of the submarines and they're probably headed your way."_

"Grrr." Kroctus grumbled. "We'll send someone after them. You three get down here just in case." Vector saluted as the screen switched off.

"RAH!" The Kremling King looked down into a small, toxic pool, where a large, fat mermaid with a green upper half and purple lower half emerged. She was also wearing a belt with an Evil Crystal. "Ah, hello, K. Rool. I trust that my instructions are proving helpful?"

"You've helped us greatly, Ineptune." Kroctus said. "We'll find the Ocean Kingdom before long. But we have an assignment for you: we suspect three operatives are arriving at the base. We want you to stop them, before they discover anything."

"OH, with pleasure, my dear. As long as I can have my revenge on the People of the Water, it'll ALL be worthwhile, mwah ha ha hah!" The evil mermaid laughed maniacally as she dove back in.

**Outside the base**

Outside, a small submarine was approaching, and Kami, Ava, and Kweeb looked out at the large, round underwater base. "You think this is the Oceanic Base?" Ava asked.

"Maybe. Unless somebody built some OTHER gigantic fortress under the sea." Kami remarked.

"Come on, you two, we have to see what these Kremling guys are up to." Kweeb demanded.

Kami opened the floor hatch as Ava studied the radar. "There's a secret passage just down that cliffside." She pointed out. "We'll dive and sneak in through there. Let's go!" (Play the Aquatic Base 1 Theme from _Sonic 2006_!)

_Stage 18: Oceanic Base_

_Mission: Find out what the Kremlings are up to!_

_Act 1_

Kami and Ava dove into the water, Kweeb holding onto Ava's hair as she swam, going into the dark chasm in a trench below the base. They found a small tunnel that led inside, then resurfaced inside and climbed out. They were immediately ambushed by three Bazukas, firing their large guns. Kami and Ava dodged the TNT barrels they fired, sliding over to knock the first two Kremlings out. Kweeb ran over to the third one, biting his toe, making it scream and drop his gun. Kami picked it up and shot him, then used it to blow down the door to the next room.

The next room held floating platforms going over a pool of Snapjaws. The gang hopped across them, while also jumping lasers between the platforms. Kami tripped and fell over at the last one, but Ava caught and helped her up before a Snapjaw jumped and bit her. When they got to an area where the path continued up a metal wall, Ava threw and stuck her swords in the wall, using them to hop up, followed by Kami. Once they were on top, Ava reached her arms out to call her swords back.

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't have any powers." Kami said.

"You mean your people can't call swords back to themselves?" Ava asked.

"Apparently not…"

They came to a long hallway of several treadmills going over a dark pit. They had to run along the treadmills as it moved opposite of where they were going, while lasers moved across them as well. When the treadmills ended, a couple Kopter Kremlings hovered over the pit, the operatives carefully jumping across them, landing on another series of treadmills on the other side.

On that side, some Koindozer Kremlings started trying to shove them off, but they jumped, causing the Kremlings to fall over instead. Some Koindozers stood on small platforms that the gang had to cross, holding their shields directly upward so they couldn't jump them. However, the kids simply used the shields as platforms and leapt off before they could throw them off. When at the last treadmill, two Koindozers from both ends tried to squash them, but the kids jumped, making them ram each other. When they reached the other side, two Krumples guarded the door and attacked them.

Ava tried to slice one with her swords, but his hard abs appeared too strong, so he laughed. The other one tried to punch Kami, but she grabbed its fist and hurled him over the edge as he screamed. Kweeb hopped off Ava's shoulder onto the other's nose, biting it before jumping down. The buff Kremling tried to stomp on him, but the little alien bit its toe, making it hop around in pain before Ava kicked him over the edge. The door opened and the three continued down a hallway of many steel crates.

Unbeknownst to them, a Krosshair was locking onto them, nearly shooting Kami before she jumped back. "What was that? !" she shouted. The Krosshair locked onto Ava next, who jumped before it shot her.

"Something's locking onto us." She figured, the three hiding behind some crates before the Krosshair shot again. They kept running and crouching behind more crates as the Krosshair kept aiming for them. After reaching the end of the hallway, they were out of the marksman's range. A series of strange silver balls were floating over another bottomless pit, and the gang saw a lever on the other side.

"Leave this to me." Kweeb smiled proudly, the tiny alien proceeding to hop across the balls himself, due to being small enough. As he leapt across, a couple Kremlings working giant magnets, both on opposite sides of the walls, started pulling the silver balls in, with Kweeb hanging on as they switched back and forth. He spotted the Kremlings and shot them in the eyes, making them fall over, releasing the balls for him to get across.

Once on the other side, Kweeb was at the lever (huge to his height), and the end of it was another steel ball. Next to it was some kind of magnet reactor. Just then, a squad of Robo-Kritters and Zingers charged out of a door up the stairs, running to grab the alien. Kweeb shot at the reactor, causing it to light up. Since it was on the opposite side where the lever was facing, the metal lever was attracted and activated, making a bridge extend for the girls to cross. They watched as the robots short-circuited from the reactor, exploding. Ava picked Kweeb up and said, "Those robots sure didn't seem to like that."

"That could be helpful later." Kweeb agreed.

They headed up the stairs to another room with a pit, and the only way to get across was with a giant silver ball. The operatives hopped on the ball and used the motion of their feet to make it hover across. Some Karbines tried to shoot the ball on their way through, but they were able to avoid their attacks. They reached a pillar that led up to another ball, Ava sticking her swords in the pillar to use to jump up. She called her swords back when they reached the next ball, and hopped up to it, gliding across and passing by huge windows. They moved slowly to admire the sights beyond the huge windows, seeing many large turtles and dolphins. If this wasn't an evil base made by a criminal mastermind, this would make a great aquarium, they thought.

As the three progressed, some Kopters tried to slice their ball, and they barely avoided. In the last bit of the room, some Bazukas tried to blast them from both parallel walls, but Kami tossed Orange Grenades at them, so they were able to get across. They passed through a door to another hall with a pit, the kids having to hang onto horizontal ropes this time to get across. As they did so, they had to keep dropping onto floating platforms as Klasp Kremlings went across them. They let the exploding Kremlings pass them before they climbed across the ropes their selves.

When they reached the end, they were at a dead end, except for the small tunnel of water. The operatives had no choice but to hold their breaths and swim through the underwater passage. It started to become too dark, but thankfully, the anglerfish, Glimmer, swam over and lit their way. With his help, the operatives narrowly swam through the dark passage, dodging Lurchins and Flotsams. When at the end of the path, the current was pulling them to an air vent. Ava pulled the vent open as the current washed them down. (Play the "Aquatic Base Level 2" Theme!)

_Act 2_

The operatives ended up going down some waterslides, landing on another path below. _"Intruder passing Area 2. Preparing to drown."_

"Yuh-oh! Let's bolt!" Kami yelled as water started to pour into the hallway, the operatives hurrying to the other end. When they reached a set of stairs, the gang hurried up as the room flooded. When at the top of the stairs, the gang was forced to hop across some Knik-Knaks to get the rest of the way over a flooding chasm. They made it to a door to another hallway.

_"Intruder passing Area 3. Intruder passing Area 3."_ The area flashed red as glass doors closed throughout the halls, but Ava used her swords to cut the weak doors, getting through. Once through, the team was at another hall of tiny walkways with chainsaws on them. They three hurried across the bridges as the chainsaws cut them up, while also avoiding Knockas.

In the next room, the three found another giant silver ball, going across a room of giant windows, showing the outside oceanic life. "Was this underwater?" Kweeb asked randomly, the girls shooting angry glares. "What? Just trying to add a little humor." At that moment, the room started to fill with toxic waste, so the three hurried across on the giant ball, dodging more fireballs shot at by Karbines.

The three reached a platform with a barrel with an "!" on it. They broke it and released a light that absorbed into them, making them blink rapidly. "WHOA, what's this?" Kami asked. But when the toxic waste reached them, they were unaffected.

"I think it's making us immune to this stuff." Kweeb replied. "Let's move quick!" With that, the three dove and swam into a tunnel through the toxic waste, the invincible power-up helping them through. They swam quick as doors started to close on that area as well. Just before the power could wear off, the three reached the other end, resurfacing and getting back on land. (Stop the music.)

The three walked down a short hall to another door, which was locked. Ava noticed a small slot beside it and said, "Looks like we need a card or something to get through."

"But where can we find one?" Kami asked.

"Look!" Kweeb pointed down another hall, at a strange chest with one eye. (Play the "Tricky Treasure" Theme from _Rayman Origins_!) The weird chest gasped, sensing horrible beatings from the operatives. Right away, he turned tail and ran.

"Come back!" Ava shouted, running after him. The strange chest dashed over some giant water gears, Ava jumping after him, trying not to slip off. The chest shot across some water geysers, then went across a rope of more Klasps, but Ava still kept up with him, jumping the Klasps, then following as it slid down a downward rope.

The chest dove into some water, so Ava swam after it, hurrying away from some pursuing Lockjaws. The chest went down a dark tunnel, but its eye lit the way, so Ava was able to chase it, but had to narrowly swim past spiky Lurchins. The chest then swam upwards in the tunnel, with more doors trying to keep Ava out, but she was the faster swimmer.

Once out of the water, the chest ran and started sliding down a waterslide, Ava sliding after it, jumping from slide to slide as they each cut off, then swinging onto small silver balls after the chest. Once at the other side, the chest slid down an air duct, Ava immediately hurrying after it.

Meanwhile, Kami and Kweeb heard bumping sounds coming from a duct beside them. They watched as the chest shot out of it, screaming as it flew toward the Drilovsky girl. Kami smirked as she spun her arm and punched the chest, knocking it into a wall, forcing it open, the Card Key flying out. Ava grabbed the card and high-fived Kami as they scanned it and proceeded through the door. (End song.)

They soon arrived at a large room with a huge, circular pool of waste, walking across a bridge to a platform in the center of it. "How would a bunch of crocs get a bunch of waste at the bottom of the sea?" Kami asked.

"AH HA HA HAH! That would be MY doing, of course!" A voice cackled.

The three reading their guard, Kweeb jumping off Ava's shoulder and drawing his gun. "Who's there? !" he shouted.

"WAAAH!" the giant mermaid, Ineptune, gasped, resurfacing for them to see her. The evil mermaid looked to them and smiled evilly. "AH, the infamous Kids Next Door. The ones who so generously help pint-sized pests throughout the world. I expected you to be… smaller."

"Really?" Kweeb spoke. "Usually, bad guys expect me to be taller."

"I guess that's because I only ASSUMED kids were as tiny as you. No matter. My name is Ineptune. Long ago, I was a citizen of the glorious kingdom of Oceana. But, I was the only one of the realm born a poisonbender, rather than water, and decided to spread a little of my element across the land, er, sea. The locals got angry and Kyogre had me BANISHED. SO, as revenge, I decided to help these crocodiles in the HEINOUS plan they're hatching! They want to kidnap the Sea Prince, but the Sea Temple has been sealed away with the Seven Talisman found. However, I told them of a DIFFERENT way."

"Wait, I thought the undersea kingdom was Atlantis." Kami said.

"No, no, no, you fools! It's Oceana! I don't know WHERE people get that crazy Atlantis theory. But not that you fools will live to find out anyway. King K. Rool has ordered your IMMEDIATE defeat. Prepare to DIE at the hands of my BEAUTY." (Play Ineptune's Theme from _Spyro: A Hero's Tail_!)

_Boss fight: Ineptune_

The chubby mermaid moved side-to-side in the poison water, splashing waves at the operatives which they dodged. She stopped in place and used both arms to send waves, but they still avoided. Ineptune paused to catch a breath, allowing Kweeb to aim and shoot her left eye, making her grip it. She then dove underwater, the operatives wobbling when she hit their foothold from the bottom. When it started tilting, Kweeb ran up the side tilting upwards while Ava stuck her sword in it, holding Kami so they didn't fall. When Kweeb reached the end, he saw Ineptune on the other side, trying to push it, so he aimed and shot her right eye. She screamed as she let go, the platform falling back horizontally again as the girls were able to stand back up.

Ineptune emerged beside the platform, still rubbing her eyes. Ava spotted her Evil Crystal belt and ran to slash it with her swords. After taking several hits, Ineptune was pushed back into a wall. "OOHHH. I will not be defeated… by someone so small."

She then pounded against the wall, making a bunch of Tiki Drums drop down. "What're these?" Ava asked.

"K. Rool has awakened these lovely creatures for a _personal_ project." Ineptune responded. "You needn't know what they're used for."

"Do you know?" Kweeb asked.

"Er, I… SHUT UP!"

The three attacked the drums as Ineptune splashed more water towards them. When all the Tikis were down, Ineptune barfed some waste at them, but they either ducked or jumped to avoid it. When she stopped to catch her breath, Kweeb shot her in the left eye again.

Ineptune then charged and started ramming the platform, attempting to knock the operatives over again. Kweeb recovered from the shaking just in time to shoot her right eye, making her pull back and hit the wall again, several barrels dropping down now. She rubbed her eyes as two barrels made a path to her, allowing Ava to hop across and strike her dark gem once again. After dealing several blows, Ava leapt back. "OOHHH! I can't believe I was outsmarted AGAIN… by someone so small."

The gang watched as she dove back under. "What's she doing now?" Kami asked. A massive whirlpool then began to surround the platform, which immediately dropped to the bottom, the team now caught inside a cyclone of poison waste.

"RAHH!" Ineptune exclaimed, starting to drop poisonous waterfalls on them. More Tikis dropped down as well, but Kami and Ava grabbed and threw them into the cyclone. The three then had to float on small barrels as the cyclone started flooding, however, the way up seemed to be blocked by poison, too. Just then, Ineptune started jumping out from the sides of the cyclone, throwing slime balls at them. Finally, she appeared at the top, spewing out more waste that the kids avoided. The three of them kept dodging as the rising waste lifted them higher. Once they were high enough, Kweeb proceeded to shoot her eyes, making her fall down to them. While Ineptune was rubbing them, Ava proceeded to slice the Evil Crystal, successfully destroying it.

The platform immediately came back above the surface, the kids safely landing back on. "AAHHH!" They watched as Ineptune shot back above the surface, waving her arms frantically. "NOO! ! How could a puny pipsqueak, SO insignificant and tiny, I need a MICROSCOPE to see him, POSSIBLY defeat ME? ?"

"And I thought Kami was over-reactive." Kweeb joked. This once again earned him a kick from the Drilovsky girl.

"NOOO! !" The monstrous mermaid sank below the waste. The two girls shook their heads in disbelief before exchanging smirks and continuing on. (Stop the music.)

**Countryside area**

The sun was now rising over the countryside as Team Forest was still sleeping under the tree, Emily and Chad's arms wrapped around each other unknowingly. Nova had also returned Celebi to her Spirit Ball. The Harnitan girl was the first to awaken, spotting a strange, green lump in the grass ahead. "Hm?" she crawled closer, curiously. The lump seemed to have orange stripes.

"Ribbit." The lump stuck its head up, revealing to be a yellow-eyed frog.

"Oh? Well, hello, little one!" Nova smiled and waved happily.

The rest of the gang awakened as well, Emily and Chad realizing they were hugging each other. "AHH!" they yelled, letting go and blushing.

"Look, everyone! It's a frog!" Nova called, pointing at the crouching amphibian.

"Ribbit!"

"Hehe! Cool!" Cosmo smiled.

"What are you doing out here, little guy?" Nova said warmingly as she cautiously approached the animal.

"…" The frog's expression remained unchanging.

"WAAAH!"

"RIBBIIIIT!"

The team gasped when Nova and the frog were suddenly trapped inside a net.

"Haha! We GOT 'em!" They looked up as Bowser Jr. hovered in his Koopa Clown Car, pulling the captured victims up. "I'll see you later, suckers!"

"HEY! COME BAACK! !" Cosmo yelled in anger, the team running after the Koopa Prince.

"He's headed for that train!" Annie yelled, pointing to the Koopa Train ahead. They watched as Bowser Jr. flew to the front of the train, getting in with the driver.

"Speed it up!" he ordered as the Koopa driver blew the whistle.

"Novaaaa!" Cosmo called for his friend as they chased the Koopa Train desperately.

* * *

><p><strong>Arrrrgh. Next time, there will be a couple boss fights. Plus, we'll see where this train is headed… well, not really. Later.<strong>


	23. Swords Clash and Krems Krash

**Uwaaahhh. Time for some boss fights! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Tests of Strength! Team Leader vs. Ghirahim and Team Alien vs. Chaotix!<em>**

**Final Brain**

The sky over the Brotherhood Base was still gloomy and cloudy as the infamous Sith Lord, out of his canister and in his short, skinny robot body, kicked back and relaxed in his chemical bath. Monsieur Mallah stood beside the pool as King Goobot dumped animal skins in and stirred it up. "Oh, I like baking skins in the acid, it makes-me-feel-so young!" he sang. "Oh, I like baking dead things in the pool, it makes-me-feel-so great! Oh, Braaain! How are you liking my own homemade chemical stew?"

"Er… very… intriguing, Goobot." Brain said, unsure. "Perhaps now you could answer my previous question."

"Oh, yes, the situation regarding Jirachi, I'll get right on that. Ahem. As you know, Jirachi WAS once linked to the Star Rod, and shares his power with it, and whoever would hold the Star Rod could wish for anything from Jirachi. BUT, as you may recall, that dreaded Nigel Uno boy wished Jirachi free from the Star Rod, and all of his powers were lost. Or… so it seems."

"Back at ze Truth or Dare Showdown, Jirachi vas able to give Nigel his Galaxia Sword for a short time." Mallah said.

"Exactly!" Goobot exclaimed. "Although that was somewhat uncanon. Jirachi still has ounces of his power left! And… there is a way to restore it completely." He smirked, rubbing his hands together. "It may have something to do with his Guardian."

"Of course. Ze Guardians _are _the keys to ruling the Firstborn." Mallah replied.

"Who is Jirachi's Guardian?" Brain asked.

"OH ho ho ho!" Goobot laughed. "You are going to laugh when I tell you, Sire! His Guardian is-"

"BRAAIN!" Just then, Mr. Boss came rushing in, panting heavily.

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Boss. To what do I owe this incursion?"

"You sent Stormtroopers after MY SON? !" Mr. Boss was furious.

"Your son was affiliated with Kids Next Door actions." Brain said.

"But Shaunie wouldn't hurt a fly. He's scared of them, and he'd certainly be too scared to work for KND."

"Well, I never intended to waste my Stormtroopers on such weaklings. It was Bowser who wanted Shaunie captured. He was busy, and I did not want to listen to his constant bickering. So, I sent Stormtroopers out to capture Shaunie, to make him shut up."

"Well, call them back."

"No. We received a message that Shaunie was saved, and evacuated with two younger children around his age. We suspect treachery is afoot. I have sent more villains out to investigate."

"Arrgh! Fine. I'll deal with this myself." With that, the chubby businessman ran out.

"By the way, Mallah, what is our good friend, Ganondorf, up to?" Brain asked his assistant.

"Ganondorf is researching something called the Triforce of Wisdom. He has also come up with a plan to spread more fear amongst ze children."

"I see. Keep an eye on him, will you? I grow wary of Ganondorf's actions. There is something about him that divides him from the rest of us."

"Indeed. Ve vill keep watch on vhat Ganondorf does from now on. I fear even the Dark Master may be in danger around him as well."

**Barren wasteland**

Rachel and her team were now walking through a grassland under a grey, cloudy sky, thunder booming in the distance. As they walked, Fi emerged from Rachel's sword and spoke, _"Master: I have analyzed the weapon that Mumbo used against Shadow. It appears to have been a Darkness Cannon."_

"Darkness Cannon? Like the one Yllaw used. What are they?" Rachel asked.

_"They are weapons infused with the very darkness that Gnaa possesses. Getting hit by one will let an individual see apparitions of their very Darkness, mending their minds to make them hurt, and even turn them to the Dark Side."_

"Shadow. Is that what happened to you?" Rouge asked.

"Hmph… I saw Mephiles."

"Mephiles?" she gasped.

"It was just like him. He… tried to turn me against humanity again…"

"And remembering what you did back there, the Darkness Cannons must be scary." Sonya said, worriedly.

"Ah, don't worry, guys." Rachel smiled. "Things'll get better as soon as we rescue Harvey."

"Oh, how painfully positive you are. You should know better than to think there's any hope for you." The team stopped and looked around, hearing this strange, grim voice.

"You know, if I had a dollar for every mysterious off-screen voice I heard, I'd be one rich little-" Patton was about to say.

"Zip it." Fanny whispered, lightly smacking Patton. They faced forward at a strange, white figure with a red cape. (Cue Ghirahim's Theme from _Skyward Sword_!)

The demonic figure turned, eyes glaring at the group, his tongue licking his lips as he smiled. "Hello, there."

The others backed away in fear. "Uh… who are you?" Rachel asked.

"The question is who are you?" he replied, walking toward them a little. "The new wielder of the Master Sword? The long descendant of the once great Hero of Time?"

"Uh…"

"Hm hm hm heh heh heh heh! If you are looking for my master… she is long gone with your wretched brother."

"You mean Lehcar?" Charlotte asked.

"Wait… you work for Lehcar?" Rachel asked.

The mysterious man then took the time to stretch his arms out and bend back. "First… how rude of me to not introduce myself first. For a moment, I felt like one of you snot-nosed brats. Just look at my otherworldly beauty, and you shall come to know me as the Demon Lord: _Ghirahim._"

"Ghirahim?" Lee said.

"Of course, I prefer to go by… _Lord _Ghirahim… but I won't slay you for that." He then snapped his fingers and warped to the right of the heroes, the kids turning their attention. "Did you believe the Master Sword was the only sword in the whole universe that had its own Guardian Spirit? I am the great spirit that dwells within the Devil's Sword… now in the possession of my new master: Lehcar EiznekCm."

Ghirahim warped again, appearing right behind Rachel, startling her as he grabbed her arms and bent his head down to hers. "I can sense the blood within your veins…" Rachel looked terrified as the Demon Lord examined her. "The blood of the Hero that caused the demons so much grief." Rachel glanced her eyes to him worriedly. "And yet you have the nerve to date the so-called Demon Prince. You truly DO have the nerve, Girl." Rachel looked even more disgusted as Ghirahim licked her cheek.

He then teleported back in front of them several feet. "But the master never chooses the sword. It is the sword that chooses the master. Lehcar's heart is filled with anger and rage. That's why I chose her. Her selfish lust for power is just the kind of master I need! I am honored to serve someone so evil."

"Ha! You're wasting your life." Rachel said, aiming her sword.

Ghirahim looked at her and smiled again. "Hmm. You have your own spirit servant, too. But Fi is weak, unlike me. All she has is her precious knowledge. I may be a Sword Spirit, but I have been trained in the arts. I will take this time to please my master, and do away with all you fools."

Ghirahim gently removed his cape and dropped it on the ground as the kids readied for battle.

"Ohhh. Look at my GLORIOUS figure." He grinned, examining his own body. "Never have I seen diamond-hard skin look so… astonishing. You shall be the first to fall by my beauty, and your blood shall be drunk by me to fuel my everlasting lust. Get ready to die, kiddies!" (Play "Ghirahim's Boss Theme 1"!)

_Boss fight: Lord Ghirahim_

Rachel ran forward to stab her sword, but Ghirahim dodged, knocked it away, then pushed her away. Shadow became a pinball and tried to Spin Dash into him, but Ghira ducked, and when Shadow came back, he kicked Shadow away. Lee spun and tossed his yo-yo, wrapping it around Ghirahim's left arm, allowing the demon to easily pull him over, then kick him back.

Paddy and Charlotte ran to grab his legs, but Ghirahim started doing jumping jacks, banging the kids' heads together as his legs touched back-and-forth, then finally kicking them off. Fanny quickly started throwing rapid fireballs at him, but he easily blocked with his diamond-hard skin. Patton ran to try and punch him from behind, but Ghirahim grabbed his fist, smirking as he slowly squeezed it, making Patton feel immense pain. After nearly scrunching his fist, Ghirahim threw Patton away.

That's when Fanny ran up and threw several punches at him, but he swiftly avoided each one, and eventually grabbed the redhead's arm, twisting it, making Fanny scream as he threw her away, too. "AAH!" Rachel cried, running to throw more slashes at the Demon Lord, but Ghirahim dodged right, ducked, then flipped her sword strikes. When she tried to slice him downward, he caught the sword in his right hand. Rachel added more pressure to try and cut him, but he easily took the sword. Rachel ran away as he chased her with it.

"Stupid kids! You'll never strike me by being so predictable!" Ghirahim threw the sword at Rachel, but she grabbed it in her left hand.

"Ugh. We have to overpower him somehow."

"Hey, diamond boy! Eat this!" Angie exclaimed, stomping rocks out of the ground and flinging them to Ghirahim. The Demon Lord swiftly swatted each rock away with his hands, so Angie stomped out a swarm of boulders that Ghirahim ducked and dodged some more. Through all this, Angie rode a bigger boulder and shot herself to him. Ghirahim punched and smashed the boulder, not noticing Angie, and the earthbender leapt off behind him, kicking him clear in the shin.

Angie immediately felt the pain surging through her when her bare foot came in contact with the diamond-hard skin. Ghirahim looked at her and smirked, seeing her frozen expression. He grabbed the little girl and threw her at Paddy. That's when Rouge tried to Screw Kick into him, but he simply grabbed her heel, and spun her around before throwing her off.

Rachel ran to try and stab him again, but Ghirahim dodged left and right, then flipped right over her to kick her away. Sonya ran and leapt from behind, but Ghirahim smacked her away, too, sliding her over to Rachel. "Man… he's tougher than he looks." Rachel panted.

Fi emerged from the sword and said, _"Master: as he spoke, he seems to be calculating your every move. Perhaps if you predicted him next, you could deceive him."_

At this, Rachel formulated a plan and ran to strike him. Once again, he dodged all of her slashes before flipping right over and kicking her back. "Hey, that might work!" Rachel smirked, standing back up. She ran and threw more strikes which he only kept avoiding. When Rachel sliced horizontally at the legs is when she predicted he'd flip, so she did so, and when he flipped, Rachel immediately swung the sword upwards, successfully damaging him.

"All right!" Sonya cheered.

"A lucky shot." Ghirahim said as he recovered. He leapt back to his feet as Rachel ran to throw more slashes. She tried to perform the same trick and slashed at his legs, but rather than flip, he actually performed a slide-kick, ducking down and knocking Rachel off her feet. Ghirahim stood back up and tried to stomp her, but she rolled away.

"The more damage he takes, the more he's able to predict our moves." Shadow observed.

"And the more he's tricky to predict, too. We better be careful." Rouge replied.

"Let's see if I can attack him." With that, the black hedgehog sped towards the demon, only to be pushed back. He ran around in an attempt to confuse him, but was pushed back again when trying to ram him. "Grrr! There has to be some way to confuse him." Shadow spun into a pinball again and zoomed rapidly around and back-and-forth as Ghirahim kept his eye on him, awaiting his next move.

When Shadow stopped, leapt in the air, and charged a Chaos Spear, Charlotte ran and pounced on Ghirahim's head, covering his eyes. "Geh! Get your hands off me!" he yelled, throwing her off. "Huh? !" Shadow was suddenly gone. "OHH! !" he was knocked back when Shadow appeared to the side, shooting into him.

Rouge then tried throwing several kicks at him from the air, but he blocked them all with his right hand before hopping back up. "AHH!" Rachel cried from behind, attempting more slashes, but Ghirahim dodged them once again. When she stabbed, Ghirahim leapt atop the sword, bending back and smirking, sticking his tongue out at her. He flipped back down and kicked her away, taking the sword. Rachel rolled to the side as he tossed it back.

She grabbed the sword, ran, and sliced downward, but Ghirahim only held it back with his right hand. Rachel remembered this and took the sword back before he could take it. She looked like she was about to strike, but Ghirahim held his arm ready, and Rachel slowly switched positions with it as Ghirahim did so with his arm. She threw several fake swings in all directions, immediately pulling them back when Ghirahim tried to grab them, then finally spun and sliced him horizontally, afterward laying several more blows before he teleported.

They saw him appear several feet away, panting heavily. "Haw yeah! Looks like we got you now!" Rachel shouted cockily.

Ghirahim merely smirked, licking his own lips and rubbing his arms smoothly. After rubbing his hips, he snapped his fingers, making a dark-silver sword appear in his right hand, holding it behind his back, ready to strike. "Aw, crud." Rachel frowned.

"HAA!" Ghirahim yelled, running to strike her, but Rachel swiftly defended with her own sword. She tried to strike back, but Ghirahim's blocks and swings seemed much faster. "Hee!"

"OWW!" Rachel yelped when Ghirahim spun behind and sliced her arm, leaving a small scratch and tear in her sweater.

"Ha, silly tiger! Your skills are great, but this marvelous bod is impenetrable!"

"Silly tiger? Really?" Rachel questioned.

"HUH?" Ghirahim gasped when his feet were suddenly trapped in rocks, looking over to see Angie earthbending. He merely smirked as he easily stepped out, snapping his fingers and conjuring a row of 5 darts. Angie made a rock wall in front of her as the darts came, blocking them off, but when Angie lowered the wall, Ghirahim shot toward her, stomped her left foot, and kicked her back. "Hehe!"

Shadow spun into a pinball and shot into him, but Ghirahim held him back by sticking his sword, the metal scraping against the hedgehog's pinball form. Shadow finally shot back and stopped to catch his breath. "It won't be easy now."

"What's the plan, Fi?" Rachel asked to her sword.

Fi flew out and responded, _"Master: with his sword, Ghirahim is even twice the threat. The only plan seems to be to deceive him like before."_

"Guess that's what we'll do." Rouge said, tossing a few bombs towards him. Ghirahim kicked them back to her and they exploded, however, Rouge flew up through the smoke and did a Screw Kick, which Ghirahim caught in his hand and threw her away.

Rachel ran to clash against his sword again. At one point, the two swords pushed against each other until Ghirahim finally slashed at her legs, but Rachel jumped, then clashed with him some more. When she jabbed at him, Ghirahim hopped onto her blade once more, Rachel ducking as he jabbed his sword at her head. Finally, Rachel swung hers upwards, making him leap off.

Rachel then did various downward strikes that he merely held up his sword horizontally to defend against. After a while, Rachel finally did an upward strike and was able to damage him. He warped away several feet and made a row of five darts appear. He snapped his fingers and shot them, Rachel dodge-rolling. When he summoned and fired five more darts, Rachel slashed upward and knocked one back, making him wince.

"Hey!" she smirked. When Ghirahim summoned another row, they suddenly changed to a diagonal position, but Rachel sliced diagonally, sending them back to strike him.

"Grrr!" the Demon Lord growled, charging and running to slice her, but Rachel swiftly ducked and laid several strikes upon him. He warped away once more, then ran to clash with her sword again. When he jabbed, Rachel hopped atop HIS sword this time, grabbing his arm, flipping behind, and making him punch himself. He tried to slash at her, but Rachel rolled around him and struck from behind.

Ghirahim angrily continued to clash against her blade, spinning behind her, but Rachel fought back. She did a flip over and behind him, continuing to swing their swords. Ghirahim started backing up as Rachel swung faster. His arm was then being forced to the right as Rachel hit his sword in that direction. Afterwards, she did an upwards strike and successfully knocked his sword away, then did a right strike to knock and roll him over several feet away, stopping on his back.

As Ghirahim recovered, he looked up as Rachel angrily aimed her sword at his face. The panting demon held his angered expression as he spoke. "Remarkable! Not only have you the strength and agility of the Hero, you move quick as a tiger as well. Now… DO IT! !"

"…RAAAH!" Rachel instantly rose her sword, the others immediately shutting their eyes as it stabbed down. (Stop the music.)

The kids slowly opened their eyes to see Ghirahim's widened eyes and frozen expression. He weakly looked to his left at Rachel's sword, stabbed right into the ground beside him, looking up at the blonde leader who panted heavily. The Demon Lord's angry visage slowly grew a wide, maniacal smile. "Heh heh heh heh ha ha ha ha ha heh heh heh heh. So… this is what the latest generation of the Hero's family has come to." He slowly stood up and looked down at the girl. "You may have the hair and strength of the Hero of Time… but you've not the eyes OR the heart." He calmly walked over to pick up his dropped cape, putting it back around him. He turned back to Rachel and continued-

"Then again… I suppose I should expect as much. My master is unhesitant and strong! She will kill no matter what! …You are weak. You may bare the Mark of Courage…" Rachel only looked glumly as he spoke, "…but it says not all about your character. You're a disgrace to wield that Triforce…" Rachel just looked down in sadness. Ghirahim could only smile deviously. "Well then… I guess I'd better be off." With that, he snapped his fingers and warped.

"Uh… not to side with the bad guy, here… but it might've made things a lot easier if you killed him." Patton said.

_"Patton."_ Fanny hissed, teeth gritted.

"Hmph. Shoulda gave me that sword." Shadow said. "I would've killed him, no problem."

"Shadow." Rouge said, disapprovingly.

"Why didn't ya kill him, Lass?" Fanny asked.

"Because… it just didn't feel right." She could only say.

As the others looked apologetically at their upset friend, Fi emerged from the sword. _"Master. There is no need to linger on the past. Your performance was incredible nonetheless. We must now proceed with our journey ahead."_

"Yeah… you're right. Thanks, Fi." The spirit went back in the sword as Rachel sheathed it. "You guys okay?"

"Ah guess so… oi, mah arm's gonna be hurtin' for weeks." Fanny said.

"My fist isn't any better, either. Boy, I wish we had Kami and her medical skills with us now." Patton said.

"Did he have to stomp so hard?" Angie groaned, rubbing her foot.

"Hey, I'm really sorry, guys." Rachel said sadly.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Lass." Fanny smiled. "It isn't your fault. We just have ta be careful next time we see him again. …Ah'd be a little more worried about you, Sir."

Rachel then remembered the small gap in her arm. "Oh… eh, I'm alright."

"Still, we should probably get to a hospital or something." Charlotte suggested.

"I hear there's a secret KND medical bay out here." Sonya said. "Let's look for that. And maybe we can find out where we are."

"Good idea." Rachel agreed. "Let's keep moving." With that, the operatives and Team Dark kept walking down the plains, the injured ones limping forward.

**Oceanic Base**

Meanwhile, Kami, Ava, and Kweeb proceeded through the Oceanic Base after defeating the Ineptune mermaid. "We need a team name." Kweeb randomly suggested.

"How 'bout Team Alien, Plus One Human?" Kami asked.

"Or just 'Team Alien'." Ava said.

"I'm not an alien!" Kami refuted.

"Actually, to us, YOU'RE an alien!" Kweeb stated.

"We are all of different species, you know." Ava agreed.

"Okay, Team Alien it is." Kami decided.

Team Alien passed through a door to another darker room, looking around. "Well, an hour or so of looking through this place, and we didn't find anything." Ava said.

"Except somethin' about a Sea Prince and an undersea kingdom." Kweeb replied.

"You know, my brother told me about it, actually." Kami said. "On an adventure he went on… something about Seven Talisman… and Manaphy."

"Well, well. Seems like the little stowaways know a little more than we thought." At the mysterious, loud voice, the three looked around.

"This whole off-screen voice thing is getting too much." Kweeb said.

"I couldn't agree more." A quieter voice said. "Allow us to shed some light on this situation." (Cue Team Chaotix's Theme from _Sonic Heroes_!) In an instant, the lights switched on, revealing the three members of Team Chaotix.

"You!" Kami exclaimed, recognizing them.

"You were the ones from the disco party." Ava remembered.

"Who are you? !" Kweeb shouted.

Vector spun around and made a pose. "Vector the Crocodile's the name. I'm a lean, mean croc with a fiery gut. Mess with these hard abs, and you'll get crocked."

"My name is Espio." The purple chameleon spoke. "The brains of this little group. I'm a chameleon trained in the art of stealth. I'm smart and quick on my feet. I also happen to be a ninja."

"He's also full of himself." The bee said.

"Hmph. It's better to be full of myself than to be an obnoxious pipsqueak."

"Anyway, my name's Charmy, and I'm a bee that can fly around and sting you! I may be small, but I'm stronger than I look! I'm also an airbender, so watch out! And together…"

"We are…" Espio continued.

They all spun around as bright lights lit above them, making a sign. "TEAM CHAOTIX!"

"The toughest Kremling Klub in K. Rool's Krew." Vector finished.

"So… who are you?" Espio asked.

"Heh! The name's Avalagrogaline Ragasquirina! But please, call me Ava. And my Swords of Glomour will cut you up double time!" Ava exclaimed, drawing her swords.

"I'm Kweeboleemolbo Lypbynopbolus. My friends call me Kweeb. I'm the tiniest, toughest alien around!" Kweeb introduced.

"And my name's Kami Drilovsky! Who apparently has a really short name. I may be just a nurse, but I ain't afraid to kick some butt!" Kami smirked. "And we're…"

"TEAM ALIEN!" they all cheered.

"Hmph. Team Alien, huh? Well, we'll show you how different species work well together." Vector replied.

"You evaded our trap on the _SS Kremlicht_." Espio said. "But now, we've got you." He then drew out a shuriken.

"Oh yeah? Just bring it!" Ava said, drawing her swords.

"We're gonna squash you like little bugs!" Charmy said, cockily.

"Wanna put your stinger where your mouth is?" Kweeb said, leaping off Ava's shoulder and drawing his gun.

"You kids may think you're tough." Vector said, stepping forward. "But we're the top crocs around here. Once we're done busting you up, we're takin' after those Kongs and bashing them, too." With that, he blew some fire upwards as he readied for battle.

Kami stepped forward and smirked. "Heh. You sound more like a dog. All bark and no bite with that big mouth."

"Get ready…" Charmy started.

"To face the power…" Espio continued.

"OF KREMLING MIGHT!" They all shouted. With that, Kami faced Vector, Ava faced Espio, and Kweeb faced Charmy as they went to battle. (Replay the same music!)

_Boss fight: Team Chaotix_

Both teams charged toward their opponents and began fighting. Vector and Kami threw punches at each other for a while before Kami leapt over him, then quickly dodged-rolled around him to avoid his fire breath. Kami grabbed his tail and swung him around, throwing him in a wall. Vector got back up, ran, and started snapping his snout at her.

Ava stylishly flipped and dodged Espio's shurikens, running and swinging her swords rapidly, but he was able to duck quickly. As he ducked lower, he slid and knocked her over, but Ava did a slide-kick which Espio countered. Espio back-flipped onto a wall, Ava watching as he started rapidly Wall Jumping around the room, finally pushing her over from behind.

Charmy cockily dodged Kweeb's little ray blasts, while Kweeb also dodged Charmy's stingers. He was able to zap Charmy in the butt, so the bee started trying to stomp him (he was a little bigger than Kweeb). Kweeb was blown back when Charmy clapped his hands, making an air blast, the little alien blowing upwards, about to fall on Charmy's stinger which he held up. However, Kweeb recovered, and shot Charmy's eyes, grabbing onto one of Charmy's antennas as the bee wobbled around, but Charmy shook him off.

"Rah!" Vector cried, leaping in the air, hands folded as he started doing various Ground Pounds, trying to smash Kami, who kept dodging. When he smashed close enough, she fell over, but when he was about to smash her, she kicked her foot up and hit his stomach. Vector performed another Ground Pound close to her, flinging her in the air, in which Kami performed her own kick-down atop his skull, knocking him dizzy.

As Espio continued zooming around the room with Wall Jumps, Ava kept getting dizzy, and Espio rammed into her. She kept getting up to track his movements, but finally stood still and closed her eyes. Her big ears sensed his quick movements, and she shot her eyes open and swung to the right, damaging the chameleon. "Hm. Very good. Now put those ears to the test." With that, Espio vanished, turning invisible.

Ava held her guard up and searched around for the chameleon. "Whoa!" she yelped, narrowly dodging incoming shurikens, which flew out of nowhere from all directions. Espio reappeared behind Ava and kicked her away, turning invisible again quickly. Ava rolled as he threw more shurikens from the ceiling.

Kweeb continued dodging as Charmy launched his stingers, shooting him a couple times with his gun. Charmy then started rapidly buzzing around the room, making little tornados that spun over and blew Kweeb upwards, Charmy trying to jab him with his stinger in the air. Kweeb avoided the stinger and grabbed his shoe, crawling into it and biting his foot. Charmy shook him out back onto the floor, then tried crushing him some more.

Kami and Vector threw more punches until Kami caught his right fist, punching his mouth upward, but it quickly came down and blew fire, Kami barely ducking, then slide-kicking Vector off his feet. When he tried to grab her legs, she leapt up and kicked his head again.

Ava continued dodging Espio's shurikens, but the ninja kept appearing beside and pushing her. When she dodged more shurikens, she closed her eyes to listen closely with her big ears. She finally heard Espio right behind her, ducking a kick, then kicking upwards behind her. Espio was flung above her, allowing Ava to jump and kick him into a wall.

Kweeb narrowly flip-dodged more stingers, shooting at Charmy's nose. Charmy inhaled and blew a massive air blast, pushing him back, but Kweeb used more strength to fight through it, leaping up and biting his nose. Charmy smacked the little alien off, throwing a swarm of stingers. Kweeb started jumping and hopping off the stingers, making it up to his head, then falling in his mouth. Charmy made a disgusted expression when Kweeb grabbed his uvula, making him vomit. Kweeb shook the puke off as he recovered, standing by his partners, who smirked victoriously.

Team Chaotix got their selves up and went beside each other. "Alright, boys… it's time to put these kids in their place." Vector said.

"Roger that." Espio said.

"Bring it!" Charmy followed.

"Now what?" Kami asked.

"Boys… prepare the Chaos Band!" (Pause the music.) Espio drew out a banjo, Charmy a drum, and Vector a microphone as spotlights shone on them.

"Dum…dum…" Espio began.

"Bee bee bee! Charmy Bee!" Charmy sang.

Vector sucked in some breath and erupted loudly into his mike. "Aaaa-AAAAAAHHHHH!" (Resume music.)

The gang covered their ears as they were blown back by the massive, loud sonic waves. They felt their selves getting weaker as the music boomed in their ears. But despite Vector's powerful lungs, Kami stood up and pulled all of her strength to approach the singing Kremlings. She got closer as Vector's voice grew louder, and just before their heads exploded from the music, she clapped his mouth shut, grabbing it and swinging him around, throwing him at a wall and knocking him out. Ava rolled over to Espio, sliced his banjo, then kicked him beside Vector. Charmy was about to shoot into Kweeb, but Kweeb took his ray gun and pressed 'Stun', knocking him out over to his teammates. The three operatives jumped in victory after winning the battle. (Stop the music.)

"Huff…huff…huff…" Vector panted, sitting up. "Well, well. Seems you kids gots more than you let on." He stood up and said, "You should join the Krew! You're a great team!"

"Thank you!" Ava smiled. "But we got our own Krew. Thanks, anyway."

They then felt a rumbling sound, directing their attention upwards. All of a sudden, Donkey Kong broke through the ceiling, water spilling down as he landed atop Vector's head, knocking the croc out. Donkey pounded his chest as Diddy and Dixie came down as well. "Ooh-OOOOH!"

"Hey! How'd you guys get here?" Ava asked.

"Ah, ah, ah! (We stole a sub and followed another one to this base! It looks like the Chaotix were on it!)" Diddy answered.

"Well, now that we're all here, we might as well keep going." Kami said. "Those K. Rool guys are around here somewhere. Let's go." With that, they left the Chaotix Crew and passed through another door.

The three operatives, plus the Kongs, finally arrived at the base's control room. "This does look like the control center. But it looks like K. Rool already left." Kweeb observed.

"On the bright side, we found their computer." Kami said. "Maybe we can finally learn something." With that, they walked forward and Kami started typing on the large computer, looking for anything that might help.

"By the way, anyone wonder what Nigel and his friends might be up to?" Kweeb asked.

"Something tells me they're on an adventure, too." Ava said. "Whatever's on this terminal, we may need to get it to him."

"And I think I got it." Kami declared, finding the information they need. "There. Now, let's see… the Dark Master is looking for the Eight Firstborn, blah blah blah, we never really learned all this, but I'm just skimming it as if we did… okay, here's somethin': when the universe first began, however, there were only Seven Firstborn that existed, while one of them had yet to truly be born. According to legend, the Ocean Spirit, Kyogre, is destined to marry and have an egg, which will one day hatch into the Firstborn Sea Prince, known as Manaphy Neptune. However, the egg will only hatch when Manaphy's Guardian holds it in her own hands. Hmmm… Guardian?"

"Wouldn't that technically be his mother? Like how a bird or a hen hatches her eggs?" Ava asked.

"Wait! I remember… Patton told me they had the Sea Prince with them on their adventure… and that Eva told him, when they were fighting Mandy in a Pirate Fleet, they dropped the egg, but Eva caught it, and it suddenly hatched."

"So, you mean that Numbuh 10 is this Manaphy's 'Guardian'?" Ava asked.

"But that still doesn't explain the Tikis." Kweeb said.

"I have it." Kami said, looking at the screen. "It says that the Demon and Ocean Families were always enemies, mainly due to opposite elements. Long ago, King Malladus Uno created evil spirits known as Tikis, instrument-shaped beings whose hypnotic tunes can hypnotize almost any animal, to terrorize the Ocean Realms. Kyogre disabled the Tikis long ago, but it says they could easily be awakened by feeding them the luscious bananas of… Donkey Kong Island?"

"Ooh OOOHHHH!" Donkey Kong cried.

"So, THAT'S what the bananas are used for!" Ava deduced.

"Ahh ahh ahh! (We have to go after them now!)" Diddy panicked.

"There's a pathway down there." Dixie said, pointing below the control area to the hallway below.

"Okay, then let's-" Kami stopped herself when they all realized what just happened.

"YOU CAN TALK? ?" they all shouted at Dixie.

"Duh. I learned Human English ages ago. Tiny, too. We just never bothered to tell any of the boys." She winked.

Donkey and Diddy just shot her a glare.

"Look, let's just go." Kami said. With that, they all leapt over the terminal to the floor below, running down the passageway.

Kami, ahead of them, stopped them all after reaching the path's end. "Shhh." She gestured ahead, and they looked to see the three K. Rool Brothers boarding a large submarine.

"My Knautilus will get us back to the base in no time!" Baron said, proudly.

"That can't be the Nautilus, can it?" Kami asked quietly.

"It's not." Dixie whispered. "Baron built a copy of it himself. It has a silent 'K' at the beginning of it."

"Ahh…" Kami nodded in understanding.

"Let's go." Kroctus said, boarding on. "The sooner we get back to Kastle Kaos, the sooner we can research the Sea Prince."

"ARRR, and I'll be having whatever booty be in that lost kingdom, aye?" Kruckers said before boarding the Knautilus last.

"They're leaving! We have to get back to the subs and go after them!" Ava exclaimed.

"Nope. The subs are too far away, and even if we get to them in time, we'll never be able to follow without being spotted." Kweeb said.

"So, what's your plan, Shortstuff?" Kami asked.

Kweeb smirked as he leapt off Ava's shoulder, holding up his gun. "Well, while we were on that sub, and waiting on that ship, this 'Shortstuff' was installing an upgrade in his little weapon! I programmed the Tri-gun to shrink stuff now!"

"Cool!" Ava beamed.

"Wait, the Tri-gun? Was that the best name you could come up with?" Kami asked.

"Hey, it's got three purposes, don't it? Just stand together, everyone." The five did as told and bunched together as Kweeb set his gun to 'Shrink'. "Stay cheese!" With that, he fired a pink ray at the team, shrinking them all down to his tiny, 1-inch height.

"Whoopsie! Forgot me gun!" Kruckers said, walking out of the submarine over to his gun, leaning against the wall. The 6 tiny characters immediately ran towards the massive crocodile captain, leaping and grabbing his red jacket as he walked back in the sub, closing the door.

The gang let go and ran to hide in a corner as Kruckers sat down. "Hey, Kami! Who's the short stuff now?" Kweeb asked cockily, now face-to-face at equal height with the Drilovsky girl.

"Don't gloat yet, chubby. I'm still tougher than you."

"Finally. Now… set a course for Kaos Kore." Kroctus ordered. "Once our plans are complete, the Kongs will be no more! Mweh heh heh!" With that, the Knautilus submerged beneath the sea and sailed onward.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, that'll do it. Next time, we'll check out that train from before. Anyway, these fight scenes went nicely, I think; and the Team Chaotix battle lasted as long as the music! Try and guess who Jirachi's Guardian is! I'll see you later!<strong>


	24. Jeong-Jeong's Fire

**Okay, time to chase after the train! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>All Aboard the Koopa Train! Nigel Uno vs. Jeong-Jeong!<em>**

**Countryside canyon**

Team Forest hurriedly ran after the train as it sped faster. Bowser Jr. spotted them from the distance and only laughed cockily as they failed to catch up. "Well, come on, you slowpokes!" the child exclaimed wittingly.

"Grrr!" Emily growled, becoming a ghost and flying after the train at high speed. "You aren't getting away!"

_Stage 19: Koopa Train_

_Mission: Chase after the large train!_

_Act 1_

Emily Matthews high-tailed after the long train in ghost form, Bowser Jr. making taunting movements as Bill Blasters in the back fired Bullet Bills. Emily easily knocked the Bills back with her Ecto Blast, then throwing more blasts at the train, shaking it. They were starting to go in some sort of canyon area as some Chargin' Chucks threw baseballs at her, but Emily knocked them off as well, throwing more blasts at the train's cargo, and Bowser Jr. screaming at the wreckage.

"Heehee heehee!" he cackled, drawing out a ray gun. "This Fenton Crammer we stole will short out your ghost powers. Try and follow us now!" With that, he charged the ray, firing a green blast and directly hitting Emily.

"WHOOA!" she yelled, immediately changing to human form, rolling and thumping along the ground. The train went over a bridge over a long drop to the ocean, Emily rolling off the cliff and hanging on for dear life.

"Hmm… it was supposed to shrink you, too." Junior said, studying the gun. "Ah well. Good enough. Haha!" he laughed as the train got further away from them.

The rest of the team dashed over just in time, Chad bending down and grabbing Emily's arms to help her back up. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She panted, holding onto him.

"Well, THEY'RE gone." Annie said exasperated.

"But we have to save Nova!" Cosmo yelled. "Who knows what they might do with 'em? !"

"Besides, they may be heading to one of their bases. We HAVE to follow it." Chad decided. He pointed over to a rocky pathway; which had an old, ruined Western village, leading to the canyon. "We can catch that train if we cut through the canyon."

"It won't be easy without my ghost powers." Emily said.

"No problem. Check this out!" With that, Chad took out a small, circular device that was white around the edge and had a big, red light in the middle. "I stole this from the GKND. It's a device that absorbs information around the area and lets you take a form based on its environment. Here, try it." He handed it to Emily.

The Matthews girl held it up to the village as a scanner observed it. _"Data analyzed. Western theme now available."_ The team watched with wonder as the device scanned Emily, giving her Western-style clothes, such as a cowboy hat, brown boots, and two guns.

"Holy cow! I'm a cowgirl!" she said happily, shooting her guns up in excitement.

"Okay, then let's go!" Cosmo yelled again.

"Aw yeah, Baby! Time to rock!" Emily exclaimed, tipping her hat. (Play the "Western Village 1" Theme from _Ape Escape 3_!)

In her new cowgirl form, Emily ran into the cliffside Western village, followed by the others as they were immediately ambushed by Hammer Bros, flying out of the buildings' windows and throwing hammers, but Emily rapidly shot them all with her guns as they ran by. A couple Chargin' Chucks ran out, but Annie ran and tackled one, and when the other tried to grab her, Chad grabbed it from behind, throwing it into another Hammer Bro.

From some higher cliffs, they saw a couple cannons shooting Missile Bills at them, that blinked red as they homed in. Emily shot them all and kept going while Chad was able to punch them away. After clearing the village, they went around another small and narrow cliffside, jumping as soccer shells came around. They kept going and found a few Koopa Strikers, Zuri tackling the soccer Koopas over the edge. At the end of the small path, a Koopatrol tried to charge into them, but they all dodged to the side, letting it run over the edge.

They saw the train speed along the tracks on a cliff across a chasm, firing cannons at the sharp peaks above them, making large boulders fall onto the rocky pathway. They ran for it and dodged quickly to avoid the boulders, but along the path, some Piranha Plants spouted up and tried to gnash at them. One plant blew a fireball at Emily, making her trip, the girl looking up and gasping at a falling boulder. Thankfully, Zuri used Iron Tail to blast the boulder away, and Emily smiled in gratitude.

Emily shot off a few Plants as more boulders fell toward her, but Chad jumped high and punched the rocks away with only his fists. "WHOA! ! You never told us you were that strong!" Emily exclaimed.

"Let's just say I work out a lot." Chad smirked, flexing his right arm muscle.

They finally made it across the rock path and into a path between two walls. There, some Chargin' Chucks were standing atop the walls, using shovels to dig up rocks and toss them down there, but Emily only shot them away. Cosmo fought back when a gang of Boomerang Bros arrived and tossed their boomerangs. As they did so, Annie shot pellets in their eyes with her slingshot, so when the boomerangs came back, they were distracted and knocked out. They reached the end of the small trench to an old bridge that led to a platform, which had a bridge to another pathway. Across the chasm, they saw the Koopa Train speed by again, several Chargin' Chucks leaping out onto the platforms.

All they did was throw baseballs that Cosmo batted back, knocking them out and over the edge, allowing them to cross to the first platform. The next bridge had Chain Chomps on the other side, the ball-shaped dogs barking as they rolled over. Chad used his apparent super-strength to grab and throw the Chomp back, and it bit and knocked off Koopatrols on the other side. The five reached another long pathway between two rocky slopes. Larger boulders were rolled down the cliffs by Chucks as Teen Ninja bikes sped into the area as well, the teens getting out and drawing their staffs. "Ugh. Not them, too." Cosmo groaned.

"If these guys are here, other villains must be here, too." Emily figured. Cosmo and Chad fought back against the ninjas, Chad throwing punches and Cosmo swinging his staff. Annie took out her slingshot and aimed at the Chargin' Chucks atop the hill, shooting the pellets at the small gaps through their helmets where their eyes showed.

Chad and Cosmo were getting overpowered by the Teens, but Zuri ran in and batted the teens into one-another with his Iron Tail, and Emily proceeded to shoot them with her guns. The train passed along the cliff above them, the gang dodging as its cannons fired bombs that made huge explosions.

"Come on! Let's hurry!" Em ordered, running ahead. They reached the end of the path, seeing a thin rope lead over a chasm into a mine. Emily grabbed and hung onto the rope, skidding down to the mine, followed by the others. Inside the small mine, some Swoopers swooped down at them from the ceiling, but Zuri leapt and tackled the bats, whacking them with his Iron Tail.

They ran through the narrow halls, going up a hill and coming out beside a track, just in time to see the train pass by. "After it!" Chad yelled, already running across the track. At one point, however, the boards were gone, but the rails were there, so they proceeded to grind across. When they reached the other side, the train was already far ahead. "Come on, down this way." Chad instructed quickly as they arrived at another rock path into another gorge, following after him.

A bunch of Pokeys popped up from the ground, wobbling over to try and smash them, but Cosmo batted each of their parts away with his staff while Annie flipped atop and squashed their heads. When they were running through the gorge, several Bandits leapt out and ran at fast speeds towards the gang. Cosmo was tackled and robbed of his staff while Annie lost her slingshot, but Emily shot the Bandits and knocked them out, the team proceeding to grab their items while Emily shot any more Bandits that came their way.

After getting through the gorge, they then had to sidle along a wall on a tiny ledge over a chasm. There were holes on that cliff with Piranha Plants that gnashed out if they got close enough, but Emily shot them before they could strike. The train passed by on the other side, firing cannons that made parts of the cliff collapse and drop boulders. Emily wobbled and nearly fell over, but Chad caught her, then kept moving along.

They reached an area where the wall was jagged enough to climb, dodging sideways as Koopas dropped Bob-ombs from above. They reached the top of the platform and encountered a Chuckya, who rolled over, grabbed Annie, and hauled her over the edge, only for Emily to throw a lasso and save her. Chad then grabbed the Chuckya from behind, carried it over, and threw it over the edge. As they looked around for a way to go, they saw a purple fat cat seated on a ledge. He was holding a fishing pole, and apparently hoped to catch something in the chasm. "Um… hello?" Emily greeted, confused.

The fat cat turned and faced them with his yellow eyes. "Oh, hello! My name's Big, 'cause I'm big! I'm looking for my friend Froggy! Have you seen him?" he asked in sort of a dumb tone.

"Are you… fishing for him?" Cosmo questioned.

"Yeah. We like to fish. I'm hoping he'll see it."

"Ahh… well, I'm sure that'll work." He said sarcastically.

"Hold on! Those guys used a frog to trap our friend!" Chad remembered.

"You SAW him? ?"

"Yeah, he was captured on that train!" Emily pointed in the distance. "We can go save him!"

"Ohhh!" Big looked over the chasm and saw a minecart on an old track. "Grab on! I'll get us across." He said, opening his umbrella. They all held on as the fat cat jumped over and slowly glided them across with his umbrella, landing them safely in the minecart which began zooming down the track.

They made several turns around the canyon walls, having to jump any gaps in the track. Soon, they were rolling beside the Koopa Train, Bowser Jr. taking notice and going crazy. The Koopa Prince opened the train's cannons, aiming to shoot the little minecart, then shooting off parts of the track, making them have to jump more. Junior blew up 5 gaps in a row, but they were still able to jump them. He blew up one last part ahead, making the straight track lead down to a lower track, the small cart gaining more momentum as it zoomed down, the group keeping balance as it made several tight turns.

When the track was about to cut off, they saw another foothold to the side, immediately leaping off before the track drove over the edge. They proceeded up the path upwards and reached another gorge where the train tracks were, watching as the large train sped far away fast. Bowser Jr. danced and laughed cockily, doubting they'll be able to catch him. "Well… there she goes." Emily said in defeat.

"Augh, there must be some way to catch it." Chad said desperately. (Stop the music.)

**Aboard the train**

As the train kept going, the small group of child allies still waited patiently inside the supplies crate, a Koopatrol pacing back and forth, guarding that cart. "Pray, since we art awaiting most patiently on this vessel, mayhap we thinkst of a team name." Luvbi whispered.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Tommy raised his hand, keeping quiet. "I heard of this really cool Kids Next Door squad. How about we call ourselves… the Prospectors?"

"But they already had that name." Jessica said.

"How about Junior Prospectors?" Tommy asked. "We're young enough to be called that, aren't we?"

"Sounds good to me." Sammy smiled, agreeing.

"Ah ba ba boo!" Joey exclaimed.

"Very well. Junior Prospectors it ist." Luvbi decided.

"Um… Ms. Luvbi?" Shaunie spoke.

"Pray, doth not refer to me as 'Miss'! I am not an adult, thou knowest."

"S-Sorry… but… why did you guys bring me with you?"

"I believest yon Tommy canst answer that."

"Okay!" Tommy smiled. "Anyway, the reason I wanted to call us the Junior Prospectors was because the old ones were meant to show how disabled kids can be just as good as regular ones. So I figured we can show the others how good NON-operatives are! Namely ones that are 7 or under."

"So, we went around and saved all the young non-operatives we could!" Mushi followed. "Including you."

"The older kids are always bragging about how good they are, and we can't do anything, so we're gonna prove them wrong!" Tommy finished.

"But isn't Luvbi an operative?" Shaunie asked.

"Ai, yes, but my only affiliations these last many years were with GKND, which ist long gone. Plus, the younger youths are doubted as often as we aliens or inhuman beings art, and since I am technically both, I maketh yonder bill."

"Mmm… I guess that makes sense."

"Man, when's this train gonna stop?" Tommy asked, impatient.

"Ai, hopefully soon." Luvbi replied.

"Well, I'm hungry." He whined, noticing they were on top of Mushrooms. He grabbed a red one and said, "I wonder if this is any good?"

"NAY!" But despite Luvbi's shout, Tommy bit into the Mushroom. The chubby boy immediately grew twice his own height, splitting the entire crate, knocking the guarding Koopatrol off and crushing his friends.

This caught Bowser Jr.'s attention. "HEY! How'd those kids get on here? ! STOP THEM!" A Koopatrol immediately charged into the grown boy, successfully attacking and shrinking Tommy down to normal size.

"Aw man." He whined.

"Ai, perfection. They hath found us." Luvbi eye-rolled. "Junior Prospectors: ATTACKETH!" As the young children readied for battle, Shaunie only gulped in fear. (Play the "Western Village 2" Theme from _Ape Escape 3_!)

_Act 2_

Luvbi used her airbending to blow the Koopatrol over the edge as they started hopping from cart to cart, Bowser Jr. already leaping the carts to get away. As they did so, the strong wind from the rushing train nearly blew Luvbi off had she not grabbed on to a crate. "Ay! The wind proveth quite strong."

Shaunie grabbed her left hand, pulled her back on, and said, "Maybe just float low with us."

The kids got into a passenger cart that was filled with Shy Guys, the little socked creatures going crazy and squirming all over the place. Mushi gracefully hopped across the creatures to the other side, pulling a lever that opened a trap door, the Shy Guys randomly jumping into it. The girl giggled as she closed the trap for the others to get across.

They came to a cart of crates that were tied around with a rope, so they grabbed onto the rope and started climbing around. From the other cart, a cannon fired Bullet Bills, but Joey was able to capture them and throw them back. When the kids made it to the next cart, a gang of Chucks leapt out from crates, this time throwing dodgeballs. Joey easily flipped around the cart as he grabbed a ball, threw it at a Chuck, and ducking as it bounced around, hitting the other Chucks.

The rest of the cart had stacks of crates, lined up like a staircase, and a Chargin' Chuck throwing barrels down at them. Sammy and Jessica just leapt the barrels, jumping up the crates and pushing the Chuck over, the others following after. They then reached a cart with no floor, only two parallel walls and two switches on the other end. Joey and Mushi took the time to Wall Jump down the two walls, having to Wall Jump off each other since the walls were far apart. They made it and pushed both switches, making a bridge for the others to cross.

When they reached the end of the cart, the next one was connected by a really long chain, making the team have to balance their way across. Shaunie had the most trouble, looking down and seeing the quick-rushing ground beneath his bare feet. The rushing speeds made him more nervous, but Mushi helped him along. They made it to another cart of crates, having to get through a crate maze. "Gah! That's it. Release the carts!" At Bowser Jr.'s command, the cart they were previously on broke off from the train and exploded.

"They art destroying their own train. Moveth quick!" Luvbi ordered, the kids hurrying through the maze and jumping the next cart before the other one released. The next one, they were ambushed by Rocky Wrenches, little mole creatures that threw wrenches at them, only for Mushi to spin and knock them back. They then had to cross yet another long chain, and Shaunie felt more afraid to cross. Mushi rolled eyes and allowed the Irish onto her back as she balanced across. While the others got across, the chain broke before Mushi could make it, but Tommy grabbed and pulled her and Shaunie back on.

Meanwhile, Team Forest hurried after the speeding train, but they started to lose their breath as the train got farther and farther. "We're never gonna catch up…" Emily panted in doubt

Just then, they were surprised by a carriage that sped right beside them, pulled by Ed, and driven by Eddy, who wore a cowboy hat, a whip, and sunglasses. "Step right up for Eds' Cowboy Cab! Only 25 cents!" Eddy exclaimed.

The group just shrugged and each took out a quarter, flipping them to the loudmouth, who grinned as he caught them in his hat. Cosmo only tossed him some sort of alien money. Big took out a small bolt and asked, "Duh… will dis do?"

"Cool!" Ed said, happily snatching the bolt.

"Eh, good enough." Eddy shrugged. "All aboard, kids!" the team squeezed into the small carriage as Double D helped sit them down.

"Uh, attention, passengers, please remember to keep all arms and legs inside the carriage." The weaker Ed boy instructed.

"Let's go, Lumpy!" Eddy yelled, whipping Ed.

"Just call me Jim!" With that, the dimwitted Ed pulled the carriage and charged right after the train, moving very fast. The Koopa Train launched more Bullet Bills that the carriage narrowly dodged. Parts of the train began exploding, sending debris that barely missed the wagon.

"Eddy, are you sure this is safe?" Edd asked.

"Come on, Ed! Faster!" Eddy yelled, whipping the dumb Ed. The train soon went over a track over a river while the gang took a small rail to the left, Ed lifting the wagon above him and pulling out a unicycle that he began riding down the rail, jumping gaps in the way. They soon got back on a safe foothold for Ed to drop and continue pulling the cart, but the path led right into the river, the others holding their breath as Ed swam speedily underwater, evading groups of Bloopers. Finally, he swam to a hill that led them out of the water and on the bridge the train was crossing.

The carriage dodged a few more debris from exploding carts as they entered a tunnel. When the train dropped several landmines, Ed ran up and pulled the wagon up the tunnel walls, making two complete loops around the walls and ceiling before they exited the cave, still chasing the train down another trench. Just then, swarms of Teen Ninjas sped after the kids in their bikes, but Emily stood on the top and shot the Teens away with her cowgirl guns. They were then followed by the even faster Six Gum Gang, shooting their gum wads and clogging Emily's guns.

Zuri then growled as he pounced over to Lunk's craft, biting the chubby boy in the butt before hopping off, letting him drive into Goof. Zuri landed on Dixie's head as Wilbur swung his lasso to try and grab him, but Zuri leapt off for Wilbur to wrap around Dixie's neck, the girl choking and falling off her craft, pulling Wilbur off his.

Runt only growled as he continued pursuing the carriage, swinging his lasso and grabbing Annie, pulling her off. Right away, Big swung his fishing rod and wrapped around her, trying to pull the girl back. While the two were in tug-o-war, Cosmo hung and climbed across Big's rope, then passing Annie to cross Runt's rope, taking his lasso and kicking the boy off, allowing Big to pull them back over.

"Alright. Get us closer to the train." Emily said to Eddy.

"Hey, this stuff ain't easy. You try driving this-" But when Emily held up a dollar and smirked, Eddy's eyes widened. "STEP ON IT, LUMPY!" With that, Ed ran even faster to the train.

Once they were close enough to its rear, Big swung and cast his fishing rod and latched on the back again, the others holding onto the fat cat as he finally hauled them onto the train, just in time to see Mushi push off a Chargin' Chuck. The Junior Prospectors immediately noticed the Team Forest as all teams shouted, "HOW DID YOU GET HERE? ?"

Before either could respond, a squad of Bullet Bros leapt onto the cart, the kids dodging as they started tossing Bullet Bills. "We'll introduce ourselves later." Emily decided, already shooting the first one, taking it out. Chad stylishly dodged two Bullet Bills from the next one, then grabbed the third Bill and threw it back, the Koopa flying off and exploding.

While Sammy distracted the third Bill, Jessica ran up and closed his eyes from behind, allowing Sammy to push it over. In all this, Shaunie just stood around, wondering what to do, when the fourth Bullet Bro landed behind him, startling the boy. "AAHHH!"

"Oh, for Skypia's sake!" Luvbi yelled, simply blowing the Koopa off. "'Tis how 'tis done, eh?"

"Hehe…" Shaunie chuckled nervously and sheepishly.

"Come on. Let's get the engineer." Emily said, already moving along in the train with the others. (Stop the music.)

Finally, the lot of them reached the front of the train, with Bowser Jr. and the white-shelled Koopa engineer in sight. The Koopa Prince turned to them and yelped. "AHH! You actually made it? !" (Cue Bowser Jr.'s Theme from _Mario Galaxy_!)

"Freeze, turtle-boy!" Tommy yelled.

"Hey! I know you!" Shaunie shouted. "You're the son of that mean turtle monster that hurt my sister!"

"Oh, I thought I recognized you from somewhere." Junior said. "That whiny voice of yours is hard to forget. You're such a baby."

"I am not a baby!" he whined.

"Haha haha! Gets 'em every time! Anyway, I'd love to taunt you more, but my dad doesn't want any snot-nosed kids ruining this."

"FYI, I'm not a kid. I'm a teenager." Chad stated.

"Pfft. Kid, teenager, what's the difference?"

"Return Nova to us now!" Cosmo demanded.

"Give back Froggy!" Big exclaimed.

Bowser Jr. held up the glowing green Spirit Ball and stepped aside to show the caged frog and Nova, smirking. "Sorry, kids, but my dad needs these guys. You want them back? Come and get 'em! They're all yours, Morton!" With that, he tossed the Spirit Ball to the engineer as a floating pirate ship lowered itself down for Junior to hop on, waving them off.

The chubby Koopa driving the train, named Morton, laughed as he pressed a button, releasing the last car that the others were standing on. Fortunately, the Eds sped beside them in their carriage again, so both teams hopped onto it before the last train car exploded. "Step on it, Baby! Yeehaw!" Eddy shouted, whipping Ed some more. (Play the "Megaleg" Theme from _Mario Galaxy_!)

_Boss fight: Morton Koopa Jr._

Ed ran even faster after the now-one-cart train, blowing a whistle as cannons emerged and launched Missile Bills at them, but Big and Cosmo batted them away. Emily aimed for the Koopa driver and fired her bullets, doing him a bit of damage. He blew the whistle and moved the train faster, going over a track over a river, making the others have to squeeze in a minecart, cannons blowing their track off once more as Emily continued to shoot her bullets. When they were beside the train, Big cast his fishing pole to try and grab Froggy, but Morton only pulled the cage back in. The fat cat then decided to cast at one of the wheels and was able to pull it off.

"Garr!" Morton grumbled as his train started to slow down when they were getting back on land.

"We got 'im now!" Cosmo exclaimed.

To their dismay, however, the airship lowered itself down again as the purple-clothed witch, Kammy Koopa, flew down on her broomstick. "Mweh heh heh! Seems Morton's having a rough time of it. Perhaps I should give him a hand." With that, she waved her magic wand and sprinkled some magic on the train before flying back up.

The train started to shake as the floor beneath Morton opened up, a large green Bowser-like kite flying out. "The Koopa Kite oughta help you greatly." Kammy said. "Attack!" (Play the "Megaleg 2" Theme!)

Morton laughed as he flew around on his large, mechanical kite, launching fast cannonballs that they narrowly dodged. Big was not so lucky, however, as a cannonball bashed him and sent him flying off the carriage. "WHUUUH!"

"BIG! !" Emily cried.

"We'll go back for him later, keep moving!" Chad ordered.

"On the bright side, we're less compact." Double D said.

The kite flew high upwards at it launched several javelins in the ground, Ed swerving around and tripping, making the carriage spin out of control. When it got back on track, the Koopa Kite swooped down and grabbed Emily, but the cowgirl flipped atop its head to attack Morton a little before the Koopaling pushed her off.

The Koopa Kite then started swooping down and grabbing boulders, throwing them at the wagon, so Emily started shooting at the grabber, eventually destroying it after enough hits. Morton Koopa proceeded to launch more javelins. Thankfully, one of the spears was tilted, so Ed was able to run up and jump them to the kite, grabbing on and ripping off the javelin cannon.

Morton Koopa became angered as the kite started zooming around quicker with Emily barely able to blast him. The Koopa slammed the kite down on the ground, attempting to smash them, making shockwaves with each pound that the wagon jumped. When he tried again, Annie was able to hit him with her slingshot, dizzying the Koopa and making the kite swerve out of control. It did move slow enough for Emily to shoot and damage it a little.

When Morton recovered, he started launching sonic waves from the kite. "Faster, Ed!" Eddy cried as the sonic wave chased and destroyed the ground behind them. They were able to speed beside the train, Emily grabbing on the kite's rope and climbing up to the Koopa. Eddy's face turned horror-stricken as it seemed they were finally about to run off a dead end. "Whoa, Baby. We're going down!"

"Yah ha ha hah!" Morton Koopa laughed victoriously.

"RRAH!" Emily finally reached the kite, flipping on and kicking the Koopaling, immediately switching off the sonic waves. She then fired her gun at the rope, separating the kite from the train, hopping back down to the train as the others got on with her, including the Eds, leaving the wagon to drive over the edge to the jagged rocks below.

Morton Koopa struggled to regain control of his kite, but was unable to due to the separation, and was sent flying into the nearby sea. "NAAAAH!"

"Hoo." Emily huffed, smiling to the others as they went to save their kidnapped friends. (Stop the music.)

"Nova!" Cosmo exclaimed, smiling as he untied his friend.

"Ribbiiit!" Froggy yelled.

"Don't worry, Froggy." Nova smiled to the animal. "We'll bring you to your master."

"Junior Prospectors: this mission hath gone most splendidly." Luvbi congratulated her team.

"YAY!" Tommy and Mushi cheered.

"Heehee heehee!" (Cue Bowser Jr.'s Theme again!) They immediately turned around to face Bowser Jr., holding a bucket of dust, standing by Kammy. "I knew it! Taking that frog and your friend led you right into my trap!" They all readied their guard. "Now that I got you all in one place, I can finally put our plan into action. Er-YAH!" He threw some dust out to the people on his right.

"Look out!" Chad and Shaunie shouted, grabbing Emily and Luvbi and dodging, everyone else (except the Eds) getting covered.

The rest of them coughed as the dust covered them. "Man, right when it's allergy season." Annie coughed. She then noticed the dust started to glow, the lot of them studying their forms. "Whuh… _what's happeninnng? ?"_ Her voice became squeakier as they all shrank to about 6 inches tall.

"ALRIGHT! It worked!" Junior danced. "The Minish Dust that Vaati gave us worked perfectly!"

_"Eek! Why is everything so big?"_ Jessica squeaked, afraid.

_"I do not think that is what happened, Jessica."_ Sammy replied.

"Whoa. That dust shrunk 'em." Chad said, surprised.

"Annie! Are you guys okay?" Emily asked, walking to her shrunk friend and kneeling down.

_"I think so." _

_"Whoa! This is so cool!"_ Tommy squeaked.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, Teeny Tommy and Mini Mushi in the house!"_ Mushi exclaimed.

_"More squeaky than a mouse!"_ Tommy followed.

"I bet I could make millions with that stuff!" Eddy grinned.

"Ai-ai-ai." Luvbi shook her head.

"Don't worry, we'll-" before Emily could finish, the shrunken gang was sucked by a vacuum, held by Kammy Koopa.

"Sorry, Dearie, but these younglings will be coming with us back to the castle." The witch said.

"We'll be able to haul LOADS of prisoners like this!" Junior danced. "Now for the rest of you." He was about to throw another handful of dust at the rest of them.

"NYAR!" Luvbi shouted, blowing the dust bucket away.

"AHH!" Junior screamed as it went flying over the chasm. "No matter. We got plenty more back home. I'll just leave the Chucks to you. GET 'EM!" With that, Kammy grabbed the Koopa Prince and flew up to the airship with the vacuum while another squad of Chucks fell down to the heroes. Before they left, Junior took out a Darkness Cannon and said, "By the way, Chad, I got somethin' for ya!" With that, the bratty prince fired the weapon, hitting the blonde teen directly.

"CHAD!" Emily cried.

"And I wouldn't stay on that train too long! Ah ha ha haa!"

At this, the rest of them looked to see the road cutting off ahead, leading into a forest hundreds of feet below. While Emily tended to Chad, Ed and Eddy were freaking out, and Luvbi was fighting the Chucks on her own. "Argh! Shaunie! Hurryeth and stop yonder train!"

The Irish boy gulped as he slowly approached the train's controls, whimpering as all the complicated buttons and levers confused him.

Luvbi blew off another Chuck and yelled, "HURRYETH!"

Shaunie only looked terrified as the dangerous cliff drew closer. "It's no use! JUMP!" Eddy shouted, already leaping over the side, followed by Ed, who forcibly carried Double D.

"…AAHHHH!" Shaunie only ran away screaming as he jumped after them.

"SHAUNIE!" Luvbi yelled. The angel girl took out the last Chuck as she flew down after him. Emily, seeming to have no other option, lift Chad over her shoulder as she jumped down last, leaving the train to drive off and explode. (Stop the music.)

**Dusty Desert, South America**

The group that Grim had teleported had reappeared on the edge of the Dusty Desert, the lot of them looking into the sunny wasteland. "Hoo, finally. Land sweet land." Sonic smiled, relieved.

"So, what are we looking for?" Violet asked.

"The Chronicler said I had to look for the Sun God in the Sun Temple, somewhere in the desert." Nigel answered.

"The Chronicler? Who's that?"

"Oh, I heard of him!" Grim perked. "He's dis ancient spirit with immeasurable wisdom, who's said to speak with people in their dreams. He resides on an island in da Spirit World, and hasn't left his home for thousands of years, having nothing to do but read and write books."

"Sounds fun." Sonic said, sarcastically.

"I wouldn't complain! If I stayed in my home, having nothing to do but build inventions! Heh heh heh!" Kade joked.

"By the way, Blaze, you never told us why _you_ wanted to find the temple." Nigel spoke curiously. "Do you have some business with this Sun God?"

The purple catgirl looked away, reminiscingly. "The truth is… I always thought my flames were a curse. Even as the princess, I never had friends because my firebending made me different. I want to find this Sun God to know the truth. To know why I was given my power. I was told that people with this power have caused much harm in the past, but I do not want to believe we are meant to be monsters. The only one who can clarify that… is Solaris."

"Solaris?" Sonic raised a brow. He recognized that name.

"Hmm…" Nigel smiled approvingly, "Well, your reasons are understandable. I have slight doubts about my fire, too. …But to me, you don't really seem so bad."

Blaze looked at him and smiled sheepishly. "Heheh…"

"Uh-oh. Looks like we aren't the only ones." Violet said, noticing the Eggman robots occupying the desert.

"Hehehe. Eggman's here, too. I've been looking for a party." Sonic smirked.

"Or his counterpart, perhaps." Blaze said.

"Me and Mario can handle this." Nigel smirked. "Wanna party?"

"Yeah!" Mario jumped. (Play the "Hidden Base" Theme from _Sonic Adventure 2_!)

_Stage 20: Dusty Desert_

_Mission: Cut through the desert and find the Sun Temple._

The two firebenders ran ahead and started throwing fireballs at the first bit of Eggman robots. As they followed the path, strange pillars rose from the sand, little monkey robots called Kikis standing on them and throwing bombs down. The two saw cracks in the first pillars of the two rows and kicked them hard enough to make them fall down, knocking over the other ones like dominos. They arrived at a small cliffside where two more pillars appeared, close enough to each other for the two to Wall Jump. But they were too far for one to Wall Jump, so Nigel and Mario Wall Jumped off each other on the way up. Once at the top, two Rhino Tanks tried to run them over, but they jumped and made them run over the edge. Across from them was an ocean of quicksand with a row of Bladed Spinners leading the way across, so the two jumped their way across the Spinners.

They landed on a circular platform in the quicksand as a tall Pokey emerged from the center. Mario only spun at its bottom, knocking all parts into the quicksand, making a path over to the safe land. The two hopped over the floating parts before they sank, getting over to a path between two small hills.

They walked forward a little to see they were atop a larger hill, looking down at an oasis area below. Mario found two deserted Koopa shells, tossing one to Nigel for them to hop on and slide down, the shells helping them skid over the water in the oasis, over to an area of large sandy whirlpools. They swiftly went around the whirlpools, and when they reached a larger one, they jumped the Bladded Spinners over to a Pokey in the center, knocking its parts off, then bouncing up the parts as they float in the whirlpool, getting out of it.

They skidded over to a staircase, bumping into it and having to get off their shells. They went up the staircase to a cannon, aiming over another sandy ocean to a large, blocky pyramid-like structure. They climbed into the cannon, carefully aimed, and fired over, landing and smashing a Rhino-Tank.

Once at the pyramid, they made their way through a maze, getting ambushed by several Kiki robots, only for Mario to throw fireballs and knock them out. They went into an interior section, having to walk a path along a wall, dodging as Thwomps tried to squish them. On the next section, they had to jump swinging spikes, and the path after that had flamethrowers in the wall, making them squeeze between the flames before they stopped. They got to a pole and climbed up to a small bridge that had a toilet paper-like Thwomp, called a Rhomp, rolling back and forth on the bridge. When it rolled over to them, they jumped right over, running as it rolled after them. They hurried and grabbed another pole, climbing up and having to jump a series of poles while avoiding electric gears that scrolled up and down along them.

Finally, they reached the top of the pyramid, finding the exit that led to a large sand slide. The two backed up, ran, and started sliding down. They looked back and gasped at several more Rhomps, rolling down after them. The two swerved from left to right to let the large toilet paper creatures pass, Nigel nearly getting smashed by the last one. An even bigger Rhomp was rolling down afterwards, but the two saw a row of Pokeys, from shortest to tallest, making a stairway up, so the two bounced up the cacti creatures, getting higher than the Rhomp and landing on, balancing as it rolled.

The rolled-up mummy eventually rolled into some quicksand, the two firebenders jumping off and grabbing the top of a flagpole with a Bowser flag. They slid down it as the flag turned gold, and the Bowser symbol was replaced with a KND logo, and the two high-fived before moving ahead. (Stop the music.)

As they kept walking, the two stopped when fire suddenly began to spin around them in a tornado. (Cue the "Freaky Monkey Battle" Theme from _Ape Escape 2_!) The fire soon vanished, and out of the tornado emerged a strange old man in a dark blue cloak with white outline, who had white, messy hair and a small white mustache.

Nigel uncovered his eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

The man took a breath. "I am… Jeong-Jeong. Firebending Master of the Order of the White Lotus."

"The Order of the White Lotus?"

"The White Lotus is a secret organization of powerful elemental masters. But that's besides the point. I hear you are the long-lost Demon Prince?"

"Er, well… yeah?"

He made a battle pose. "So, the firebending prince of the Demon Realm himself. And just how much destruction have you caused?"

"Destruction? ! If you're implying that I'm anything like Malladus-"

"HMPH. You are but a child. Like Malladus or not, you are still in control of a dangerous element. An uncontrollable power. While water brings healing and life, fire destroys everything in its path, leaving nothing but ruin. It takes a true master to control such power. How can I expect a mere child to have control from his short time of knowing he had the power?"

"Look, old man, I don't know what your problem is. We're just looking for the Sun Temple to speak with the Sun God."

"HA. If you wish to speak to Solaris, you must get past me first. I will test to see how well your flame is controlled."

Nigel furrowed his brows. "Bring it."

The old man threw his arms out, making a large ring of fire surround them, keeping Mario out. He then directed his attention slightly to the sun. "Can you feel it? The sun is the ultimate source of fire. The mighty Solaris has blessed us with his flames. His power to give warmth… and destruction. How would a child understand?" he smirked.

Nigel only readied for battle.

"Now… prepare to meet your DESTINY!" (Replay same music!)

_Boss fight: Jeong-Jeong_

"We shall see how hot your fire burns. Er-RAH!" the fire master exclaimed, spinning into a fire tornado over to Nigel, who swiftly dodged around him.

"I've taken plenty of other old men out, you'll be no different! AHH!" The bald boy started throwing fireballs that Jeong-Jeong blocked. When Jeong-Jeong tried to throw some himself, Nigel ducked and did a fire slide-kick, tripping him, then proceeded pelting the old man with fireballs.

Jeong-Jeong recovered and leapt right over him, taking out a Fire Whip and trying to lash it at him. Nigel ducked, then jumped two horizontal lashes, then side-dodged two vertical lashes. But Jeong-Jeong finally wrapped it around Nigel's legs, swinging the child over him towards the fire wall, but he switched on his jet shoes, flying around the area and swinging Jeong-Jeong into the flames, only for him to quickly recover and shoot back in. Nigel landed back, slid under him, and shot fireballs at his chest again, knocking him back.

The old master spun into a fire tornado, trying to burn him again, but Nigel dodged left, right, then just jumped over him. The Brit ducked as Jeong-Jeong did a fire shockwave, the flames blowing outside the ring and nearly hitting Mario. "Mama Mia! They'll turn me into an Italian meatball!"

As Jeong-Jeong caught his breath, Nigel shot more fireballs and damaged him some more, the old man recovering quickly and flipping a few feet away. "I'll teach you some respect. Fire METEOR!" He rose his hands in the air, summoning large balls of fire that rained down, Nigel quickly rolling out of their way. Once they stopped, he threw more fireballs at Jeong-Jeong, only for him to block them off.

The master shot forward and swung more strikes at the Demon Prince, with Nigel countering with his own blows. Nigel grabbed Jeong-Jeong's fists, but he only inhaled and blew some fire breath, Nigel ducking right away. Nigel rolled and dodged another fire breath before rolling under his legs and blasting fire at his back, but Jeong-Jeong turned and blocked just in time. That's when Nigel threw his arms back, summoning fire from the ring behind Jeong-Jeong to burn him.

After that round, Jeong-Jeong used his bending to make his own rocket shoes, flying straight upwards, followed by Nigel. As the two benders were in a clash in the air, the rest of the gang arrived, running over to Mario. "Mario. Where's Nigel?" Sonic asked.

"Oh." Mario pointed to the two benders fighting.

"Who's that?" Eva asked.

"More trouble from crazy old men." Violet replied.

Jeong-Jeong kicked a fireball at him that Nigel dodged upward, going behind and throwing a flame that Jeong-Jeong dodged down, getting behind Nigel and shooting another fireball. Jeong-Jeong rolled like a pinball to make himself a fireball, shooting into Nigel, but the bald Brit did his own fire tornado and pushed him back. When Jeong-Jeong stopped, Nigel did his own fire pinball, shooting over to his left, getting behind and pelting him with more fireballs.

The two started throwing kicks at each other, Jeong-Jeong throwing a fireball that Nigel kicked away before launching three balls from his feet that Jeong-Jeong shielded with his arms. When he uncovered his eyes, he saw that Nigel had flown behind him, too late to block more fireballs that stunned him, allowing Nigel to fly above and kick one last fireball that pushed him to the ground. Once knocked on the ground, Nigel spun into his own fire pinball and crashed down on the old man, giving a loud grunt before Nigel stopped and took a breath, the ring of fire disappearing.

"Huff, huff. Seems your passions are strong, and yet your control is great. …Ughhh…" He fainted.

"Heh. Don't mess with Nigel Uno." The boy smirked. (Stop the music.)

After his performance, the others ran up to congratulate him. "Alright! Way to go, Nigel!" Eva exclaimed.

"Hm. And you have your doubts." He smirked. Eva just stuck her tongue out.

"But who is this guy?" Violet asked.

"Friend or foe?" Blaze followed.

"I dunno. Some firebending master." At this, the old man awakened and stood up.

"Hmph. Typical child response."

"Whatever. Just tell us where the Sun Temple is." Nigel demanded.

"Huh. Whoever gave you those directions was trying to mislead you. There is NO Sun Temple out here. You have wasted your journey."

"WHAT?"

"You mean we came all this way for nothing?" Eva asked.

"Now, who said it was for nothing? An enemy base is out here, is it not?"

"Well… he's got a point. But still." Sonic said.

"Hm hm hm." The man smirked. "You shall see soon enough, Hedgehog. If you want to still find the Sun Temple, I'd suggest taking another look around Planet Secco. Farewell." With that, the man was engulfed in a tornado of flames, vanishing into thin air, er, fire.

"Well, he's gone." Eva said obviously.

"Well, what now?" Kade asked.

"Nothing left to do but see how Eggman's doing." Sonic said. "My guess is he's in that pyramid ahead. I'll see you later." With that, the hedgehog ran ahead.

**Further away**

From the distance, two cloaked figures, a red one and a green one, were venturing through the desert, the red one looking through binoculars. "You see anything yet, Sonia?" the green one asked.

"Not yet, Manic. Sheesh, it's desert. You can't expect me to-" Just then, she caught the glimpse of a blue blur. "Uh… Manic?"

"Hm?"

"Check this out."

The green figure looked through the binoculars, eyes widened at the blue hedgehog ahead of them. "Sonia… is that-"

"You bet it is. He's headed for Robotnik's base. Let's go." With that, the two mysterious figures hurried after the hedgehog.

* * *

><p><strong>Argh, these chapters keep getting harder and harder! Anyway, here we have a look at Shaunie's inner conflict! ;D Can you guess what? In time, you'll see why Chad wants to find an enemy base. Plus, that "super-strength" of his was foreshadowing another thing. ;) Anyway, no time to chat, gotta go! Later!<strong>


	25. Sonic's Siblings

**Hoowee, onto the next one! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Forest That Never Sees Day! Meet the Hedgehog Family!<em>**

**Bowser's Airship**

Aboard the airship, Junior and Kammy carried the vacuum into a room with a hamster cage, holding the container above it and dumping the shrunken teams in. They shook their heads from dizziness and stood up, brushing their selves off. "Ha ha ha! You kids shoulda known better than to sneak aboard my train!" Junior laughed.

_"Why did you shrink us?"_ Annie asked.

"Mweh heh heh!" Kammy laughed. "Because, Dearie, we needed to test that magic dust for our plan! The Dark Master needs fear to truly be free, and shrinking you fools will help us do just that!"

Just then, the doors opened, and the two turned with happy expressions as Bowser stomped in, along with Vaati. "Dad, Dad!" Junior exclaimed. "I just caught a bunch of kids with that dust Vaati gave us! Oh, and some fat cat, too."

The tiny children quaked in fear as the Koopa King stomped over. From their small sizes, the turtle-demon looked very intimidating, and his tyrannical voice boomed greatly in their ears. "Gwah ha hah! It worked! Great work, Son! But what did you do with the bucket?"

"Aw, I wanted to catch the others, but that stupid angel girl blew it away!"

"Ah, don't worry, Son. No harm done. Now that we know it works, we can get more and capture more brats!"

_"He's b-big, S-Sammy…"_ Jessica quivered.

_"What are you going to do with us?"_ Sammy asked.

Bowser lowered his head to their level and responded, "Once I trap enough of you rats, I'll be able to scare you enough to use your fear to power Lord Gnaa. In the meantime, we can make this a lot smoother if you refer to me as your almighty kind and caring Koopa guardian, and show me your upmost respect."

_"If you thought shrinking us was gonna scare us, you really are dumb."_ Cosmo told him.

_"Big or small, we'll still stop you!"_ Nova declared.

"_Zuri!"_ Zuri yelled.

"Gwah ha ha! You little pests think you can beat me? ! Priceless!"

_"You think you're so tough? Why don'tcha let us out and see how weak we are!"_ Tommy yelled.

_"A ba ba BOO!"_ Joey babbled.

"No thank you. Anyway, you kids are gonna pay for what you did to Morton. It's a good thing Vaati here told me where you guys were."

"Hm, my pleasure." Vaati smirked.

_"Vaati! I can't believe you betrayed us like that! I thought you were different!"_ Annie yelled.

"Different? Once a bad guy, always a bad guy. I told you I like being bad, and I do. You wanna know why I'm an airbender? Airbenders are free-spirited, and that's what I am. It's nice people like you that are so easy to trick."

_"Grrr!"_

"Anyway, we gotta another matter at hand!" Bowser said. "Somebody OWES us something." With that, he reached into the cage, and Cosmo gasped in horror as the Koopa lightly grabbed Nova in his fingers.

_"Novaaaa!"_

"Gwah ha hah! We'd love to stay and chat, but we got stuff to do." Bowser said as the tiny Nova tried to shake away. "Catch ya later, shrimps! Gwah hee ha hah!" He also took Froggy as he began to leave.

_"Nooovaaaa!"_ Cosmo called out in despair. The group watched helplessly as the four villains exited the room.

Standing outside was none other than Ganondorf, standing by Zant, Koume, and Kotake. Bowser gave Nova to Bowser Jr. to take away, as the Koopa King approached the desert man and said, "Great news, Ganny! The dust worked like a charm! You oughta give your Vaati minion here a promotion!"

"Mmmm…" Ganon held his blank expression and looked away.

"By the way, why did we need this frog again?" he asked, holding up the frog.

Ganon took the animal and squeezed it, coughing out a yellow Chaos Emerald. "Eggman said he swallowed it. Again. We'll deliver this to him later. As for the frog, he'll make a decent snack for my demons."

"Seeing as the dust works, I say we test it on the schoolchildren, oh ho ho!" Koume suggested.

"Much agreed, sister dear, eee hee hee!" Kotake agreed.

"And to think I thought you were betraying me, Vaati. You do seem to have feelings for that girl in there." Ganon smirked.

"Nah. That stuff always gets them. I'm with you all the way, Ganon."

"Burrr, Master! I'm loyal to you, too!" Zant shouted. "I haven't gotten to do anything since this mission began! Give me a chance to prove myself, too! PLEEASE!" he shook frantically.

"Calm down, you imbecile!" Ganon smacked him. "How about I let you spread the dust around Gallagher Elementary?"

"Oh ho ho, YESS! I shall not fail you, Master! Let us begin as soon as possible!"

"Not now! First, we have to pick my daughter up. If anyone can scare these tiny pests, she can."

"HEY! What about me?" Bowser shouted.

"You couldn't scare a fly, Bowser. You're better off patrolling with your Koopalings."

"Bwahh!"

"By the way… how is research coming on the Triforce of Wisdom?" Ganon asked the witches.

"We've searched the entire McKenzie family chain, oh ho ho." Koume answered.

"And have come to only one possible solution, eee hee hee!" Kotake followed.

"And soon we will see, how ironic fate can be! EEE HEE HEE!" they both laughed.

**Cleveland, Virginia**

At long last, the _Boogey Bay_ arrived at Virginia's coast side, the pirates stepping off and heading for Sector V's treehouse. Mandy walked up and knocked on Nigel's front door, Monty Uno coming to answer it with an upbeat tone. "Why, good day to you-" He silenced when the pirates immediately pointed their swords.

"Alright, chubby, where's that no good son of yours?" Mandy demanded.

"Well, if it isn't Mandy McKenzie. If you're looking for my son, he and his friends are off on another adventure. Why, it may be weeks until they return."

Mandy looked behind him and saw Katie walk by. "That's okay. Your daughter will help us. AHH!" The devil child flipped over Monty, immediately chasing the Nightmare girl as she ran. The rest of the pirates tried to overpower Monty, but he shot fire blasts and kept them all away.

Katie ran through the kitchen and knocked over the furniture, trying to keep Mandy away, but she easily flipped over and continued chasing. Katie dashed up the stairs, then down the upstairs hall, Mandy still chasing and jumping any branches from the treehouse that were in the way. Katie ran into Numbuh 1's room, activating the defense that closed the room in steel, like from the Grandfather incident. But despite this protection, the steel walls were penetrated by Mandy's powerful Fear Scream.

"You're a fearbender?" Katie asked.

"Surprising, isn't it?"

Katie tried to launch her own Fear Scream, but Mandy countered with hers, and it proved to be the more powerful as Katie was blown back in the wall. "Okay… what do you want?" Katie asked in defeat.

Mandy walked up and said, "I know what you really are: you're one of the Nightmare King's creations. Nigel took you in as his sister to give you a proper home."

"Aren't you smart. But what's it to ya?"

"I need to see Darkrai, and you're my only lead of getting to Nightmare Land."

"Well, I'm sorry to say that my ship is in the docking bay. Ironically, that's what you get for challenging a bunch of Kateenians to a podrace on Secco. And we can't really take any 2x4 aircraft without being tracked by Global Command, and I doubt they would let someone on the wanted list like you go for a ride."

"Hmph. Excuses. Well, do you know any _other _ships we can use?"

"Hmmm…" Katie rose her brow in thought. "Well, I do know this old guy that lives down in Quahog who has an old ship. He's pretty nice, and was actually friends with the Kids Next Door down there. He'd probably be willing to take us."

"Hm. Very well. Let's go." With that, Katie followed the evil girl back downstairs. They got back down to see Monty standing victoriously over the fallen, exhausted pirates. "Let's go, you morons. Let's shove off for Quahog, Rhode Island. It's just along the coastline, so let's go!" The pirates did as told and stood up, tired as they followed Mandy out.

"Katie, wait!" Monty called.

"Relax, Dad. I can handle these guys. Chances are, I'll run into Nigel along the way, and he'll need my help."

"…Okay." He nodded. "Just be careful, now." With that, he shut the door and sighed. "Sigh, you might as well send all the kids here away to the military. I know they were trained for this, but all of this seems a little too much for the younglings. They're just kids, you know." He gave another sigh. "Oh, I can only hope old Nigel's okay…"

**Unknown Forest**

_Chad Dickson awakened and found himself in a dark realm, standing up and rubbing his head. "Where am I?..."_

_"Well, well. If it isn't Chad Dickson." At this, the blonde teen turned to see Nigel Uno, smirking cockily._

_"N-Numbuh 1? Where did you come from?"_

_"Oh, I just got home from my many exciting adventures in GKND."_

_"Yeah… I know that. So?"_

_"The very adventures _you _never got to take."_

_"Hey, hold on, now! The GKND was evil. I'm glad I didn't join them!"_

_"But before… you wanted it. You _craved _it. The Galactic Kids Next Door could only choose the greatest operative of a planet, and they picked me instead of you."_

_"So?"_

_"You're jealous, Chad. The boy you've worked hard to train that has always messed up in the past has stolen your spotlight. I've stolen the very thing you worked ages for."_

_"Shut up, Uno! Like I said, I'm glad it didn't happen. I wouldn't care either way."_

_"Oh, but it's only logical that I would be picked! After all, I'm the Demon Prince. I'm… special. Not like any of you everyday humans. That's the whole story, isn't it, Chadsworth? You were the only one of your siblings that wasn't born metahuman like Sonya or April."_

_"Sonya and April were freaks. The Kids Next Door doesn't have room for them, Danika too. You're lucky Numbuh 362 lets you and Eva hang around."_

_"Do they not have room, or are you just jealous? You hate your life as a normal teenager and want to be special, just like us."_

_"I do not! I'm good just the way I am!"_

_"I see… but can you do this?" He launched a fire blast._

_"Er, no."_

_"Can you become a shadow, sense emotions, or morph into a ghost?"_

_"No…"_

_"Exactly. All you are is a weak, normal human. You'll never be special like we super-powered beings are! AH ha ha ha ha!"_

_"RRRAAAHHH!"_

"CHAD!" Emily yelled, the blonde boy panting as he woke up. "Are you okay? Let me-" She was about to help him up, but-

"Get off me!" he angrily pushed her off, getting up himself. "I don't need any help from some inhuman freak!"

Emily gasped loudly, crushed by the hurtful words. "Oh, THAT'S fair! I just saved your life and you're calling me a freak! You're a REAL Prince Charming!"

"Well, I didn't ask for your help, anyway."

"That doesn't excuse your attitude, Bub!"

As the two continued to argue, Shaunie and Luvbi watched, the redhead boy hesitantly turning towards the angered angel. "Um… Luvbi? Thanks for saving me."

"Verily. Now mayhap thou couldst tell me why thou didst not SLOW DOWN YONDER TRAIN?"

"I-I didn't know how to work it, and, I was scared!"

"Pray, if thou hast not hesitated, we could hath rescued other Prospectors from their fate! Now they art all shrunken and captured, and wilt likely be made to be Koopa Kid's toys. Prithee tell, hast thou always been cowardice wuss?"

"Well, it doesn't really help to be so mean to me!"

"We hath only just met! Clearly we hath different definitions of meanness! Thou art just a baby!"

"I am not a baby! And at least I'm nicer than you are!"

"Thou jest! And thankest to thee, mine wings art slightly hurt! Flying and airbending hath become much more difficult for me."

"Look, I don't care anymore." Chad continued with his argument. "The point is, I could've easily saved myself, and not need some ghost freak's help."

"You were unconscious! And I couldn't even go ghost! And if you hate us 'freaks' so much, why did you help us all the way 'til now?"

"'Cause that was my way of being nice. Feel free to thank me for my help."

"Feel free to thank ME!"

"Pray, I would hath executed yon training program had I known Tommy and Mushi would findeth thou!" Luvbi shouted. "Of all of them, why didst I hath to be trapped with whiny loudmouth?"

"You're calling ME a whiny loudmouth? ! YOU'RE a whiny loudmouth, you; you big bully!"

"Thou barefooted beslubbering beef-witted barnacled runny-nosed earsplitting PEST!"

"WAAAHHH!" Shaunie started crying a waterfall of tears.

As both couples fought, the Eds just stood there and watched. "Whoa, these guys have problems, don't they?" Eddy asked.

"Are they going to explode into vinegar, Eddy?" Ed asked.

Double D was getting a headache from all the bickering, gripping his cranium tight. "NNN, STOP IIIIT!" They all turned to him in surprise. "Now… is senseless bickering really the way to solve your problems?"

"…Ehhh…" they just shrugged.

"Now… what say we put aside our complaints, and find out where we are."

"What I wanna know is why it's so dark all of a sudden." Eddy said. They all noticed the forest they were in suddenly became nighttime.

"It was broad daylight a minute ago." Emily said.

Luvbi gasped. "I knoweth of this place: we art in the Forest of Darkness."

"The Forest of Darkness?" Chad asked.

"Yea. 'Tis a dark forest of nothing but ghosts which always remain nighttime… even in the brightest of day."

"A forest of ghosts that stays dark forever?" Shaunie whimpered. "I'm scared…"

"A forest of ghosts? That's so cool!" Emily exclaimed.

"You got that right!" Eddy yelled, already setting up a stand that read 'Ghost Flakes', putting some type of green cereal in a bowl. "GHOOSTS! Step right up to get your very own Ghost Flakes, perfect for those sleepy ghostly mornings, only 25 cents!"

"But Eddy, if the forest never turns daylight, how will that-" Edd was about to say.

"Ooh, I want some!" Ed exclaimed, taking and chewing on the cereal. "Tastes like the old boogers I stick on my wall, Eddy!"

"Pray, enough of that!" Luvbi shouted. "We must venture and find our way through this forest."

"I wonder…" Emily spoke, holding up her Morpher device, only to realize it had been smashed from the fall. "…Oh."

"Well, so much for your ghost powers." Chad remarked.

"Gee, thanks for the support."

"Pray, mayhap yonder ghosts hither canst restore thy powers?" Luvbi asked.

"Only one way to find out. Let's go see!"

"Super-powered siblings? Turtle soldiers? Playgrounds on train-tracks? Ghosts? My word, these last few days have been crazy." Double D said, feeling another headache.

"Sounds good to me!" Eddy smiled. "Let's go, Baby!" (Play the "Forest Interlude" Theme from _Donkey Kong Country 2_!)

_Stage 21: Forest of Darkness_

_Mission: Get through the scary forest!_

_Act 1_

The team of seven started their venture through the dark forest, passing series of spooky trees and walking through large bushes. Right away, some Forest Fuzzies leapt and tried to suck on Ed, only for Eddy to beat them away. Shaunie cowardly backed up to a tree as two more approached him, but was saved by Luvbi, who blew them away, shaking her head in disbelief at his cowardice.

They came to a short cliff, too high for them to reach, but they noticed an old tree beside them. Ed used his strength to push the tree over, making a slope up the cliff, the Eds stacking atop one-another to balance up and reach the top, followed by the others. They walked down a hill where some Piranha Plants were holding some sort of rope ghosts hostage. Eddy took out a stink bomb slingshot and fired at the plants, the stench making them wither. Thankful, the rope ghosts floated vertically straight, making a way to climb a higher cliff.

The seven kids climb their way up the skinny ghosts. Shaunie was a little too scared to touch them, so Chad had to carry him up (annoyed). Once at the top, they saw a series of rope ghosts appearing and reappearing over a dark pit. Emily went first and grabbed the first ghost, waiting for the rest to appear to jump them, getting across. She was followed by Eddy, then Ed, who had to carry Double D, Shaunie, and Luvbi on one arm. Chad tried to swing his way across next, but the last ghost disappeared, making him slip and drop, but Emily grabbed his arms and pulled him up. The teen merely brushed himself off and walked ahead without a word of thanks.

They then had to pass another series of bushes. Suddenly, one of the bushes came to life and snatched Luvbi in its mouth, the angel struggling to shake away. Shaunie, who was closer to her, slowly backed away in fear of the M. Bush, so Chad jumped on and ripped the plant to shreds, saving her. Luvbi shot an angry glare to Shaunie before flying ahead, the Fulbright's head held down in shame as he followed.

They walked up a steep hill to a higher point in the woods where the full moon was in sight. The sky was black and slightly cloudy, the moon's light reflecting off the clouds. But despite being a ghost forest, it wasn't so scary so far. From this view, the vast forest looked very calm and peaceful. And even under its leaves, when the moon was blocked from their view, it didn't feel scary. It was just like the Forest of Light: calm and serene, even though it was night instead of day. They didn't feel any evil auras at all. Even with all the ghostly souls roaming about, the serenity of this forest was worth it after the action on the Koopa Train.

Emily stopped them as she noticed something floating in the sky. "Hey… what is that?" she whispered.

Eddy took out some binoculars and said, "Hey! It's a pirate ship!"

Chad took the binoculars to see for himself. "They're ghost pirates. They work for the Brotherhood. They must know we're here." He handed the eyeglasses back to Eddy. "Let's keep moving. Quick."

The area they were in suddenly started to become windy. The wind felt very nice and cool, but it was strong nonetheless. Double D had nearly blown off had Ed not grabbed his legs, the sock head holding tight to his hat. Luvbi nearly blew away next, but Shaunie grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Hmph. How surprising…" she huffed, going ahead.

"You're welcome…" Shaunie mumbled.

They reached a dark chasm that seemed too far to jump, the wind becoming even heavier. "I know!" Emily's brain sparked, the girl jumping as the wind blew the direction they wanted to go, blowing her over to the other side. The others mimicked her and blew over. Shaunie nearly missed and grabbed onto the edge, but was able to help himself up.

They were at another pit with several ghost ropes, swifting back and forth with the wind. Emily grabbed onto the first one and held on as she aimed carefully for the next one, jumping off for the wind to perfectly blow her to it. Chad mimicked and followed after her while the others did the same. Emily was then at some regular vines hanging from trees, having to swing across them. One of the vines, however, came to life, its sharp teeth biting around her neck. When Chad got there, he grabbed on the plant's neck and choked it himself, the Hurt Plant dying and releasing Emily, but Chad grabbed her with his right arm before she fell, allowing her to climb back up and swing across.

They started walking through the forest some more, walking through a few circular areas, passing by broken trees, and knocking out a few Forest Fuzzies. After a while, Double D felt that something was very wrong. "Um… didn't we pass by these same bushes and trees three times?"

"How can ya tell?" Eddy asked. The rest of them, however, started to have slight déjà vu.

"You're right. Somethin's wrong here." Chad agreed.

"W-We aren't lost, are we?" Shaunie quivered.

"Sigh, nay, I am certain we wilt find our way." Luvbi sighed.

"Are we going to get eaten by werewolves, Eddy? ?" Ed quaked.

"Ah, relax, Ed." Eddy said, walking ahead, eyes closed and hands in his pocket, wearing a cool, easy-going look. "You don't really think this forest has anything but-" Just then, a bushel of flowers came to life, shooting him an evil grin.

"AAHHH!" Eddy and Shaunie screamed, running down a path.

"Eddy, wait!" Edd yelled, the others running after them.

The two bumped into some hairy old ghost, and the others bumped into them as they fell back. "Hold on a sec!" the ghost spoke. "How did you kids get out here? You aren't by chance acquainted with the Ghost King, are you?"

"Ghost King? !" Emily jumped in excitement.

"Cool!" Ed grinned.

"Unless I see a pass or something, you kids ain't gettin' through. Humans ain't allowed past here. Er, anything, really, but ghosts."

"Actually, I'm part-ghost. But I lost my ghost powers to some… 'Fenton Crammer' thingy." Emily explained.

The ghost gasped. "You mean you're… a Halfa? !"

"A half-ghost? Yeah…"

"Well, that changes everything! Old Kobosh will be wantin' to hear this. Come on in." With that, the ghost jumped out of the way and went down the forest. "By the way, to get through this maze, you'll have to follow the path that seems the scariest. Happy trails!" With that, he left.

The group did as told and searched the four paths to see which one was the scariest. One of the trees came to life and screamed, scaring Shaunie and making him run down that path. "Or in other words, which one makes Shaunie scream and run away." Emily figured. The next area had mailboxes sitting by each path. When they walked by one that had a ghost with a knife pop out, Shaunie screamed and ran down its path.

The next part had several ghosts, one of them melting its skin into slime, leaving nothing but a skeleton, another having his head chopped off by a knife, the next one being drilled in the skull… while the last one just did that trick where you pretend to pull your thumb off. Shaunie screamed at this one and ran ahead, the others following. The next part had some mimes at each path. One mime just gave them a creepy smile, the other pretended to be a zombie coming towards them, the next pretending to get hung… while another was pretending to rob another one, who pretended to get robbed. They just shrugged and took its path, leaving the robber mime to shoot and kill the other mime for real.

They then found a group of Boos trying to beat a large, red spider, with running shoes on each of his legs, beside a series of large spider webs. Edd shined a flashlight on the ghosts, making them vanish, and the spider, Squitter, shot webs on the bottoms of their shoes, allowing them to walk up the spider webs. Shaunie felt weird as the webs stuck to his bare feet, and he had to carry Luvbi up since she had no feet. As they walked, Skulltulas walked down to gnash at them, but Eddy shot the spiders with his slingshot, making them drop to the pit below. Squitter shot out floating spider webs for the team to hop across, having to duck Zingers that buzzed by them.

They finally reached a dark cave, Edd using his flashlight to light their way through, quickly shining on any Boos that flew to them. Em and Chad beat away some Swoopers that ambushed them. After a while, the gang made it out of the short cave to a wider open area of the forest. (Stop the music.)

As the seven kept walking, they suddenly heard a cannon fire in the distance. "Look out!" Chad yelled, grabbing and pulling Emily out of the way before a cannonball exploded on her. They looked up as the ghost ship came down, captained by a little ghost child with green hair and buckteeth.

"Ahoy! Avast there, mateys! I be Cap'n Youngblood, scourge of the Ghost Zone, here to turn ye scallywags into The Brain and collect my bounty!"

"Look, brat, we don't have time for this. We're looking for the Ghost King if you don't mind." Chad stated.

"Argh, no time for that thar, Matey! For it be time to be sending ye to Ghost Zone Prison! Mateys: ATTACK!" (Play the "Grove Action" Theme from _Spyro: The Eternal Night_!)

_Act 2_

Many ghost pirates and Stormtroopers descended onto the area, blowing flamethrowers around and destroying the forest, scaring away the ghost inhabitants. Emily and Chad started to knock some Stormtroopers out while Luvbi tried to blow some ghosts away. A squad of pirates came for the Eds, but Eddy kept them back by throwing stink bombs. Shaunie grabbed a rock and tried to throw it at a Stormtrooper's head, but his weak arms prevented him from doing so, and he found himself surrounded by pirates. The boy shielded his eyes from the vicious pirate ghosts, but they were blown away by Luvbi.

The team kept dashing through the woods as the pirate ship blasted cannons around the area, explosions all around. The dark forest that was so peaceful was robbed of its calm serenity, the breezing trees blowing to pieces as the deafening explosions roared, and their flames grew brighter. After running around a series of trees, they were ambushed by a white-skinned boy with red hair and a black suit. "Mwah ha ha! End of the road, Kids Next Door! Prepare to be captured by Jack Spicer, evil boy genius, and his awesome robots. Jackbots: ATTACK!" The dark-yellow, red-eyed floating robots flew down and started shooting blasters.

Ed grabbed a Jackbot and started batting them into each other before throwing his away for it to explode. A girl in a cat suit, Katnappe, leapt out and sent her super kitties to attack them. "Aw, kitty!" Shaunie smiled, going to pet one of the cats, then- "AAAHH!" screamed when it started scratching his face, leaving various marks.

Chad grabbed all the cats he could and kicked them away. "Best not to pet them." He figured as a bunch of super kitties started to overpower him.

Emily grabbed a stick and started to beat the cats off of Chad, scaring them off. Meanwhile, a group of cats surrounded and slowly approached Double D, who tried to beat them off with a ruler. "Gracious! Keep away! Filthy cat germs!"

As a squad of cats drew in on Ed, the dimwit's expression turned fierce as he reached in his pocket and took out his dead fishbone. "Show them your wrath, Angus!" The cats were disgusted by the bone's stench, immediately turning away.

Ed smiled to his lucky fishy as Edd approached and said, "Wow, that carcass really did prove helpful."

"No! ! Stop them!" Youngblood yelled, sending more pirates after the team. The ghosts started to shoot glowing green skulls on chains that homed in and snapped their teeth. Chad easily punched the ectoplasmic shackles away, grabbing the chains and swinging the pirates into each other. "Bah. Get 'em, Ember!"

A ghost girl with blue flaming hair stood on the edge of the ship and started unleashing sonic waves from her guitar, destroying the surrounding area. "Run!" Chad yelled as they started dashing through the forest, chased by the ghost ship as Ember blew sonic waves. "Time to crank up the volume." The ghost rock star smirked, turning her guitar up and launching bigger sonic waves, making blue, flaming note minions that yelled their own sonic waves.

Ed took out some soda and tossed it to his pals, the Eds shaking the cans and spraying the liquid all over the flames before going ahead. Ember blew more sonic waves, destroying trees that released Skulltulas, the giant spiders scaring Shaunie (like usual), but their spider friend, Squitter came to their rescue, fighting the demon spiders off, blinding their vision with webs. The spider friend made a web staircase up a cliff over a pit for the gang to run up before the webs were destroyed by Ember's guitar. The group hurried through more trees before finally reaching a strange mansion. "Hey, look! This must be the place!" Emily exclaimed. Their way was suddenly blocked by large, green fire.

From the flames, a muscular ghost with a mechanical suit and green flaming hair stepped out. The kids kept their guard up at his presence. "Hello, children." He smirked.

"Who are you?" Emily asked.

"My name is Skulker. Ghost Zone's greatest bounty hunter. When word got out there was another Halfa, I had to check it out. And lo and behold, here you are now."

The ghost ship sailed by them as Ember spoke, "There's only one other Halfa alive right now, and he's an annoying pest."

"You may not fetch as much on the market as Danny Phantom, but you're still a valuable prize." Skulker smirked.

"Well, good luck, buddy. I don't have my ghost powers anymore." Emily told him smugly.

"For now. They've just been temporarily disrupted thanks to that Fenton Crammer. The annoying device. Anyway, once I capture you, we'll easily reverse the effects and give them to you again. _Then _I can fetch a bounty off you."

"…" Emily kept her firm expression. Right away, the girl rolled over and tried to pound the ghost in the chin, only for the hard metal to damage her fist, the girl shaking it in pain.

"Yeah… that's not gonna work. Sweet dreams." With that, the ghost hunter sprayed a green gas on the seven, immediately putting them to sleep. (Stop the music.)

"…Skulker, where did you get that thing?" Ember asked.

"What, you mean the gasser? Bought it at the Hunters' Store, 50 bucks."

"Pfft. Yeah, you spend that much on your lousy hunter equipment, yet you don't wanna take me out to a fancy restaurant every once in a while."

"Well, maybe if you would support my job more, I would make some arrangements."

"Make some arrangements, my ectoplasm."

"Uh, how did you guys start dating?" Youngblood asked.

"I got dared at a slumber party." Ember groaned.

"Pfft. Yeah, I'm the bad one…" Skulker replied quietly.

**Egg Pyramid** (Play the "Pyramid Cave" theme from _Sonic Adventure 2_!)

_Stage 22: Egg Pyramid_

_Mission: Speed through the base and find Eggman!_

_Act 1_

Sonic zipped through the first halls of the mechanical pyramid, going over a narrow path over a dark chasm, that went right, left, another left, another right, left, then the path became straight as Egg Pawns charged at him. Sonic easily defeated the robots using Home Attacks, and also bounced off the Buzzbombers that joined them. He kept going straight as he entered a hallway where the floor intersected with the parallel walls, forming ramps, as Sonic swerved left and right along the snaky room. He ran over some Moto Bugs along the way and also jumped through the hoops Eggman had set up, to score some points.

Sonic slowed down as he came to a long pit in the floor, which had flames sprouting from the darkness. Sonic had to run along the walls to avoid the flames, jumping off safely on the other side. The hall only extended a short way left, but the door was closed on the other side, and an hourglass sat by Sonic. Between them were several Egg Pawns. Sonic flipped the hourglass and Boost through the enemies, sliding under the door before it closed. He ended up in a vast room, on a path over a dark pit, but in his dash, he touched Omochao by mistake. "Flip the hourglass to open the door! Watch the hourglass. Doors close-" Sonic grabbed the robo-Chao and kicked it like a football, sending him flying over the edge.

With that, Sonic sped along the thin path, crossing a platform before reaching a path that turned at right angles, going leftward around the platform as it went down. The path became straight as Sonic ran across the long path, coming to a point where it broke off. Bladed Spinners conveniently led the way across again as Sonic Home Attacked off them. They ended too short before the path on the other side, and he fell to the floor below. Some Egg Pawns appeared, as well as Egg Magicians, and as Sonic attacked the foot robots, the floating magicians simply healed them. Sonic had to take out the Magicians first, and once done, he attacked the Pawns.

He looked around, but didn't see a way up, but he did find an hourglass. Sonic hit the hourglass as a long, thin pole emerged from the floor. Sonic used Sonic Tornado to spin and blow up, but the pole didn't make it far as he fell to the floor. He noticed a platform on the right of the pole and decided to reactivate the hourglass and try again. He landed on the platform and flipped another hourglass, activating a pole from the left wall. He sped up the rest of the first pole before it went down, then spun around the horizontal second pole as he blew onto the next platform. There, he had to spin around a pole that was activated on the north wall, and he made it to a stairway of tall steps, jumping up and reaching the next roadway.

He Boosted through a group of E-1000s and sped through a small building before having to Home Attack across more Bladed Spinners. He landed on a path and sped up a loop-di-loop, and at the end, he bounced across more Spinners. He was about to score a Fire Soul (Red Ring) above the last one, but it electrified and caused him to drop into the pit below. He thankfully landed on a floor below, finding himself in another snaky hallway of ramp walls. The hall made several turns as it led downward, and soon the hedgehog was at another dark chasm, which stretched longer than the first one. This time, the parallel walls had flamethrowers embedded, so Sonic had to jump walls as he ran. He ran along the right wall first, then jumped to the left, then right, left, right, until he successfully made it across.

Sonic made it to a wider hallway with several huge block platforms along the sides. He was able to jump up to a left one, knocking out an E-1000, then crossed a small bridge to the right side, where he had to jump across block platforms over a dark chasm. He wiped out another E-1000 and crossed another short bridge to the left side. He then had to Home Attack across Buzzbombers to reach the next foothold, then zipped his way across a series of bridges and platforms, from left-to-right, until finally reaching the end of the hall. However, the black, metal door was sealed, and a pedestal rested in front of it. Sonic touched the Omochao as it spoke, "The door is locked. You'll need a key to-" Sonic grabbed the robot and slammed it against his knee, breaking it in two.

Sonic noticed a wide hallway along the right side and decided to follow it, grinding across a couple rails, then Home Attacking Buzzbombers to reach the other end. There were two Egg Hammers guarding a Chao-sized, metal statuette, which Sonic guessed was the key. Sonic started aimlessly Home Attacking the first Egg Hammer as it began to spin its weapon, then hopped off. The big robot became dizzy, so Sonic shot into him from his left side and pushed him into the other one. Sonic decided to grab the heavy key (having to use both hands) and run.

On his way back down the hall, a squad of Egg Pawns ambushed him. He was able to toss the key against a shielded bunch, and as they fell back, he Home Attacked them. He swiped the key again and hurled it against the next bunch, taking them out. He grabbed the key and hurried through a narrow corridor, and when he came out, he swiftly dodged and jumped up stairs as E-1000s tried to blast him. Finally, he made it to the pedestal and stuck the key in, awaiting the door to open.

But after a few seconds, it didn't open, and Sonic looked confused. He decided to grab Omochao's severed parts and force the two back together. "Huff… I was GOING to say… you'll need a key to open the FIRST lock, and a SECOND key to open the NEXT lock. Maybe next time you'll LISTEN to me."

Sonic looked smug as he pulled the parts back apart and threw them to the ground. "Haww, great… Man, where'm I gonna go now?..." he scratched his head in annoyance.

_Act 2_

The pink and green mysterious figures; whom were apparently named Sonia and Manic, entered the base from another entry, and were currently progressing down a darker hallway, lit up with torches. They quietly snuck past a sleeping Egg Pawn and grabbed a hook to lift up to the next floor. This floor was packed with Search Flappers; Egg Flappers with small searchlights, which were slowly moving left and right along the hall. The two robed figures sped past the Flappers when they weren't looking, then sped across a snaky, curving hall before stopping at a tall, thin pole.

The rest of the hall led to a dead end, but the path continued high above, with several horizontal branches leading to it. The two did a Sonic Tornado and blew up the pole, then shot to the first branch. They flipped around it before flying to the next branch, and repeated this for the next ones. Now in a straighter, darker hallway, they kept speeding along until coming to an area of bigger searchlights, which skimmed forward, then backward, with several walls blocking along the way.

They had to wait for searchlights to go past the walls, and then run around them and dodge the searchlights. At one point, one of the paths around a wall was just a bottomless chasm, with a searchlight skimming over it, so they had to run along that wall and jump to the safe ground, while avoiding the searchlight. They finally had to go along a central path, where the walls were very close to each other, and searchlights skimming up and down from the walls. It was a bottomless chasm, so Sonia and Manic had to Wall Jump their way across, avoiding the lights along the way.

The next hall turned leftward, but the two first discovered a key-like statuette seated on the floor. There was an Omochao there to instruct him. "Use this key to help your friend, Sonic open the door! And when you're done, pass the good word to him for me!"

"We will!" Sonia nodded. "Thanks!"

The two lifted the key, but the halls immediately turned red, and a bunch of ball-shaped beings with smiling, evil faces; called Phantos, came to life and flew for the two. Sonia and Manic exchanged quick glances before hurrying down the hall, with Sonia holding the key. The Phantos came to attack her, but she tossed the key to Manic, who then ran along the wall, and as the Phantos came, he jumped to the parallel wall while dropping the key to Sonia.

They finally arrived at a pedestal and stabbed the key inside, and the Phantos stopped. The pedestal was beside a fence, which they peeked through to have a view of a hallway below. Directly below them, Sonic waited impatiently by a black door with Eggman's logo, and was surprised when the door opened. The hedgehog shrugged and dashed through the door. Sonia and Manic exchanged nods and leapt over the fence, landing softly on the floor below. But before they could progress, one of the Egg Hammers; which Sonic defeated earlier, had caught up, looking furious. Sonia and Manic readied their selves as it tried to bring the hammer down.

_"DuuuuuUU_UUUH!" But before it had a chance, the ceiling caved, and Big the Cat fell down and crushed the Hammer. "Duhhh… I fell off the train and landed all the way over heeere… have you seen my Froggy?"

They shook their heads.

"Oh well. I guess I better go look for him again." The fat cat decided as he walked away.

Sonia and Manic exchanged confused shrugs before going after the blue hedgehog. (End song.)

**Egg Chamber**

Sonic stopped running and found himself in a room with two parallel railings on the top and bottom, going around the sides of the room. _"OH ho ho ho ho! So, Sonic, how are you enjoying this world so far?"_

Sonic looked around after hearing the voice. "You know, you're practically the inventor of the offscreen voice, Eggman." (Cue Eggman's Theme from _Adventure 2_!)

A large roulette wheel with several different spaces came down from the ceiling, sticking itself along the railings, with Eggman inside a cockpit in the center. "You don't honestly think you can stop me this time, do you?"

"Hm, let's see." Sonic began, counting his fingers. "There was the Chaos incident, that time with the ARK, the Solaris thing, that time when you brought Eggman Nega, when we went to Blaze's world-"

"Grr, that was a rhetorical question! Anyway, you won't stop me this time! With Lord Gnaa and my other allies by my side, I'm unstoppable!"

"Don't forget, I have allies, too. But just what makes you think you can trust this Gnaa guy, anyway? Don't you remember what happened with Chaos or Dark Gaia?"

"I've very much learned from my follies with those traitorous spirits. Which is why I teamed up with someone who's AGAINST the spirits! It's foolproof! And once we have the Chaos and Sol Emeralds, AND the Firstborn, we'll control the cosmoses!"

"Hm. I heard that before." Sonic smirked.

"Heh. Careful who you smirk at, Sonic. I'm afraid your little part in this journey ends here." He launched two missiles at the blue hedgehog, who was about to dodge them when-

"HAH!" A bright pink tornado shot into the room, destroying the first one, while a green pinball destroyed the other one, the two emerging revealing to be the robed figures.

"Huh?" Sonic looked questioningly.

"Not so fast, Dr. Robotnik." The red figure said.

"Nobody calls me that anymore. Just who are you?" Eggman asked.

_That voice…_ Sonic thought to himself.

"Heh. Don't recognize us? Take a look!" With that, both figures threw off their cloaks, revealing to be a pink hedgehog in a red shirt and purple pants; and a green hedgehog with a red vest.

"Y-YOU? !" Eggman gasped.

"S-Sonia? MANIC? !" Sonic was struck speechless.

"Hey, Bro! Where've you been?" Manic waved.

"We'll catch up later. Ready to kick this Buttnik like old times?" Sonia fist-palmed.

Sonic smirked. "Hehe. You bet!"

"Grrr. So, a triple team, huh? Well, I'll show you! This time, you're ALL going down!" With that, Eggman readied his robot. (Play the "Egg Dealer" Theme from _Shadow the Hedgehog_!)

_Boss fight: Egg Roulette_

"You may be reunited with your siblings, but we'll still crush you. Now witness the power of my FINEST creation yet!" Eggman declared as the wheel started spinning.

"Can't you come up with anything new, Robotnik?" Sonia asked. The roulette wheel landed on a missile, the large wheel spinning and releasing various missiles from the side, the hedgehogs running and dodging as they crashed on the ground. The Egg Roulette rolled around the room, Sonic trying to run after, but it only shot massive flames that kept him back. Sonia spun into a tornado and sucked the fire in, allowing Sonic to Spin Dash in front of it, giving enough force to push it back into the wall.

"Oh…" Eggman groaned, the impact making him dizzy. To his dismay, he found that the wheel landed on a punching glove. "Oh boy." A large punching glove emerged from the side of the wheel and started punching the cockpit rapidly.

"Hehehe. So he basically made an upgraded Egg Dealer." Sonic snickered.

"Boy, he's more clumsy than Dingo." Manic remarked.

"Grrr!" Eggman grumbled, recovering and rolling around the room again. Immediately, he stopped, and the wheel landed on a bunch of robots. "Take them out." A bunch of Egg Pawns fell from the ceiling and started to shoot the hedgehogs. Sonic and Manic easily Home Attacked some while Sonia spun in a tornado, caught the robots inside, and shot them back at the cockpit.

The doctor started to blast cannonballs, making large explosions. Sonia tried to spin and catch them, but they were too fast, and she was blown back by the explosions. Manic, however, was able to Home Attack off the balls, up to the cockpit, attacking it a couple times before it crashed a wall, the wheel landing on the missiles again.

"Uh, w-wait! ABORT LAUNCH!" Eggman cried, but the missiles fired anyway and locked onto him. He scientist rolled away in his wheel, but Sonic Spin Dashed in front of it to stop it once more, the missiles crashing in the wheel. The Egg Roulette rolled the other way, still blowing flames and cannonballs. When the three hedgehogs chased after it, it instantly rolled the opposite direction, nearly running over Manic.

The wheel stopped and landed on a bunch of Egg Hammers, the large hammer robots dropping from the ceiling. Sonia tried to spin and suck them in her tornado, but they were too heavy. The helmeted one nearly smashed her, but Manic pushed her out of the way. Sonic Home Attacked one of them a few times before taking it out while Manic spun around another one, cutting its side like a saw, and cutting it in half.

The helmeted one did a spin attack, but Sonia spun and took his hammer, using it to bash the robot into Eggman's wheel and damage it. "Grrr. They're not getting away with this." Eggman smirked as he pushed a button. "See if you can avoid THIS, hedgehogs!" All the spots on the roulette became bright lasers. The roulette started to glow a bright blue before it fired a massive laser.

The hedgehogs ran around the room as the wheel chased them with its laser. As it did so, the walls around the room were burned and destroyed. "HRNH? !" The laser stopped, along with the wheel, for the destroyed room caused the rails to loosen. "GYAHH!" The wheel instantly fell to the ground, the cockpit side facing up, and the spaces turning back to normal. Sonic hit the punching glove space, Sonia the cannonballs, and Manic the missiles, all three functions activating and destroying the robot. "Th-This can't be! ! Eeek! DAAAHHH!" The hedgehogs ran as the wheel exploded, sending the mad scientist flying away. "The Eggman's blasting off AGAAIIIN!"

"A nice improvement, Doctor, but you still got a few bugs to work out." Sonic remarked.

"Dude, make that, a LOT of bugs." Manic replied. The hedgehogs laughed joyously. (Stop the music.)

"Nice work, gang!" Sonic exclaimed, giving his usual thumbs-up.

"Well, what'd you expect from us, Bro?" Manic said.

"Sonic, how long have you been in this world?" Sonia asked.

"A few days, so far. We can explain everything once we get outside." Sonic looked to the robot's wreckage and noticed something glowing red. "The others are out there waiting for me. Let's go."

**Outside the pyramid**

The three hedgehogs left the pyramid afterwards, greeted by the rest of Sonic's friends. "Hey, Sonic! You made it out!" Nigel exclaimed.

"Who are they?" Blaze asked.

"Hehehe." The hedgehog snickered. "Everyone: meet my long-lost brother and sister, Sonia and Manic!"

"! ! !" Everyone gasped.

"We got separated due to a Chaos Control when we were seven, and me and Manic got sent to this world." Sonia explained.

"We've been hiding out here ever since." Manic replied. "Tryin' to find a way back to our world. But we couldn't."

"But now that we've found Sonic again, we can probably get back there!" Sonia smiled hopefully.

"Once we find the Chaos Emeralds, it'll be a snap!" Manic winked.

"Speakin' of which, Blaze, we found this." Sonic said, showing her the red Sol Emerald.

Blaze immediately took the gem back, staring at it closely. "Another Sol Emerald… thank you, Sonic. This trip wasn't such a waste after all."

"Yeah, but now we're stuck in the middle of the scorching hot desert." Violet said, pulling her shirt off, revealing her white, thin undershirt. "I've yet to meet the cat that can survive out here."

The boys in the group, needless to say, felt their eyes popping out. "Ugh. She's not even fully matured." Blaze stated, as Eva smacked Kade's head.

Nigel shook this off and said, "That Jeong-Jeong guy said to take another look around Planet Secco…"

"That was one of the planets you went to, wasn't it?" Eva asked.

"Yeah. I guess he means I missed something there."

"Well, since we found Blaze's emerald, shouldn't we warp back to the others?" Kade asked.

"Right. Grim, take us back to-" Before Nigel could finish-

"HEELP!" the man in the green jacket ran over, flailing his arms. "There's a bunch of crocodile pirates attacking the beach!"

"Sounds like we got a change of plans." Eva figured. "But… why are you telling us?"

"Aren't you guys the desert police?" the man asked.

"Um, no."

"How did you even get all the way out here?" Nigel asked.

"…I… don't… know… HEELLP!" He ran off.

"…Well, if it's seaside trouble, them I'm in." Eva decided.

"Heh. That's just what we need, water." Sonic said, sarcastically.

"You still can't swim?" Sonia asked.

"Hey, I can run across water, you know."

"Never mind." Nigel said. "Let's see what these crocodiles are up to. We may learn something new…"

* * *

><p><strong>Argh, this coulda gone better. But hey, I FINALLY added the pyramid level, which was gone before, due to laziness! Next time, we'll finally see how The Quads are doing. Laters.<strong>


	26. Psycho Training

**Hey, everybody! Time for more training with Mewtwo! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Psycho Training Continues. Team Brotherhood Lands Somewhere Dark.<em>**

**New Island**

Buddy held his lightsaber ready as a mechanical sphere loomed around him, the boy blindfolded. _"People who wield the Force have no need for vision. Use your Force to sense your opponent."_ Mewtwo spoke.

Beckah and Noah just watched from a table. "So, is this a usual Jedi thing?" Noah asked.

"Yup." Beckah replied. "I read it somewhere. Since Psychokinesis isn't any good against lasers, you have to block them off, and this is how they usually do it. That's because psychic can only grab liquid or solid objects, not objects made out of energy.

The mechanical ball started to zoom around and fire lasers that Buddy blocked with his sword. He dodged his way over to Athena, who whistled innocently as she held her foot out and tripped him, then the ball zapped his butt. Athena giggled as Buddy shot her a glare.

Mewtwo then took them to a small trench, Athena and Sophie standing beside each other. _"When you focus your energy, and think of an exact location you wish to be, you will be able to warp to that location. Try to teleport your sister, then yourself."_

Athena closed her eyes, focused her energy, and Sophie glowed and vanished. _"Mmph!"_ A lump appeared in the ground on the other side of the trench.

"Uh, oops." Athena said. "Uh, my turn!" She then tried to teleport herself, only to get stuck herself, her upper half sticking out of the ground. "Uh… little help?"

_"Sigh…"_ Mewtwo shook his head.

Sophie was later standing in front of a Blastoise, looking slightly intimidated at the buff turtle. _"People with a psychic mind have an intelligent mind. That mind can be used to manipulate the less intelligent."_

"Um…" Sophie waved her hand in front of the turtle. "You will… give me a foot massage." …The Blastoise fired its water gun and blew the girl away. Buddy snickered at this, so Sophie threw a psychic blast and knocked him back.

**Inside the castle**

"So, how did you sleep?" Mika asked Morgan as the two were walking down the spiraling stairs.

"Pretty good! Mewtwo's got a nice castle here."

"Eh… I guess. You kinda get bored of it after a while."

The two girls went down to the table and Morgan started eating some grapes while Mika had a banana from the bowl of fruit. "Hang on." Mika said, using her powers to make the grapes grow twice as large.

"Heh. With Reverse Psycho Shrink, people would never go hungry!" Morgan said, starting to eat a large grape. "So, how long have you been on this island?"

"Oh. About 6 years. I landed here when I was 6 years old, and I've been training with Mewtwo ever since."

"Well, you might as well be the most powerful psychicbender in the world, second to him. How did you get here?"

"I went on a cruise with my parents one summer and we got attacked by this giant octopus. The octopus grabbed my dad while my mom and some other passengers were taken aboard this scary pirate ship with these weird zombie-fish pirates. The captain of that ship killed my mom. I watched from the side, fainted, and… fell in the sea. I was rescued by Mewtwo, and he brought me to this island. I wanted to go back home, but… Mewtwo told me about all the bad stuff that would happen to psychicbenders. What's it like for you guys? Are you and your siblings hated as much as Mewtwo said you, er, all psychicbenders were?"

Morgan looked away. "Yeah… the people in my town just don't believe we're fit enough to live with them. They think we're monsters. Especially the military. That's why we're hoping to change everything for the better, by beating the Dark Master. But I'm sort of afraid we'll turn to the Dark Side."

"Ah, don't worry! With Mewtwo training you guys, I'm sure you'll be fine! I mean, I've been training with him for 6 years, and I've lived a pretty good life. I'm kind of upset about my parents, but, after a while, the pain goes away!"

"Yeah…" Morgan looked slightly unsure.

"Hey! Since the others are out training, wanna have a lightsaber battle?" she asked, taking out her blue lightsaber.

"Sure!" Morgan agreed, taking out her own blue one. Both girls then leapt on the table, lightly clashing their sabers. Mika swung horizontal, but Morgan jumped, the two sidestepping around the table and still clashing their swords. Morgan rolled beside her and swung, but Mika defended, and the two hopped off the table and continued to clash.

**Outside; _Old Orleans_**

Outside, Numbuhs 4 and 5 weakly lied down on the deck of the _Old Orleans_, their tongues hanging out of their mouths as they sweat. "Numbuh 5?..."

"Yeah, Wally?..."

"It's been 25 chapters already… and we STILL haven't found one of those cruddy Firstborn…"

"Cosmo and Nova found one, remember?"

"But that was AGES ago! And we haven't found another one ever since. We don't even know where to start looking for one…"

Numbuh 5 then sat up. "Hmm… well, let's look back a bit: didn't that old man Oshus say that Manaphy was a Firstborn?"

"Wasn't that guy really the Sea King? And yeah, he did, didn't he?" he replied, sitting up.

"And since Eva is technically his older sister, plus the fact they seemed to bond really well, doesn't Eva seem like a good Guardian for Manaphy?"

"Yeah! She does, doesn't she?" Wally beamed.

"Well, there ya go! We just found one of the Firstborn AND his Guardian!"

"COOL! And hey! Didn't Mr. Uno say that Jirachi was a Firstborn in his story?"

"Yeah! But we aren't really sure who his Guardian is. Let's just focus on Manaphy for now. As soon as The Quads are done with training, we can all go look for Eva and the others and go find Manaphy. Now that the Sea Temple is restored, it may not be easy to find it."

"It wasn't easy the first toime."

"Eh well. We'll think of somethin'. Ah wonder what Rachel's up to, anyway…"

**Unknown wasteland**

Rachel and her squad continued trekking through the empty wasteland a grey clouds still hung in the heavens. The injured ones were still limping as they went. "Are we there yet?" Paddy whined.

"Obviously not. And it doesn't help to whine." Shadow said coldly.

"Sheesh, I'm just asking…"

Sonya noticed Rachel was still upset, so she walked beside the leader. "You know, Rachel, you were pretty cool back there!" she smiled.

"Really? Thanks."

"Yeah, you were!" Lee agreed. "He was all, zhoom, zhoom. And you were all, KER-SLICE! It was awesome!"

"Hehehe." She grinned.

The team eventually reached an old treehouse, made of hospital building parts. "Well, this is the place." Charlotte observed.

"Thank goodness…" Rachel sighed in relief.

Soon, they were all being treated by doctor operatives. A boy put some cream on Numbuh 362's wound before wrapping a bandage around it. "Well, that arm oughta heal in due time, Sir." He smiled.

"What happened to you guys, anyway?" another operative asked.

"We nearly got our butts kicked by some demon made of diamond." Patton said.

"O…kay." The leader said, not believing it. "Oh! By the way, Sir, we got a report for you from Moonbase."

"Huh? Is Bartie doing well up there?"

"I dunno. But apparently, they picked up an enemy base somewhere near the Sahara and planned an invasion. They got beat, and… several operatives were captured."

"Invasion? Captured?" she was stunned.

"Uh, yah. Apparently some kid in a wheelchair caused most of the trouble. Heh, that's why you gotta watch out for those guys, isn't it?"

"I always knew those handicapped guys were no good." A fat nurse said. "They look harmless and powerless, and the moment you got your back turned, BOOM, they strike."

Rachel looked away in shame. Her sword was set on the table as Fi came out. _"Something troubles you, Master?"_

"Sigh, yes, Fi. It's about what Ghirahim said. I wonder… am I really good enough to be leader?"

_"You have been a marvelous leader up until now, have you not? You have always been brave since wielding the Yield Staff that symbolizes your authority."_

"But I'm not sure if I can do it anymore. Ever since that battle… I don't know if letting him go was right. If I'd've finished him, he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. Maybe I am too weak to be leader. And if I'd've stayed back at Moonbase, I coulda led the invasion, and all those operative wouldn't have been captured."

Fi shook her head 'no'. _"Master… regardless of what Ghirahim said… the Hero's spirit grows strong within you. You have followed your heart like you always have, Master. Your strength and heart are as great as Link's once was. But if you had led the invasion, there would be no guarantee of victory. It is fate that you were meant to be here. You must keep faith that those operatives will be rescued."_

Rachel looked up and gave her a smile. "Thanks, Fi…"

The medical operatives were finishing with the others, giving Fanny an arm cast, Patton a fist cast, and Angie a foot cast.

"It's amazing how simple pieces of scrap can become so much more." Shadow said, impressed at the treehouse's structure.

"Well, one of the KND's ways is things are more than they appear." The lead doctor said. "That's why the KND welcomes anyone."

"Ah-huh…" Rachel looked disbelieved. _"Well, I'm sure that's just what you told the handicapped kids, too."_ She mumbled. "At any rate, can you tell us where we are?"

"We're on the outskirts of the Rocky Mountains. An apparently dangerous region, lately."

"Why?" Sonya asked.

"Lots of demons've been occupying this area, lately. And just a few hours ago, these four guys passed by; some girl with a sword, that looked an awful lot like you, Sir; some werecat, a kid with a goatee that looked like Numbuh 4, and Numbuh 363."

They were shocked. "Which way did they go? !" Rachel asked/shouted.

"They headed towards the mountains." The chubby nurse said. "But they didn't stop to talk to me for a minute, no sirree."

"O-kay…" Rachel looked confused by her statement. "Well, thanks for your help, anyway. We have to go after them."

"Wait! You guys wanna stick around and see my Melon Dance?"

"Uh… no. We'll see you later." With that, Rachel ran out, followed by the others.

"Eh. Their loss." The fat girl said, taking out a watermelon and pushing a radio. Hula music started playing as she sang. "OHH, Melon! I…_I_ have a melon!" the doctors exchanged weirded glances. "Oh, I-I-I, Melon. Melon. Me-e-e-el-on. I have a… MEEEE-lon." They all just walked out, leaving her to dance.

**Rocky Mountains**

At this time, Lehcar, Scarlet, Harvey, and Yllaw were hiking up the Rocky Mountains, sweating from walking the steep slopes. "Where are we going, anyway?" Yllaw asked.

"Father said he would pick us up here once he was finished with his business." Lehcar answered.

"Huff…huff…huff…" Harvey panted loudly.

"What's wrong with you?" Scarlet asked.

Harvey panted a bit more before shaking his head. _"I'm fine. Let's-Let's keep moving." _The two girls exchanged a questioning glance.

After a bit more walking, they stopped when they found Ghirahim standing on a ledge, looking off at the sun rays piercing through the clouds in the distance. Lehcar ran over and asked, "Ghirahim… how did it go?" (Cue Ghirahim's Theme!)

The Demon Lord placed his right hand on his forehead as he spoke. "That girl… so strong. I didn't think someone so young could have such power."

"Yes, my dreadful opposite IS stronger than she looks. But we'll be through with her before long."

"Hm hm hm hm heh heh heh heh." Ghirahim turned and gave a smirk to Lehcar. "'Tis the very reason I chose you, Master. She may be strong, but you are so much more. You are powered by sweet anger and hatred. Her mercy will be her weakness."

"Hey, look! Here they are!" Yllaw yelled, pointing to a floating pirate ship in the sky. The ship came down beside the five villains, allowing them to walk on, where Ganon, Zant, and Koume and Kotake were waiting.

Lehcar ran over and kneeled to her father. "Father! I have good news! I found someone to help us in our glorious quest!"

"Lord Ghirahim." The Demon Lord introduced himself, taking Ganon's right hand and kneeling. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." He kissed it.

"This being was awakened from the sword you entrusted to me." Lehcar explained.

"Lehcar is such a devious girl. I am honored to be her servant." Ghirahim smirked.

"Servant?" Ganon rose his brow.

"I'm thinking he can give us shoulder rubs." Scarlet said.

"Any servant of Lehcar's is a servant of mine…" Ganondorf said sternly.

Ghirahim stood up and smirked at him. "Heh heh heh. Wouldn't have it any other way." The diamond-skinned demon walked behind the demon thief and started rubbing his shoulders. "After all, the strong father of my master deserves his own glory. Your heart is filled with great anger and hatred for the Uno Family, desperate to see terrible disaster befall them, their blood scattered all over the floor." He held his face closer and whispered in Ganon's ear. "I can see how someone makes such a wonderful daughter." Ganon's eyes widened when he licked his ear.

Ghirahim let go and spun over to Lehcar as Ganondorf angrily rubbed his ear. "Eh. Just make sure the fools get theirs."

"Hm hm, with pleasure." With that, Ghirahim went back in his sword.

"And how is my great master doing?" Ganondorf asked with a tone of sarcasm.

_"Just fine, Ganon. Is everything proceeding as planned?"_ Gnaa asked.

"Exquisitely. We believe the Kremlings have intel on the Sea Prince. We'll be headed over there pretty soon." The Dark Lord then bent down for Lehcar to whisper in his ear.

_"Something is wrong with him, Father. Lord Gnaa seems to be struggling in his temporary form. We believe he might be losing control."_

"Eh… no matter. Take a look." Ganondorf led them into the next room, which held the shrunken captives in their hamster cage. "Behold, Lord Gnaa. Freshly caught captives. Thanks to Vaati's Minish Dust, we'll be able to capture much more. We can use their fear to fuel your everlasting power."

_"Ah. An exceptional plan, indeed. You never fail to disappoint me, Ganon."_

_"Huh? Harvey? YOU'RE working for them?" _Mushi squeaked.

_"I knew there was something I didn't like about you!"_ Tommy yelled.

"Awe, they look so adorable!" Lehcar smiled with delight.

"Hmmm… I wonder how they taste?" Scarlet said. "That fat kid looks pretty tasty."

_"Eek!"_ Tommy started running on the hamster wheel in fear.

"Heh heh heh." Ganon chuckled. "We'll capture more and focus on scaring them for now. But once Lord Gnaa is entirely free, I'll let you choose what to do with them."

"Wonderful…" Scarlet gave a maniacal grin, hungry for some meat.

"So, shall we gather more, Father?" Lehcar asked, hopefully.

"Um, Zant will be taking care of that. Meanwhile, you still have more training to do with the witches."

"But Father-" Lehcar stopped when he shot her a glare. "Um… whatever you say… Father." She then walked away with a scared face.

"Oh, don't worry, Sire! She'll learn patience yet, oh ho ho!" Koume said.

"Before she'll have her pets, eee hee hee!" Kotake followed.

"And once the Dark Master is freed, the heroes will taste horrible defeat!"

"Yes, yes, but on to a different subject. We've captured one of the Guardians, and _she_ has her Firstborn. Our next objective… is manipulating her."

Vaati walked in with his usual smirk, holding a tiny, struggling Nova in his fingers. He set her on the floor and pulled out some purple dust, which he sprinkled on Nova and restored her to normal. Needless to say, the Harnitan was confused. "Wh…What-"

Ganon grinned deviously as he aimed and charged his Darkness Cannon. "Say cheese." And Nova's eyes were blinded by the purple light. (End song.)

**Zuzu's Valley**

A scrawny boy with spiky white hair, blue eyes, and black clothing sat in a cave in a cold, snowy wasteland, rubbing his hands for warmth by a fire. Two twin kids, a boy in a blue coat and a girl in a pink coat, both wielding hammers, hopped their way over to the cave, carrying a large fish and dropping it on the cave floor. "Whoa, you just missed it, Yuki! We just went swimming and fought a whole squad of electric eels!" the girl said.

"We also found this big fish and decided to bring you back a little dinner." The boy said.

Yuki Crystal just spared an angry glance to the twins and turned away. "Hmph. Whatever."

The twins exchanged a glance. "What's wrong with you, Yuki?" the boy asked.

"Yeah. Why you always such a puss?" the girl followed.

"Well, you try being banished from your home and being in a cheerful mood."

"Well, just because you're banished, doesn't mean you have to act so mean." The boy said.

"Yeah. Plus we're only tryin' to help." The girl said.

"Hmph. You wanna help? Find a way to get rid of these powers."

"Er, can't say that we know how. But come on, Yuki. They're not so bad." The boy replied.

"Yeah. We've had these powers our whole lives, and we aren't complaining." The girl followed.

"That's 'cause you two got control over 'em. You don't make everything you touch turn to ice without tryin'."

"Well, we could teach you. Just let us." The boy said.

"No. These powers are a curse. Every other bender gets their 'gift' from a spirit, I get mine from some random ice gun from some random mystery person. I'd rather be alone than use these powers. So just get lost." The twins frowned and decided to walk out of the cave.

Yuki looked at the fish and reached for it, only to have it turned into ice by his touch. The boy sighed and continued to stare at the fire in depression.

**Beach area in South America**

Nigel, Eva, Kade, and Grim watched from a bush as Kremling soldiers stuck Evil Crystals into a beach. "Ah, excellent job, boys." A Kop said. "That's the last of the gems. Now let's get back to Kastle Kaos. Leave the Tikis to look after things here." A few Kremlings squashed bananas into Tikis, bringing them to life before walking off.

"Ugh. Littering a beach with Dark Crystals? These crocs are low." Eva said, disgusted.

"Grim, what are these Tikis, anyway?" Nigel asked.

"Funny story, really." The reaper began. "Years ago, Grandfather became bored one day, so Malladus created him musical Tikis that can hypnotize any animal into doing whatever they wanted. Less intelligent animals, anyway."

"Like Numbuh 4." Kade joked. Eva gave a chuckle.

"Probably." Grim agreed. "Anyway, the demons always had a grudge against the People of the Water, so one day, Malladus used them to brainwash the aquatic creatures and spread chaos throughout Oceana. But Kyogre stopped the Tikis and had them imprisoned in a volcano on a deserted island. But Malladus designed the Tikis to awaken when fed the sacred bananas grown on an island of apes. But he never got around to doing it himself, rather waited for any mortal villains to awaken them."

"And these crocs were the ones to do it." Eva figured.

"That crocodile said they were headed for a castle. Let's get over there and see what's up." Nigel decided.

"The beach is my place." Eva said. "I'll clear things up here. Come along, Kade."

"Be careful, kids. I sense a storm comin'…" Grim said, noticing the grey, cloudy sky. (Play the "Stormy Shore Cave" Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

_Stage 23: Restless Coast_

_Mission: Clear through the beach and get to Kastle Kaos!_

Eva hurried onto the beach to beat the first set of Tikis using Water Slice, then froze the Dark Gems and destroyed them. A couple possessed crabs crawled out of the sand and tried to pinch her toes, but Kade shot them away with a S.C.A.M.P.P.. The two saw a Kremling ship sailing by a coral cave and decided to chase after.

Eva held onto Kade as she swam them through an underwater part of the cave. Kade's eyes widened when he noticed something large swim by them in the dark. _"Uh, Eva? I'm not sure if it's safe here…"_ Kade gurgled.

_"Relax, Kade, I can handle anything we see out here."_

The two resurfaced shortly after and started chasing the Kremling ship, noticing wrecks of many other ships. "Eva, maybe we should turn back." Kade said, worriedly.

"Kade, relax, just because there're a lot of wrecks, doesn't mean there's anything-" (Play the "Squiddicus" Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!) All of a sudden, a massive octopus emerged from the sea and crushed the Kremling ship. "WHAT IS THAT THING?"

The giant octopus spotted the two, giving an evil glare as he swam over. "Not happy with us, for some reason. Run for it!" Kade exclaimed. The two started to hop across fallen ship debris as the mad octopus swung its tentacles, attempting to crush them. It finally destroyed a ship they were on, but Eva grabbed Kade as she swam them into an underwater cave before a tentacle grabbed them.

They resurfaced in the cave and walked through the inside, tidal waves coming in. Just then, the octopus emerged from the water flowing inside the cave, trying to smash them with its tentacles. Eva bended some water and whipped his left eye, hurrying along with Kade. They started to climb a rocky wall, but a tentacle reached up and grabbed Kade, but Eva sliced it off and saved him. A tentacle was then slithering down from above, but Eva cut it with another Water Slice.

They climbed out of the cave and slid down a steep, watery slope as rain started pouring down. At the bottom of the slide, they shot up a ramp and landed on another fallen ship, dodging as the tentacles came at them again, jumping debris. They saw a series of floating crates, proceeding to hop across them as the octopus smashed the debris. When they reached the last crate, Eva immediately froze some water into a surfboard, the two getting on before a tentacle crushed the crate.

The two surfed along the rough water, dodging ship parts that the octopus hurled at them, as well as sharp rocks. The two surfed up a wave and flowed down the back of it, towards another sharp rock cove, blowing around some whirlwinds and flying over the sharp rocks. The octopus came up and tried to swat them, but they turned and surfed inside another cave, jumping off and running through.

Some Tikis shot out of the small pools of water, wielding arrows, Eva dodge-rolling and throwing Water Whips at them. They came to a dead end with another pool and dove in, swimming through the underwater cave and avoiding tentacles that reached in through the holes. When they resurfaced, they were at a dead end, but saw an Evil Crystal sitting on a small platform in the center of the water pool.

They then noticed water pouring in and flooding the cave, the presence of the crystal slowly draining Eva's power, preventing her from making air bubbles. "Ergh, uh-oh. Better make this quick." Eva used what she could of her energy to blow on and freeze the Dark Gem, both operatives holding their breath as the water flooded them in. Once it was completely frozen, Eva punched it a few times before finally shattering it, causing the wall in the cave to crumble, the operatives flowing out rapidly.

Eva was able to freeze another ice surfboard, pulling Kade on and surfing down the waves, getting back to the sea and dodging more Tikis shooting arrows from floating crates. The octopus shot out of the sea again, attempting to grab them with its tentacles, but Eva was able to jump and swing off the tentacles, getting above his head, bending the water into her Water Fists, and bashing the octopus clear on its baldhead. Eva fell back down to the surfboard to watch the octopus roll its eyes dizzily before sinking below the sea.

The two news anchors high-fived before surfing back to shore. (Stop the music.)

Eva melted the ice board and bended it in her bottles as they got back to shore, meeting up with the others. "Hm. Well, you still got it, Eva." Nigel smirked.

"She sure does! That octopus has issues, though…" Kade observed.

"Great, so can we finally get out of this rain?" Sonic asked. "I wanna get back quick and have my chilidog." He rubbed his stomach.

"Took the words right outta my mouth." Violet agreed, shivering.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Manic asked.

"That looks like a reasonable guess." Kade replied, indicating the gloomy castle miles away.

"Looks like a place that would be labeled 'Kastle Kaos'." Sonic assumed.

"No time to waste then." Nigel decided. "Let's go."

**New Island**

Buddy held his hands close together as the blue ball of psychic energy slowly expanded between them. _"When forming your Psycho Sphere, careful not to make it too big, or it'll explode on you. Make it too small, and it'll do little damage."_ Mewtwo spoke.

Buddy spun around before tossing the energy ball to the sky, watching it fly nearly out of eyesight before it exploded. "Yay!" Noah cheered.

"You will rub my shoulders." Sophie said to the Blastoise, still trying to mind-trick him. He shook his head 'no'. "Uh… you will shoot me." The Blastoise blew her back with its water gun. "Hey, it's working!"

Athena tried to teleport herself again, appearing above Buddy and landing on him. "You missed." He said.

"Actually, that was on purpose." She giggled.

**In the castle**

Inside the castle, Morgan and Mika were running through the halls, still in their pretend lightsaber battle (with their actual sabers). Morgan grabbed a trash can using psychic and threw it at her, but Mika sliced it in half. The Uno girl then charged a Psycho Sphere and threw it, only for Mika to stylishly catch it and throw it back, Morgan ducking and dodging.

Mika saw a mouse hole and used her power to make herself smaller, running into the hole, Morgan mimicking her and chasing after. Inside the walls, the two chased each other and clashed their swords. They fell down a pipe and came out in the sewer, Mika jumping onto a can flowing down the river and Morgan getting on after her, clashing their swords more.

When the can reached the waterfall out of the sewer, the girls re-expanded and fell in the sea. Mika levitated herself and flew back on the balcony, followed by Morgan, the two continuing to swing their swords. Mika chased Morgan through the dining room and out to the arena where the others were training, turning to watch as Morgan and Mika did their battle.

Morgan jumped one of Mika's swings before rolling behind her and swinging, but Mika still defended. However, with a few more swings, Morgan was finally able to knock Mika's saber away. The Demon Princess smirked to the Philippine girl as both of them bowed. "Done well, you have, young Padawan." Mika said, mimicking Yoda.

_"Hm…"_ Mewtwo drifted over to them, followed by the others. _"You two seem to be getting along okay."_

"Yeah. I mean, she is the only other psychicbender we've ever met." Morgan said.

"Same here." Mika nodded.

_"Indeed… could I speak with you, Morgan?"_ the girl nodded and followed Mewtwo a few feet away from them. The half-spirit turned to her and said, _"There's something you should know about Mika: she is vulnerable to the Dark Side."_

"What? She doesn't look like it."

_"She doesn't express it herself, but I can feel it. She has nightmares of what humans could do with psychicbenders. This could lead her to adapt a mistrust in humans. It is my fault for telling her in the first place. She has developed a fear of the outside world."_

"Well, what do you want us to do? We aren't sure of how other humans would treat us either."

_"You four may have been with me for a short time, but… I sense good in you four. I think you may be the ones to help change this world for the better. What Mika needs is knowledge of the outside world, and I feel you may be the ones to teach her. But there's something else you must do first."_

"HEY!" They turned their attentions toward the Interesting Twins, who were just running in.

"Numbuh 4 wanted us to come in here." Yang said.

"Do you have any Coconut Log?" Yin asked.

_"Hm, perfect timing."_ Mewtwo said, floating toward the Twins. _"So, you are the two Yin-Yang Twins?"_

"Uh… I guess so." Yang replied.

_"Hm hm hm."_ Mewtwo smirked. _"The great grandchildren of Hannibal Roy Bean."_

"Who?" they gasped.

_"Hannibal Bean is the ancient spirit of Yin-Yang, the balance between good and evil. An evil spirit, like Malladus, that once tried to spread evil across the world, before he was banished to another dimension. You must go to that dimension and speak with him."_

"Another dimension?" Yin repeated.

"How can we do that?" Yang asked.

_"Somewhere on the Xiaolin Mountains of China, there lies a temple that houses a yo-yo, known as the Yin Yo-yo. The yo-yo acts as a portal between this world and the Yin-Yang World. As the descendants of Hannibal Bean, you two will be able to use the yo-yo and travel between the two. But while you enter on the Side of Good, coming out may change that. Locate the Yang Yo-yo while in that world and use it to transport back, and remain on the Side of Good."_

"The Xiaolin Mountains is where-" Yang began.

"-we were born." Yin finished.

"…Are you sure it's safe?" they both asked.

_"I never said it was. Even the lightest souls can be manipulated by that world, and vice versa. It's basically looking at a million Evil Crystals."_

"But we have the Firstborn to worry about." Buddy said.

_"The Firstborn can wait, for now. Once you speak with Roy Bean, your quest can continue."_

"But what about our training?" Buddy asked.

_"Indeed. Buddy, Athena, and Sophie will remain here. Morgan has shown progressively more skill."_

"Ha!" Morgan exclaimed, pointing cockily at Buddy.

_"She will take Mika with her and the others. The rest of you will stay behind. You will meet again eventually."_

"Well, I guess you're set, Morgie." Athena figured.

"Yup." Morgan said, walking over to Mika. "And you're comin' with me."

"I am? But… you said-"

_"You've stayed here far too long. You must know the ways of the outside world. It's true, not every human trusts the powered ones, but not everyone is evil. You must see that for yourself. And by seeing the world for its beauty, your imagination shall develop further. And thus, so will your psychic."_

"Don't worry." Morgan smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be with us. We're your friends." Mika smiled and grinned.

"Good luck, Morgie." Buddy told her. "If you get captured and need me, I'm laughing at you."

"Whatever." Morgan eye-rolled. "And don't call me 'Morgie'."

"I'm staying with Buddy." Noah smiled.

"I think I'll stay around, too." Beckah said.

"Alright. Good luck. Last one on the boat's making dinner!" Morgan exclaimed. Mika and the Twins hurriedly ran after them.

**Bane's Ship; somewhere in space**

_"&#^* )#*$)## &(#-"_

"HUH?" Nolan gasped, shooting awake. He looked down to his left to see Danika asleep in a sleeping bag, the poisonbenders asleep as well. The cripple groaned, his head aching as he rolled his chair over to Aurra, who read some kind of paper while her and Bane were still driving the spaceship.

"You still awake?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah… I can't sleep. Got anything I could-"

"Try this." She said, giving him some kind of blue juice.

"Uh… what is-"

"Glomour Juice made from the finest mushrooms. Helps me sleep well."

Nolan took a sip of the juice, immediately feeling a rumbling in his stomach. "Ohh…"

"Mmmaybe it's not for humans."

"Yeah…"

Aurra continued to read the piece of paper. "So, you have a grudge against Ava?"

At this, Nolan looked up, and saw that paper was his revenge list. "Hey!" he yelled, snatching it back. "Where'd you find this?"

"You kinda dropped it. So what'd she do to you?"

"Er, she tricked me into disabling Moonbase defenses during an invasion."

"Hm. Well, we have something in common. I hate her, too."

"Really? Why?"

"You know, Sing, what planet do you come from, anyway?" Bane asked.

"I'm from Planet Glomour, same world as Ava's. She and I went to KND together, and used to be best friends, before she joined GKND. She and I promised to do everything together, but when she joined GKND and left me behind, she crossed the line. I left KND myself and became a bounty hunter. I didn't really know about GKND back then, but when I found out, I became pretty pissed off. I vowed that I would have revenge on her no matter what."

"But that was ages ago." Nolan replied. "Couldn't you just… let it go?"

"No can do. Revenge is a dish best served cold. You should know. You have a list."

Nolan looked at his list for a minute and sighed. "I'm going back to sleep." With that, he rolled over beside Danika, picked up his small blanket on the floor, covered up, and went to sleep in his chair.

_A floating head, designed like General Immortus', landed itself on a bird's body, puking Nolan York on the ground before flying off. Nolan suddenly found himself on the ground in some nightmarish wasteland of tall grass, with tiny skeletons hugging them. He held his head and stood up, his legs strangely working now. As he looked around, a ladybug buzzed by his ear. "Psst. Nolan." The tiny bug buzzed around before landing on his nose, Nolan squishing his eyes together to see the bug had April's head. "Hi!" she smiled before flying away, Nolan shaking his head from the sight._

_"The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round… 'round and 'round…" Nolan heard someone singing from behind the grass, hesitantly looking behind. To his horror, two bus-driver skeletons were roasting Dillon over a fire, using the bones of Rack and Ruin's connected shoulder as a stick to roll him on. Dillon's visage only seemed to show pain and horror, tears streaming down his face as he sang. "The wheels on the bus go 'ROUND and 'ROUND… ALLL through the TOOOWN."_

_"DILLON!" Nolan yelled. The groups of demons around Dillon, all wearing Stormtrooper helmets, turned to face him._

_Nolan cowardly backed away, looking down at a bunch of Lizzie moles by his feet. A Madame Rouge snake slithered around him, licking her lips before chasing after the moles. "Bzzz." A Koda Shrieves bee buzzed on his shoulder and stung him. Nolan swat the bee on the ground and stomped on it, twisting it along the ground so it died. "WAAAH! WAAAH!"_

_A swarm of Koda bees buzzed around him, stinging him all over, Nolan trying desperately to swat them away, but ended up with nearly his whole body swollen. The bees flew away, and Nolan turned and was startled at Danika Anderson, wearing a black bikini and grinning with sharp teeth and lizard-like eyes. "Ain't I ssssexy?" Danika stretched her neck around him, licking his neck with a sharp tongue._

_The swollen Nolan popped into a bunch of tiny Nolans, all running away as Danika's tongue became Cheshire. Cheshire reached and caught the little Nolans, except one, in its mouth before going back into Danika, who swallowed them and licked her lips. "Sssslip me some tongue."_

_Nolan then ran past a giant roasted chicken with Leo's face. "Hey, Nolan, did you try the chicken?"_

_The April ladybug flew by him and said, "It really works, Nolan!"_

_"MWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Nolan suddenly found himself on a gigantic, demonic apparition of a strange kid wearing a cape, the child laughing deviously in a high-pitched voice as Nolan fell into a pit of fire and darkness._

_"AAAAHHHHHH!" Nolan fell past demonic ghosts of Darth Bane, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, King Adas, Shar Dakhan, Darth Revan, Darth Ruin, Emperor Palpatine, and every other Sith Lord you could think of._

_Nolan was suddenly engulfed by light, standing in an endless white Limbo, hearing nothing but the sounds of heavy breathing. A pitch-black figure slowly emerged in the distance. "Who's there?" Nolan demanded. The figure continued to breathe and walk closer, and Nolan could see it was some black-armored man in a helmet and black cape. "…Darth Vader?"_

_The Sith Lord still breathed heavily through his helmet, slowly approaching the boy. He stopped in front of him as he reached his left hand up and pulled the mask off his face. Nolan looked in shock as the face behind the mask revealed to be his own. "Boo."_

"AAHHH!" Nolan shot awake and fell out of his chair, landing on Danika, who immediately shot awake, the two in each others' faces.

"Uh… what's up, Nolan?" She said with a small blush.

"Uh, hehe." He gave a nervous grin and chuckled. "'kay, no more Glomour Juice before… well, ever. Hehe."

The two were later standing (or Nolan was sitting) and looking out a window, eating Duritos. "Hey, Dani, I've been thinking lately…"

"Oh boy." She rolled her eyes, expecting another of Nolan's reflective moments.

"Hehe. The Brain said that the Brotherhood's purpose is to unite those that have been cast away by society, and take revenge on those that shunned us."

"Pretty much why we joined."

"But I wonder… is taking revenge really the right thing to do?"

"Don't ask me. You're the one with the list."

"Ugh…" Nolan sighed.

"Sigh… I can't really say myself. We were treated like monsters, and we attacked them like monsters, that's all I know. Even if it is wrong, there's no going back now. The minute we even try to reason with KND, they'll have us arrested and locked up."

"Yeah… but what if we showed them that…that maybe humans and 'freaks' are more alike than they seem… wouldn't things be different?"

"Maybe. But that wouldn't excuse that we're criminals. I don't know if things ever could change."

Nolan only looked away and frowned.

Just then, the ship started shaking, waking up the Toxic Four. "Er! What's happening?" Matt asked.

"NOO! We've drifted too close to Planet Vaporia." Bane yelled. "We're being sucked in!"

"Our radars and communications are down. And we can't get away!" Aurra exclaimed.

They all looked ahead to see they were drifting to a pitch-black planet with some kind of yellow aura around it, as well as various small yellow cracks along its surface. "What? Why can't we get away?" Nolan asked.

"This planet shorts out all electrical items." Bane said. "Anything that drifts near it is bound to get sucked in."

"Well, maybe I can become a shadow and fly us… Ohhh." Danika fainted.

"Danika? Danika, wake up!" Nolan shouted, shaking her.

"Wonderful time to take a nap." Aurra remarked.

"WE'RE GONNA DIIIE! !" Leo screamed.

Jeremiah smacked him. "What's gonna happen?" he asked.

"Your friend had it right." Bane said. "Kids: welcome… to your grave." The five kids looked in worry as the planet drew closer and closer.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, this chapter wasn't too bad to write. You might remember that octopus from <em>Donkey Kong Returns<em> (duh). Next time, we will land and see what's so bad about this planet. Three guesses why Danika fainted (though it should be obvious by now). Well, until then, later.**


	27. Destination: Vaporization

**Okay, everybody, next Chronicler scene! Play the "Dreams" Theme from _Eternal Night_. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Worst Place in the Cosmos! Planet Vaporia, Where Death Happens.<em>**

Danika Anderson soon awakened, holding her head as she stood up, finding herself on a floating asteroid in space. "Oh… where am I?"

_"Danika Anderson…"_

"Whuh? Who's there?"

_"It is I… The Chronicler. Spirit who watches peoples' lives."_

"I assume you get on the Internet a lot?"

_"Oh, is that supposed to be a 'stalker' joke? I read books, just so you know. But listen to me: I am here to teach you of your Shadow Element."_

"I already know about my Shadow Element." She sighed.

_"Yes… but you must learn more. Step forward to begin."_ The floating rock path appeared for Danika to proceed.

She arrived at a black shadow gate and the glowing shadow platform (wait, glowing shadow?), stepping on the black spot as she was surrounded by darkness. She was shown a vision of her younger self, being made fun of and hiding behind dark corners.

_"Shadow is the Element of Hiding. As you know, shadowbenders, like many others, are castaways. The world taunts them for their nature, so they hide from the sun and from the world, along with the shadows."_ Her younger self looked at her own shadow and waved, making other still movements, pretending it was a person. In a moment, the shadow slowly rose from the ground, grinning as it slid over and physically shook Danika's hand. The real Danika smiled at this, remembering this as when she and Cheshire (unnamed at the time before she gave her one) first met. _"The benders become friends with the shadows… and are able to control them. They are what these castaways now rely on."_

The area became pitch-black again as Danika closed her eyes. She felt all the shadow surrounding her inside a ball, throwing her arms out and releasing the shadow in an explosion. When the vision ended, Danika proceeded along the path ahead. She came to a wall blocking her path, seeing a small gap along the bottom of it. _"The more benders are acquainted with the shadows, they will be able to hide beside them. Hide with your shadow, and proceed…"_ Cheshire reached up and wrapped around Danika, pulling her in her Shadow Veil. As a shadow, Danika slid right under the wall.

She reemerged on the other end, arriving at a chasm where the path continued across. _"You can also pull the shadows up with you, and with their weightless bodies, you can float around."_ Cheshire slithered up around Danika's body, her whole body becoming black shadowy smoke as she flew over to the other side in her weightless body.

She landed and reemerged, continuing along the path, stopping when she spotted strange, orange sparks floating in midair. _"This is a move meant for higher-ranked shadowbenders… but you will need it now for the danger ahead. Shadowbenders are similar to psychics, in this way: they are able to sense other shadows that hide, and the aura of the mass they are behind. Sense the alien monsters and get by without detection."_ Danika sunk below with Cheshire again, closing her eyes and sensing shadows of strange, floating invisible aliens. Sensing their locations, she was able to slither by them as a shadow, reemerging once she got past them.

She soon made it to the large field where the army of stone men were waiting. _"The evil ones are trying to throw you in the shadows again. Use your connection with the shadows and destroy them."_ Danika drew out her daggers and ran to the first two, stabbing them in the chest. Another one tried to strike her, but she slid behind him as a shadow and stabbed him. _"Using the shadows, you can also blind the visions of others for a short time."_ Right away, Danika turned around, and blew her Shadow Breath at some minions, blinding them, enabling her to take them out. She finished the last ones off by dragging them down with her, and dropping them at the bottom of the floating field, watching them fall.

When she came back up on the ground, she found herself surrounded by thousands more. She closed her eyes and felt the blackness surround her again. _"When fully cast inside the shadow… they are completely on your side. Unleash them and show what power the shadows have."_

Danika crushed her hands together as the shadow barrier surrounded her again. "HUAH! !" She threw her arms out, releasing the shadow explosion again, wiping out all the soldiers.

Danika stopped to catch her breath after the attack. _"Good… but remember: while the shadows are also your friends, you must never forget your friends in the Light World. Shadows are horribly misunderstood. Now… step into the temple."_ The floating staircase appeared for Danika to proceed, the girl walking up and stepping through the shadow gate.

She slowly approached the Reflecting Pool in the middle as she spoke. "Well, I learned a few new moves at any rate. But I already know where shadowbending comes from."

_"But do you know of the shadows' origins?"_

"Do they… come from the Negaverse?"

_"Yes… the spirits created the Negaverse for the Shadows to live. But it was never intended to keep them away from the Positives. Everyone has two sides: a Light and Dark. But both sides are needed to keep the coin whole. The Negaverse is connected to this world and keeps it balanced. With no Dark Side, there can be no Light, much as Darkness can't survive without the Light."_

"Talk about complicated…"

_"But there is still the matter of Cheshire's origins. Where her species of Shadow comes from. Look into the Reflecting Pool…"_

Danika looked at the glowing pool of light. She walked over and stuck her face in the water. (Stop the music.)

_Her vision showed a strange realm of twilight, shadow beings floating all around. Through the blackness that appeared, she could see a black and white childlike being, with light-blue lines along her body, an orange ponytail, wearing a stone helmet that covered her left eye, showing only her orange right eye. The strange being looked at Danika, giving a mischievous grin, a sharp tooth on the left of her mouth, and laughing childishly. "Who…"_

_"This child is a denizen from Cheshire's world, banished from her own land. She is trapped somewhere… on the planet. A great danger awaits you on that world. Hone your senses… and be careful."_

**Planet Vaporia**

"DANIKA!"

"HU!" Danika shot awake, startled at Nolan's shout. "I-I'm awake!" She shot to her feet. "Where are we?" Danika looked around to see they were in some junkyard wasteland, piles of cars and electrical items everywhere. In the vast distances, they could see huge columns of fire, and could hear massive explosions.

Bane looked at his wristwatch, which showed nothing but static, angrily banging it. "Arrgh. No good. Communications are all down. We can't call for help. But perhaps now you could tell me just why we were headed to Planet Avalar in the first place?" he rose a brow at Matt.

The poison leader figured he had no choice but to tell them now. "…I had a dream that… told me to go to Planet Avalar to meet a spirit."

"Ha! Typical children. You'll get yourself killed listening to whatever dreams tell you."

"You'll pretty much get us all killed here." Aurra followed.

"So… we're stranded here?" Leo asked.

"Not quite." Bane said. "I heard about a special Wisp that's supposed to reside on this planet. Gives battery power to just about anything. It's the only thing that can get our ship running again. But we have to be careful…"

"What's so bad about this planet, anyway?" Elijah asked.

"If we stay quiet..." Bane said, "you won't have to find out…" (Play the "Desert of the Knaaren" Music from _Rayman 3_!)

_Stage 24: Vaporia_

_Mission: Find a way off the mysterious planet._

_Act 1_

The team of eight started their walk through the planet, Bane and Aurra leading the way, going through a tunnel of scrap and crossing a bridge over a poison water river. On the other side, the two sidled along a wall over the river, carefully jumping the parts were the ledge broke off. When they reached the other side, Bane peeked around the corner to another pile of ruined cars. "Stay behind me." he told them, holding his gun ready.

The two hiked to the top of the hill, looking down the other side, which was much steeper. "Looks good so far." Aurra said.

Bane looked in his binoculars over at some kind of tower in the distance. "There. I bet that's where the Wisps are being held." He put them away. "Let's get there before we're noticed."

Just then, Leo slipped on some scrap, the others trying to grab him, but ended up slipping themselves, sliding down the pile of trash. They fell down a small cliff into a hole, groaning in slight pain as they recovered their selves. (Stop the music.)

"Ow, my head…" Matthew groaned.

"Quiet!" Bane yelled. "We've got company…" They looked ahead with wonder to see a strange, orange spark in the center of that pit.

"Ooh, pretty!" Leo said, walking to it.

"Wait!" Bane stopped him. Just then, they saw two Wisps fly by above them, a cyan and a yellow.

"Hey, Wisps!" Nolan pointed.

At that moment, the orange spark reached an electric beam up to the Wisps, wrapping around them and pulling them in. In the blink of an eye, the Wisps were zapped into nothingness by the touch of the spark, the villains gasping in horror. It sparked more as it started to float over, the team backing away. _"Mip. Mip. Mip. Mip. Mip. (Extra terrestrial life forms detected. Preparing to neutralize.)" _the spark beeped. Bane started shooting it with his gun, but it did no effect against its barrier.

"Hang on." Danika said, using her Shadow Breath and covering the thing in black smog. The spark shook around, distracted as the eight ran by it, hurrying past a few more scrap piles until they were safely away.

The gang stopped for a minute to catch their breaths. "That was close." Nolan panted.

"What was that thing?" Elijah asked.

"Vaporians." Bane replied. "The nastiest bunch of aliens in the known universe. They're composited of microwave energy, and can detect flesh and body creatures by our heat. They feed off of electricity, which explains all this junk, and they destroy anything they touch by the tiniest tap."

"So, we're basically dealing with a whole planet of aliens that eat electricity and destroy anything that breathes." Matt summarized.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Nolan asked. "Can we fight them?"

"Not unless you can wipe out those invisibility shields." Aurra said. "Without those shields, they can be beat by just about anything. Anything that ain't direct attacks."

"But for now, let's focus on getting to that tower." Bane said. "It won't be easy, seeing as they're invisible."

"Wait, I can see them with my shadowbending." Danika mentioned. "I can use my Shadow Sense to see where they are and where they're looking."

"Whoa. Where'd you learn that?" Nolan asked.

"A dream." At this, Matt stuck his tongue out at Bane.

"Whatever." The Duro replied. "Just use that power to sense any more. If they spot us, better hide quick. We got lucky then, but the Vaporians almost never lose their prey…" (Play "Does Anyone Have Any Cough Syrup" from _Rayman 3_.)

The gang crept up behind another small pile, Danika using her Shadow Sense to see two more Vaporians, turning their bodies and looking around. When they both faced away, Danika waved for them to follow as they ran behind them. They came at a small pathway between scrap hills, ducking behind a car as two Vaporians passed by.

_"Meep meep meep, meep, meep meep meep. (Hey, did you get the new Zipper Electro Cards?)"_ one asked.

_"Bip bip, bip, bip, bip bip bip. (Sigh, no… I had to go to my grandma's.)"_

_"Meep, meep, meep meep meep. (Ah, sucks for you, Dude. But hey, maybe we'll find a Gamecube or somethin' to dine on.)"_

As they passed by, the lights on the car switched on as the car honked, the group closing their ears. Nolan's computer came out and switched on as he tried to stuff it back. When they turned down a path, the car and the computer switched off. "What was that about?" Nolan whispered.

"Vaporian presence makes electrical items go crazy." Bane whispered. "Lucky we weren't noticed. Careful with that computer."

They came out and ran down the opposite direction of where the aliens were going. They noticed two more aliens coming down that path, so Danika hurriedly grabbed Nolan, Bane, and Aurra, and pulled them in a shadow. The poisonbenders, however, looked around frantically for a place to hide, seeing some crazy mirrors beside them, and decided to get in front, making a pose.

From the shadows, the others' hearts raced as the Vaporians hovered over them, Danika using her sense to see them stop and look at the poisonbenders by the mirror. They exchanged a glance and shrugged as they continued on. _"(So, uhhh… Venom is s'posed to be some kinda Evil Peter?)"_

_"(Remind me why I hang out with you.)"_

The four emerged after they were gone. "Okay… why did they just pass you?" Danika asked.

"Vaporians' vision get disrupted by glass." Bane said. "Makes it difficult to sense flesh creatures."

"So, glass is our best friend. That's good to hear." Matt replied.

The eight kept down that path, turning a corner and going into a dark cave. Danika used her Shadow Sense to see the way through, all following close behind her. She felt a Vaporian turning down a corner towards them, jumping behind a nearby glass wall, the others hiding as well. They quietly watched the orange spark float by. _"Meep, meep meeeep. Meep, meep meeeep. (I'm walkin' on heliuuum. Oh, oh, oh…)"_

The eight hurried down the path after it passed by, Leo sticking his tongue out at it in cockiness. But they suddenly saw a smaller orange spark zoom down the hall, about mouse size. Cad Bane immediately drew his gun and tried to shoot it, the spark jumping back. _"Meep Meeep! ! (HOLEH SHYET!)" _The tiny Vaporian then sped back down the hall.

It went into a mouse hole to meet up with another small Vaporian. _"Meep, me meeep, meep meep! (Hey, man! There some crazy stuff back there!)"_

_"Zip zip zip? (Man, what was it? Miley Cyrus?)"_

_"(D'aw, see, now you say something cooler, so my thing don't sound cool no more.)"_

_"(Aw, come on! What'd ya see? !)"_

_"(I don' remember! I was just thinkin' of MILEY Cyrus!)"_

_"(Aw, don't pull my leg!)"_

_"(You ain't got no leg! You an invisible black thing with spinning arms!)"_

Another little one shot by them and went, _"BEEP-BEEP!"_, before shooting off like Road Runner.

"Augh… filthy little monsters." Bane said, sheathing his gun.

"It would help a little to know what they're saying." Matt said.

"Wait! If I can get close to one, the translator could probably decipher their language…" Nolan figured.

Bane peeked around another corner, waving the others to follow as they sidled along a wall. Danika felt two more coming as they got behind a fallen glass table. Nolan's computer activated as they drifted by, the boy quickly activating his translator. _"Mip miiip, mip mip."_

Nolan and Danika read the translation that said, "(_Hey, did you hear about the recent capture at the mining tower?)"_

_"(Yeah, what kind of creature is it, anyway?)"_

The computer went back to static as they went by. "Follow them!" Danika whisper-shouted, the two quietly following behind close enough for the translator to work.

_"(I dunno. Some being from the Shadow World, I think.)"_

_"(Why didn't we just destroy it?)"_

_"(I dunno. It's important, I think. We COULD sell it for a bounty on the black market…)"_

_"(Since when do we go to the black market? We just kill people.)"_

_"(I dunno… the death black market?)"_

The two stopped following to let them keep going. "Did you see that?" Danika whispered.

"They're holding a creature here. So?"

"It's someone from Cheshire's world! We have to help it."

"Aw, now?" Leo whined. "It's scary enough here. I just wanna get the Wisp and leave."

"And even if we find it, there's still the matter of getting back." Bane replied.

"Hold on! Maybe we don't have to. Maybe we could call for help." Nolan thought.

"How do you plan to do that, kid?" Aurra asked. "Even if you do call someone, anything electrical that passes near this atmosphere will just short out."

Nolan though for a minute. "…But what if we called a ship that WASN'T electrical?"

"What?"

"We'll get close to a Vaporian, I'll use my computer to send a message to Brain and tell him to send some of Bowser's pirate ships over."

"Hmm… that could work." Bane agreed.

"Okay then. Let's keep going." Nolan finished. With that, Bane continued leading the way, looking out for any sparks, finally making it out of the cave.

The eight came to a field with several Vaporians pacing back and forth, the group seeing they were close to the tower. The closest one was pacing back and forth over a car. When its back was turned, Bane and Aurra ran and slid under the car. After it passed over again, the two dashed behind a glass wall, avoiding detection from another Vaporian. The Vaporian that was closest to the path ahead was going around an old street light. The bounty hunters quickly ran for it when it turned left, successfully making it across and jumping behind a car.

As for the others, Dani grabbed Nolan and pulled him in her Shadow Veil, the two sliding across the ground to the right end of the field. Nolan fired a missile up above the ground and hit a Vaporian, attracting the attention of the others, coming over to look around. While they were distracted, the Toxic Four hurried across. Leo got his foot stuck in a bucket and tripped, so the others hurriedly pulled it out, dragging him along. The Vaporians went back to their posts, not noticing the boys, or Dani and Nolan, the two going over to join them.

They kept along the path, spotting another Vaporian that was safely behind a glass wall. Nolan rolled close to it so his computer would activate, then started typing his message. "Help…" he spoke as he typed, "Trapped… on… Va-por-ri-a… disables all electric items… send… Bowser's… ships…" He clicked 'Send'. "Done!"

**Final Brain**

At the Brotherhood Base, Mallah and The Brain sipped some tea and played Chess, while Madame Rouge and Immortus were playing cards. The hologram projector beside them, which showed a large holographic globe, started to beep, the four turning their attention to see Nolan's message appear.

_'HELP! ! ! Trapped on Vaporia! ! Disables all electrical items. Send Bowser's ships! ! !_

_-Love, Nolan.'_

"Hmm… this is quite a predicament." Brain said.

"Vhat are zey doing on Vaporia, anyway?" Mallah asked.

"No matter. We must go to their aid."

"But what about the matter regarding Manaphy? We just had a report from Eggman saying they were in the desert. They'll be at the Kremlings' hideout before long." Immortus said.

"General Immortus, you and Madame Rouge will handle the operations regarding the Firstborn. Monsieur Mallah, send a call to Bowser's airship fleet and gather some soldiers. We're going on a space trip."

**Back on Vaporia**

"You think the message got to 'em?" Danika asked.

"I hope so. For now, let's try and escape ourselves."

"The tower is close. Come on." Bane waved for them to follow.

The gang got to a larger road, looking at the massive tower ahead. (Stop the music.) Elijah turned the opposite way, his eyes widening in fear. "Uh… guys?" They all looked his way, startled at the sight of a swarm of Vaporians. (Play "Chased by the Knaaren" from _Rayman 3_!)

"Run!" Bane ordered, shooting at the Vaporians as they pursued the villains. His gun still had no effect, so they kept running. The front Vaporians launched their electric tentacles at them, but Danika blew her Shadow Breath to keep them back, but the aliens still kept coming.

"Wait!" Matt stopped, taking out his Purple Flurp and drinking it, burping out Gas Bombs that exploded on the Vaporians. "Come on, team." He said to his teammates, giving them some of the Purple Flurp, burping Gas Bombs at the aliens while the others kept running.

Leo's brain sparked, thinking up a better plan, smiling as he turned and farted the Gas Bombs at the aliens, dealing more damage. "Aw YEAH! That'll show 'em!"

"I don't know whether to be joyous or disgusted." Danika said, disbelieved.

"Come on!" Nolan yelled as they kept going.

The poisonbenders held back the Vaporians a little before deciding to keep running. Leo noticed them run off and yelled, "Guys, wait for me!", chasing after them. "AHH!" Suddenly, his leg was grabbed by a tentacle, already pulling him in.

"Leo!" Matt shouted, the boys running to grab his arms, pulling him back. Nolan fired missiles at the aliens, doing them a bit of damage, but the one still kept pulling Leo, nearly pulling down his pants as it played tug-o-war with the other benders. Nolan shot some lasers at one of them, strong enough to barely disable its shield.

"That's it!" Bane exclaimed. The Duro immediately started shooting the Vaporian through the hole in the shield. After enough hits, the alien exploded. "GOT 'IM!"

The poisonbenders still kept trying to help Leo. After a bit more struggling, the poisonbenders sadly lost their grip, falling over as Leo was yanked away. Danika's face became frozen with horror, and her color vanished, as she watched. "FUUUUU-" Leo was dragged into the barrier, obliterated to nothing in less than a second. (Stop the music.)

"LEO! !" Dani screamed, reaching her arm out.

**Real world**

"Now, THAT is donkeyass." said a chubby nerd, reading this story.

**Vaporia**

Danika still couldn't believe the sight. The world fell silent around her. Her face remain frozen, swallowed in a maelstrom of emotions. She had so much stirring in her mind, her face fell totally pale.

_Four years old. As Danika lay asleep in her room, Leo snickered quietly, pulling his pants down and aiming his butt in her room. He released the worst fart that was ever smelled, and Danika was immediately awakened. "Cough, cough!" She stood up, covering her mouth. "LEO! !" she ran after her brother as he laughed victoriously._

_There were many occasions where Leo swiped Dani's food, blew a blowhorn during her sleep… and as a counter, Danika used Cheshire to scare him, pants him, and even smack him and make Leo yell at Steve. They also played with their food during dinner, making faces at each other. When no one else played with them at the playground, they played Tag, and when bullies attacked Leo, Danika sent Cheshire at them. Leo made Danika annoyed several times… but he also put a smile on her face. Leo always knew how to brighten her gloomy day._

Danika still didn't move. Her eye began to twitch. Finally, she yelled with anger and pain in her voice, "LEOOO! ! !"

"NO! !" Bane and Aurra held her back when she tried to attack the Vaporians.

"YOU MONSTERS KILLED MY BROTHER! ! I'LL STAB YOU IN THE HEAD!"

"It's no use! He's gone now!"

Just then, a tentacle reached and grabbed Nolan's leg, pulling him out of his chair, the boy scratching along the ground as he tried to pull away. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Danika yelled, blowing a powerful Shadow Breath that totally stunned them, freeing Nolan as the poisonbenders carried him back to his chair. Danika's angered, torment-filled eyes glowed white as her whole body became a pitch-black shadow. Her form expanded as shadow tentacles emerged, the Vaporians beeping like crazy as they tried to retreat, but Danika's tentacles crept into the shadows and slid beneath them, popping up and killing the aliens.

"What? What is she doing?" Nolan asked.

"I've heard of this." Matt replied. "Whenever a bender becomes so distraught with anger and pain, they unleash a powerful form of their element. She could destroy anything around her, not just her enemies."

"What? ! DANIKA, STOP!"

The pitch-black shadow turned and looked at him, and Nolan saw the rage burning in her pale white eyes. _"No. He was the only family I had out here. They deserve to pay."_

"That's not true. There's still your other sisters. Payton, Brianna, Victoria… and there's us, too. The Brotherhood unites all freaks. That means we're as family to you as any of them. You can't stay angry forever! Please…" He looked at her with pleading eyes as he held her huge left hand with both of his.

The shadow entity began to calm, and they could feel the energy fading. Danika shrunk back to her normal form, fainting into Nolan's arms. "You always felt family to me…" was all she said before falling asleep.

Almost instantly, another group of Vaporians arrived, approaching them angrily. "Bah. Just what we need." Bane groaned.

They then noticed a round shadow expanding around them. "What…?" Matt tried to say.

"WHOA!" They were all grabbed by an orange hand, dragging them below as the shadow disappeared.

**Planet Earth; The North Pole**

Jagar King and his timebending companions looked across the icy expanse that was the North Pole, rubbing their arms from the shivering cold. "Tell me what we're doing here again." Olive said.

"Wait…" Misty began. "We're not here because of _him_, are we?"

Jagar quaked a bit from the cold and nodded. "It was my fault he left in the first place. This is my only chance to see him again."

Misty walked beside him. "Jagar, I'm not really sure this will change anything. Shouldn't we get back to the others?"

"Well, Clockwork coulda told us what would happen, but he didn't. I have to find out for myself. Besides… he probably foresaw this."

"Well… if you're doing this, I guess I am, too."

"Same here." Olive nodded. "Let's go find us a jerkwad."

The three spirits began their venture through the cold wasteland, passing by a mountain. The three heard some rumbling and kept their guard up as an avalanche rolled down. Right before they were run over, two twins jumped in front of them and unleashed an ice blast. The spirits uncovered their eyes at the sight. "Huh? Who are you?" Jagar asked.

The twins jumped around. "I'm Popo." The blue one said.

"And I'm Nana!" the pink cheered. "And we're…"

"THE ICE CLIMBERS!"

"Ice Climbers?" Olive repeated.

"Yep! We're the toughest icebending team in the North Pole!" Popo exclaimed.

"We're really the only ones. Except for Yuki." Nana followed.

"Yuki? !" Jagar gasped.

"Yeah. He's this kid that was banished here several months ago." Nana replied.

"Pretty mean, isn't he?" Jagar asked.

"Huh… you know him?" Popo asked.

Jagar sighed. "He was my best friend. We had a fight and… well, I need to speak to him."

"Ah… I see." Popo nodded. "Well, we'd be happy to guide you to him."

"He lives past Zuzu's Valley." Nana followed. "A bunch of monsters have been swarming around here, lately, but we can take 'em."

"So can we." Jagar said. "I'm Jagar King."

"Olive Pioji."

"Misty Greene."

"And we're the Time Spirits." Jagar finished.

"Time Spirits? Cool!" the twins exclaimed.

"Well then… shall we go?" Popo asked.

"Yeah. The sooner, the better." Jagar said. (Play the "Ice Climbers" Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Stage 25: Zuzu's Valley_

_Mission: Get through the valley and find Yuki Crystal!_

_Act 1_

The timebenders and Ice Climbers began their journey through the snowy field, ambushed right away by a pack of White Wolfos. The Ice Climbers bashed them in the head with their hammers as the wolves leapt at them, while Olive froze some in time, blowing them back. They followed the icebenders over an icy hill and slid down, landing in an icy canyon cliffside where Chilfos ambushed them from igloos, throwing ice spears. Jagar caught two spears in his hands and threw them back, stabbing the Chilfos as the Ice Climbers ran over and shattered their heads with their hammers. The two children waved their arms to the right, making the snow shovel the last of them over the edge.

The Climbers then used their powers to make snow fall down from the cliffs, making small hills for them to walk up, then continuing along the cliffside. More White Wolfos ran across the cliff, only for the Ice Climbers to knock them over the edge. Some Chilfos walked down the hill and started knocking Mini-Freezards; which looked like ice hockey-pucks with red eyes, over at them, the Ice Climbers knocking them back with their hammers, only for the Chilfos to keep bouncing them back. A Mini-Freezard was coming at Jagar, so he used his Time Brake to slow it down, and was able to do a Rewind to make it go back, tripping the Chilfos.

"Nice one!" Misty exclaimed. The other timebenders did the same and Rewound them, tripping the ice soldiers. Once they were gone, they were at the end of the cliff, but saw another one far over a chasm. The Ice Climbers took out and held both ends of a rope, and Popo threw Nana all the way on the other side.

"Grab on!" he told the Time Spirits. The three grabbed on and slid down the rope to the other side. After making it across, Nana pulled Popo over, continuing up the path. At the end of the cliffside was an entrance to a cave that was guarded by a Big Freezard, the ice statue blowing an ice breath that froze the timebenders. The Ice Climbers, however, held the breath back, beating the statue a few times before it shattered into Mini-Freezards. The Climbers hit the ice pucks off the edge before unfreezing the spirits.

They went inside the cave and came to a rocky wall, the exit at the very top. The Climbers took out their rope again, holding both ends as they started their way up. "Get on!" they told them again. The timebenders stood on the horizontal rope as the Ice Climbers carried them upwards. Some Ice Keese flew down to stop them, but the spirits froze the bats in time and knocked them away.

As they were getting closer to the top, a Freezard started blowing large ice balls down, the Climbers and spirits having to jump the two walls to avoid. Once they reached the top, the twins smashed the Freezard into ice pucks, leaving the spirits to kick them off. They continued up the cliffside, knocking off Ice Bubbles; floating skulls with wings, that came their way. They finally reached the top of the mountain, pushing over a few more Chilfos before the area started to shake.

Suddenly, a chunk of the mountain came off in an avalanche, the five of them holding on tight as they rode it down the mountain slope. Some Bullet Bills were fired from the bottom of the slope, but the five kids avoided them, sliding off a cliff into a large underground cave. They landed in a soft pile of snow, recovering and going over to climb some ladders up some walls into the cave. Inside, they had to sidle along a wall over a dark chasm, dodging as huge icicles came down. A couple Ice Keese tried to bite them, but the Ice Climbers swat them away with their hammers.

They made it to the next path, continuing along to a spot where large snow chunks were falling through a hole in the ceiling over a pit. "Time Brake!" Jagar yelled, making the falling chunks slow down enough for them to hop across them. They resumed normal speed after they got across.

They then arrived at a series of old bridges going across to several platforms over another dark chasm. Some Stalkins, little skeleton troops, appeared on the other side and scampered over to the benders, poking their tiny spears and making them wince a little. The Ice Climbers easily crushed the tiny skeletons with their hammers while the Time Spirits just stomped them.

At the end of the last bridge, the five hopped their way across some tall platforms that toppled over once they stepped on them, over to a long, snaky skeleton bone, sliding across the straight bone over to the end of the cave. There, two Stalfos came up and started swinging their swords at the icebenders. Popo hit his hammer against one's shield, taking it out, afterwards knocking his sword away and smashing his head. As for the other one, Nana flipped over, knocked its head off, and the timebenders attacked its headless body while she grabbed the head and threw it over the edge.

Nana and Popo high-fived before breaking down the ice wall the skeletons guarded, proceeding out of the cave. (Play "Frozen Hillside" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_.)

_Act 2_

They walked out of the cave to the freezing blizzard outside, barely able to see the way ahead as they walked up the hill. More White Wolfos leapt out of the snow and tried to tackle them, but Popo and Nana blew Ice Beams and froze them solid, smashing them to pieces. They came to another wall and used their power to make snow fall down into a small hill for them to walk up. They continued along another cliffside, dodging as giant snowballs rolled down to them. They found some Chilfos rolling the snowballs down and the timebenders used Rewind to make the Chilfos melt back into water. When they reached a dead end, the Ice Climbers shoveled a bunch of snow out of the way beneath them, revealing a secret cave along the wall.

They crawled in through the tunnel and came out the other end in the dark cave, the only light seeming to be from the glow the Ice Keese emitted. The frozen bats swooped down and attempted to freeze them, but the Ice Climbers hit them away again. They climbed a few ladders up some walls before finally finding the cave's exit.

The five were now standing on a cliff, overlooking a distant chasm. "Here we go!" Popo and Nana exclaimed, holding hands as they launched ice from their gloved hands. A floating ice road was conjured before their eyes, and the icebenders slid over the chasm, similar to Iceman. The timebenders shrugged before hopping on themselves, sliding fast as wind over the deep bottomless pit. The Ice Climbers then separated into two separate paths, the spirits doing so as well, Jagar and Misty taking the left path and Olive taking the right.

Nana jumped gaps made between her own path that Olive had to jump as well. Popo just made a bunch of up-and-down ice hills before going over a loop-di-loop, followed by Jagar and Misty. The two paths finally connected again, the two kids making a Mobius Strip and swerving around before finally landing back on a small path, still over the chasm.

The wind became even stronger as they tried to stay on the thin path. More Chilfos appeared and hit Mini-Freezards over to them, but the Ice Climbers countered by making mini icebergs and sliding them over, tripping the Chilfos, the strong winds blowing them off. They reached the end of the path that cut off, the path ahead much too far to jump. But when the wind blew in that direction, the Ice Climbers yelled, "JUMP!", holding hands and leaping over, the strong wind blowing them across. Olive shrugged and decided to mimic them, jumping over, followed by Misty, then Jagar.

The male timebender didn't quite make it, and was holding onto the edge, the girls quickly pulling him up. "I see people doing that a lot in the future." Misty commented.

"Your time skills are unparalleled." Jagar remarked. From there, the Aurora Borealis was in sight, as well as a bunch of caves. Before they could proceed, a four-armed Stalfos, called Stalmaster, emerged from the ground, his four swords ready. Both Ice Climbers tried to hit him, but he swung his swords too fast, defending himself and striking the Climbers back. The timebenders ran to punch him, but he was still quick to defend, throwing fast strikes back.

When Jagar recovered, he saw the Stalfos jump and come down on him, but he quickly used his Time Brake to slow him down, the swords still pointing and coming down, so Jagar kicked the weapons away before grabbing the skeleton's fist. Jagar swung and threw him over the edge, pulling Stalmaster's arm off. The Stalfos helped itself back up, but Popo and Nana made the ground slippery with an Ice Beam, making the monster slip and fall over. The arm tried to strangle Jagar, but he simply threw it over with him.

"Yay! We did it!" Popo and Nana exclaimed, high-fiving.

"Come on. Yuki is this way." Popo said. With that, the three spirits followed the twins over to the caves. (Stop the music.)

"So, like… are you two Eskimos?" Jagar asked the two icebenders.

"Well… sort of. We're from Alaska." Popo said. "The two of us always wanted to be Arctic explorers… but when we discovered our powers, we decided to come here."

"Oh, and just so you guys don't get the wrong idea, we aren't related." Nana said.

"Really? You two look like twins." Olive replied.

"Nope. Best friends." Popo said.

"No matter how much we're alike." Nana followed. "Look! There's Yuki!" she exclaimed, pointing to the spike-haired child in the cave, still warming his hands over the fire.

Jagar could only smile in delight. After nearly 5 months, he finally gets to see his old friend again. "Hey!" he yelled, running to the icebender.

Yuki rose a brow and turned toward the cave entrance, seeing the smiling, excited Jagar. Yuki only gave his usual frown, eyes furrowing as he fired an ice blast, pushing Jagar out of the cave. He landed facefirst in the snow, standing to rub the snow off his face as he looked to see Yuki walking over. "So, you finally decided to look for me. Took you long enough…" Yuki said smugly.

Jagar coughed some snow out and said, "Wait, Yuki! I wanted to find you months ago, but I… uh-"

"You what?"

"I… got killed by a crazy space clown and became a spirit- OOMPH." He was hit by another blast.

"Oh, THAT'S believable. Well, if you're a spirit, this probably doesn't hurt."

"Hang on!" Olive interrupted. "The three of us are Time Spirits, and he wanted to see you earlier, but he got held up by this Dark Master stuff. See, we had a mission, but he disobeyed his orders just to come and see you. Doesn't that count for something?"

"He really missed you, and he wants to apologize." Misty followed.

"Please. If he really felt bad, he would've come with me the MOMENT I was banished. But instead, he stayed behind with the NORMAL operatives. He wasn't banished for HIS freaky powers. Why didn't he come with me?"

"BECAUSE: even he knew powerful beings like timebenders didn't deserve to be with the likes of lowly Eskimos." At this, looked upward, seeing the familiar maniacal elf on his flying goose.

"RUMPEL." Olive yelled.

"No! That's not true!" Jagar refuted.

"Oh ho ho, yes it is! Jagar knew he was better than you, and he was right." Rumpel grinned evilly. "Young Mr. King had plenty more friends than mean old Yuki. He didn't deserve to be banished, so he wasn't, and he certainly wasn't willing to sacrifice his home life for his best friend! Oh…" He gave a fake sorrowful expression. "But how upsetting is it… that you were KILLED. Shortly after his banishment? HA HAA! How unfair life is to the unfortunate freaks!"

"Mmmm." Jagar growled at the elf.

"Hm, but who am I to mock thee so? I was always taunted by the elves. But what do I do? Become the greatest lying dealer in the known Wizarding World! Heh heh! You three could have, too, but instead you chose the good life as Time Spirits. In which you have NO life at all!"

"At least we don't use our powers to bully people!" Misty yelled. "That's the very reason Dialga trusted us!"

"Maybe, but not everyone knows the future. Sooner or later, one of you will be too tempted to use the Power of Time unwisely. And I THINK I have an idea…" he smirked at Jagar.

"What?"

"Oh, never mind for now. Anyways, I don't think the Dark Master would like it if I let you spirits hang around, so… I'm gonna make this quick. You may be already dead, but a spirit's immortality is limited when in the Mortal World, so I'll be able to destroy you! Get 'em, Breezard!" Just then, a swarm of Mini-Freezards spawned from the snow below him. The magical elf waved his wand and formed them together into a Big Freezard. He then took out his Growth Potion and poured it on, making the ice statue grow into a bigger demon with two arms.

"Alright!" the Ice Climbers exclaimed. "Time to kick butt!" They and the timebenders readied for battle. (Play the "Kirby Boss Theme Medley" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: Breezard_

The Ice Climbers started knocking mini glaciers at him while the ice beast fired icicles at them. The timebenders ran over to hit him with Time Blasts, but the monster started pounding its fists at them. Jagar used Time Brake to slow a fist down, allowing Popo and Nana to bash it several times. Time resumed normal speed and the monster screeched in pain. While it did so, Rumpel sent his witches to swoop down and throw bombs, the icebenders freezing and shattering them before they exploded.

Misty grabbed one of the bombs, and while Breezard charged an ice blast in his mouth, she threw it in, shattering him into Mini-Freezards. The Ice Climbers took this time to smash some of the fallen ice pucks. Rumpel finally used his magic to form the beast back together, giving it four legs and a spiky tail. The ice beast then started chasing, swinging his tail and knocking the Time Spirits away.

The Ice Climbers ran behind and grabbed the tail, hauling their selves on. Breezard ran in circles, trying to shake them off, but they made their way to its head, bashing his many eyes a few times while the Time Spirits ran to attack his legs. The legs shattered and Breezard fell over dizzily, the witches proceeding to toss more bombs. They evaded all the other bombs while Olive grabbed the last one, tossing it in the beast's mouth and splitting his parts. The Mini-Freezards zoomed along the ground faster, but Popo and Nana were still able to shatter quite a few before Rumpel formed them back together. The devious elf then gave it legs AND wings, the monster taking off and flying around in the air, dropping icicle torpedoes from the sky.

It then charged and swooped down at the kids, but Popo and Nana jumped onto its back. The ice monster tried to barrel-roll them off, but the couple held on, then went over to smash the ice wings with their hammers. The beast dropped to the ground, but recovered with its legs. It tried to swing its tail at them again, but Popo grabbed on and yanked the tail off, the spike ball flying over to Jagar, who grabbed and swung it into its left front leg, making the monster fall over again.

The witches tossed more bombs while it was stunned, the Ice Climbers freezing and smashing them again. When the witches threw the last bomb, Rumpel poured some Growth Potion to make it bigger. The five kids pulled their strength and lifted the big jack-o-lantern bomb upwards, hauling it over to the ice beast and destroying it in a huge explosion.

It destroyed all but one Mini-Freezard, the frightened ice puck growing two stubby legs and cowering away. Jagar ran over and kicked the little puck up at Fifi, hitting the goose clear in the head and knocking it out, her and Rumpel falling to the snow. The Ice Climbers hugged and did another pose while Jagar just brushed his hands off. (Stop the music.)

"Oh no. My poor monster. How can you be so cruel?" Rumpel said with a fake teary expression.

"Oh, give me a break." Jagar rolled his eyes. He looked over at Yuki and said, "You could've helped, you know."

"Sure. 'Cause you always helped me in the past." The boy walked away angrily. The Ice Climbers exchanged a glance before running after him.

"Yuki, wait! I-"

"BOO hoo, hoo hoo!" Rumpel whined, pacing by the male Time Spirit. "Oh, Yuki Crystal, please, for poor, helpless Jagar! He doesn't even know how to bend well."

"Hey!"

"Well, lookee here, buddy." Rumpel smirked. "These are modern times. What happened between you and Yuki, was in the past. And the past… cannot be undone." He tauntingly waved a finger in his angered face. "Unless if you were a well-trained timebender, like me. If I were you, I'd be using my power to just, GO back in time, and change everything. But… I'm stuck with the curse of… getting to only use my powers when making a deal." He gave another smirk and turned to him. "_I_ can make a deal with you… whaddya say?"

"He says 'no'." A staff suddenly separated Jagar from Rumpel, the two looking up at the Time Ghost himself. "Nice to see you, Rumpel."

"Clockwork!" Rumpel snarled. "Grrr! You win this time, timebenders. But this isn't the last you'll hear of Rumpel Stiltskin." The elf snapped his fingers and woke Fifi up, the goose flapping her wings and taking off as Rumpel hopped on. "Enjoy your mortal afterlife, kids! AHH ha ha ha hah!" They watched as the cackling elf took off with his witches.

The Ghost of Time then looked down at Jagar. "So… I see you went to visit a friend from your past?" Jagar only looked away in shame.

"Hey, go easy on him. It's not easy being a spirit when you aren't able to see your friends or family." Misty said.

"No, I understand." Clockwork replied. "The afterlife can be so cruel, despite what they say. Being free of the world's troubles, that's good. Being kept away by ones you loved most… that's the catch. All good things come with a price. Especially… great power like ours."

"Clockwork, I need you to train me." Jagar said suddenly.

"Hm?" he rose a brow.

"If I was fully trained, I could go back in time and save Yuki from that accident, and stop him from ever being banished."

"Now, Jagar… you know what happens to those who meddle with time."

"But what's the worst that could happen? Yuki wouldn't be banished, and he could have his happy life back in the KND."

"Uh, I'm not too sure about that 'happy' part- Ow!" Olive said until Misty punched her arm.

"It's not about what would happen… it's a matter of how you use your power." Clockwork stated.

"Sigh…" Jagar sighed.

"I will teach you how to use your powers. But I won't be able to teach you… how you use them. That's your decision."

"Er… okay." He nodded, confused. "Let's do it."

"Good… we'll start from the beginning."

* * *

><p><strong>Ar-geh. That one was… eh, not so hard. The Vaporians come from <em>The Darkest Hour<em>, but I came up with their name. And the Ice Climbers are, well, from _Ice Climber_. Next time, we will venture to the Xiaolin Mountains. See you then.**


	28. Bumi's Strength

**'kay, people, time to head to the Xiaolin Mountains! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Across the Mountains We Go! Bumi, the Man of Earth!<em>**

**Chun-Nan; mountain range in China**

The blue night sky was looming over as Sector V walked through a small village in China, known as Chun-Nan. "Tell me why we had to come ALL the way to China all of a sudden?" Wally complained.

"Because the Interesting Twins and Morgan have to find some magical yo-yo on those mountains." Abby replied, disbelieved in her own words.

"Ooh, Chun-Nan is so pretty!" Kuki exclaimed. "I can't believe the Interesting Twins used to live here!"

"Bleah." Wally stuck his tongue out. "How long are those guys going to be? And what's so special about some dumb yo-yo?"

"Who knows. But looking back at Rachel's staff, it might be pretty important." Abby said.

**Xiaolin Mountains**

The Interesting Twins, Morgan, and Mika Corella were standing at the foot of the mountains, gazing at their incredible, expansive height. "So, this is where you guys were born?" Mika asked the Twins.

"Yes." Yang replied.

"Or at least in the small village." Yin followed.

"But we have never heard of anyone named Hannibal Roy Bean." Yang finished.

"Evil origins have to come from somewhere." Morgan noted.

"Well, let's see if this yo-yo really _can_ take us to Yin-Yang World." Mika said.

"I wonder, you think Mewtwo's got the right idea, sending us to talk to some EVIL spirit?" Morgan asked.

"He's always had the right idea before." Mika assured. "I say just go with it."

"Okay… let's go." (Play "The Hard Rocks" Theme from _Rayman 1_!)

_Stage 26: Xiaolin Mountains_

_Mission: Find the Yin Yo-yo!_

_Act 1_

The two psychics and the Interesting Twins began their trek up the mountain, starting up a snaky path and avoiding large rocks that bounced down. They reached a wall with many platforms leading upward, the four jumping up while avoiding rocks bouncing down. At the top of the ledge, they found a Stoneman forging rocks and throwing them. Mika used Psycho Shock to stun it and throw it over the edge.

The four continued up another curvy path to a needle-like mountain, walking the spiral slope around it. They reached a chasm between them and another mountain, seeing a zip line and grabbing it to slide to a platform in the middle. The ledge was still too far to reach, but they saw other lower platforms, the benders using their psychic to make them rise, using them to hop across.

They continued along a small path downward, reaching a wider path with more Stonemen. The Stonemen rolled exploding rocks at them, but Mika caught and threw them back with psychic. They crossed the path and got to another mountain, going down a hill before reaching a small hole in the wall. The Interesting Twins turned into rats while the psychics made their selves smaller, walking through the small tunnel to a cliff on the other end.

There, they found a flat rock platform, the four hopping on with the psychics lifting it to float them between some spike walls. They jumped off at a jagged rock wall and decided to climb out at the top of another cliff where they re-expanded. That's when little Stonekids leapt out and tried rolling at them, but Morgan swat them away with her lightsaber. The rest of the Stonekids were beaten by two other Stonekids, who were the Interesting Twins in disguise.

They walked up a hill, looking down the other side, which was littered with spikes. The ground quaked just then and the four looked back at a bigger, red stone monster, called Mr. Stone. Mr. Stone rolled a bigger boulder to them which they hopped on and started bouncing down the spiky mountain side. They kept their balance as it started rolling, downhill at first before shooting uphill, rolling over the edge and to the sky. The psychicbenders immediately levitated their selves, each holding onto a Twin. (Play the "Twilight Gulch" Theme from _Rayman 1_.)

_Act 2_

The four hovered a good distance over the mountain, but it was hard to focus. From this high up, they had a terrific view of the vast, peaceful mountains. The stars were lovelier than they've ever been, and simply staring at the mountains filled their minds with wonder. The psychics were hardly focused on flying, and were more entranced by the beauty of these mountains. However, they were still flying, and they weren't sure why. Maybe the sense of wonder they felt from this view was all it took to keep their minds high. Mika was feeling this wonder the strongest. She's hardly been anywhere, besides New Island and her hometown. If these mountains, with these stars, could look as beautiful as they are… what would _other_ places look like? All she knew, was by staring at these mountains, her mind was aloft in imagination.

Their peace was disturbed when Stonemen hauled rocks at them from below, the Twins kicking them back. Some Stonekids were thrown up to them as well, but the psychics easily cut them with their lightsabers. The four of them soon found a snaky dragon slide and landed on, slowly going down and around before landing back on a path.

There, more stone children leapt out and tried jumping at them, Morgan grabbing and punching some while the Twins kicked them away. They went over to two walls, close enough for Wall Jumping, and did so, making it atop another cliffside. They found a stairway going up around a mountain and started their walk up. Suddenly, Mr. Stone came back, and the kids ran up the stairs as the monster threw more boulders at them. Morgan grabbed some of the boulders and tossed them back as he chased them.

At the top of the stairs was a steep slope going back down. Mr. Stone punched and shook the mountain, making the kids wobble and roll down the hill. They landed at a small cave and hurried in as Mr. Stone continued to chase. At a dead end, the psychics made their selves smaller, and the Interesting Twins turned into rats as they creeped into a small crack in the wall. Mr. Stone just smashed this wall down and still chased, so the four jumped and hid in a crack in the ground.

The stone monster walked around for a bit, wondering where they could be, not noticing the tiny group in the crack right beneath his huge stone feet. The group saw him walk off and heard him climbing down the mountain, thinking it was safe and climbing out to re-expand. "Boy, was that close." Morgan sighed.

"What are these things, anyway?" Mika asked.

"Guardians of the mountain." Yang replied.

"Used to keep intruders off the mountain to protect their treasure." Yin followed.

"Which we now believe is the Yin Yo-yo." Yang figured.

"It's gotta be close by." Mika thought.

"Like… right up there." Morgan replied, indicating the small temple at the top of another staircase.

"Let's go." Mika said, walking ahead of them up the stairs. They reached the top, but just before they could enter the shrine, Mr. Stone fell in front of them again, already punching the ground and sending shockwaves. Mika tossed a Psycho Sphere that damaged him a little, but Mr. Stone made a boulder and rolled it at them. Mika grabbed and tossed it at his head, getting it stuck. The monster wobbled over to the edge where Yin and Yang held a rope out, tripping and making him scream and fall over the edge.

"Finally." Yang said in relief

"Let's get that yo-yo." Yin followed. (Stop the music.)

Mika and Morgan both used their psychic to make the stone doors open, the team proceeding down the hallway. "The yo-yo has to be in here." Yang said.

"Totally. I mean, how many other randomly-placed temples do they have up here?" Mika asked rhetorically.

Along the way, Morgan decided to walk beside the Filipino and talk with her. "So, Mika… you've been on New Island for 6 years, right?"

"Yeah?" she rose a brow.

"Well, Mewtwo says you've developed a fear of the outside world… is that-"

"Not completely true. I mean, I do have nightmares of what people would do to psychicbenders, and I've always wondered if there were other people like that Davy Jones creep. I've always wanted to leave New Island and find out. And it helps, getting to hang with other psychicbenders."

"Well, someone once said, there's Light and Darkness in everything. Some people in the world are bad like Davy Jones… but everyone has good in them somewhere. Even if people judge you for being a freak, you still need to help them when they need it."

"Hm." Mika gave a small smirk. "But personally, I wouldn't say I'm vulnerable to the Dark Side. Most of the time, I'm pretty calm and laid back. I think Mewtwo's just a little worried about me."

"He must think of you as his daughter or something, otherwise he wouldn't be so overprotective." The two laughed.

The lot of them reached the end of the hall, where there sat a yo-yo with a Yin symbol on a pedestal, with a light shining on from the ceiling. The Twins walked up and Yin picked up the yo-yo, already twirling it up and down in her hand. "Well… we have it."

"Soooo what's it supposed to do?" Mika asked.

"He said it would take us to the Yin-Yang World…" Yang began as Yin was now twirling it in a circle. "But he never said how to-" As Yin continued to spin it, it emitted some kind of weird, black-and-white glow.

"Uh… never mind." Yin said as a portal started to form.

"WHOOAA!" They were sucked inside in an instant, the portal closing right away.

**Outside Rocky Mountains**

Rachel and her squad were now approaching the Rocky Mountains, and most of their injuries were healed. The sky was still clouded, but sunrays were poking through holes at some parts. Shadow continued to stare at the light-blue and green Chaos Emeralds in his hands, his head slightly aching. "Where's that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald? !"

"Gee, Shadow, impatient much?" Rachel asked.

"He's probably still aching from that vision of Mephiles." Rouge assumed. "Must be a side-effect from that cannon."

"Hey! Isn't that an Emerald over there?" Sonya exclaimed. She pointed to a strange chest tossing a yellow, rectangular Emerald up and down in its handle. The one-eyed chest spotted the group and freaked out, tossing the gem inside its mouth before running up the mountain slope.

Fi emerged from the Master Sword and reported, _"Master: subject identified as a Tricky Chest. They are a mystical by-product of Nightmare Enterprises, often used to store important items and keep them away from those who wish to steal it. Success of catching a Tricky Chest has a probability of around 40%."_

"Unless it's with me. Then it's no problem." Shadow said confidently.

Just then, they saw a Bokoblin on a high ledge, the demon blowing its horn and summoning a bunch of Bulblins, aiming and shooting arrows at them as Rachel defended with her sword. "Sounds like they don't want us to get through. Lehcar and Harvey must've already passed by here. Time to cut these guys down to size!"

"Save some for me!" Angie shouted, already kicking off her foot cast. "The mountains are the earthbenders' wrestling ring. I'll help us get through here!"

"Whatever." Shadow retorted. "As long as we get that chest…" (Play the "Clifftop Concert" Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

_Stage 27: Mount Precautious_

_Mission: Catch the Tricky Chest and get through the mountains!_

Rachel and Angie started their journey up the mountain. The slope was steep, and Rachel already felt her legs tiring. She wasn't into heights, so she wasn't used to walking steep slopes. Angie on the other hand, was just fine, as she loved the feel of the hard, solid earth on her bare feet. They were already shot at by arrows from Bulblins standing on cliffs. Rachel still swat the arrows away while Angie kicked the side of the wall, shaking and making the Bulblins fall for Rachel to slice them. As they walked around the mountain, the ground beneath them crumbled, and they were sent falling to a lower ground.

The two of them fell into some kind of goo that they began sinking in. "Er… what the-" Rachel began, trying to get her feet out.

"Ew, what is this stuff?" Angie asked.

"It's tar! Grab on!" she said, sticking her sword in the safe ground near by, using it to haul herself out, pulling Angie out afterwards. The two carefully hopped some large, floating dinosaur bones. Some Stalkin climbed out and tried to poke them, but the two kicked them away. They reached the end of the tar pit to a vast chasm of boulders, which were swinging and hanging from ropes.

Rachel didn't want to cross this chasm, but she knew she had to. She felt so afraid, being thousands of feet in the air, her only support being huge, heavy boulders hanging from thin ropes. With a deep breath, she leapt to the first boulder, along with Angie. The two started jumping the swinging boulders before the Bulblins could shoot the ropes with arrows from the side. They made their way to a wall, Angie holding onto Rachel as she stuck her sword in to climb the wall. They climbed to a wide-open area where giant boulders were rolling down from caves on a hill. Angie just stomped the ground and pushed the boulders back into each other, making them crumble for them to proceed.

They made it up the hill and found a path to the left side of it, taking that road and finding only a dead end. However, Angie stomped the ground and used her bending to make a platform lift them upwards. They got to a higher ground where boulders were falling all around, the two spotting an Evil Crystal in the center of the area. Rachel immediately ran through, stylishly dodging the boulders and striking the crystal, destroying it and making the boulders cease. The wall ahead crumbled down, revealing a bridge over another chasm.

As they crossed the rickety bridge, an Armored Dinolfos spotted them from a platform on the other side, dashing over. It spun and swung its ax tail, but Rachel ducked and rolled around, striking its exposed rear spot and knocking it over the bridge, his screams echoing down the thousand-mile fall. When they reached the other side, they found two Lizalfos with wrecking-ball tails and stone arms. Rachel tried to downward-slice one, but it defended with its stone arm before whacking her with its ball.

The other one tried to hit Angie, but she was able to grab the ball, swinging and throwing him over the edge. When the other one tried to jump on Rachel, she rolled forward, quickly standing up and striking its back, pushing it over the edge. A Bulblin riding a Carrier Kargarok flew by and fired arrows, but Angie stomped a rock out of the ground, kicking it up to knock the Bulblin out. The two then leapt onto the monster bird, allowing it to carry them over the chasm.

It flew beneath a ceiling of stalactites, where some Bulblins fired bomb arrows to blow them up, the bird dodging as the sharp rocks came down. The two finally landed on another tar path, walking across the small bridge provided for them. More Stalkin climbed out of the tar, but Rachel sliced them away once again. They then crossed a bridge over another chasm where Red Chuchu dropped down from the ceiling, latching onto Rachel before she swatted them away.

They crossed the bridge to a platform, finding another bridge to their left, crossing it and encountering three Fatblin. Rachel easily sliced the first one's shield to bits before stabbing the body to death. The second one, Rachel sliced the spear off when he tried to stab her, then kicked away the shield before knocking him over the edge. The third Fatblin had a steel shield, but Rachel leapt over when he jabbed it, striking him several times in the back before he fell.

They reached the platform and found another bridge to the left, finding only a Hiploop, a big, yellow, red-faced bug with a white mask, which spotted and charged over. Rachel tried to strike it, but the armored mask protected him, and the bug tackled Rachel over. Angie cheered and leapt on the bug, riding it like a horse as it tried to shake her off. While the Hiploop was distracted, Rachel recovered and stabbed its back, killing it, allowing them to proceed.

They finally reached a cliffside where several hills went left-and-right, leading upwards along a wall. A bunch of Nejirons, strange rock monsters with eyeballs, came out of the ground and rolled at them, but Angie easily stomped the ground, making sharp rocks pop out from below them and fling them over the edge. The two proceeded up the first hill where a giant boulder came down, Angie making a rock wall that blocked it before it crushed them, making it shatter. They continued up the next hill where the mountain started crumbling above them, but Angie made a stone roof over their heads so the rocky debris slid down.

At last, they reached the top of the hill, to an area between a short trench. "Hey, there it is!" Rachel whisper/shouted, pointing at the Tricky Chest.

"Let's get it!" Angie said loudly. (Play the "Tricky Treasure" Theme from _Rayman Origins_!)

The crazy chest immediately heard and spotted them, already seeing a horrible fate become of him by that sword. The chest turned tail and dashed down the canyon. "Hey, come back here!" Rachel shouted as they started chasing the chest. More rocks started to crumble and fall above them, but Angie quickly kicked the rocks away.

It started jumping across floating bones over a tar pool, followed by the kids, dodging as stalactites fell on them as well. The chest slid down a wall on the other end, Rachel sticking her sword in the wall to scrape down after him, spotting the chest jump swinging boulders, following him before the boulders dropped. They landed on the other side of a wall where a giant boulder began chasing them again, but they hurried under a wall where the rock stopped, chasing the chest through a canyon of Hiploops ambushing them from the side.

Swarms of Bulblin started charging at them on Bullbos, but Rachel still sliced them away, the two kids chasing the chest over unstable platforms that gave way the moment they jumped on them. The two jumped to a minecart, rolling fast as wind along the track as the chest ran from them along the side of a cliff, where Bulblins shot bomb arrows to blow the track, but the kids jumped the gaps and kept going.

The Tricky Chest's path led to where the minecart tracks ended, the kids still pursuing the fleeing chest. The chest ran across a bridge to a platform, freaking out when there was nowhere else to go. It turned around in fear as Rachel leapt up and landed right in front of him. The blonde leader swung her sword diagonally, the chest wincing as its top diagonal half slid off. Rachel and Angie smirked as the leader picked the yellow gem up, tossing it up and down in her hands before putting it away, giving Angie a high-five. (Stop the music.)

"Well done, Numbuh Eleventy-Ninety-two." Rachel congratulated.

Angie smiled and nodded, but then gasped when she spotted something bulky coming down on her friend. "LOOK OUT!" (Play the "Freaky Monkey Five" Theme from _Ape Escape 2_!) The girl immediately used her bending to shove Rachel out of the way before the being landed with a thud.

The figure seemed to be a frail old man, wearing a blue cloak around his body and holding a psychotic expression, cackling as he took out a green crystal and took a bite of it, chewing away. "AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! !" the madman cackled some more, eating away the crystal.

"Who are you? !" Angie shouted.

The old man swallowed and said, "My name is King Bumi. Earthbending Master of the Order of the White Lotus."

"The whuh? You're just a crazy old man!"

"Oh yeah?" he said, wobbling around a little. "Well, you're just a tiny little girl. And yet you possess the power of the Earth. That pretty little face of yours can be quite misleading."

"Well, people who mess with me think twice."

"Not so fast, now. That stubbornness of yours is more important than you realize. And I have to make sure it's as strong as we need it to be. I challenge you to a battle!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it on!" she smirked. "I BEAT crazy old guys for a living!"

"Heh! Hurrrrrrr… RAAHH!" The old man blew his cloak right off, and Angie and Rachel gaped at his strong abs. "Our mighty powers of Earth are a blessing to us by the Earth Spirit, Regigigas. His powerful muscles and unbreakable spirit give us pure strength. HAH! !" Bumi stomped the ground, making the chunk of the ground Rachel was on separate and float to a safe distance while the whole field shook and broke the bridge off. "I may be just a frail old man… but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see! Get ready, Angie Granite. Let's see how strong that heart REALLY is! AHH!" (Replay the music!)

_Boss fight: King Bumi_

"You made the wrong choice battling me. Now it's time to stomp you in the very ground you walk!" Bumi declared.

"We'll see who gets stomped first, old man!" Angie shot back. Bumi started off by stomping rocks out of the ground and kicking them to Angie, who defended with a rock barrier. Bumi ran and smashed the barrier down, Angie quickly jumping out of the way and kicking rocks up at him, successfully hitting his face.

Bumi grabbed the last rock in his teeth and bit down, breaking it, then made his own rock walls, sliding them over to Angie, who twirled and dodged left and right, as she stomped rocks at his face, knocking him back. "HAH!" Bumi shouted, burrowing underground like a mole. Angie looked around for where he might appear and was suddenly flung upward when he popped right below her. She landed back with a thud as Bumi went under again, striking her from underneath.

"You'll never hit what you can't see!" Bumi said, going under again. Angie then had an idea, smirking as she closed her eyes, feeling the ground quake beneath her feet. She jumped out of the way as Bumi popped up, then burrowed under herself. "Hey, where'd you go?" the old man asked, looking around. Right away, Angie popped up right beneath him and struck. Bumi tunneled under once again, followed by Angie, the two benders moving about underground, trying to find the other. The two found and drilled into each other, Bumi on top and Angie below him, and Angie successfully forced him out, leaping after him and smirking.

Bumi quickly shot back up, giving his mad grin and saying, "I doubt that you can do THIS!" At this, he conjured a glowing green energy chain, grabbing a boulder with it, and swinging it like a ball-n-chain.

Angie ran as the old man spun around the area, swinging his Boulder-n-Chain, nearly hitting Angie before she tunneled under, coming out behind him. Bumi finally got tired and dizzy, allowing Angie to shoot more rocks at his head. With one more stomp, she flung the old man over the edge, but Bumi made the ground stick out from the side of the arena, using it to stand on. Angie looked down and saw this, jumping down onto his platform.

Bumi jumped off and made another platform, making a rock wall and sliding it to Angie, who jumped it, made her own platform, then landed on it, the two sliding walls at each other and making platforms for them to jump on. When Bumi made the next platform, Angie made a wall above it that slid down and destroyed the platform, but Bumi recovered and made another one, lifting him back up, Angie following.

Bumi still held his grin and said, "Time for beddy-bye, kiddy!" With that, he rose his arms upward and pulled down a huge chunk of the stalactite ceiling above them. Angie and Rachel gaped as Bumi held it directly above him, the crazy old man then hovering it over Angie. Angie used all the strength she could muster to push the huge rock back, the two forces pushing greatly on the rock.

"Rrrr… RAAAH!" Angie's force finally prevailed as the rock hovered above Bumi. She used her left hand to grab a boulder with her own energy rope, swinging her own Boulder-n-Chain and knocking Bumi down. As a result, the massive rock crumbled and fell on top, crushing him.

The smoke from the rubble cleared away, showing Bumi wobbling uncontrollably with spinning eyes. "Well done, Angie. Your strength is hard as stone, yet your heart's as hot as fire. EHHHH." He finally fainted on the ground with a thud.

"Ha! You old men stick with tapioca, and leave fighting to the kids who know how to do it!" Angie spun and gave a pose as Rachel's platform floated back to the field. (Stop the music.)

_"Hey! What's goin' on over there?"_ Rouge called from the ledge, standing with the others. Angie stomped the ground and made a stone bridge extend over for them all to cross.

They all ran over to the two girls, looking at the unconscious old man. "Who's this?"

"Eh, some crazy old guy who said something about a white lotus before he started to attack me." Angie answered simply. Just then, Bumi grinned and woke up, shooting back to his feet.

"Heh heh. Well, you can't blame us old people for picking random fights. But perhaps you'd like me to explain why this fight _wasn't_ so random." Angie only nodded. "As you know, the Dark Master is inhabiting Harvey's body. But he's yet to truly be free. You see, the Dark Master's henchmen are gathering fear to fuel his ever-growing power. When he's had enough, his own body will be free from the Well of Shadows and he'll no longer need Harvey. But you may have a chance to slow him down." Bumi smirked. "From trying to reason with him earlier, Lord Gnaa's hold on Harvey has begun to weaken. This is due to a special power that only his true friends could wield."

"The power of friendship?" Sonya guessed.

"That's right. Cliché as it sounds, it's the warm feeling of love that can set him free. But you, Angie… the love you have for Harvey will lighten the darkness that floods Harvey's soul. Like the Dark Master makes the brightest hearts into darkness, the darkest souls can be healed… with just a little light." Hearing this, Angie smiled, and the old man turned and walked away. He turned back and said, "'Course, I've yet to meet the soul who can cure the Dark Master's darkness. That phantom of his is one tough poison cookie. See you later, kids! AHH hahahahahahaha!" The crazy king burrowed underground and crawled away.

"'kay… that was weird." Charlotte said simply.

"By the way, we got the Emerald." Rachel said, handing Shadow the yellow gem.

Shadow studied it for a bit before saying, "This isn't a Chaos Emerald."

"What? It's all glowy like one…"

Fi came out and reported, _"Master: subject identified as an identical object, called a Sol Emerald. There are a total of seven, very powerful relics that exist from the Sol Dimension, entrusted to the firebenders eons ago by the mighty Sun God."_

"I remember." Rouge replied. "They belonged to that cat girl, Blaze."

"Then I guess we have to get it to her." Rachel figured.

"Where do you think the others are now?" Sonya asked.

"I imagine they're pretty far right now. Let's get back to the hospital treehouse and rest. Then we can keep looking for where Harvey's gone." With that, the team started their journey back to the treehouse.

* * *

><p><strong>Eh, the Xiaolin Mountain level could've been better. But this has been the shortest chapter in a while, I think. Next time, we'll check out the Yin-Yang World. Afterwards, we'll see what Team Alien's up to. Later.<strong>


	29. The Pitiful Pummel of Pots and Pans

**Hey, everybody! Time to go to the Yin-Yang World! But first…**

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><p><strong><em>Team Alien vs. Baron K. Rool! The Mean, Tiny Bean Named Bean!<em>**

**Gallagher Elementary**

The students of Gallagher Elementary were happily enjoying their lunch bell, sitting by friends and eating their own packed lunches. The pilot, Ace, walked out of the lunch line with a tray of gross foods made by Gramma Stuffum, going to a table with Lizzie, Herbie, and Henrietta, and sitting beside the latter. Heinie smiled to her boyfriend as she took out a bag of candy. The two looked under the table as Ace held his tray down. The pink puffball known as Kirby smiled happily as he started devouring the food.

"Hm-hm. Little guy's kinda cute." Ace smiled.

"Vhere did he come from, anyway?" Heinie asked.

"I dunno. I think Nigel and his friends brought him here. He must've got loose and started wandering around."

"Little guy sure loves to eat, doesn't he?"

"Hm-hm-hm."

Unbeknownst to them, Bowser's airship was hovering slightly over the school. Ganon's minion, Zant, had a bucket of Minish Dust tied around his waist. He held on to a rope as he yelled, "Time to do some DUSTING! NYAAAA!" The crazy minion jumped over and was about to swing through the cafeteria window until- "DOH." He failed to smash through and was squished against the window. The kids turned and watched as the man scraped down the window a little before falling off. Lizzie and Herbie exchanged a confused glance as Zant got himself back up, opening the window and clumsily climbing in. "Hurf… hoo… as I was saying…" he panted, sticking his hand in the bucket. "Time… for DUSTING!" The minion cackled as he started throwing dust around the tables.

The kids gasped as they found their selves shrinking to hamster size. "Whoa! What's his problem?" Ace asked.

"Let's get outta here!" Lizzie yelled, the four about to run out.

"Not so fast!" Zant yelled, jumping in front of them and throwing the dust. The four shrunk to 6 inches in an instant.

Kirby walked out from under the table and studied the shrunk kids with wonder. "PIYA!" he yelped when Zant kicked him away.

"Heehee! Gather round, kiddies!" the minion cackled once more. The kids all burst into high-pitched wails as they were all sucked into his vacuum.

Throughout the rest of the school, the kids in the hall gasped when Koume and Kotake pushed the front doors open, flying on their brooms and holding dust buckets. "Kids these days are hard to catch." Koume said.

"But little kids are no match." Kotake followed, the two witches flying down the halls as they spilled dust all over the children.

"We'll shrink every little brat." Koume continued.

"And lock 'em up, just like rats!" they both finished as the kids began shrinking. Swarms of Bokoblin then burst in, the kids running around in fear as the demons started grabbing them, dropping them in cages and carrying them out.

From aboard the flagship, the Koopa King looked over the railing as the monsters carried the captured children out, loading them onto other airships. "Gwah ha ha! Lord Gnaa's gonna have a buffet of fear!"

"He'll be free in no time, Dad!" Junior cheered. They were then approached by Kammy Koopa.

"Lord Bowser. We just got a call from Darth Genious. He wants us to send a fleet of airships over to a forbidden planet to rescue his apprentice."

"Hrrrngh." Bowser folded his arms and closed his eyes in thought. "It's on short notice, but… we'll do it after we gather up these brats."

"But Dad, aren't we supposed to be meeting with Eggman to go to Oceana?" Junior asked.

"Hmm, good point. WENDY." At his call, a female Koopa, with a red, spiked shell and pink bow, climbed onto the boat.

"Ooh! You called, My Lord?" she asked, making a cutesy pose.

"Yes. I just got a call for another assignment, so you'll help Junior and Kammy here lead the Koopas and rendezvous with Eggman and K. Rool over the Samiyan Sea."

"Oh, I've been waiting for some action. I can't wait to give those do-gooders a taste of my beauty. Lllater, My Lord." The Koopa girl then leapt over the edge. Junior and Kammy exchanged confused glances and followed her.

"Well now… I think I'll see how my pests are doing." The Koopa King said as he stomped into the room where the members of Team Forest and the Prospectors were still kept in their hamster cage. "SO… you brats enjoying your stay?"

_"We're not, thank you for asking."_ Annie said.

_"We might like it better if we were bigger."_ Jessica said.

"Grah hah! You know I can't do that. Especially with Celebi in our hands." He furrowed his eyes at them. "Besides, I got BETTER plans for you, so you just sit there and-" His eyes widened in pain when a hammer suddenly BASHED the back of his head. "Arrrr…" He fainted. (Play King Dedede's Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

The kids looked up at the hammer's holder, seeing it was a large, fat blue penguin in a red king's robe and hat. He lifted the hammer behind his neck and exclaimed in a country accent, "HEH heh heh heh! Y'all as dimwitted as evah, Bowser!"

_Name: King Dedede_

_Race: Pengi_

_Occupation: Self-proclaimed King of Dreamland_

_Ability: Hammer combat_

Afterwards, a grey snail with a mustache slithered over and picked up the hamster cage. "Here they are, Sire." He held it up as the penguin bent his head down to their level.

"Now… which one o' y'all is the Firstborn Guardian?"

_"The Guardian isn't here."_ Cosmo told him. _"They're doing something ELSE with her."_

_"Oh, but if you're talking about that glowy ball thingy, it's right over there!"_ Tommy exclaimed, pointing to Celebi's Spirit Ball on the shelf.

"Heh heh! Hot diggity!" the king smirked, walking over and putting the ball in his coat pocket. He also took notice at the frog and licked his lips. "Mmm! That Froggy looks dededelicious!"

"Let's take it with us, Sire!" the snail suggested.

"Arrrgh…" Bowser groaned, rubbing his head as he stood up. "My head…. Huh?" He finally noticed the two. "Dedede? ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? !"

"Eh heh heh! Well, me and Escargoon were bored and decided to take a li'l vacation, to this li'l ole planet called Earth."

"While relaxing, we heard about you guys collecting something called the Eight Firstborn." Escargoon mentioned.

"So, Ah says, 'Gee, Ah wonder what's so special about them there Firstborn?' And after doin' a little research, they sound pretty important."

"So we're collecting them, too!"

"And now," Dedede picked up the frog, "we takin' these itty-bitty people and the Firstborn and gettin' outta here!" With that, he took his hammer and knocked a hole in the wall.

"HEY!" Bowser yelled as the two jumped out, landing in their yellow limousine with a cannon in the front. Escargoon stepped on the gas as the car drove off at high speed. "GRRR!" Bowser grumbled, jumping to the ground and trying to chase them, but a stampede of Waddle Dees trampled him.

"HA HA HA HA!" King Dedede and Escargoon laughed. "That was Dedede-easy!"

"Agreed, Sire! And now that we have the Firstborn, whaddya say we find someplace downtown and for dinner?"

"Mmm." He licked his lips. "Good plan. This belly needs some food." Throughout the rest of the way, the fat king mumbled all his favorite foods. "Hotdogs, chicken, mustard, sandwiches, eggs, mustard, chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, cheeseburgers…"

The caged captives only looked worriedly as their cage sat in Dedede's fat lap. _"Great. Now I'm hungry, too…"_ Annie moaned, rubbing her stomach.

From behind a bush, Kirby watched the two drive off. The pink puff furrowed his eyes as he chased the villains. (End song.)

**Yin-Yang World**

The Interesting Twins were the first to awaken after their forced journey into the portal. "Well… that coulda gave us a warning." Yin said, rubbing her head.

"Where are we?" Yang asked, looking around the mysterious wasteland of black and white; pitch-black sky and pure white buildings in the distance. They were currently standing in a field of mist and fog.

"GUYS!" The Twins looked and saw Mika and Morgan hurrying over.

"Mika, Morgan!" Yang exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Yin asked.

"We think so…" Morgan said.

"Boy, talk about a depressing place." Mika mentioned, looking around.

"This is definitely the Yin-Yang World." Morgan followed.

"Great, so let's find this Hannibal Bean guy-" Yang began.

"-and get out of here." Yin finished.

"Don't forget, we also need to find that Yang Yo-yo." Morgan reminded. "Otherwise, we might turn evil."

"I still say it's a bad idea to talk to an evil spirit." Yang mentioned. "But whatever gets us outta here quicker… so let's go."

The four of them passed an old, abandoned town and ventured into a dark canyon, walking down a cliffside toward a huge cave. Sitting in the center of the enormous room was a pedestal, and on that pedestal rested another strange yo-yo, but with a Yang symbol. "I'm guessing that's it." Mika figured.

"Great." Yang said. "Let's take it and find Hannibal Roy-" They were startled by the sound of an enormous screech.

"W-W-What was that?" Yin quivered.

"I thought this place was uninhabited." Yang said as Morgan grabbed her saber.

"Yeah, except for the giant evil monsters that lurk in the darkness." Mika replied.

"Come on, guys, just be care-" Morgan was interrupted when a massive, ghostly tiger head swooped by. Out of the darkness, a ghostly dragon head came out and took its place beside the tiger. The Yang Yo-yo then started to glow as a ghostly skull head emerged from the item, going in between the two heads. All three of them grew necks connected to a dragon's body, with dragon wings, but a striped body and tiger legs. The three-headed beast roared again as the skull head swallowed the yo-yo.

Mika ran to try and slice the monster's legs, but the sword went right through him. "HUH- OOF." The Filipino was then kicked away by its leg.

The Interesting Twins looked over and saw two samurai swords stuck in the ground, crossing an "X". The two shrugged and decided to pull them out. When the tiger head tried to gnash at them, Yang quickly swung his sword and damaged it. "Hey!"

"These work!" Yin followed.

"Good. We'll leave 'em to you." Morgan decided.

"Come, Sister." Yang smirked.

"It's time-" she continued.

"TO BATTLE!" (Play the "Dragon Slayer" Theme from _Sonic and the Black Knight_!)

_Boss fight: The Yin-Yang Dragon_

The two siblings held their swords ready, waiting for the dragon to strike. It swung its left paw at Yang, its right one at Yin, but they both dodged. The left tiger head gnashed at Yin, who tried to strike it, but was knocked back. It then tried to bite Yang, but he jumped on it and struck, knocking it out. "Maybe we can only attack our respective sides." Yang figured.

The dragon head charged its breath and blew flames at Yin, who quickly ran away. When the dragon stopped to catch its breath, holding its head close to the floor, Yin ran to strike it, knocking it out as well. That's when the skull head became tangible, its eyes glowing as souls emerged from them, flying all around the Twins in a tornado. As the two tried to shake them away, the skull head started to charge a Hyper Beam. The Twins finally blew the souls away in time to dodge the Hyper Beam, dodging opposite directions. The two proceeded to run up the other heads and run up to the skull head, dealing several blows against it before it stopped.

The dragon shook the Twins off as the other heads recovered. The tiger swung its head around, trying to bite them, but Yang countered with his sword. Yin quickly spun her sword to keep back the flames of the dragon head. The skull head's eyes flashed at the Twins, making shadow copies of themselves. The clones drew out their own swords and started swinging at the Twins, who quickly dodged and flipped back.

The real Twins clashed with the clones' swords, but had to quickly dodge a fire blast from the dragon head. Yang leapt over his clone and knocked his clone's sword away, then slashed him diagonally in half, making him fade in a puff of smoke. The Yin clone rapidly slashed as the real Yin defended, dodging right as the clone struck downward, then doing a spin attack and slicing it in half, destroying her clone.

"AHH!" Yin screamed when the tiger head caught her in its fangs and started swinging her around.

"Sister!" Yang exclaimed, kicking off the dragon's side, off the wall, and reaching the tiger head, slicing it. The beast screeched as it dropped Yin. The dragon head then blasted a bunch of fireballs at them, but Yin ran from its fire, stylishly running up the wall and ceiling and dropping down to strike the head, knocking it out.

The skull head turned tangible once again and started blowing a deadly gas breath. The Twins quickly held their breath as the gas spread throughout and fogged the room, the two dodging as the skull gnashed at them. The Twins hurried and ran up the walls opposite of each other, getting above the skull head and dropping down, laying several more blows against it.

The fog cleared up as the two heads recovered once again. All three heads charged and erupted a roar, blowing both of them to the back of the cave. The two hurriedly dodged as the dragon started blowing various fireballs while ALSO stomping the ground, making the cave shake. "Er! There's no getting close to him now." Yang figured.

Yin looked around and noticed the two parallel rows of pillars down the cave, and the two pillars at the start looked loose. "Quick, Yang! Strike the pillars!" she shouted, already proceeding to slice the one on her side. The pillar toppled over, knocking down the other ones like dominos, the last one crushing the dragon head. Yang struck the pillar on his side before it fell and knocked the others over. However, the tiger caught the last pillar in its mouth and smashed it against the wall, but the impact caused a stalactite above the head to fall down and stab it.

Angered, the skull head separated from the body and chomped its teeth as it drifted over to the Twins. Yin and Yang just poked at its eye sockets and kept it back as it tried to bite them, slowly pushing it back to the body. With one last strike, the two siblings both struck the center diagonally, cutting an 'X' into him, its head falling into four parts. The now headless dragon gave one last screech before it fainted to the ground, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The Interesting Twins did a high-five, down low, and up again as they punched their fists in the air in victory. (Stop the music.)

In the remains of the dragon, the two walked over and found the Yang Yo-yo, the Twin Boy proceeding to pick it up. "Well… we have the yo-yo."

"But I do not believe that was Hannibal Roy Bean." Yin figured.

"Where is he? ?" they both asked.

"…Hey, look!" Mika called, pointing to a grey bird in the sky, which glared at them with dark eyes. The bird squawked as it flew away.

"I think it wants us to follow." Morgan guessed.

"But where is it going?" Mika asked.

"Only one way to find out." Morgan said. "Let's go." With that, the four proceeded to chase the bird.

**Hannibal's Castle**

The four followed the bird to a massive black-and-white castle, leading them to a throne room chamber with a glass wall keeping the throne inside. _"Ah, well Ah'll be a Demon Ape's uncle. If it ain't mah dear great grandchildren, Yin and Yang Hanamizu Bean."_ The two siblings gulped as they noticed the tall, horned figure stand up from the throne. _"Ah see you defeated the guardian outside. That was the Yin-Yang Dragon. A three-headed ancient dragon meant to represent the ways of Yin and Yang. The dragon head represented Yin, the tiger represented Yang… while the center skull represented the middle… _in-between_."_

"…Ar-Are you-" Yang began.

"-Hannibal Roy Bean?" Yin finished.

_"That's right. Ah am the master of this little realm, banished here eons ago by the spirits for mah horrible deeds."_ When the four reached the glass wall, the Twins in the front, they saw the figure was some kind of robot. A straw emerged from the mouth of the robot, aiming directly between the Twins, and spitting something out.

The Twins winced at the tiny object's speedy impact, splatting against the glass. They opened their eyes to see it was a tiny, dirty red bean, with red eyes and a mouth of rotten teeth, and two yellow vines at his sides. The bean pulled himself off the wall and dropped to the floor. "A pleasure to make yer acquaintance." It said in a Western accent.

The Twins exchanged a confused glance before getting on their hands and knees to face him. "…_You_ are the demon that tried to conquer the world long ago? Our great-grandfather?" Yin asked.

"You are so small." Yang followed.

"He looks kinda cute." Morgan smiled.

"Yeah. Give him a bath or something, and he wouldn't look half bad." Mika grinned.

"Mmm, I am pretty small, aren't I? But then again, so is that Kweeb fellow, and he got himself a giant sexy alien girl." Hannibal grinned.

"Well… yes, but-" Yang began.

"-you are just a bean." Yin followed.

"How can you do anything?" Yang finished.

"Simple. Throughout the many years of my time, Ah used mah incredible powuhs of manipulation to turn people to the Dark Side. Ah take a noble hero, bend him and twist him, and BOOM! He's evil! Ah was a marvelous inspiration for the Sith Lords of old."

"You mean… the evil psychicbenders?" Morgan asked.

"Mm-hm." Bean nodded. "And Ah am quite proud of mah work. Eventually I was stopped and imprisoned for my crimes in this infernal dimension." He explained, pacing back and forth. "But durin' mah time, I got married to a lovely lady called Megan Dark, one of three Cute Triplets, and had a son. He had a son… and that son had two twins, a boy and a girl. And the father of those twins made a wonderful home beneath the mountain, and separated the two pieces of the yo-yo that led to this dimension. Despite this, Ah knew, one day, mah descendants would come to this dimension, and set me free." He stopped and turned to them. "And lo and behold, here you are, not a minute too soon! Now let me outta here so Ah can assist the Dark Master and his little associates."

"Ha! In your dreams." Yang laughed.

"Mewtwo only sent us here so YOU can tell us about the Balance Between Good and Evil." Yin followed.

"So, are you gonna tell us or what?" Mika asked.

"Mmm…" Bean closed his eyes in thought, still smirking. "What a shame… that y'all know nothin'." He opened his eyes and looked back up. "Alright then. Let's get started: the Balance Between Good and Evil is one that has been the nature of existence for all time. It's the very thing that keeps our universe goin', the most important balance we have. You see… it's like that young Sirius man said, there's Light and Darkness ta everything. What he said was true. While water brings healing and life, it can also drown people. While fire brings light and warmth, it also causes destruction. And as such, all different elements and other powers have their light and dark sides, much as the benders who use them. And one balance that has been falling for some time is that between the psychicbenders."

"What?" Morgan asked.

"Ya see, many ages ago, many Sith Lords and Jedi Knights used ta roam the grand stars of Galaxia, and everywhere ya'd go, there's destruction and reconstruction. But as the years went by, the Sith Lords slowly died out. Even with the efforts of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in wiping out most o' the Jedi, the number of Jedi have greatly outnumbered the Siths. Now, there is only one Sith Lord that remains today. His name… is Darth Genious. And he currently leads many villains in the Brotherhood of Evil."

"I heard of him." Morgan said. "He's Emperor Palpatine's son."

"That's right." Bean nodded. "But he won't be the only remaining Sith for long. The balance between the good and evil psychicbenders will be restored, and the Sith Lords will rise again… starting with _you_."

"Me?" Morgan asked.

"Indeed. You and your three siblings are _very_ special people. The four of you are dangerously close to the Dark Side. And Mewtwo knows this. You know why he sent Mika with you, Morgie? It wasn't so you can keep her from turnin' to the Dark Side; she warn't vulnerable to the Dark Side, not at all. He sent her to keep _y'all_ from turnin' to the Dark Side."

"That's crazy! Mewtwo told us himself that he sensed good in us." Morgan refuted.

"But before that, he thought you would become evil. Come on… two siblings that fight each other, day after day. A whole FAMILY of psychics constantly hunted and tormented bah the world. Y'all are PERFECT to the Dark Side! And that's where y'all are headed."

"That's not true!" Morgan denied. "We might be a troubled family, and Buddy's annoying as heck, but we aren't turning to the Dark Side."

"The Balance Between Good and Evil is an unbreakable one. It's powerful. Y'all will HAVE to turn to the Dark Side whether ya want to or not. Especially… _you_, Morgan Catherine." He pointed at the Uno girl.

The Demon Princess huffed and said, "Just because I'm the Dark Master's target for some reason, doesn't mean I'm becoming anything like him."

"Not becoming like him? Mah dear… you already are! Always mopey 'n' sad, NEVUH enthusiastic! Uh hee hee!"

"Whatever, Bean. But I am _not_ turning to the Dark Side. Now, if we're all done here, perhaps you could show us the exit to this dump."

"Just use the Yin and Yang Yo-yos to warp y'all back. Of course, since Yin and Yang are mah descendants, they don't need both yo-yos to keep from turnin' evil when they go back. It's just the rest o' y'all that need them. And when y'all get back, you can finally get back with yo' quest. Ah believe y'all's next adventure takes you down the seaside. Head back to South America's Eastern border for your next leg."

"At least we have a way to go now." Yang said.

"Then let's get going." Yin followed.

"Yin-Yang Yo-yo!" Yin and Yang exclaimed, throwing their yo-yos out and opening the portal, immediately sucking all of them in.

"Well now…" Hannibal Bean started. "Ah think Ah'll enjoy me a little music." With that, the little bean hopped its way over to his robot, kicking back in a seat, pushing a button on a stereo, and singing along to some music, shifting his head back-and-forth. "Yes, a lap dance is always better when the stripper is cryin'." Some violins played on the stereo. "Yes, a lap dance is always BETTER when the stripper is cryin'." Hannibal Bean took out and drank some root beer. "And I find it's quite a thrill… when she grinds me against her will. Yes, a lap dance is always better when the stripper is cryin'." Outside, his bird, Ying-Ying, just shook its head in disbelief.

**Knautilus**

Team Alien and the three Kong Family members continued to hide in the corner of the Knautilus, watching disgustedly as King Kroctus and Kaptain Kruckers drank away their swamp water. "Okay, so which would you rather be: crippled, like that Nolan boy, or making out with the Nightmare King when he gets drunk?" Kroctus asked.

"Argh, would I be getting the high-tech wheelchair 'twere I handicapped?" Kruckers asked.

"Nope, regular wheelchair, no missiles or anything."

"D'arr, I'd take me chances with the Nightmare King if that be the case." The two drank.

"Honestly, the two of you oughta make out with each other, you're so drunk already." Baron replied.

"D'arr, stop bein' the ol' spoil-sport and 'ave a drink with us, ay?" Kruckers said.

"One of us has to be the sober driver, and I'm the only one who knows how to drive this, anyway."

"Pah." Kruckers waved him off, having another drink. "I-I think, ye are just mad 'cause, ye are not the king."

"Hey-Hey, you aren't the king either, ya-" Kroctus gulped and made a loud- "BUURP, ya blasted, gun-happy Kremkroc."

"D'arr, we'll see if this 'ere gun ain't a match for that cannon-crusha-d head o' yours."

"Oh, come now, Brother, you don't even have the bone in that crock head o' yours."

"Euck. One of the downsides to being small is watching fat slobs get all gross." Kweeb remarked.

"Mm-hm." Kami nodded. "Put a pig next to those guys, look back-and-forth between 'em… and it'll be impossible to tell which is which."

Kruckers then got up to grab his gun. "D'arr, this 'ere gun jus' ain't fer attractin' mates."

"You really think you have the old crock bone?" Kroctus asked, standing up.

"YAR, this sea-salt body can withstand a MILLION sharks bitin' against 'is flesh. The most ye can take is a BOOT to the BUTT."

"You want to place a wager on that, Kruckers? I bet my skull."

"I'LL be betting yer skull, too, ay?"

"Then on 3, we shall see. 1."

"2."

"3!" At that instant, the shrunk group closed their eyes the moment Kruckers fired the gun.

"D'ARR!" Kruckers screamed when Kroctus was knocked back. "ARR, me firstborn older triplet brother. What be plaguin' my mind to do such a thing? !"

However, Kroctus uncovered his face, revealing his barely-damaged left half. "MM hur heh heh hah! So, you really do have the bone, but I get to keep my skull."

"D'ARR, ye scurvy crock! Ye nearly had me worried to blazes!"

"D'ahh, put 'er there! Let us have a drink to both of us keeping our marvelous postures!" he exclaimed, raising a glass of swamp water.

"Despite years of bad treatment by ungrateful monkeys!" Kruckers agreed, holding his own glass up.

"To mah brother."

"Me flesh and blood!" They touched glasses.

"The K. Rool line is strong indeed."

"As is the whole of the Kremling Krew!"

"We are brothers 'til our last life."

"And kings 'til the Krew's nonexistent end!"

"To the K. Rool bloodline and all who come after!" At this, they both raised their drinks and chugged down.

The little group in the corner only watched in disbelief. "Uh, Kami? I'm already debating whether they're crocs or pigs." Ava said.

"Uh-huh." She nodded.

**Kastle Kaos**

Finally, the submarine resurfaced by a stormy shoreline where a dark, mad scientist-like castle sat atop a hill. Waiting at the shoreline was Dr. Eggman, Eggman Nega, Eggman's henchmen, and Captain Whisker and his robo pirates. Baron K. Rool walked first out of the sub, followed by Kroctus and Kruckers, arms wrapped around the other while the other arms held glasses of swamp water, the two wobbling as they stepped out. "Yeeeah! Thank you!" Kroctus exclaimed.

"D'arr, yo ho ho, and a bottle of swamp!" Kruckers cheered.

"D'arr har har! A toast to that, aye?" Whisker said.

"Oh ho ho! Sounds like someone had quite the journey!" Eggman exclaimed, giving his usual maniacal grin.

"It's about time you got here." Eggman Nega said, giving his usual emotionless frown.

"We got held up by incompetent minions." Kroctus said.

"Arr, the Kids Next Door have infiltrated our headquarters, aye?" Kruckers said.

"Oh, that reminds me." Bokkun spoke, taking out a TV. "Team Chaotix sent me this recording!" The TV switched on and showed a visual of the battle between Team Alien and Team Chaotix. "Ha ha ha! They got their butts kicked bad!"

"Hmmm…" King K. Rool could only look at the blonde Drilovsky girl, dueling against Vector the Crocodile.

"Something on your mind, Sire?" Baron asked.

"Hmm… well, now: since we're all here, we should be setting out to sea." Kroctus decided. "Baron, you stay here at the castle and look after things. Whisker, your ship has a computer, hasn't it?"

"Aye."

"Good. I have much to research. And if my plans go correctly, the Kongs-"

"-Will meet their foul end." They all chorused in toneless voices. "Mweh heh heh har."

"Er… yes. Ahem, let's go." With that, the villains boarded onto some mechanical pirate ships and sailed off, while Baron headed into his castle.

Once they were out of sight, Kweeb set his shrink ray to reverse and re-expanded his five teammates, Ava putting him back on her shoulder as they disembarked the sub. "Well, here we are." The Glomourian said. "So, we going in the castle or what?"

"If they got our bananas in there, I'm in for it." Dixie replied.

"That place has the door locked. I doubt they'll let us in." Ava replied.

"Ooh ooh, ah ah. (I think the best way is to sneak in.)" Diddy suggested.

"Ooh ooh oo, ooh? (How will we do that?)" Donkey asked.

"There's a sewer pipe dumping out waste." Kami said, pointing to a large pipe in the water along a cliffside. "That probably leads inside. It's big enough for the Kongs to fit in."

"I dunno, Kami. Since these are crocs, they might use that as their entrance." Kweeb joked.

"Very funny. Come on, let's just see what they have in this castle. Kongs, you guys sneak in through the pipe and open the front door from the inside."

"Ooh OOOH!" Donkey cheered, pounding his chest. "(I'll lead the way. Let's go, Kongs!)" (Play "Nuts and Bolts" from _Donkey Kong Country 3_!)

_Stage 28: Kastle Kaos_

_Mission: Find Baron K. Roolenstein!_

_Act 1_

The Kongs started their journey into the sewer pipe, diving in the waste as a water current forced them down the rest of the long way. Donkey saw a sewer valve and grabbed on, holding onto the rest of the Kongs as he pulled it open, making them all drop in, landing on a Kobble in a straight hallway.

The three proceeded down the hallway, seeing a river of toxic waste with waste cans going across, using them to jump their way over. Some Robo-Zingers buzzed by and tried to drop bombs on them, but Donkey took them out with his Coconut Gun. When they reached the other side, a Knocka tried to push them off, but they jumped and made it run into the waste.

At the end of the hall, they were on the top of a railing, overlooking a huge room where mechanical hands dropped bananas in a machine, taking them through a process that eventually led to the bananas being mashed into Tikis, giving them life. The Kongs saw a ladder going up a pipe and decided to climb up to a higher point in the room. The higher point had several moving platforms and treadmills hanging from chains.

"I'll handle this." Dixie said, using her ponytail to glide across to the first treadmill. Two Bazukas popped out on the platforms on both ends and fired TNT barrels that Dixie jumped, making them shoot each other. She then started to jump and glide across the platforms and treadmills. At another treadmill, another Knocka tried to ram her, but as usual, she jumped it. The last treadmill had a Kremling that sat in a floating pod, shooting a laser at Dixie before she got too close. The female Kong found a TNT barrel sitting on a platform and decided to toss it at the Kremling, blowing his pod up.

Dixie glided to another platform that was above the pipe where the bananas were dropped in. She found and picked up a TNT barrel, smirking as she dropped it in. Mini explosions happened all around the machine before it finally exploded into a kajillion gallons of mashed banana, flooding nearly the whole room and wiping out the Kremlings. "Ooh OOOOH!" Donkey cheered, jumping down to the floor below with the other two. The gorilla spotted a door leading outside and rolled his way over, knocking the door over, allowing Kami, Ava, and Kweeb to get inside.

"Well, that was easy." Kami said, walking in and looking around.

"Sounds like the Kongs are taking care of things nicely." Kweeb noticed.

Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie headed up another staircase, the latters standing on Donkey and balancing as he rapidly rolled them down another hallway, running over several Kremlings. He then swiftly jumped a staircase of Knik-Knaks with the other Kongs still standing on, and were about to fall in the toxic waste, but Dixie quickly grabbed Diddy, who grabbed Donkey, and held on as she glided them over to the safe end.

They were then looking over a room filled with molten metal, seeing a long pipe along the wall going to a door on the other side, the three deciding to balance their way across. Several other pipes blocked their way, sticking out of the wall and leading into the molten metal, which made them piping hot. The Kongs carefully jumped the burning metal and kept going across the pipe. They unfortunately found the pipe ended when it went in the wall, seeing it come out again far across the pit.

They spotted some platforms down in the molten metal and decided to hop down, jumping across the sinking platforms before they were burned. On a larger platform, two buff Kremlings called Kuff 'n' Klout ambushed them, trying to shove them over, but Diddy shot them back with his Peanut Pistols, allowing Donkey to shove them over himself. As the Kongs hopped over more sinking platforms, Re-Koil Kremlings hopped across them as well. They tried to knock the Kongs off, but the apes jumped off of them, making their way over.

They reached a ladder that led to the previous pipe and climbed up, reaching the next hallway after crossing the pipe. All the Kongs had to avoid were electrical barriers switching on and off, easily making it across. The hallway became wider as the Krackshot Krock took aim at them, the Kongs easily dodging behind metal crates. When two more Kuff 'n' Klouts ran to attack them, they got in the Krosshair's way, taking the hits and knocking out.

The Kongs made it out of the Krosshair's range and found a closed door at the end of the hallway. They found a switch on the wall and Diddy used his Chimpy Charge to push the switch, causing the door to open. The Kongs proceeded to an outside part of the castle, atop one of the castle walls, rain still pouring down from the clouds. Squads of Kasplats ran out to attack them, but the Kongs easily beat them back. Dixie grabbed one around the legs with her ponytail and threw it into some more while Donkey and Diddy just used their shockwave attacks.

At the end of the walkway, they found a statue of K. Rool atop a balcony on a higher part. Diddy took out his guitar and strummed a sonic wave at the statue's bottom, toppling it over toward them to make a walkway up to the balcony. They started to head across as Kuchukas tossed bombs down from a higher wall and Karbines flew out and shot fireballs at them. Diddy and Dixie got on DK as he rolled them across, bashing two Krumples at the end. They went inside a door where a Koin tried to block their path. Donkey easily kept punching him back until he was pushed into an electric barrier. The barrier shorted out as a result, allowing the apes to proceed.

_Act 2_

While the Kongs did their thing, Kami, Ava, and Kweeb were walking down another part of the castle. "I hope my brother's okay…" Kami thought aloud.

"Ah, I'm sure he's fine, Kam." Kweeb assured. "You don't think he got his fist broken by some guy with diamond-hard skin who thinks himself sexy, do you?"

"Eh… nowadays, anything like that could happen. You never know."

"Shh, someone's coming." Ava stopped and whispered.

Down the hall, they could see Army Dillo walking down with a large dragonfly monster, called Dogadon. "D'oh, I didn't know what to do, Army." The dragon whimpered. "That Chunky Kong pushed me in the lava several times and then he punched me! He was so mean."

"Ah, cheer up." The armadillo said. "At least you took more hits than I did. When are they gonna make me some armor that doesn't short circuit and explode in just 3-4 hits by a TNT barrel?"

While the two girls looked around frantically for a place to hide, Kweeb leapt off Ava's shoulder and took out his gun. "Quick, over here." He said, firing the yellow beam and shrinking the two down again. They watched as he dashed into an air vent, running after him while the two monsters passed.

"Where does this vent lead?" Kami asked.

"Hopefully somewhere safe." Kweeb replied.

"Anyone else feel like it's getting warmer?" Ava asked.

"Yeah. And I don't like it." Kweeb said. The three of them found some eerie red light coming from another vent. They decided to jump down, landing on what looked like a field of huge vegetables in baskets. After walking a few feet to a ledge, Kweeb gasped as looked down below. "Uh… and now I know why I don't like it." (Play "Dashing Thru the Fire" from _Rayman Origins_!)

Down below was a huge kitchen of Mexican Kremlings, dropping small dead animals and veggies into pots, other Kremlings rolling pizza and cake batter, while others just made toast or baked cookies. While they did so, they played Mexican music and hummed some kind of tune.

"IT'S A MEXICAN BAKERY! !" Kweeb screamed.

"So?" Kami asked.

"My people HATE this place! Every so often, bigger aliens like to come down and capture us, just to cook and serve us in these places! It's a Kateenian's worst nightmare… and not to sound racist, but we were often cooked in Mexican restaurants."

"Well, if we stay quiet, maybe we won't be cooked either." Ava figured. "Let's just find a way out of this place and-"

"WHOA!" Just then, one end of the shelf toppled over, falling into a boiling pot. The operatives and the baskets of vegetables began sliding down, but the kids quickly jumped to the table below before they were boiled. The three started running along the counter over an oven, dodging as the burners fired flames.

They got to a clear spot on the counter where some chefs placed other baskets of veggies. They hid behind the baskets while a chef studied and picked some vegetables, running to another one when he wasn't looking. They ran to hide behind a piece of celery, then held on when the Kremling picked it up and put it on a little piece of wood. The kids' eyes widened when the chef drew out a knife, hurriedly running across before they were chopped to pieces (the chef did that thing where you rapidly chop those long vegetables).

They ran onto a field of pizza dough and were instantly crushed by a Kremling using a rolling pin. They were able to stand up afterwards, but the Kremling grabbed the dough and spun it in the air, flinging the operatives into a toaster. As they tried to stand up again, the toast shot out and shot them up to the ceiling, where they landed on some huge flies.

The flies flew them to another part of the kitchen where some kind of green monster, with a black sombrero and a mechanical spikeball arm, was punching holes into some dough with his spikeball. They three fell off the flies into another basket of veggies beside the monster. The being noticed this and dumped the veggies out, spotting the little kids and licking his lips. The three looked terrified at this, and Kweeb immediately thought of something. "Ahem: nooobody here but us broccoliii!" He sang. "Nooobody here but us veggiiiees! If you doubt that we're plants, then SHAKE in your pants, and GIVE your monster wedgiiiees!" Kami and Ava only face-palmed.

"Mmm. Little kiddies. I bet they taste mucho delicioso." The Mexican monster said. The monster, El Mal Verde, held his mouth wide open as he reached to pick up Kami. The Drilovsky girl held onto a piece of pepper as she was lifted up over his mouth. She quickly dropped the piping hot pepper inside the beast's mouth, who immediately shut it and dropped Kami on the floor. El Mal Verde screamed as the pepper made his eyes water and fire shoot from his mouth.

The two aliens hopped down and nudged Kami, smirking as the monster ran from the kitchen. "That'll show him." Kami said.

"Great. Let's get out of here." Kweeb suggested, returning the girls to normal size. Ava picked him back up as they walked out of the kitchen. (Stop the music.)

The three of them were back in a hallway, just in time for the Kongs to come down. "Hey, where've you guys been?" Dixie asked.

"Oh, just having a little supper." Kami answered. "I don't think I've eaten since we started this adventure."

"Oooh, OOO-ooh! (Let's get those bananas!)" Donkey exclaimed, already running ahead.

When the six of them reached a door, Donkey immediately pounded it down, entering what seemed to be the inside of a huge tower. "So, you've arrived. You brats really ARE annoying." They looked up and spotted Baron K. Roolenstein, sitting atop some metal contraption, most of it covered by a curtain.

"So, you're one of the K. Rool brothers. YOU guys are annoying." Kami remarked.

"Correct. Er, and incorrect. My name is Baron Kolamitous Roolenstein. The more intelligent of my brothers if I do say so myself. And your timing is impeccable, my dear brats. I am about to unveil to you my most glorious creation! I'm sure young Ms. Dixie here is familiar with my previous Kaos contraption."

"That old robot made of pots and pans?" Dixie asked.

"Mmm, indubenently. (I don't know what that means, but) ever since you trashed that monster, I have been constructing a new one. Say hello to…" He threw the curtain off, revealing a large, dark-green robot with a crocodile head, made of several contraptions. "Kaos II! Made of my wife's finest pots and pans! And also the handy bit of technology borrowed from Dr. Eggman. With this new contraption, the six of you shall finally meet your-"

_"BAROOON! Have you seen my pots and pans anywhere?"_ a woman's voice called.

The three operatives snickered at this. "Is that your mom?" Kweeb asked.

"I'll have you know that's my wife, and not only that, we are a happily functioning-"

_"BARRY! ! Are you using my pots and pans to make another giant robot? !"_

Kami snickered. "'Barry'?"

"Mmmmm, I'M BUSY, DEAR." Baron called. "Now then… know use waiting around anymore. Let's fire this baby up!" (Play the "Baron K. Rool Boss" Theme from _Donkey Kong Country 3_!) The mad scientist flicked a switch and the robot sparked to life. Kolamitous sat in a small chair that lowered itself into the robot where he began controlling it. The three operatives readied for battle against the robot.

_Boss fight: Baron K. Roolenstein_

The chubby robot wobbled around a little on its arms and legs, firing missiles from its shoulders. The six narrowly dodged the missiles and avoided the explosions. It activated a rocket on the bottom and hovered over them, blasting fireballs that they dodged. When the robot launched a fist at DK, the ape dodged and rolled up its stuck arm, bashing the robot in the head.

Kaos II launched two more missiles at Kami, who only jumped them, but they homed in and turned around. Kami immediately ran between the robot's legs, causing the missiles to strike there and trip the robot. "Bah!" Kolamitous grumbled, standing it back up. "Time for a little SHOCK therapy." He said, pushing a button on a remote. The robot activated its small rocket again as it hovered up one story of the tower, stretching its legs to the wall to keep balancing.

"Uh-oh. Climb!" Dixie yelled, climbing up the wooden ladders to the wooden platforms that led higher up the tower. The others followed as the tower started flooding with electricity. They climbed up to Kaos II's level and Kami tossed an Orange Grenade at one of its legs. It sent Robo-Zingers after them, but Donkey shot them away while Diddy tossed another grenade at the other leg. The robot lost balance and fell into the electricity, taking a painful zap.

The robot recovered and activated its rocket, flying higher up the tower. The six heroes climbed the ladder to the next floor as the electric continued to flood. The robot started to launch fans at the six of them that Ava knocked away with her swords. She grabbed hold of the last fan and rode it over to the robot. Kweeb got off her shoulder and crawled into an opening on the robot, while Ava sliced its left leg before kicking back over to the ledge. Kweeb ran through the robot's insides until he was in the other leg, shooting the wires and making Kaos II lose its balance again, falling into the electric while Kweeb was kicked out of the leg, Ava catching him.

The six climbed higher up the tower as Kaos II switched on its rocket and flew up again. Finally, they reached the highest room of the tower, where Kaos II started firing a series of bombs. Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie ran in separate directions, surrounding the robot in a circle. All three Kongs took out their instruments and blasted one last sonic wave, doing massive damage. Baron K. Rool growled in anger as he pushed an 'Eject' button, springing him out of the robot, which fell to the electricity below and exploded.

Two slide-doors covered the hole in the floor as Baron activated his little propeller and hovered above the ground. However, Donkey jumped up, spun his fist, and punched the backpack, pushing K. Rool into a wall and destroying his propeller. The mad scientist recovered, yelling frantically, "Dahh! Look what you've done! That robot was made from the finest pots and pans and technology! How DARE you treat him like a heap of bolts and wires!"

"Uh… that's pretty much what he was." Kami noted.

"NYAAAAHHH! Do you know how much all those parts cost? ! I'll never be able to pay Eggman back!"

"Well, it just isn't your day, is it?"

"Grrr! Robot or not, I'm STILL the master chef around here, and I reckon it's about time your goose was cooked! Let's take this to a higher ground." With that, he pressed that same remote and made the circular platform they were on rise higher, lifting them to the top of the tower. Kolamitous activated a jetpack and hovered in the air again as a lightning rod emerged from his pack. Two ray guns emerged for him to hold, attached to the pack as lightning struck down on the rod, giving his weapons power. "Careful not to play with lightning, kiddies! You'll get hurt!"

The team dodged as Kolamitous started shooting electrical blasts, making parts of the ground electrified. Ava looked around and spotted four lightning rods around the tower. "Hey! Maybe activating these rods will do something."

Kami dodged another bolt and said, "Sounds like a plan." She ran to the first rod and pulled a lever, making the rod extend upward for the lightning to strike it. Ava dodge-rolled lightning blasts to the next one, pulling its lever to make it extend. Kolamitous spotted the tiny alien, Kweeb dashing to the next one, firing electric bolts that Kweeb swiftly avoided. He made his way to the next rod and leapt atop the level, and was able to pull it down despite his tiny weight.

"Ooh OOOOH!" Donkey Kong cheered, dashing over and pulling the last lever. With all four rods activated, the rods formed a circle of lightning that shocked K. Rool, who floated in the center of them. When the mad scientist recovered, he immediately shot and destroyed the four rods, proceeding to fly around with his jetpack.

Ava tried to defend with her swords as Baron fired lightning rays, but the swords only attracted the lightning and shocked her. He was about to shoot Kami, but she noticed a metal barrel nearby, ducking behind it, successfully absorbing the electricity. Dixie ran and grabbed it with her ponytail, throwing it at K. Rool's lightning rod, denting it, and making him take damage from the lightning.

As a last ditch effort, Baron started making lightning strike all around the place, doing serious damage to the operatives and the Kongs, preventing them from standing up. Donkey weakly glanced over and noticed another metal barrel. While K. Rool zapped his lightning, the gorilla was able to gather enough strength and limp over to the barrel. While Baron was busy zapping Diddy and Dixie Kong, his back facing DK, the gorilla hurled the barrel at his rod, totally destroying it.

Kolamitous tried to fire more electricity, but then noticed his rod was broken. "Oh, blast." The Kremling leader screamed in great pain as the lightning struck directly at him. "AAH! AHHH! AAHHH! AAAAHHHHH!" His jetpack exploded, and he was sent falling and screaming over the edge.

"Oooh OOOHHH!" Donkey cheered, pounding his chest in victory while Diddy and Dixie danced. "Yeah…" He bowed and gave a thumbs up to the audience. (Stop the music.)

**Outside**

Meanwhile, Nigel, Sonic, and their friends had finally made it to the castle, looking inside the already-open front door to see the piles of mashed bananas and ruined machinery. "Looks like somebody's already inside." Sonic figured.

"But who?" Sonia asked. That's when they heard the lightning strike, looking up at the tower to see an explosion.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Baron K. Roolenstein fell and landed with a thud. "Ooohhhh…" The Kremling scientist tried to hold its head up, but only fainted.

"Oooh OOOHHH!" They looked up once more as the Kongs did their victory cheers, jumping their way down the castle towers to meet with the gang.

Nigel looked up again and gave a wide smile at who was standing on the tower's edge. "G-Guys, look! It's Ava, Kami, and Kweeb!"

"Alright!" Eva exclaimed.

The three operatives mimicked the Kongs and leapt down the castle towers (except Kweeb, who only rode Ava), meeting up with the others. "Hey, Nigel. Long time, no see." Ava greeted.

**Later**

Moments later, the sky started to clear up. Nigel called a KND S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. to have Baron K. Rool taken away. The 44 Twins handcuffed the croc and were leading him into the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.. "I say, you can't take me to Arctic Prison. I'm a crocodile! We're coldblooded! We aren't used to cold weather…"

"Whatever, Man." Pete said.

"We just want our 30-second screen time." Peter said.

"Don't play with lightning, Barry. You'll get hurt." Kami taunted.

Meanwhile, the others were introducing each other. "Sonic, Blaze, this is Ava and Kweeb." Nigel introduced. "They're my friends from GKND. Ava, Kweeb, this is Sonic and Blaze."

"And this is my brother and sister, Manic and Sonia." Sonic introduced. "Nice to meet ya."

"I admire your purple clothing." Blaze complimented.

"Thanks." Ava replied. "You don't look half-bad yourself. And you sound a lot nicer than _another _certain cat I- Kweeb?" she then noticed Kweeb was missing.

They looked over and saw Violet trying to hold something in her mouth. Ava glared and put her hands on her hips as Violet stuck her tongue out, showing Kweeb covered in saliva. Ava immediately snatched her boyfriend back, wiping Kweeb off with her dress, still angrily glaring at Violet. "What? I can't help it, he's delicious…" Violet said.

"Just keep your tongue to yourself."

_Man, that alien's lucky…_ Kade thought to himself.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but… isn't he a little small?" Blaze asked.

"Yeah, he's small. But he's a brave little guy, aren't you, Kweeb?"

"Hehe." Kweeb blushed. "I may be teased a lot, but I'm proud of this height!"

"Hmm… can't argue with that." Blaze agreed.

"Anyway, these are the Kongs." Ava introduced. "Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie." The apes smiled and grinned.

"So what've you guys been up to?" Nigel asked.

"Well, we were hanging out at Jamaica when we spotted and decided to follow this croc ship. Next thing we know, we get mixed up with these apes. These Kremling guys are looking for something called the Eight Firstborn."

"The Eight Firstborn? That's what _we're_ looking for."

"Oh, really? We read on their computer something about Manaphy."

"Hey, guys." Peter called, running out of the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. with his brother, holding up a disk. "He had this in his coat pocket."

"It might be something important." Pete said.

"We'll take it." Nigel said, taking the disk. "You guys just get him out of here. Ava, you guys tell us what you learned on that computer. Let's head back over to Grim so he can take us back to the others." With that, the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. took off while the main group headed back the way they came.

**Quahog Shore**

The _Boogey Bay_ had finally arrived at Quahog, Rhode Island. Mandy and Katie disembarked and walked through a neighborhood, spotting an old man fixing a spaceship as he mumbled something to himself. The two walked over, and Mandy asked, "Hey, Mr. Old Man. Is this your ship?"

"Oh, no." the man said, turning at them. "Mr. Oldman is a friend of mine. My name's Wesley Dodds. Call me Sandman. In fact, I was just about to take this ship to Nightmare Land and help him with something…"

"Yeah, about that, we're on our way to Nightmare Land, too. You mind giving us a lift?"

"Why don't you take one of the Kids Next Door's ships?"

"We're kinda on a secret mission, and we don't want to be tracked. This was our only option." Katie replied.

"Ah ha… Well, alright then. The more, the merrier. As long as I don't have to compensate your parents if something bad happens."

"If something bad happens, _my_ parents will already be compensated." Mandy replied as they all boarded the ship.

"Okay, engines ready…" Dodds began as he started up the ship while the girls took their seats. "Laser cannons loaded… and BLAST OFF." With that, the ship faced directly upward as the engines fired and took off.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Meanwhile, Commander Gunkan still sat in his office, overlooking the many workers at their terminals as the bounty hunter, Boba Fett came in and saluted. "Boba Fett! Where's that special team you said you called?"

"D'aw, shucks, Commander, ol' Boba's been wonderin' the same thing. He sent the call ages ago, and they ain't responded since. They probably got held up by the Republic or somethin'…" Gunkan turned and faced him, waving an arm at the hunter.

"While we waste our time waiting for those fools, those psychic freakshows are out there, doing who-knows-what. If we don't find where they've went-"

"Sir!" called another soldier, running in and saluting. "Our reports indicate that one of The Quads and their associates are in South America. Our top naval captain encountered them along the Eastern border, and they're looking for the rest of their gang now."

"He has? Perfect. Tell Lyle we'll be over there as soon as we can."

"Yes, Sir." The troop ran off.

"Hey-hey, there y'all go!" Boba exclaimed, smacking Gunkan in the back playfully. "Ain't got nothin' to worry about, those Quads are as good as ours!"

"Not yet, Boba. We had a call from our captain earlier. He had some _other_ important matters, regarding those kids."

"Oh, really? Like what?"

"Something that will hopefully rid the world of freaks once and for all."

"Oh, yeh? Heh heh, now we're talkin'!"

* * *

><p><strong>And there we have it. Next time, we will FINALLY begin looking for the next Firstborn! And to those that follow the Wiki, you're quite familiar with this 'captain'. See you then. <strong>


	30. The Legendary Captain Rourke

**Hmm… I wonder how the temporary Supreme Leader's doing?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Hero of the Navy! The Legendary Captain Rourke!<em>**

**KND Moonbase**

"Okay, I'll get on that- You, too- In a minute, I need to- Er, excuse me, I need to-" The Sooper Stealthy Communications Officer, Bartie Stork, struggled trying to fight his way past swarms of operatives. Since Rachel, Fanny, and Patton had left for their adventure, he was the only operative there to take the job as temporary Supreme Leader… and he didn't like it one bit.

"HEEEY! !" All operatives stopped and turned to see a panting, angry Virginia Sims. "Now… unless you all want your heinies spanked, you all better get away from Bartie and give him a break." She fist-palmed. Terrified, the dozens of operatives stepped away from the temporary leader, who was knocked on the floor with his clothes tattered. Numbuh 23 helped her friend up, pulling his shirt back over his shoulders and brushing him off. "You okay, Bartie?"

"Yeah… I think so." He panted. His then looked furious. "That's it. The MOMENT Numbuh 362 gets back, I am giving her a PIECE of my mind!"

"Relax, Bartie. I mean, the fact Numbuh 362 AND Fanny and Patton had to leave to help Sector V MUST be pretty important."

"Well, she coulda called a few of the Sector Leaders to fill in for her."

"Well, I guess she figured the only other highest ranked operative was a better choice." Bartie only held his head down and sighed. "Hey, you need a little break." Ginny said, wrapping an arm around him. "Come on. Let's get some food down at that Fancy Cuisine restaurant in Virginia." She kept her arm around him as she led him out the door.

"Hehehe. Why, because the state has your name?" he chuckled.

"E-yup."

**South America; seaside**

The main group continued their journey along the rocky seaside. The sky was bright and sunny, much nicer than all the storms they just went through, and it was a nice day for adventuring. "So, these Kremling guys are after Manaphy," Eva said, "and you think that disk will explain how they planned to find him?"

"It's gotta do something." Ava replied.

"But didn't Manaphy disappear with the Sea Temple?" Violet asked.

"Oh ho ho! Of course he did, you simple brat!" They all stopped and readied their guard when Eggman and Eggman Nega appeared with their henchmen and a squad of Bokoblin, with Decoe and Bocoe riding in Eggman's pod while Bokkun floated with his little rocket.

"Eggman!" Sonic shouted.

"Nega!" Blaze followed.

"What do you want now?" Manic asked.

"Here to stop you from finding the next Firstborn." Eggman replied.

"And to take the Guardian with us." Nega followed.

"Our demons will squash you flat!" Bokkun yelled.

"They are not _our_ soldiers, but Ganon was nice enough to let us borrow them." Decoe said.

"Too bad he's busy with something else." Bocoe followed.

"I wonder about that guy." Decoe replied.

"Kids Next Door:" Nigel began as they all readied for battle, "Battle Sta- Huh?" Suddenly, a bunch of GUN Troops ran in from behind, all aiming weapons. "Oh no. Not them, too." Nigel moaned.

"Ready, men: CHARGE!" The kids kept their guard up as GUN charged forward. However, they looked up when the troops passed them and started taking out the demons. The group exchanged glances and shrugged as they decided to fight the demons with them. Violet pounced on a Fatblin and started chewing its ear, but the monster grabbed and threw her to the ground. She shut her eyes when it was about to stab his spear down, but suddenly-

The beast was shot by a gun blast as the lot looked toward its source: it was a rather muscular man in a green military suit and black boots with grayish-white hair. He smirked as he blew the smoke from his blunderbuss gun, and said in a cool tone, "Hey, aren't you a little old to be bullying little kids?"

"Grrr. ATTACK!" Eggman ordered. The demons ran to attack the man, but he easily grabbed and threw them away. A swarm of Bokoblin piled on the man, but he shook them away, grabbing and throwing more demons into each other and shooting them off with his blunderbuss. "Mmmm! You GUN soldiers are always annoying. This isn't the end!" With that, the mad scientists flew off to the sea.

"Ha ha! Want a bunch of cowards." The man smirked, turning to his soldiers. "Great work there, boys! Just keep that up!" They saluted.

"Wow… thanks, Mister!" Sonia smiled.

"Yo, who are you?" Manic asked. The man only grinned as he shot around to face them. (Play Groose's Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

"KIDS… my name's Captain Rourke. Highest ranked captain in the GUN Navy. Very close to becoming Commander. A bunch of monsters have been occupying this area lately, so we've been keeping watch. We saw you kids get attacked and had to help you."

"Well… thanks for the save, Captain Rourke." Nigel said. "We're the Kids Next Door. Well, most of us. I'm leader of Sector V."

"And I'M his loving cousin!" Eva smiled, wrapping an arm around his neck. "Call me Eva! I'm leader of the KND news team."

"Heh heh heh!" Rourke laughed. "The Kids Next Door! I heard of you guys. You kids got in lots of trouble down in Chicago, I hear."

"Yeah… that's why we thought your soldiers would attack us at first." Nigel replied.

"We're kind of on the run from your troops due to assisting the family of psychics." Blaze said.

"Heh heh, old Gunkan…" Rourke shook his head. "He's got a real problem with 'freaks'. But don't worry. You're safe with me. Matter of fact, we just ran into one of that family you're talking about. She's with a bunch of other kids at a yacht down at the port in Azultown. It's not too far from here."

"That must be the rest of our friends!" Nigel beamed.

"Well, then let's head back. Afterwards, we can explain everything. Let's go, boys." Rourke ordered, walking off with his GUN Troops, followed by Nigel and Eva.

"Why do I get the feeling this group is about to get a whole lot more crowded?" Kami asked, chuckling with Ava as the rest of them followed.

Once they left, Rourke snuck back and grinned at the camera. "Heh heh. Hey, you, out there in front of the computer! Did you get a new haircut? Heh, but seriously, to those of you who watched my movie, you probably know how this is going to end up. But, uh, I'd appreciate if you DON'T tell the Kids Next Door. 'kay?" He winked. "A'ight!" He gave two thumbs up and walked back after the others. (Stop the music.)

**Azultown**

The children were now following the GUN soldiers along a harbor outside the city of Azultown. "While I may be a captain in the navy," Rourke explained, "I'm also the leader of a small marine research team. Our job is to protect the many aquatic creatures of the sea. And for some time now, we've aimed at a goal for finding the sunken city of Atlantis."

"Oceana."

"What?" Rourke rose a brow at Numbuh 10.

"The sunken city is called Oceana. No one knows where people get the whole Atlantis thing."

"Actually, we dubbed the whole underwater realm as 'Oceana', and thought Atlantis might be the capitol, the home of the Ocean King himself. But the one thing that's been standing in our way for some time… is the dreaded pirate ship, the _Flying Dutchman_, captained by the ruthless Davy Jones. Until, a few months ago, he suddenly disappeared."

"That's because Eva wiped the deck with him." Kade said.

"What?"

"E-yep. Sliced him into four parts and sent him falling down the drain!" Eva exclaimed, waving her arm like a sword. "It was awesome!"

"Hmmm…" Rourke became curious, looking closer at the girl. "Say… aren't you Eva Roberts, daughter of Eric and Angelica?"

"Y-Yeah… how do you-"

"Eh heh heh. You'll find out." Rourke grinned again.

Once down at the harbor, the team immediately discovered Facilier's yacht, the _Old Orleans_, and standing around it was the rest of their team. "Morgan! Guys!" Nigel exclaimed.

The kids turned around, giving bright smiles. "Nigel!" Morgan called.

"BLAZE!" Marine yelled.

"Luigi!" Mario called.

"Mario!" Luigi called.

"Mario!" Peach waved.

"SONIC!" Amy yelled, immediately jumping off the boat and running to her 'boyfriend'.

"No, Amy, WAI-" The blue hedgehog was immediately embraced in a breathtaking hug.

"Oh, Sonic! You've been gone for so long, I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Hah hah! Wow, Sonic, you never told us about this girl." Sonia laughed.

Amy stopped hugging her crush and looked at the other pink hedgehog. "Who are you?"

"Uh, ahem." Sonic cleared his throat. "Amy, this is-"

"Who is this girl, Sonic? !" Amy asked angrily.

"I-" Sonia tried to speak.

"Are you trying to steal my man? !" Amy snapped at her.

"Listen, I-"

"Listen, Sister: I don't know WHO you are, but Sonic's my boyfriend."

"Amy-"

"Not now, Sonic. So I don't very much appreciate you hanging around him."

"Amy-"

"Sonic's rescued me millions of times, a lot more times than you, I'm sure, and we've been through a lot together."

"Amy-"

"So if you don't want a hammer to the head, I suggest you keep out of our business and find someone else-"

"She's my sister."

"-and furthermore… huh?" Amy finally stopped.

"I, am Sonic's, sister." Sonia told her.

"…Oh… Hehehe." Amy blushed.

"Reminds me of the time I first met Lizzie." Eva smirked.

"Heh heh, and I'm their brother. Call me Manic." Manic winked.

"You never told me you had a brother and sister." Amy said to Sonic.

"He hasn't?" Blaze asked.

"Aw, that's STREWTH, Mate!" Marine exclaimed, jumping down and wrapping her arms around Sonia and Manic's necks. "More mateys to add to the crew! Wait until ya here about the ripper adventures Sonic and I had!"

"Hey, I remember you guys." Knuckles said.

"Knuckles? You knew about them, too?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I remember the time we-"

"AHEM." Rourke coughed, getting everyone's attention. "Perhaps we could hold off on the introductions for a minute, and we could head over to my ship to discuss business?"

"Where's your ship?" Hoagie asked. Rourke cocked a brow and pointed his thumb behind him. The kids' mouth dropped, seeing a massive, silver naval ship, made up of several cannons, and the deck lined with flags of various countries. "Wow… can't believe we missed that."

"It's cool!" Wally exclaimed.

"Heh heh, yep! Strongest one in the whole navy." Rourke said. "The SS United Nations." They noticed the writing on the side of the ship. "Aptly named, because it doesn't matter where you were from. If you were people like us, we stand together, and fight the evil that threatens us. That's what the G.U.N. is all about."

"Yeah, 'cause that's totally what they do." Morgan said sarcastically.

"Yeah… sometimes officers in the GUN military get a little paranoid, depending on what types come into play. But we really aren't an evil sort. Anyway, come on in! I'll show you around." Rourke said, walking over to his ship.

The captain guided the large group through his ship into the central control room, where soldiers were working terminals and ship controls. "My team and I have researched the marine biotic life for years and tried to find a way into the lost kingdom. We've been hanging around this town for a while because we believed that most of the people in this town are descended from the People of the Water."

"That would make sense." Eva said. "The place is called _Azul_town, and azul is Spanish for blue."

"Exactly!" _Whaddyou point out the obvious a lot?_ Rourke thought.

"So, is this your team?" Nigel asked.

"Er, not quite. These are just my soldiers. My research team's currently researching at the base we have stationed out in the sea. Unfortunately, a bunch of hostile characters appeared recently and got the whole place surrounded. We need to get over there so we can show them what might be on that disk you got." Ava looked at the disk in her right hand.

"Well, we'd be happy to help you get through, Rourke." Nigel smiled.

A few of the Sonic team's members waited outside aboard the ship's deck. Marine stood beside the railing, looking over the city below. Blaze noticed her thoughtful expression and walked over. "What's wrong, Marine? Is this place familiar?"

"Well… yeah. Crikey, Oi think this is the town where Elijah said he came from."

"Who's Elijah?"

"Er… jus' an old mate of mine. I only met him one other time after our first meeting and… le's jus' say he got shanghaied into a nasty bunch, eh?"

"I see… well I hope your friend's okay."

"Oi, me too… I jus' like to know where he is now…"

**Enemy Sea Fleet**

(Cue Eggman's Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_!)

Aboard the metallic enemy flagship, commanded by General Immortus, Eggman and Eggman Nega stood by the general and Madame Rouge, overlooking robots and Stormtroopers working at controls. "So, what's the report on the search for the lost kingdom of Oceana?" Immortus asked.

"We are researching the topic as we speak." Orbot responded. "And we still have our enemy research base surrounded."

"IT ISN'T EASY LOOKING FOR A LOST KINGDOM WHEN WE'RE SO LOST." Cubot yelled.

"D'OH! Turn that voice chip down!" Eggman ordered.

"We also think we have a better chance at finding it if we had a Firstborn." Orbot said.

"Typical. And Bowser has the Firstborn." Nega replied, tonelessly.

"Where is Bowser, anyway?" Eggman asked.

"He and Brain had to go handle some other important matters." Immortus said. "It doesn't matter. He called and said he lost the Firstborn."

"I knew ve should not have trusted him to hold on to it." Rouge said smugly.

"Hmmm. How disappointing." Eggman replied.

Just then, King Kroctus Rool marched into the room and approached the villains. "Oh ho, Kroctus! Did you find out what you needed to learn?" Eggman asked the Kremling.

"I believe I have. Eggman, I need Bokkun to send a message for me. To my base, if you will." The Kremling King marched off.

Eggman and Bokkun exchanged glances and shrugged as Bokkun decided to follow him. The large computer started beeping as Bowser Jr.'s image appeared on screen. _"Hey, Eggman! We got a little trouble. Those mean GUN soldiers are approaching our fleet, and it looks like Mario and those other guys are with them."_

"Get the air fleet ready." Immortus ordered. "We'll handle things in the sea."

_"OOH, whatever you say!"_ Wendy Koopa exclaimed, getting in Junior's way. _"As long as I get to still host my show!"_

"Er… yeah, sure." Immortus said, unsure. The two Koopas saluted as the screen switched off.

"Well then… I believe we should get started, too." Eggman suggested. (Stop the music.)

**On the flagship's deck**

"READY THE CANNONS." Immortus ordered to his men on deck.

"LOAD THE GUNS." Eggman shouted as well.

"All men to their stations-"

"All hands on deck."

Immortus then turned to Eggman and said, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, what are you doing?"

"No, what are YOU doing?"

"What are YOU doing?"

"No, what are YOU doing? !"

"Well, what are you-" Eggman just stopped, seeing they were in a loop. "Er… I'm the boss of these robots, I get to give the orders!"

"This is _my_ ship, and my Stormtroopers."

"YOU'RE only a general, you're ranked under The Brain! I'M the master of MY army!"

"But I command actual humans, not just remote-controlled pieces of scrap."

"…Well, I-"

"STOW IT! !" Captain Whisker came and ordered. "The both of ye! That's an order! UNDERSTAND? ! ?"

Both of them gave frightened expressions at the robo captain.

Whisker's anger then died down. "Arr… sorry 'bout that. I just thought, if we were havin' a debate, I'd run for the spot as captain, aye?"

Eggman and Immortus exchanged worried glances and walked away. Mini and Mum came up behind Whisker, and Mini said, "I vote for you, Boss!"

"Yeah, you're the hardest-shelled captain in the Seven Seas, aye?"

"D'arr har har! Of course, me mateys!"

**With the main heroes**

At this time, the main group had set sail as well. Facilier and the Sonic and Mario gangs rode on Facilier's _Old Orleans_ while the KND and the Kongs rode on Rourke's ship. The blue hedgehog, Sonic, once again held his head over the railing in sickness. "Y'know, it's amazing that I'm an earthbender, yet I'm a better swimmer than you." Knuckles said.

"Oh, shut up, Knuckles." Amy shouted, walking over to her crush with a small conch shell necklace. "Here, Sonic! Remember that necklace I made you before to keep you safe in the water? The one that Eggman destroyed? Well, I found some shells and made it again!" she smiled, putting the necklace around his neck.

Sonic held his head up and smiled as he looked at the necklace. "Hehe. Thanks, Amy." He gave a thumbs-up.

"Hm hm hm! It was my pleasure."

Ava and Kweeb smiled and watched the two from Rourke's ship. "Aw, aren't those two adorable?" Ava smiled.

"Hehe, yeah… I still say we're cuter, though." Kweeb replied.

Captain Rourke walked by the two aliens, glancing to them and blowing through a smoke pipe. "So… aliens, huh?"

The two turned to him. "Uh, yah. We're aliens. I'm Ava, this is Kweeb." Ava said.

"Mmm…" Rourke blew through his smoke pipe. "Fascinating creatures, aliens… do you have any powers?"

"Um… I can kiss people of a different language and instantaneously learn that language." Ava replied.

"And she can magically call her swords back to her." Kweeb said.

"Ah, interesting!" Rourke smiled. "Let's just hope you remain on our side…" with that, he walked to the front of the ship.

Ava and Kweeb slightly glared in his direction. "Let's just hope you keep us out of your science test labs." Ava said quietly.

"There's somethin' about that guy…" Kweeb replied, suspicious.

Rourke then went over to the front of the ship with Nigel and Kade. "I have to say, Rourke, you have a pretty cool ship here." Nigel said.

"I'm surprised you aren't Commander already!" Kade said.

"Heh heh. Well, I'm nearly there. Hopefully ridding the seas of these types will make that happen."

"Hey, boys!" At this, they turned and saw Numbuh 10 walk out of the ship, twirling in her red sarong and blue dress. "Can't go on a seafaring adventure without the best style, remember? So, how do I look?"

Kade only made a hot-girl whistle, which Eva giggled at.

Just then, they heard a cannon fire, and saw something made a huge splash in the water beside them. "What was that? !" Tails shouted.

Ahead of them was a fleet of pirate ships, both mechanical and wooden versions, with sails of K. Rool, Eggman, and Brotherhood symbols, and also some Kremling naval ships. Sonic only noticed the Eggman sails and smirk. "Hehehe. The good doctor sure is desperate, isn't he?"

"Oi, mates! Those blokes ah Whisker's pirates, too!" Marine pointed.

"So, Whisker's made a return, too, has he?" Blaze said.

"Hehehe. Time for a little oceanic action!" Sonic snickered. "See you in a bit!" With that, the blue hedgehog charged his legs and dashed over the boat's ledge, running along the water.

"Wait, when did Sonic learn to do that?" Knuckles asked.

"I think during the Dark Gaia incident." Tails figured. "Or was it when we met Blaze…"

"Aw, hey, Sonic! Don't hog all the action, Mate!" Marine yelled, jumping onto her waterbike. She smirked and said, "Save some for me, eh? WOOHOOOO!" the raccoon cheered as she sped after Sonic. (Play the "Darktoon Chase" Theme from _Rayman Origins_!)

_Stage 29: Sea Fleet_

_Mission: Get through the enemy fleet and reach Rourke's base!_

_Act 1_

Sonic the Hedgehog skidded across the water and dashed to the fleet, dodging the cannon fire that the ships blew at him. Sonic saw some winged Tikis and Home Attacked off of them, getting onto one of the Kremling ships. The hedgehog boosted over some Klomps before Home Attacking off more winged Tikis up to the cannons. Sonic had to hit the cannons a few times before they exploded, and once they were taken out, he fell to the back of the ship.

On another ship across from him, two Kannons were firing barrels over. Sonic Home Attacked off the barrels and reached the ship, taking out the Kannons before shooting up to take out the naval cannons. When Sonic reached the last one, he tricked it into blasting the front of another ship, making it tilt downward, while that ship blasted the back of Sonic's and made it tilt. Sonic just ran down the tilting ship, across the water, and up the other one, shooting over the part tilting up and Home Attacking off some Bladed Spinners to reach a shark-designed flagship.

Sonic sped down the long flagship, running over several Stormtroopers before running around a pole, making a tornado around it that blew him higher up the ship, then Home Attacking off more Tikis before reaching the top of the ship's tower. At the top, two E2000s aimed to blast him, but Sonic got between the two robots and tricked them into firing lasers at each other. Sonic then charged his Spin Dash and shot into the ship's control room, wrecking and exploding the tower.

At this time, Marine the Raccoon was speeding by on her waterbike, punching away Tikis and Kremlings on speedboats with her energy balls. She passed by a pirate ship and shot an energy ball to the topsail, making a chain that swung her around the sail before landing on. Marine slid down the sail and started punching away robo-pirates. She then charged and punched the mast, making it topple over onto another ship, using it to run across. On the other ship were two robots with ball-n-chains. One of them tossed its ball, but Marine grabbed and swung the robot into the other one before throwing it off. She then hopped in a cannon and fired herself to another ship, hitting and knocking over the mast before landing back on her bike.

She hit the boost and shot through groups of Lockjaw that jumped at her. When she reached the next flagship, she shot her fist at some winged Tikis hovering over, grabbing and swinging across them to land on the flagship. On the ship, several Stormtroopers got aboard Imperial Walkers, firing lasers at the raccoon. Marine shot energy balls at the first one's knees, making it topple over. She shot a ball at another one's leg, making an energy chain for her to swing around it, getting its legs tied so it would fall.

She ran under the last one and shot her fist at the hatch, opening it and shooting an energy chain to climb in, knocking out the Stormtroopers and taking control of the Walker. She aimed at the control tower and fired, blowing it to smithereens. She leapt out of the Walker as a burning piece of the tower landed on top of it, jumping back to her waterbike. She then found Sonic running beside her as both of them headed back for Facilier's yacht, climbing back on and giving a high-five as their friends cheered. (Stop the music.)

The pirate ships fired cannonballs at the yacht, but Facilier quickly used magic to turn them into bubbles. The GUN Troops aboard the SS United Nations took aim at other enemy naval ships and fired their cannons, wiping the ships out. "Steer-RIKE!" Rourke cheered, shooting other ships with his blunderbuss.

Some Klinger Kremlings climbed onto the yacht, but Amy smirked as she beat them away with her hammer. She then looked up and frowned when she spotted several flying airships. "Uh-oh. Looks like we got company."

"Those are Bowser's airships." Peach said, worriedly, beating another Kremling with her golf club.

As Rourke shot off a Stormtrooper, he noticed the sky getting grey with clouds, pouring rain down. "And it's a storm. Great!" he yelled sarcastically.

They saw a bunch of Paratroopas and Bokoblin on Kargaroks flying down from the ships and shooting arrows, so Eva used her bending to catch a bunch of raindrops, freezing and shooting the ice drops at the enemies. "Ugh. It's hard to fight these guys down here."

"If only we could get to those airships." Nigel said.

"Bzzz-zip-zi-zzzzt!" At this strange buzz call, they saw the large mosquito, Moskito, zooming around the skies, past the airships, before shooting down and straight toward Eva, who winced as it gave a sudden stop, gesturing for her to climb on.

"What the heck is that thing?" Rourke asked.

"A giant mosquito?" Kade asked.

"It looks like he wants me to ride." Eva figured, getting on its back.

"Are you sure that's safe, riding out in a storm?" Nigel asked.

"Not in the least. But then again… I'm your cousin." She smirked, kicking its side like a horse, making it take off. "HI-HO, MOSQUITO!" (Play the Song of Storms from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Act 2_

Eva rode the mosquito as winged Tikis flew out from the ships and spat fireballs at them, but Moskito sucked them in and blew them back. Moskito dodged as Paratroopas came down and spun at them, sucking some in and shooting the shells at other Koopas. The Bokoblin riding Kargaroks fired arrows that Moskito caught and shot back, but the monsters only defended with shields. Eva bended some raindrops into waterbending slices and cut the shields, allowing Moskito to shoot them.

"Enemy submarines attacking from the bottom!" Rourke shouted. Eva and Moskito immediately dove down, with Eva making a water bubble to encase them so they could breathe. Underwater, enemy submarines shot torpedoes at the SS UN, so Eva bended the water and made them turn back, crashing and exploding the subs.

A school of little fish called Bitesize swam by for Moskito to inhale and fire at Kremling subs. A bunch of torpedoes came their way, but Moskito quickly flew into a dark cave underwater, where Glimmer the anglerfish lit their way. The two narrowly dodged as little clams called Clambos fired pearls, and Moskito sucked and blew the pearls back. A squad of blue octopuses, called Croctopuses, chased them, but Moskito dodged each one that spun by, shooting the octos.

They reached the end of the cave and shot above the surface to the sky. The winds started to become rough as they were flying into the airship fleet, the many floating ships firing Bullet and Banzai Bills, in which Moskito sucked up the Bullet Bills to fire at the Banzais. Eva and Moskito yelped and barely dodged as lightning started to hit, striking and burning the ships, which then exploded into fireballs they had to dodge. One of the ships then fired a squad of Missile Bill at them, but Moskito swerved and dodged the Bills, making them crash each other. The last two had strange raccoon tails, which Moskito destroyed, making Tanuki Suits drop down below.

The two then flew above the stormy clouds to the bright sky above, shooting off a few more Bokoblin on Kargaroks. Eva spotted a bigger airship close ahead, so Moskito flew over for Eva to drop onto the ship. (Stop the music.)

Down below, Mario and Luigi saw the two Tanuki Suits drop down and decided to grab and put them on, spinning and whacking their raccoon tails at some Kremlings that came for them. "Oi, mates! Now you're raccoons jus' like me!" Marine beamed.

"You DO know they probably come from REAL raccoons." Blaze mentioned.

"So. What's yer gettin'?" Marine asked, confused. Blaze looked disbelieved.

"These Tanuki Suits oughta help us get to the lead airship!" Luigi figured. "Let's go, Bro!"

"Yea!" With that, the two ran and jumped over the railing, taking off for the sky.

_"Ah ha ha, ha ha!"_ Came some crazy, kiddish laugh. The operatives looked up and saw the robo child, Bokkun flying toward them. "Now… which one of you is Kami Drilovsky?"

"Uh… I am." Kami decided to raise her hand. "What's up?"

Bokkun got in her face with an angry expression. "I got a message to you from King K. Rool, so ya better pay attention if ya don't want some o' these!" He waved his fists.

"Just play it."

"Here." Bokkun held the mini TV in front of her face as it showed a silhouetted image of King K. Rool, laying back in his throne and slowly fiddling his fingers.

_"So… Kami Drilovsky. Word has reached me that it was _you_ who assisted the Kongs in trying to steal my bananas we stole."_

"OOOOHHH." Donkey glared at the reptile king.

"Uh, we're here, too." Ava mentioned.

"He can't hear you, it's a recording." Bokkun said.

_"I've got some important business I'd like to discuss that I think you'll wanna hear. Come to my floating island base to the Northeast. My minions will show you the way. MWEH HEH HEH HAR!"_

_"This message was brought to you by the Eggman Empire, who is not responsible for its content."_ Eggman's voice spoke. _"…Except this part."_ Right away, the TV blew up in Kami's face.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Bokkun laughed, flying away, Kami growling at him.

"Well… that was a real bang." Kweeb joked. Kami once again flicked him away.

"O-kay… But you aren't really gonna go, are you?" Ava asked.

"It's most definitely a trap." Tails pointed out.

"Yeah…" Kami looked down in thought. "But why would he wanna trap _me_ instead of the Kongs?"

"You think he might be crushing on you?" Dixie joked.

"I don't know. There's something odd about this. I think I might go…"

"Shouldn't you find a way to bring backup, just in case?" Ava asked.

"Hmm… I'll think of something."

**Above the airship flagship**

Back up above, Eva looked around the deck of the airship, seeing it was decorated with pink curtained tables, balloons, and pictures of Wendy Koopa. _"Welcooome!"_ Eva shot her attention to the stage in the front. "To Wendy O. Koopa's dance party AIRSHIP!" The red-shelled Koopa girl with a pink bow emerged from below the stage with a microphone. "Today, I'm the star singer, Wendy O. Koopa!"

"You…" Eva looked weirded out by the girl. "You're the boss of this airship fleet? !"

"Heehee, that's right! And you're JUST in time to watch my debut single!" she exclaimed, drawing out a long, pink ribbon. "…Nooo ESCAPE!"

_Boss fight: Wendy O. Koopa_

_Wendy: Follow me… I'll take you to the siiimple liife. (simple liife)_

_THAT is why… the Koopa still survives, and thri-ives!_

Wendy waved her ribbon and blew pink hearts that homed in on Eva, who dodged and whipped them away with Water Whip.

_Come with me. I'll take you to paradise. (paradise…)_

_IN-humans… are the best life… tooo ari-ise!_

Eva ran up on stage and started swinging her Water Whip as Wendy countered with her heart ribbon. Eva pulled the ribbon away and dealt a few blows against the Koopa, who quickly recovered and rolled over to grab her ribbon.

_It doesn't matter… what you are._

_As LONG as you are one!_

She continued to whip more hearts at Eva, the Ocean Princess trying to dodge over and whip her back, but Wendy jumped atop one of the poles.

_We will see…_

_Just you and me…_

_And see how a freakshow FEELS, ooh-ooh!_

_Just come on down, you foo'. (foo'…)_ Eva just stared disbelieved at the Koopa.

_Humans beings are SO taboo._

_Don't go OVER all banana_

_Nor act like a nana_

_And COME be META with ME, ooh-ooh-ooh!_

Eva just used Water Slice to cut the pole down, making the Koopa singer fall over. Wendy started screaming as Eva dealt several Water Whips against her. "STOP IT!" she finally yelled, standing back up and whipping Eva's hands with her ribbon. "How DARE you! Just because you're jealous that I'm a better singer than you, doesn't give you the right to stop my show!"

"Girl, you shouldn't even be allowed to sing." Eva snapped back.

"She's right, we could hear it from down here!" The two turned their attention as Mario and Luigi flew up to the deck in their Tanuki Suits, ready for battle.

"Aw! Not you annoying plumbers, too! That's it, now I'm mad. KAMMY!" At Wendy's call, the purple-clothed Magikoopa on a broomstick swooped up.

"Mweh heh heh. You Mario Bros. always have a knack for showing up where you aren't invited. But that's very rude of you to interrupt Wendy's show. I'll do something about that." The Koopa witch waved her wand and sprinkled magic all over Wendy's ribbon. When the Koopa twirled it again, it became a ribbon dragon, flapping its wings and roaring as Wendy hopped on top.

"Aha! This is pretty cool! This oughta teach you meanies a lesson. Let's DANCE!" With that, she whipped her dragon with the handle part of the ribbon as it roared again. (Play the "Koopalings Theme 1" from _New Super Mario Bros. Wii_!)

The ribbon dragon took to the sky and flew several feet away from the ship, spitting fireballs that Eva defended with a water shield. The dragon charged and blew right over them, nearly blowing them over the edge with the force, but they grabbed on. The dragon landed on the deck and was about to stomp them off, but Mario and Luigi climbed back up and shot fireballs, burning and stunning the dragon, and making Wendy fall off. Mario then back-flipped above Wendy and Ground Pounded her, the Koopa girl retreating in her shell as she spun around the deck to try and knock them over.

Both she and the dragon recovered as Wendy leapt back on, taking off. It flew out from the ship again and launched more fireballs. While Eva protected from the fireballs, a bunch of Boomerang Bros came out, throwing boomerangs at Eva. Mario and Luigi whacked the boomerangs away with their raccoon tails and protected her, then whacked the Koopas away. The ribbon dragon flew high above the ship, about to smash them with a Ground Pound, but Luigi got under, charged his Hi Jump, and shot straight up, damaging the dragon first and knocking Wendy off.

The Koopa tried to whip Eva with her ribbon again, but Eva wrapped her Water Whip around it, pulling it away and using it to whip her a few times. Wendy curled in her shell and spun around, trying to hit them again. She was able to trip Eva and take her ribbon back, getting back on the dragon and flying away from the ship. "Uh-oh. Here it comes!" Eva exclaimed as the dragon charged for one last attack to wreck the ship.

"That's it for you, Mario Bros. and unpretty girl!" Wendy yelled.

"Really?" Eva rolled her eyes.

Mario and Luigi decided to charge their fire attacks as well. When the dragon charged, Mario and Luigi unleashed their orange and green fire tornados, totally burning the ribbon-made dragon to nothingness. Wendy was then left floating in midair, looking down with a terrified look before falling and screaming to the sea.

Mario, Luigi, and Eva did victory twirls as the two brothers tossed their hats in the air. (Stop the music.)

"Yeah!" Mario cheered.

"We did it, Bro!" Luigi followed.

"Of course, I did most of the work." Eva reminded. "Flying through that storm and stuff."

"Hehe, right." Luigi chuckled. "Now we should probably get back to the others."

But when they were about to jump over the edge, Bowser Jr. came up from a table from behind, holding a Darkness Cannon. "Not so fast, you losers!" And right when they turned to him, Junior fired the cannon, directly hitting Luigi and knocking him out.

"LUIGI!" Eva and Mario screamed.

"TAKE 'EM OUT!" Bowser Jr. commanded as Kammy flew by to carry him away. A bunch of other airships started firing at the flagship, quickly destroying it.

"Jump!" Eva yelled. Both of them grabbed Luigi and leapt over the edge, falling back to Facilier's boat.

_Luigi woke up to find himself in some freaky, parallel-dimension-type place, rubbing his aching head. "Ow… my head…"_

_"Aha ha ha. And so, the plumber arrives, as fast as a little kiddie falls to the will of his dreams." A mysterious voice echoed._

_Luigi, startled, looked around for the source of the familiar voice. "That voice…" _(Play Dimentio's Theme from _Super Paper Mario_!)

_At that instant, a familiar, black-and-white faced figure, dressed in a jester outfit, appeared out of nowhere, baring a similar appearance to Dimentia. "You're as clumsy as ever, my dear plumber!"_

_"D-D-DIMENTIO!"_

_"Ah ha ha ha! And I thought my sister made the surprising appearances! 'Course, escaping the Underworld all on her own was no small feat. But what's happening with her isn't important until later. What matters now is YOU, Dear Luigi!"_

_"What do you want this time, Dimentio? !" he asked, angrily. "We kicked your butt before."_

_"Aha ha ha! I want NO desire of my own, Dear Plumber. I am merely here to get you what YOU want. Mainly what you deserve."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Isn't it amazing? You're the favorite of the _Mario_ Series, the star of your own game where you saved Mario, and even accompanied the plumber on most of his adventures. And yet, he STILL gets deemed the main hero and not you."_

_"So?"_

_"Aha ha ha! Isn't it so INFURIATING! Someone who is clearly the less competent getting all the credit?"_

_"Well, he does get most of the important roles. I'm not really mad."_

_"Hm, yes… but don't you wish YOU could have the important role for once? Rather than just letting your superstar brother have all the fun? Why, even in this excuse for a story, you're nothing but a mere shadow to him."_

_"That's not true! Mario may get most of the stardom, but everyone knows I'm just as important!"_

_"Exactly! And that's why we need to let that importance out!"_

_"Wh…What?"_

_"Come, Luigi! The fans all want it, and so do you! Unleash the true Super Luigi within you… on the_ Dark Side_."_

_"Wh…What are you…" Luigi shook in fear as Dimentio started to channel powerful magic into his hands. The male space clown unleashed his power, giving the green plumber a massive shock. "Oh NOOOOOOO…"_ (Stop the music.)

Luigi lay unconscious on Facilier's boat as the rest of his friends looked over him. "Luigi?" Peach spoke, worriedly.

"Is he okay?" Toad asked.

Suddenly, Luigi was encased in light, exploding and blowing them all back as his clothing changed black, and a green handkerchief and black Western mask appeared, and his 'L' was revered on his cap. "Lu…Luigi?" Tails looked back up. (Play Mr. L's Theme from _Super Paper Mario_!)

The gang slowly approached as Luigi's body began to shake. The plumber shot back to his feet, making a pose, the Mario Team gasping at his new uniform. "Wherever there's peace in the universe! I'll be there to make everything worse, I'm _Mr. L_." He sang.

"Mr. L?" Tails repeated.

"The Green THUNDAH!" he sang.

"Oh no. Luigi's become Mr. L again." Peach said.

"I'm blasting off at the speed of light! Surrender now or prepare to fight, I'm _Mr. L_."

"What's going on?" Sonic asked.

"Heh heh heh. Never a dull moment, eh, Hedgehog? Well, let me give you the lowdown." Mr. L glared at Mario. "I've been in Mario's shadow for far too long. It's time my true awesomeness has been unleashed. Thanks to a little help from an old friend of mine, the Green Thunder known as Mr. L is awakened!"

"This guy on drugs or something?" Rourke asked, still smoking his pipe.

"Luigi, whaddyou think you're doing? !" Knuckles asked angrily.

"Heh heh heh. What it's ABOUT is ME turning to the Dark Side, to show what I'm REALLY made of! And the Dark Master may help me do just that."

"This is foolishness." Blaze spoke seriously. "Stop this right now."

"Heh ha! Just because you're the princess, Blaze, you have no command over me. Mr. L does what he wants now, and he wants over to the bad side."

"Hmm." Mario just furrowed his brow.

"Everyone has a Dark Side, Bro. And you're about to be reminded of mine." He then pressed a button on his belt and activated rocket shoes. "But until then, I need to be acquainted with my fellow villains. For now, let's let the nature of the ocean do its course! Eh heh heh heh!" With that, the brainwashed plumber took off for the enemy ship.

"LUIGI!" Peach called.

"It's too late. He's gone now…" Blaze said.

"Mama Luigi…" Yoshi looked sad.

"Well, NOW what?" Knuckles asked. (Stop the music.) Suddenly, the boat began to shake.

"Great. What's going on now?" Manic asked.

The gang jumped with total surprise when a massive octopus emerged from the depths, looking furiously at them. "That's the octopus that attacked us before!" Eva remembered.

"Oh no! Look!" Sonic yelled, pointing at three Tikis that were shaped like maracas. The Tikis shook and played hypnotic, melodic tunes, brainwashing the octopus. They flew inside the octopus as the angered animal shook its tentacles, grabbing and starting to shake the two ships with various tentacles.

"How many tentacles does this thing have?" Eva asked.

"Doesn't matter. We have to stop it!" Sonic said.

"WOOHOO! Oi, Squidface! Get ready ta be turned into sushi, eh?" Marine shouted cockily. (Play the Squiddicus Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

_Boss fight: The Multipus_

Sonic started running along the water around the octopus, dodging as the many tentacles shot up to whack him. He then Home Attacked off a few tentacles up to its eyes, attacking them. He bounced off for a tentacle to grab him, but Sonic quickly shook away and jumped to another one. That other one tried to smash him in the water, but Sonic ran up the arm and jumped to the tip of the next one, which wrapped around him. The tentacle threw Sonic above the Multipus, allowing him to charge his Home Attack and shoot at his cranium, making him dizzy.

"Moi turn, eh?" Marine said, readying her waterbike as Sonic ran back to the boat. The raccoon sped toward the octopus and punched away the tentacles it tried to whack at her. She leapt onto one of the tentacles in the water, holding on as it tried to shake her off, and jumping as it splashed in the water. Marine ran closer up the tentacle and punched energy balls at the octopus's eyes. She then dodged as a tentacle tried to smash her. She fired a ball at the tentacle to make an energy chain to swing up to it. It shook and threw her off, but she grabbed it with a chain again, getting back on and riding it like a horse. A bunch more tentacles started to come up, but Marine used them as stairs down to the head, and when she reached it, another tentacle rose higher, so she shot a chain to it and swung high above the head, dropping down, spinning her fist, and giving a powerful punch to the cranium.

Marine fell back to her waterbike and went back to the boat. "I'll finish it off." Eva smirked, making an ice surfboard and surfing over to the behemoth. A tentacle shot up and knocked her off her board, but she landed on a tentacle the Multipus was holding horizontally. She kept her balance as she bended her water fists, dodging the tentacles that tried to smash her and punching at its eyes. When she punched them enough times, Eva flipped back and grabbed the ledge of the tentacle, starting to slide down. She landed on the tip of another one rising up, which threw her down to the bottoms of two more.

Eva started to Wall Jump up the two tentacles as they sunk down, then grabbed onto another one that waved by. The tentacle tried to smash her into another one, but she jumped and slid down that other one, nearly making it to the head before another tried to swat her. She grabbed onto it as it swung her upwards. Eva bended her water fists again as the tentacle tossed her, and the Ocean Princess charged her fists and once again bashed the cranium clear at the top.

The octopus groaned as it finally released the ships, rolling its eyes and sinking below the surface. The Maraca Tikis flew out of the monster dizzily as well, and Eva gave her fists one more charge before flinging them out to the sea. Eva made her ice surfboard again and surfed back to the yacht, stopping with style as the others cheered. (Stop the music.)

"GOOO EVA!" Kade cheered.

"Man, am I glad that's over." Rourke said. "You kids sure are the real deal. Explains why you were able to recover that disk."

"It's all in a day's work for the Kids Next Door." Nigel stated proudly.

"Ha ha. Well, at any rate, let's get that disk to my base. With the enemy fleet gone, it's just a hop and a stone's water skip away. Let's go." With that, the ships proceeded to sail to the island base ahead.

"Finally. The sooner we can get off this water, the sooner I can... Ohh..." Sonic fainted.

"Sonic?" Tails looked worriedly with the others.

"What happened?" Sonia asked.

"Oh no! The seasickness must've been too much for him." Amy panicked.

"I don't know. I feel like I've seen this before..." Eva observed.

* * *

><p><strong>Arrrgh. Once again, this took quite a while. Everyone remembers Captain Rourke, right? And the song Wendy sang was based off of Pink Monkey's from <em>Ape Escape 2<em>. Next time, we'll see what's on this disk. See you then.**


	31. Naval Battle

**Time for ANOTHER Chronicler scene! With Sonic the Hedgehog! As always, play the "Dreams" Theme from _Spyro: Eternal Night_. Let's go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Invasion on the Research Facility! The Kids Next Door vs. Immortus!<em>**

Sonic awakened from his sudden faint, finding himself on an asteroid floating in the depths of space, standing up and rubbing his head. "Oh… where am I?"

_"Sonic the Hedgehog…"_

"Who's there?" He looked around.

_"My name is The Chronicler. Spirit who watches peoples' lives…"_

"So, you're a stalker."

_"Seriously? ! You too? ! Sigh… just listen: I am here to show you your Air Element. Step forward along the floating path…"_ The floating asteroids appeared for Sonic to… run across, rather than walk.

He walked slower when he reached a gate of wind, as well as a glowing white wind platform. "So, what's this all about?"

_"Sonic… the power of the wind and air has always been with you. It's where your great speed comes from."_

"Makes sense that I'm called 'Knight of the Wind'." He smirked.

_"Yes… a title could have no greater meaning. Step into the light…"_ Sonic did as told and stood on the glowing platform. The hedgehog smiled and closed his eyes, peacefully breathing the wind that blew through his face, in the illusion of the blue sky of fluffy white clouds.

_"Air is the Element of Freedom. It is the most peaceful of the Light Elements. The wind blows across the worlds… breathing life into the inhabitants of the land. The airbenders of old have detached their selves from the troubles of the world… and have binded with the wind. Forever remaining in peace and harmony… as the world goes 'round. Sonic… you have had this power for a long time… running fast and free… just like the wind."_ The blue hedgehog could feel the wind and clouds spiraling around him. The blue hedgehog curled in a pinball and spun around, releasing a tornado explosion.

The vision vanished and Sonic was back at the Realm, walking through the wind gate that had opened. Ahead was merely a swervy path that he's seen hundreds of times, of hills, snaky turns, and a loop-di-loop. _"The wind moves at incredible speeds… faster than anything on the planet. Run along the track before the door closes, fast as you can… like you always have."_

Sonic saw a door open on the very end of the track, and it slowly began to close. The hedgehog ran and dashed down the track, up and down the hills, turning the narrow paths, and over the loop-di-loops, sliding under the tiny crack the door had left to close.

The hedgehog then reached a long, wide river of Sonic's least favorite element: water. _"Air is incredibly light. There is little weight to it. Use your light-weighted feet and run across this-"_

"Yeah, yeah." Sonic cut off, already speeding across the river like he's done several times.

He then reached a tall pole and saw a series of other poles floating on distant asteroids, each at different altitudes. _"When the wind spirals freely into one place, it creates tornados that forcibly suck everything around. But when holding onto a thin surface like this, you can blow yourself to great distances."_ Sonic, having done this before, performed a Sonic Tornado around the pole, holding on as he spun upwards, flinging to the next pole, and the next one, to the next, and landing on the road ahead.

Sonic then came to a small pit of quicksand that seemed a little too thick for him to run over. _"Air can also be spun into a sphere which you can balance on top of and float for a short time."_ At this, Sonic waved his hands and spun a bunch of air into a little ball, sitting and balancing on top as he carefully drifted over the pool of quicksand. Once on the other side, he dashed down the path.

Sonic finally reached the open field of stone demons, all ready for battle. _"The evil ones are trying to hold you captive. Show them how your air blows free like the wind… and stop them."_ Sonic smirked as he dashed off and Home Attacked the first squad of soldiers. Sonic spun and rode his Air Ball over a few other soldiers, blowing them over the edge. He then made a tornado that blew several more demons upward, and then kicked them away as they came down. He Spin Dashed into another row, and afterwards finished the last ones off with an Air Slice.

Once the last of them were gone, the blue hedgehog was surrounded by many more. He continued to smile, and peacefully closed his eyes as the wind breezed into a tornado again. _"When you are truly at peace… freely doing what you love… the wind blows stronger than ever."_ Sonic the Hedgehog channeled all the wind blowing around him before making one large tornado, sucking in all the enemies that surrounded, and blew them all away in a wind explosion. "_Excellent work… but remember: while your wind blows free, you must consider the stature of your friends once in a while, if they are in need of your help…"_

"Hehehe. You don't watch my life very good, do you? I've helped people plenty of times, not just my friends."

_"Indeed you have. That is why I need not worry of you much. Now… step into the temple before you."_ The floating rock path appeared once again, leading to the wind gate of the temple. Sonic proceeded up the asteroid path and walked through the gate, stopping to catch the breeze a little before he headed in.

Sonic walked forward and observed the surrounding elemental gateways while approaching the central light pool. "Okay, so I learned a bunch of stuff I basically already know. I didn't really realize I DID have the power of air, but… what is this about? What's with all these weird gates?"

_"Seven other people have come here before you already. All with great destinies with things to come. Sonic: you are one of the few remaining airbenders in the cosmos. Airbenders are lighthearted spirits. Very important. The fact that you can use the Chaos Emeralds like you do, neutralizing the hearts of the most troubled spirits… is nothing short of proof of your power, to bring light to even the darkest hearts…"_

"Hehe. The time spirits don't very much care for the Emeralds." He chuckled.

_"Yes… they underestimate the Emeralds' true purpose in the world, because of their history. (And because they are so easily found.) You recall the spirit, Chaos. His troubled heart nearly destroyed the world years ago. And it almost did so again… until you healed it."_

"All in a day's work." He said proudly.

_"And you will need that power again, very soon…"_

"Sounds like I need the Chaos Emeralds." He figured. "But what happened to the airbenders anyway? Did they wipe each other out just like the psychics?"

_"No. The firebenders of a distant world played a role in wiping the airbenders of the earth. But they still exist in a civilization in the sky, and only an airbender of your stature would be able to find them. You do recall Rachel McKenzie, correct?"_

"Yeah. The blonde girl who got the cool sword."

_"You must find a way back to the sky, and bring Rachel McKenzie with you. Step into the light to find your way…"_ Sonic stared at the Pool of Light before him. The hedgehog stepped forward, took a breath, and stuck his face in the glowing pool, staring with wonder. (Stop the music.)

_He was shown a vision of a vast, windy field, where a tower of incredible, colossal height reached way up into the heavens. A green, armored, flying snakelike being soared around the tower a few times before shooting right into the hedgehog's face with glowing yellow eyes._

**The _Old Orleans_**

"SONIC!"

"AHH!" Sonic finally shot awake on the deck of Facilier's yacht, rubbing his ears from Amy's loud voice. "Ow…"

"Oops. Sorry, Sonic."

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Tails asked. "Bad dream or somethin'?"

"Nah. I'm fine." He replied, standing up. "So, what's up?"

"We just made it to Rourke's base." Amy replied.

"Everyone else went in to analyze that disk." Knuckles followed. "We stayed out here to look after you. Since you obviously can't do that yourself." He smirked.

"Hehehe." Sonic smirked at the echidna. "Well, sleeping-in time's over. Let's go and join the others, wanna?" They all smiled and nodded as they followed the hedgehog inside.

**KND Hospital Treehouse**

The members of Rachel's gang were now peacefully resting in the KND hospital treehouse, under the blue and peaceful starry night sky. Rachel was currently asleep in a bed with her blue Rainbow Monkey nightgown. She awoke yawning as she went to get a glass of water from the refrigerator, careful not to wake up Rouge who was upside-down on the ceiling. After getting her drink, her eyes and ears perked at a mysterious sound outside. She curiously walked out onto the balcony, stopping when she spotted Fi floating slightly over the edge, looking up to the sky and singing in a beautiful, angelic voice.

_Ancient light… help the lost ones…_

_Guide their way… through the darkness…_

_Spirits help… the outcasts…_

_Spirits help… the outcasts…_

Rachel could only stare with wonder as she heard the spirit's voice. Fi never sounded so angelic before. All Rachel's heard from her spirit guide was hints on how to do things and stuff. She never really spoke of things otherwise…

Fi stopped singing and turned to notice her master. _"Forgive me, Master Rachel. Did my singing awaken you?"_

"Huh? Oh, no. I just got up to get a drink. …That was great singing, though. Where'd you learn that, Fi?"

_"It is a song passed down from generations to the People of the Sky. Eons ago, there was a great war between the spirits and demons that forced the land inhabitants to retreat to the Realm of the Sky. That song was sung by them to keep hope that, one day, they can return to their home on the ground."_

"Sounds pretty neat!" she smiled. "But why were you singing it just then?"

Fi looked away slightly. _"The Land of the Sky is where I was created. Where I met my previous master to assist him on his journey. While my only place is to serve the wielder of the Master Sword, I seem to possess the desire to return to the sky, and be reminded of my home."_

"Does the sky have a spirit?"

_"Yes. Rayquaza is the fabled Spirit of the Sky. He blessed the Sky People with the power to bend air. They passed it onto the sky bison, who then passed it onto the mortals below."_

"Ah-huh…" Rachel nodded as the information seeped in. "Hey, Fi. Can I ask you something about the elements?"

_"You may, Master."_ (Play Fi's Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

"Well… how many bendable elements are there?"

_"There are 12 different bendable elements. But the most commonly found in benders are the 4 Light Elements; Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, and the 4 Dark Elements; Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear. The other 4 Elements, Time & Space and Light & Darkness, are very special, powerful ones, granted only to certain individuals. Time & Space are ones controlled by the most powerful gods that rest upon Spear Pillar. They grant their powers only to certain people worthy enough."_

"Like the timebenders…" Rachel said to herself. "But what about Light and Darkness? What are those…"

_"Light is the power given to those who have embraced all the features of the Light Elements, and those who have a powerful, lighthearted spirit. While Darkness is the power given to those who have embraced all Dark Elements, or those who only feel darkness. Be they benders of those elements or not. Throughout history, only the Avatars and Negatars are mostly known to have these powers."_

"Negatars? There's… more than one?"

_"Lord Gnaa is the current Negatar generation, but there have been many before him. The Negatar Cycle is one that has gone on for generations. The spirits had originally intended to make an Avatar, bender of all Light Elements. But this resulted in his Negative counterpart gaining the powers of the Dark Ones. Two powers, Light and Darkness… that have gone in an unending war for generations… are represented in the forms of those two souls."_

"You're saying… if we had the Negatar's Positive counterpart… we might be able to beat him?"

_"I cannot say for sure. But the Avatar has been lost for generations."_

"But he must be alive. Otherwise Lord Gnaa wouldn't… would he?"

_"Lord Gnaa's powers exceed any others. He may have defied this law between the Positives and Negatives to achieve eternal life. His need of Harvey's form may prove this."_

"Yeah… you're right…" Rachel looked away in sadness, remembering the fate of her brother.

_"Our objective now is to find the Eight Firstborn and put an end to him."_

"But wait a minute. If there are eight elements that people commonly bend… does that mean each of those elements is controlled by a Firstborn?"

_"Only some, but not all. And the Eight Guardians could be anyone, bender or not."_

"I see. But… what did you mean by 'those who have embraced the features of the Light or Dark Elements can bend Light or Darkness, be they benders or not'? If they can't bend those elements…"

_"Master… elemental bending is so much more than simply conjuring fire, or flinging massive rocks, or controlling things with your mind. These powers all come from the emotions of individuals. Passion creates Fire, hurt creates Poison, freedom creates Air, while the feeling of banishment creates Shadow."_

"I see…" Rachel nodded. "Well… you think you could tell me more about the elements? Like, their origins or something?"

_"Are you not tired, Master?"_

"Eh. I'm pretty awake now. I'd be able to listen." She smiled, sitting down with her legs crossed.

Fi gave a smile. _"I'd be honored to, Master."_

"And quit calling me 'Master'! Just call me Rachel."

_"Yes… Rachel… I will begin explaining…" _(Stop the music.)

**The Fancy Cuisine**

The night was not so peaceful over downtown Cleveland, Virginia. The people dining at the fancy restaurant, the Fancy Cuisine, were disgusted as King Dedede and Escargoon gobbled away at their food. "Hey, Waiter, how 'bout another ROUND over here? !" the king shouted.

The French waiter hesitantly came over and said, "M-M-Monsieurs, are you sure you have not had enough already?"

"QUIET DOWN, FOOL! I am the KING! And Ah want more spaghetti!"

"Er, w-we are out of ze spaghetti. Eh, perhaps some roasted snails, or-"

"SNAILS? !" Escargoon screamed. "You MONSTER! You dare roast all my relatives? !" he shouted in his face. "All my poor cousins and uncles! Grrrr…" He growled in anger. "I'M GONNA TEACH YOU TO COOK SNAILS!" The angry escargot started trying to grab him, but Dedede held him back.

"Settle down, Fool! This place stinks like baloney, but Ah still want more food!"

"Uh, w-we will give you ze roast beef." The waiter said as other waiters brought some beef out. The two villains proceeded to gobble it down.

From a nearby table, Bartie Stork and Virginia Sims could only watch in disgust as the two ate away. "Man, can't those two, like, chew with their mouths closed or somethin'?" Ginny asked.

"Ahem, excuse me?" Bartie shouted, catching their attention. "Um, can you two try and be, I dunno, a little more slow with your eating?"

"Pleah!" Dedede spat a piece out at Bartie, sticking on his left cheek. "Shut up, ya li'l brats! Ah can eat any way Ah want!"

"You're spewing food all over the place, you crazy old fatso!" Virginia snapped.

"Hey, you can't talk to His Majesty that way!" Escargoon retorted. "What would your father say?"

"I'll have you know that my GRANDFATHER is-"

"HEY, WAITER!" Dedede shouted. "We still bored over here! How 'bout a little entertainment?"

"Uh, w-what kind, Sirs?"

"How about you sing a little song for us?" Escargoon smirked.

"Er, I cannot sing. B-But we have a duet of professional singers that just came in today!" he replied, going up onto the stage and fixing the microphone. "Er, your attentions, please. Ve have a couple of singers here for you tonight. Give a round of applause for Melody and Thad!" The customers applauded as a girl with long brown hair and a guy with long black hair walked onto the stage.

"Thank you! I'm Melody!" the girl introduced happily.

"I'm Thad…" the boy said glumly.

"To start off, we're going to sing you a song about people JUST like you, eating at a restaurant! Ready, Thad?"

"I'm Thad…" Thad repeated.

"Okay! Let's begin." Thad started playing a guitar while the customers continued eating, and Melody began to sing.

"ONE TIIIME, I ate aaaat, a restaurant! The food was disgustiiiing and baaaad."

Dedede and Escargoon's eyes widened as they stopped before eating some soup.

"Spaghetti was worms. The meatballs had germs." Thad sang as Dedede, Escargoon, and Bartie and Ginny started to throw up their food, as did many other customers.

"The salad had nose hairs, the pea soup was aptly named, the people who made this were caaaads!" Melody sang. The waiter immediately ran up on stage to stop them. "BRING ME a bag, I am vomiting-"

"Er, I vould like it if you did not sing about snot and vomit." He told them.

"Why, why ever not?" Melody asked.

"Because yo' songs making us puke, Fools!" Dedede shouted. "How about singin' a better song?"

"I know! Sing one about His Majesty!" Escargoon exclaimed. "He is a king."

"That's right! Ah'm the king! Ah deserve a song!"

"Oh! Okay! Let's go, Thad!"

"Okay, Melody." The two singers then went to stand by Dedede and his henchman. Thad started playing his guitar as Melody sang.

"Y'all are just a big, fat slob!" she sang rapidly.

"Who's had too much to eat." Thad followed.

"Chewin' with yo' mouth wide open!"

"All stuffed up with meat."

Bartie, Ginny, and Escargoon snickered at the angered face of the penguin king.

"You're big, fat, dumb, and ugly!"

"A big and chubby slob."

"You sure look awfully thugly!"

"A rich and stupid snob."

The waiter fearfully noticed the king's rising anger and went to stop the singers. "Uh, m-maybe it vasn't a good idea to sing about, er, His Majesty."

"How come?" Thad asked.

"AAAAHHHH!" King Dedede screamed in anger, raising his hammer and bashing Escargoon in the head. "GAH! Either y'all sing me some REAL music or I'll have yo' heads!"

"But what can we sing?" Thad asked, still glumly.

"Watch this, Bartie." Virginia smirked, nudging Bartie, who smiled eagerly. "Hey! I know! Why don't you sing a square dance or something?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Escargoon agreed.

"Finally, you brats are useful. Start singin'!" Dedede demanded.

"Let's do it, Thad!"

"Coming, Melody." The two singers then went up on stage. Thad took out a violin and started playing as everyone got up and got with their date; Bartie with Virginia, and Dedede with Escargoon, as Melody started singing.

"NOW, swing yer partner 'round and 'round, pick her up then put 'er down." They all did so and spun around, Bartie smiling as he lifted Ginny, who giggled as she was put down. Dedede tried to pick up Escargoon, but he was stuck to the floor, and when he finally lifted him upward, he wobbled over.

"Now jump on up and up and down, bash yer partner on his crown!" The many couples hopped up and down before the ladies bashed their men in the heads.

"YA-HA-HA-HOW!" Bartie yelped when Virginia didn't hesitate for a forceful punch.

Escargoon pounded Dedede, who yelled, "YOOOWWW!" But Dedede took out his hammer and bashed HIS head.

"OOWWW!"

"Leap yer partner like a frog, push him down, and on him, jog." Bartie and Virginia happily crouched and leaped over each other. Dedede crouched while Escargoon slithered over him, then the fat king tried to jump over, only to crush the snail henchman, Escargoon's eyes and mouth widening. Afterwards, Virginia pushed Bartie on his back and started jogging in one place on top of his belly. Dedede, already atop Escargoon, just jumped up and down, making the snail grunt.

"Give yer a partner a good ol' stare, grip the side and pull her hair!" Bartie and Ginny smiled and stared hard at each other while Dedede and Escargoon weirdly did the same. Bartie then smirked at he grabbed Virginia's pigtails.

"YOW!" she yelped when he pulled them.

Dedede gave an evil smirk as he grabbed Escargoon's eye sockets and yanked them. "OOWWW!" Escargoon did the same and yanked his penguin beak.

"Cluck like a chicken after leapin' like a flee! Take out a gun and shoot his knee!"

They all leaped upwards before flapping their arms and going, "CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK." Afterwards, the women all drew out guns and shot their men in the knees.

"YA-HA-HA-HOWW!" Bartie cried again, hopping on his right foot after Virginia shot him in the left knee with a S.C.A.M.P.P.. Dedede and Escargoon exchanged quick, hesitant glances before both holding up a Waddle Doo, shooting beams at each others' knees.

"YOUCH!" they both yelped.

"NOWWW, swing yer partner 'round and 'round, engage in a brawl down to the ground!"

The couples only spun around each other. That's when Nick and Zach walked to the middle of the room, Nick shooting a gun up to the ceiling three times and catching their attention. "FIGHT! !" The couples all exchanged glances before grabbing and beating each other on the ground. Nick and Zach grabbed each other and decided to join in the brawl, covering the whole place in a cloud of smoke. People threw chairs at each other, smashed their heads through tables, stuffed the soil from plants down their throats, and simply grabbed their necks to strangle each other, which is what Dedede and Escargoon were doing.

"OHHHHHHH, get him up and help yer miss, engage you two into a kiss!"

They all immediately stopped fighting as the men helped the women up, Bartie and Ginny smiling at each other. The goth quickly grabbed Bartie's shirt and pulled him in, embracing in a kiss, which was what everyone else did. Dedede and Escargoon looked hesitant before finally pulling the other into a kiss. At that instant, Virginia took out her iPhone, still kissing Bartie, and snapped a picture of the two.

"Aw, SCORE, Dude!" Ginny exclaimed, looking at the picture on her phone. "We are SO posting this on the Internet!"

"You coulda been a little more soft…" Bartie said, rubbing his knee.

"Hehe! Sorry, Dude. …Hey! Wanna go raid the old man's car?"

"Sure!" With that, the kids happily ran outside.

Outside, they spotted King Dedede's limousine and started digging around beneath the seats. "Awwwe. These things are kinda cute." Bartie said, picking up a Waddle Dee.

"Yeah, they kinda are. Hey! I wonder what he has in the trunk?" Virginia asked, deciding to smack the top of the trunk with her spanking hand, denting and making it open.

"Heh heh. Good thing you're Spankulot's daughter." Bartie chuckled.

"Now, I wonder what he has in here…" Ginny said to herself, digging around the trunk. Just then, her attention was grabbed by the shrunken members of Team Forest and the Junior Prospectors, all noticing the girl and waving their arms, jumping up-and-down to get her attention. "Hey…" She rose a brow at the tiny gang before lifting the cage out of the trunk and holding it up. "Bartie. Look at this."

The temporary leader walked over and stared at the kids with wonder. "Hey… isn't that Hoagie's brother?"

"And Kuki's sister?"

"What happened to you guys?"

_"Long story! Just help us!"_ Cosmo yelled.

"This doesn't look good, Dude." Virginia said.

"Come on. Let's see if the scientists can do anything." Bartie decided. They were about to carry them away until-

"HEY!" They were startled by King Dedede and Escargoon, who caught them in the act. "Where d'ya think y'all goin' with those kids? !" the king yelled.

"Get 'em, Waddle Dees!" At Escargoon's command, the Waddle Dee stampede ran out and trampled the two operatives.

"Hey! Get off me you freaks!" Virginia yelled, trying to smack the creatures away. Dedede and Escargoon ran at them, but the goth blew Shadow Breath in their faces.

"Hey." Dedede coughed. "What's that all about?"

"You better not mess with me! I'm the Nightmare King's granddaughter!" Ginny said proudly.

"WAAAH!" The two's eyes and mouths widened with shock.

"That changes EVERYTHING!" Escargoon smirked. The two and the Waddle Dees beat on the kids some more before they were finally able to tie and gag them up. They put the shrunken group back in the trunk and threw Bartie and Ginny in after them.

"The Nightmare King owes me a bundle." Dedede said. "And holdin' his granddaughter up for ransom will help us big time!"

"Enjoy the ride, kiddies!" Escargoon said, slamming the trunk tight. The two villains laughed some more as they stomped on the gas and drove off.

The waiter tiredly watched them leave and yelled, "Er, should I put that on your tab, Sirs?"

Dedede spat the steak back at him and yelled, "THERE'S YO' TAB!", continuing to drive off.

**Underworld Prison**

The Underworld Prison warden, the chubby, green-skinned, armored horned demon known as King Bulblin, sat at his filthy desk and signed papers in a grumpy tone. His door was suddenly kicked down, and the demon looked to see Ganondorf, smirking and walking in. Bulblin just looked back down at his papers and kept working. "Oh. Hey, Ganon."

The demon thief looked around and inhaled through his nose the scent of the dust in the room as he walked closer. "So… this is your new job, eh, Bulby?"

"Well, I had a little demotion… since the last time I worked for you."

"Mmm… throwing the Underworld's greatest general in a dump like this… isn't that infuriating?"

"Yeah, well… I have you to thank for that. Anyway, get lost, I'm busy… signing these papers isn't easy, y'know."

"Neither is watching over a hundred vicious demons 24/7. Tell me… would you really rather still have this job, and not come back with me? I could sure use my old general to assist in controlling my ever-rambunctious demons again. Release my old soldiers from these cells, and we'll be good to go."

"Forget it, Ganny. I need to look after these guys. Besides… I follow the strongest side. And that was Link."

"Link has been dead for years." Ganon growled. "Though his little descendants are still roaming around. Your loyalty is to me now. Surely, Grim won't keep you around here forever. Besides, he is a failure of a king, just like those Unos. You don't really think this job is right for you?"

"Well… since I've been here, there hasn't been one breakout or intrusion."

"You want to place a wager on that?"

Bulblin looked up. "What?"

The desert man guided the warden down a hall to a cell that was hanging open. "Your latest inmate escaped sometime ago."

"Dimentia…" Bulblin already knew.

"I saw her myself. _She stopped me from ending the prince's life."_ He gritted his teeth.

Bulblin only looked away in thought.

"And Grim likely knows this. Now… you can either wait for him to execute you… or you can come with me. And we'll hunt Dimentia AND dispose of Grim and the Unos together…"

King Bulblin just looked at Ganon with a glare.

**The Sea Fleet**

"So… the brats have arrived at the research base." General Immortus observed on the large monitor.

"We'll ambush them before long." Eggman Nega replied, with a low tone.

The doors opened just then, and in stepped Bowser Jr., shouting, "NOW PRESENTING, the latest edition to the Bad Side, Mr. L!", as he walked in with Kammy Koopa and Mr. L.

"Eh?" Eggman cocked a brow.

"Finally away from that joke of a brother of mine and his little pals." Mr. L said.

"Odd. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?" the fat scientist asked.

"Mweh heh heh! Junior here hit him with a Darkness Cannon, bringing back an old alter ego of his from the Dark Side: Mr. L!" Kammy explained.

"And now that I'm here, I'll do what I can to serve Lord Gnaa and stop that Mario and his do-gooder friends."

"OH hoho hoho! You know what they say: the more the merrier! Great to have you here, Mr. L!" Eggman grinned, shaking the Italian's hand.

"Great to be here. It's time I get some of the stardom."

"Well, now that we're all acquainted, let's get back to business." Immortus said. "The children have gathered at the research center already. No doubt looking at the data we acquired as we speak. We're going to ambush them there. Meanwhile, K. Rool has requested that we get Kami over to him, if she agrees to come. Madame Rouge will see to that."

"Understood." The stretchy woman replied.

"And make sure those little alien friends of hers don't accompany."

"All right! So let's wreck that place and get back at 'em for stealing our stuff!" Bokkun yelled.

"Even though it was stolen by us in the first place." Decoe said.

"Ready the Stormtroopers and activate the Walkers." Immortus ordered.

"Ready my robots!" Eggman told his henchmen.

"I'll go check on Whisker." Nega said.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Junior cheered. He, Kammy, and Mr. L ran out to get their Koopas ready.

**Marine Research Facility**

After finally arriving at the base, Captain Rourke guided the operatives to the center, where people were working at computers, with a large computer on the other end of the room. "Kids: meet the Marine Research Team." The captain said. The research team looked to the operatives. Already, two certain people caught Eva's attention.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Eva!" her father exclaimed, the two parents running over to hug their daughter.

"I didn't know you guys were with Rourke's team!"

"We've always been members." Her mom, Angelica, replied. "We used to work here before we found you on the beach. Then we had to retire to raise you."

"Oh… sorry." Eva frowned.

"Don't worry about it." Eric chuckled. "After you defeated Jones, we decided to come back and tell Rourke the whole story."

"So, we might be able to find the lost kingdom ourselves." Angelica finished.

"But we haven't had much luck." Rourke said. "But now that we have this disk, we should be able to get farther."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's put it in!" Eva said happily. The muscular captain took the disk and stuck it in the big computer. The screen simply showed a vision of a classic space-shooter game, destroying asteroids and building up the score as the screen loaded along with it. When it cleared the level, the high score blinked on the screen when the file finished loading.

"Ah, here we go!" Rourke said. The lot of them proceeded to read the information onscreen.

"'There is a story that tells of an ancient kingdom said to exist below the sea.'" Nigel read aloud.

"'A kingdom with a special trap designed to keep intruders out of it.'" Hoagie read.

"It blends in… with the water?" Kuki read, confused.

"Well, WHAT ELSE? ?" Wally shouted.

"Read it yo' SELF, Fool!" Abby yelled back.

"'The ancient kingdom is invisible to the eyes of mortals.'" Eva read.

"Does that mean only the spirits can see it?" Hoagie asked.

"Hang on…" Rourke said, still reading. "It says if the sacred Phantom Sword is held by one of the Eight Firstborn, or those related by blood, and is presented at the Mother & Child Isles in the Grand Blue Samiyan Sea… the way to the lost city will open."

"A passage found off of one of the ancient textbooks written about the Ocean Realm in Azultown's Great Library." Angelica said.

"Those crocodile pirates found this info and downloaded it on this disk." Eric said. "Afterwards, they burned the book they got it from."

"So that's it then." Rourke cut in, breaking them up. "Now we know how to find the temple… the problem is we don't have any of the Firstborn OR this Phantom Sword."

"But it also says 'those related by blood'." Kade reminded. "And… isn't Eva Manaphy's older sister?"

"Yeah… I am!" Eva exclaimed.

"Then all we need is the Phantom Sword!" Nigel smiled. "Do you still have it with you?"

"Uh… not quite." She said, nervously scratching the back of her neck.

"What did you do with it?" Kade asked.

"I… sorta threw it in the maelstrom after Jones." She grinned. At this, they all did an anime-style fall-down. "Hey, it seemed right at the time to give it back to the sea!"

"Yes, and now we have to go find it AGAIN." Nigel remarked.

"You mean we're goin' back ta Davy Jones' Locker?" Wally groaned.

"Hang on, kids." Grim spoke up. "Normal objects don't get washed up in the Locker so easily. Um, or… sacred spiritual objects for that matter. It's probably on the seafloor."

"So, I guess if we went back to the place in the sea where we battled Jones, we might be able to find it." Eva figured.

"Alright, there's our plan, team!" Rourke cheered, clapping his hands. "Let's find us a sword!"

"YEEAH!" they all cheered.

Just then, a GUN soldier ran into the room and saluted. "Captain Rourke! Our radars have just picked up an enemy fleet heading our direction, led by the flagship."

"What? ?"

The base immediately shook, making everyone wobble. "Sounds like they're firing!" Nigel exclaimed. "Let's go outside!"

**Outside **(Play "The Battle of Geonosis II" from _Star Wars: Attack of the Clones_.)

Sonic and his friends still waited outside when the rest of the team ran out to see the flagship arrive, extending a metal bridge to the island. Kami, Ava, and Kweeb gasped when they saw Madame Rouge, standing on the deck and smirking in their direction. A bunch of Stormtroopers, Koopas, and robots ran over to the metal island, and the siege began.

"RAHH!" Captain Rourke yelled, jumping over to the enemy ship as he started attacking Stormtroopers. The soldiers started activating Imperial Walkers and tried to blast the captain, but Rourke fired at the cockpits. The team gasped again when a Walker tried to stomp the captain, but Rourke raised both arms and grabbed its foot, able to hold it back. Their mouths dropped when the captain swung the Walker around and knocked other Walkers over.

"WHOA! He's stronger than Rainbow Monkey Kong!" Wally exclaimed.

"Talk about a superhuman! You think he takes vitamins?" Hoagie asked.

"We'll ask him later." Nigel said. "Strong or not, he'll need some help. Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!" With that, the kids gave a battle cry and ran onto the long, huge ship deck. They immediately started firing their weapons at the many Troopers and robots.

When Madame Rouge finally approached them, Nigel blasted some fire and melted her a little before Kami ran to throw punches at the stretchy woman, who swiftly defended and leapt right over her. Ava tried to stab her with her swords, but they ended up caught in Rouge's gooey form, the woman puffing and blowing the alien girl back. Kweeb leapt off and tried to bite Rouge's ear, but Rouge easily flicked him away. When Kami ran to bend Rouge's arms back from behind, Rouge pulled her in front of her, forcibly turning her around and bending her back as Rouge stretched her neck down to Kami's ear.

_"So, vhat it is? Going to see K. Rool or not?"_ she whispered. Kami gave a slight nod before Madame Rouge tossed her several feet out into the sea.

Kami saw she was headed for a speedboat with two Kremling Kritters on it, one of them reaching its arms up to catch her. The troop failed and Kami landed right on top of him, knocking him over. "D'oh…" the Kritter groaned. Kami snickered while the other one shook its head in disbelief, starting the boat up and speeding them off.

"Kami, wait!" Ava called. A stretchy finger then wrapped around the alien girl, Madame Rouge pulling her back. She attempted to punch the alien, but Rouge grunted when a magic blast hit her arm, turning to see a smirking Facilier, wielding his magic cane. The angered woman proceeded to punch the witch-doctor, only for Facilier to flip and dodge, countering with his magic.

Near the flagship's control tower, Rourke continued to beat away Stormtroopers and Kremlings. He looked over and saw Immortus slowly backing away, and ran to attack the old man, who gracefully leapt his way back up the tower. Rourke shot him an angered look and dashed in the tower.

Team Sonic and Mario happily fought off the Koopas and Stormtroopers, with Marine and Blaze standing back-to-back and throwing Light Spheres/fireballs. "Yeah! Come and get some, you rusty old drongos!" Marine exclaimed.

Just then, Captain Whisker dropped from the tower and landed hard on the deck. "D'arr har har! I'd be happy to oblige, ye scallywags."

"Whisker!" Blaze glared.

Sonic then heard a speedboat sound and turned to see Johnny speeding over to them along the sea, afterwards jumping to the deck. "Hey, Hedgehog! Looks like you here for a rematch."

"You bet!" Sonic exclaimed, already skidding along the water, followed by the green, robo-shark.

Whisker swung his sword and defended as Blaze kicked him, her high-heels on fire, and Marine threw punches. The captain jumped away and yelled, "Avast!", charging and blowing his flame breath, but Blaze did a Fire Tornado and caught the flames, encasing herself in a fire barrier, which she then shot at the pirate.

As the operatives fought the Stormtroopers, Kargaroks carried and dropped Bokoblin onto the deck, and several Bokoblin ran out of the ship as well. Eggman and Eggman Nega hovered in their pods at this time, aiming at the research center. "FIRE!" Eggman yelled, the two proceeding to shoot the base, as did the other Kremling and Koopa ships.

GUN soldiers ran out of the research base and fired as the Bokoblin boarded the metal island, taking some out while the demons pounced and beat on other soldiers. Two GUNs tried to shoot a Fatblin, but it grabbed the two's heads and bashed them into each other, tossing the men away. That same Fatblin spotted and ran to attack Eva's parents, but Eva hurried behind and grabbed the chubby demon in her water fist, throwing it out to sea. "Mom, Dad!" she yelled, running to help protect them from other demons.

"It's okay, Eva. We'll be safe." Her father assured, pulling out a walkie-talkie. "Activate the defense barrier!" At his command, a soldier inside the base pulled a lever, activating a shield that surrounded the entire island base, preventing enemy troops and fire from piercing through. "The shield will protect us from the enemy fire, but it won't stay up long." Eric said, punching another Bokoblin.

From an airship, Bowser Jr. stood by Kammy and Mr. L, looking at the shield and stomping in anger. "Ohhh! Take that shield out!" he ordered as Bullet Bills were fired at the barrier.

After finishing off a few Hammer Bros, Nigel said to his team, "Let's head inside and help Rourke."

Inside the flagship, Captain Rourke headed fast up the tower, grabbing any Kremling or Koopa that stood in his way and throwing them over the railing. When he reached the top, two Krunchas stood guard at a door and ran to grab him, but Rourke held the two Kremlings back and threw them over the edge as well. The captain passed through the door to a small room, which had a doorway with no door leading to a small outside field at the top of the tower.

From the corner of the small room, General Immortus spotted Rourke and ran to kick his gun away, the blunderbuss sliding along the floor away from them. Rourke tried to get it, but Immortus swung his sword and made him jump back, running to kick the gun out to the field. Rourke immediately drew out his own sword and engaged in a clash against the old general, battling outside in the field.

"Come on. Give it up, Old Man. Shouldn't you leave the army to the young people?" Rourke asked rhetorically, still clashing.

"Brute strength is nothing… without the brains to make it work properly." Immortus smirked and retorted in his old, hoarse voice, jumping onto the tall railing and still swinging his sword. Rourke made him bend and fall back, but Immortus' legs held on to the railing, the flexible general still bending back to face Rourke and swing his sword. "And this brain has been around for quite a while, and it grows ever so fluently with knowledge." The general then flipped and landed back on the floor, continuing to slash at the naval captain.

"YAHH!" Rourke yelped when Immortus slashed him across the left of his hip.

The operatives fought their way past the last of the Kremlings and Koopas and finally reached the top of the tower, finding Rourke on one knee and holding his hip in pain. "Rourke!" Nigel yelled as they ran to his aid.

"So much for your almighty captain." Immortus smirked.

"Are you okay?" Nigel asked, touching the man's shoulder.

Rourke uncovered to look at his wound. His expression became one of horror when he saw his skin slowly uncovering some type of crystal beneath. The man grunted and covered it back up, standing up. "Er… no good. He's wounded me. It's up to you, kids." He said, running off.

"Will do, Captain." Nigel said, the kids holding their weapons up.

"Ha!" Immortus cheered, swinging his sword. "There's more where that came from."

"And just who the crud are you? !" Wally shouted.

"_I_ am General Immortus. Greatest general in Brain's army, and commander of the Stormtroopers. I know the battle strategies of every war in history, because I was there to see 'em all! From the splendid Indian Wars to the sweetness of World War II! Any war that makes you happy, I can describe 'em all."

"Whoa! How does a man stay alive for that long?" Abby asked.

"You'd be surprised what you get here on the Dark Side. I'd be happy to show you, if you would join."

"Shyeah, right." Violet scoffed. "Frankly, some of us have been down that road, and we prefer not to go back."

"I see. Quite a shame. Well then… I'll just have to destroy you, too." With that, they all readied for battle. (Play the Magnus von Grapple Battle Theme from _Paper Mario TTYD_!)

_Boss fight: General Immortus_

"TROOPERS!" Immortus yelled, calling out a squadron of Stormtroopers from the door on the other side of the field. They all made a circle around the kids and began blasting, but the operatives shot back. Nigel ran up to some Troopers and shot fire blasts, knocking them out and running out of the circle. Wally and Abby beat up some other Stormtroopers and ran over to General Immortus, who swung his sword to defend from the kids' punches and kicks. Abby drew out a candycane sword and clashed against his. Abby was able to kick his sword away and lay a few other kicks onto him.

Down below, Sonic and Johnny continued to race along the sea, boosting and ramming into each other. On the deck, Blaze and Marine were still trying to battle Whisker, the robo captain grabbing Blaze's foot when she tried to spin-kick him. "To Davy Jones wit' ya!" he yelled, tossing her out to sea, but Marine jumped, flew up with her tail, and grabbed her.

Back on the tower, Abby and Immortus threw more kicks at each other before the general jumped over to grab his sword, and Abby used her sword to defend against his slashes. Violet pounced some Stormtroopers and tossed them at the general, but he only ducked and kicked Abby upwards when she jumped at him. The general shot to his feet and made a whistle, summoning a squad of helicopters that hovered over, more Stormtroopers dropping down from ropes to battle them.

Wally whipped out his S.L.U.G.G.U.H. and started punching the Stormtroopers while Hoagie shot them with his Diffusion Rifle. Numbuh 3 giggled happily and swiftly dodged as the Stormtroopers tried to grab her, jumping and walking on their heads before kicking their heads. At this time, General Immortus cut Abby's candycane sword in half, but he had to hold his sword up when Kuki tried to jump on him.

"Eat this!" Wally yelled, kicking the man's shin, making him drop his sword for Kuki to land on his head, kicking him back and high-fiving Wally afterwards.

Back on deck, Facilier continued to dodge-roll as Madame Rouge launched her fists at him. His shadow snuck up from behind the woman and wrapped around hers, binding her arms for Facilier to throw a fire spell and burn her. "Ha ha! Good work, Shadow!"

"For the record, that might confuse some people with _your_ Shadow and Shadow the Hedgehog later." Tails said before doing a Tail Spin at Decoe and Bocoe.

"Bah." Back on the tower, Immortus recovered and ran in the door on the other side. The operatives tried to follow him in, but it suddenly blew down, and Immortus came out, controlling a large robot with machineguns at its sides. The operatives hurried and dodged the rapid bullets while still fighting off the Stormtroopers.

"Reow!" Violet yelled, scampering off as Immortus fired away at her.

"YAH!" Nigel yelled, smashing through the robot's glass to attack the general. Hoagie and Abby shot at the robot's legs, making it hop around a little.

On deck, Marine had finally wrapped Captain Whisker in an energy chain while Blaze jumped, did a fire spin, and kicked into him, knocking him away on his back. Sonia spun in a tornado to suck in Mini and Mum, spinning them around in the air while Manic Spin Dashed and knocked them out. On the sea, Sonic ran from Johnny and jumped back to the deck, the robo-shark chasing after him. Sonic just spun an Air Ball and kicked it over, blowing Johnny back in the water before spinning a Sonic Tornado, blowing it at Johnny and blowing him away.

"Let's wreck this rust bucket!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Okay!" his siblings cheered. Sonia spun in another tornado while the two male hedgehogs curled in pinballs and spun around her. The three of their hyper fast speeds combined created an even larger tornado, sucking in the remaining enemies and piercing through the deck of the ship.

The two Eggmen gulped at the expanding tornado and stopped firing at the base. "Ulp! What a disaster! Retreat!" Eggman yelled, but the two scientists were quickly sucked into the tornado.

On the tower, Immortus grabbed Numbuh 3 and Violet in the robot's claws and was about to squeeze them. They all felt the whole place shake all of a sudden, making the general release them. "Uh-oh. This is a setback."

"RRAH!" Nigel gave one last battle cry before unleashing a flaming laser, piercing through the robot's center and exploding it, sending the general flying over the edge. They watched as Immortus simply hovered up in a floating pod of his own, shooting a glare towards the kiddies before taking off.

The super tornado continued spinning and wrecking the ship, sending the Eggmen and their henchmen flying away. "I HATE THOSE HEDGEHOOOOGS!" Eggman cried as they shrunk into the sky.

"GAH! Everyone, SCRAM!" Junior yelled to the remaining ships. The super tornado finally stopped and went down as the enemy fleet retreated.

"Let's get out of here." Nigel said to his team before heading off the slowly sinking ship.

The shield went down and everyone ran back onto the island base, Numbuh 10 hugging her parents in victory. When the rest of the gang arrived back at the island, Eva embraced Nigel in a hug and headed inside. (Stop the music.)

**Another Dimension**

In another dimension, Kent Nelson sat quietly in his chamber as the interdimensional robotic bounty hunter, Death's Head approached him. "You called for me, no?" the robot asked.

"Yes… did everything go smoothly in the Out of Mind dimension?"

"Smoothly indeed, but with many sad falls, yes? You have another job for me, no?"

"Yes. As you know, the Dark Master has returned and is leading his legions across the world. And not only that, an inmate has escaped from Underworld Prison."

"Mmm, Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom. Funny name, no? Terrible prison guards, heck yes."

"Indeed. We need you to assist the heroes in stopping them all. Our very reality is at stake."

"Understood, yes. Anything extra, no?"

"Yes. With the Dark Master's many legions growing stronger, you'll need help. I'm sending someone to do the mission with you. Behold." Before the robot's eyes, a pink crystal appeared with a strange being trapped inside. It was a short, dark-pink ball-shaped creature with a white knight mask with pink eyes shining through. The being wore white, armored shoes, bared angel wings, held a white shield with a pink, four-pointed star, and wielded a silver, lightning-designed sword.

"This is the Galacta Knight." Dr. Fate spoke. "A once powerful Star Warrior of Galaxia, trapped in suspended animation for his great power. I have brought him back from the depths of Time and Space to assist you."

"Hmm… an incredible star being of great power, hm. Why not send him on his own, yes?"

"Because he is barely stable with his power. He wields the Negative of the Galaxia Sword: Galaxia Darkness. I need you to keep him in control while you're out doing your mission."

"Hmm… a dangerous job, yes. Scared… as if." With that, the robo hunter rose his ax arm and struck the crystal. The impact caused a blinding pink light to emerge from the crack, growing bigger and exploding as the crystal shattered.

The light died down and revealed the now-mobile form of the Galacta Knight, panting and giving an evil glare. "He's your responsibility now." Fate said. "Be careful…"

"Well now… ready to go, no?"

The mighty Star Knight swung his sword and stuck it upwards as it sparked with lightning. His angel wings grew wider, and Death's Head stood aside as he flew and shot out of there.

"…I'll take that as a yes, no?" With that, the robot chased after him.

**SS United Nations**

Aboard the SS United Nations, Rourke walked into the dark control room, dimly lit since everyone else was outside or in bed. He grabbed a syringe with some kind of medicine and stuck it in his arm. The captain studied the crystal cut on his hip and watched it fade away, skin appearing back over it. He started panting as he pressed a button, the large computer terminal coming to life and showing Commander Gunkan's image.

_"Is everything going according to plan down there, Lyle?"_

"Yes, Brett… everything is going exactly as planned." Rourke replied in a quiet tone. "Pretty soon, the Firstborn will be in our possession. With Manaphy's power, we may be able to rid the world of the metahuman curse forever. And… if we're lucky… it'll rid _our_ curses, too."

_"Uwaaahhhh."_ Gunkan started groaning in pain.

"Brett!" Rourke yelled worriedly.

_"Arrr… er… I'm fine…. My monster form almost got loose again."_

"The same thing almost happened to me just now. Those kids nearly caught me. But don't worry. When this is over… the metahuman scum will be gone."

_"We'll be over there whenever you're ready. We're counting on you, Rourke…"_ With that, the screen switched off.

The worried captain studied his muscular, open hands before closing them and gritting his teeth, angrily stomping out.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, this one didn't go so bad. First one that didn't have a stage in a while, just a boss. Well, I guess that whole battle could be considered a stage… Anyway, next time, Kami will meet King K. Rool. Later.<strong>


	32. Pakku of the Sea

**Alright, let's find that sword. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Let's Find the Phantom Sword! Eva's Swim Under the Sea!<em>**

**Marine Research Facility**

The gang had made it back on the research island to watch the last of the enemy flagship sink below the surface, with oil spreading along the sea where it floated. "Sad to see all the cool vessels have to go to waste on the Dark Side." Sonic said.

"Anything on the Dark Side at all can suck it." Knuckles replied.

"GASP!" Marine gasped, emerging from the polluted water above the wreckage. "Oi. Do these blokes 'ave to have so much oil in these things?"

"Marine, what are you doing down there? Get out before you get sick from all that waste." Blaze told her.

"Gee, Ah was jus' havin' me one li'l more look around jus' in case we missed something, Mate." Marine smirked. "And guess what we missed!" With that, the raccoon held up a dark-blue rectangular gem.

"A Sol Emerald!" Blaze immediately recognized.

"'ere you go, Mate." Marine said simply, tossing the Emerald up to her friend.

Blaze caught the Emerald and smiled as she looked at it. "What are those again?" Manic asked.

"Parallel dimension Emeralds linked to the Chaos Emeralds." Sonic answered.

"We've already found two of them." Blaze said.

"And I think we should find the rest of the Emeralds quick." Tails suggested. "With the two sets of Emeralds both scattered on this same world, I worry about what their power would do without the two guardians to control them."

"Things seem pretty alright so far." Sonic smiled. "I say let's not worry about it and just keep lookin' for 'em while we look for the Firstborn."

"Totally." Eva agreed. "And now that we have a way to go, let's go looking for that Phantom Sword."

"Shouldn't we wait for Kami to get back though?" Kweeb asked.

"Ehhh, Oi'm sure she's fine." Wally said. "She's Patton's sistuh, ain't she?"

"Hey, anybody see the Interesting Twins lately?" Abby asked.

"Those monkeys are missing, too." Kuki noticed, frowning. "That's too bad. I wanted to play with them more."

Ava and Kweeb exchanged glances and smirked.

**Somewhere further away**

A few miles away from the heroes, Madame Rouge gasped for air as she came above the water, stretching into a boat as the Eggmen and their henchmen floated on top of her. "Oh, I hate that Sonic." Eggman said.

"And even though I'm your Negative, I share an equal distaste." Nega said.

"And I just had my oil change." Decoe said glumly. "The sea is no place for a robot."

"Just do not get sick in zis boat." Rouge said. "I am nearly splitting apart from your incredulous veight."

"No one asked you, Woman!" Eggman shouted. "Now, how are we supposed to find the lost kingdom without a descent flagship?"

"My good doctor. Don't you always have a Plan B?" Nega asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes! Yes, of course I do!" Eggman suddenly beamed. "We just need to get back to K. Rool's base first. By the time we're back on the air and sea, those hyperactive hedgehogs will meet their ends, and the Firstborn will be ours. OH ho ho ho ho!"

"Ugh. Some vone get me earplugs." Rouge groaned.

**Hideout Helm**

Kami sat patiently in the Kremlings' speedboat, watching as they approached a massive, floating metal island base, in which the very top part was designed like K. Rool's head, including the crown. The speedboat arrived and Kami disembarked on the island to be greeted by Team Chaotix. "Oh goody! You're here!" Vector exclaimed. Kami instantly punched him in the chest. "Ooof!" he grunted.

"Step this way, please." Espio said, directing her inside. Kami glanced down to something in her pocket and followed them.

The three Kremlings led her down the halls of the base, past a blue Klaptrap running on a large steering wheel in one room, and finally to the throne of King K. Rool. The fat Kremling King's chair was turned away from them as the croc pet a little Klaptrap sitting in his lap. The king sensed the four's presence and pointed back to the door. "Leave us." The Chaotix nodded and stepped out, back down the hall. (Play the "King K. Rool Cut Scene" Theme from _DK64_!) "So… you decided to answer my call." The king spoke to Kami.

"Yeah, yeah. So, what do you want? Going to trap me?"

"Hmm… that would be the logical reason… but there is another. After watching a rerun of the battle between your friends and the Chaotix… I thought the girl in that clip looked awfully familiar. After hacking into the KND Database using the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. we 'borrowed' from Nolan, and doing a little research, my suspicions were proved correct. Tell me… did the Kongs ever tell you how we came to be banished from the island? How we ended up driven away?"

"Um… I don't think so."

"And did your mother ever tell you what happened to your father?"

"He died in a war."

"Which war?"

"Um… she didn't say."

"It was the Kremian War. When my brothers and I planned an invasion of the Kongs' Island to steal their bananas and awaken the Tikis, your father caught word of this and led his troops to back up the apes. I was getting ready to destroy the island with my most powerful weapon, the Blast-o-Matic… until your father broke into my base and disabled the device. His troops ended up winning the war, and we were banished… but not before I finished him." Kami gasped in shock.

It was then the Kremling King sat up and turned his throne to face her. "It can only be Fate that allowed us to meet like this. MWEH heh heh HAH!"

"So… you killed my father. I suppose you led me here to destroy me, too."

"Mmm… I would do that…" the king spoke, standing up and slowly walking toward her. "But I rather follow in the footsteps of Darth Genious."

"Meaning…?" Kami rose a brow as the croc paced slowly around her.

The king stopped and looked at her. "Kami… I want you as my apprentice."

"What?" She backed away in shock. "No way! Why would you want me as an apprentice? I'm not even a croc."

"Kami… the Kremling Krew doesn't consist of only crocodiles… we are a strong legion of VARIOUS animals! From rats to beavers and even 9-tailed cats that look like bears! Even a few apes are on our side. But the only animal we lack is… human."

"What?"

"Kami… join me by my side. Be the first human in history to be part of the Kremling Krew. As the first human in my Krew, and my apprentice, your name will be remembered for ages." He spoke, standing behind her and raising his arms in the air. "Enslave all the other opposing fools on this wretched earth, and live in fame and fortune! Does that not sound grand?" he asked, putting his hands on her shoulders and lowering his head by her right ear.

"Hmm…" Kami tapped her chin in thought as K. Rool walked back to his throne. "Being remembered for ages… not a bad idea!" she smiled. "Enslaving the human race and all my friends: not so much." She frowned. "Living in fame and fortune… sounds pretty cool!" she lit up again. "Hurting all my friends and family… yeah, I'm gonna have ta turn you down. Besides, like I'd EVER wanna stand beside a big, fat croc king all day, who probably eats too much and passes gas."

"Hmm… I see you won't be convinced so easily. But just what friends do you have on this planet?" While he spoke, someone was slowly approaching them down the dark hall behind Kami. "Extra terrestrial beings from other planets? You're so much of a freak already, you already hang out with inhumans."

"Hold on! I have plenty of other friends! Like Sector V. And besides, just because Ava and Kweeb are aliens, doesn't mean they aren't as good as human friends would be."

"Perhaps in your eyes… but the prejudice humans have against aliens still goes on in the world today, despite those aliens' help in saving the world months ago. Many people still don't trust them, including the military. They would unhesitantly lock them and anyone else up who associates with an alien. For the simple reason that THEY are freaks as well."

"Look, Kweeb may be tinier than a raisin, and Ava may kiss a lot of different species, but they're still some of the best friends I could ask for."

"I see… but let's see what you think after a helping OF THIS!" (Stop the music.)

Kami immediately gasped and shot around to see Kaptain Kruckers, charging a Darkness Cannon. "D'ARR! One barrel load of evil 'n' darkness…" As Kruckers spoke, Kweeb and a tiny Ava climbed out of Kami's left pocket and dropped to the ground. "COMIN' UP!"

Just before firing the cannon, Kweeb returned Ava to normal size, and the Glomourian girl performed an 'X' slash that blocked the laser off. "ARRR? !"

"Impossible!" Kroctus yelled. "I saw them still in the battle after you left with my Kremlings!"

"Guess again." Kami smirked. "Ava was right when she said I needed backup, so we devised a little plan. When we were in the base and we felt the place shake, we knew the enemies would be there and you guys would take me to this place. So before we ran outside with the others, Kweeb shrunk Ava down so I could hide both of them in my pocket and take them with me. We clued the Interesting Twins in on the plan and had them change into Ava and Kweeb's forms so you guys wouldn't know where they were. (I still wonder how Yang was able to shrink to Kweeb's height like that…)"

"ARRRGH! That's the most ingenious plan I've heard in ages, ay!" Kruckers exclaimed.

"Very impressive, I must admit." Kroctus said. "But it won't stop me. Shoot them!" Kruckers immediately started firing more dark beams that Ava countered with her swords. She finally dodged her way over to the pirate and was able to slice the cannon in half.

"D'ARRGH!" Kruckers yelled when the cannon exploded afterwards, knocking him back.

"Grrr…" Kroctus shook his fist in anger. "HWUH!" The croc king pounded on a control panel on his armrest, opening three doors in the walls. The three operatives gasped at seeing Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky trapped inside. "MWEH heh heh hah! Geniuses like me always have a Plan B. If you won't come over to my side, I predict a terrible fate will befall them."

The trio glared fiercely at the Kremling. "Oooh OOOHHH!"

"What?" The whole place shook as a ship suddenly shot down the halls and crashed in the throne room. The smoke cleared and revealed it to be Ava's Heart Star, now equipped with new barrel seats and barrel cannons.

"OOH OOOHHH!" Donkey cried, shooting out of one of the barrel seats and bashing the croc in the head. (Play Funky Kong's Theme from _Donkey Kong 64_!)

The cockpit slowly began to open, and the kids looked at who was the pilot inside: another Kong wearing sunglasses, a military getup, and also wielding a missile launcher. "WOOHOO! ! COME ON AND GET SOME, KREMLING KREEPS!"

"Who the heck are you? !" Ava exclaimed, not approving of someone other than her driving her Heart Star.

"I AM FUNKY KONG! The most technical-knowledgeable Kong in the whole Klan!"

"What did you do to my Heart Star?"

"I found this ship on the island and decided to make some improvements. Then I passed by the base to pick up the Kongs before crashin' inta this base! But enough talk. EAT THIS, KREMLING DUDE!" Funky Kong then fired a missile and blasted the Kongs' cells open. However, the Kongs revealed to be holograms when they started sparking from the impact. "HUH? !"

"Mweh heh heh har!" Kroctus laughed. "You didn't think I'd put the REAL Kongs so close together like this. My minions have had them scattered around the world! You'll never find them."

"Err! Let them go!" Kami demanded.

"NEVER!" he waved his arm. "Unless you join over to my side! Come on, Kami, you're PERFECT for the Kremling Krew. Your name already starts with a 'K', Kamilla."

"Oh, no! You did NOT just call me that!" Kami shouted. "That's it! You're goin' down! HAAAAH!" Kami charged and leapt at the Kremling, punching him clear in the stomach. Kami felt pain surge through her when her fist came in contact with his golden belly. "Er..."

Kroctus then grabbed her fist and tossed her back at the aliens. "MWEH HEH HEH HAH! You'll need more than that to punch these abs!"

Kami shook her fist in pain as Ava spoke, "Come on! Let's go!" Kami ran and jumped in the Heart Star after Ava while the Kongs got in the extra barrel seats. Ava closed the cockpit as she activated the ship and lifted off the ground, turning to face it toward the hallway.

"I'll stay here and deal with these croc creeps!" Funky yelled as Kremling troops appeared and proceeded to shoot them with a machinegun.

"Sounds like he's on it." Ava said as the ship aimed down the hall and shot off.

Vector and his team were walking down the hall when Vector asked, "Hey, you guys ever wonder where K. Rool gets his…" They stopped and turned to see the Heart Star coming down. "WHOOAA!" They immediately jumped out of the way, letting it zoom past them, leaving a trail of fire.

"They're getting away!" Espio spoke quietly and pointed.

"Gah. We'll stop them. Get 'em, Dogadon!" At Vector's command, that same large dragonfly from before came down the hall, spotted the ship, and flew after them.

Right when the Heart Star escaped from the base, they looked back and saw the dragonfly coming after them. "That's that same monster from the castle!" Ava remembered.

"Aah aah! (It's Dogadon!)" Diddy yelled.

"OOH ooh. (Donkey will beat him. Okay!)" With that, the lead Kong climbed atop the ship and faced the dragon as it chased after them. (Play the "Dogadon (Aztec Boss)" Theme from _DK64_!)

_Boss fight: Dogadon_

The Dogadon roared at the ape as Donkey pounded his chest and gave a battle cry. The dragon launched fireballs at the ship, which Ava piloted and swiftly avoided. Dogadon then flew closer and tried bashing on the ship, Donkey having to jump and hit its nose to keep him back. The dragonfly flew back and started spitting more fireballs. "Ugh. That thing is annoying." Kami said.

"I have an idea." Ava said. "I'll try and absorb its projectile attacks with my shield." She pushed a button and activated a barrier around the ship. As the Dogadon spat its fireballs, the shield took the hits and absorbed their energy, giving the Heart Star more power. When the gauge was filled all the way, Ava said, "Okay. Eat this!" With that, she pushed a big, red button and unleashed a flaming shockwave from the ship. The dragonfly gave a cry when the flame did damage, making him drop to the sea.

Dogadon quickly recovered and charged behind them once again. He flew over the ship and spat fireballs from above that the shield absorbed. Dogadon then decided to fly down and bash the ship again, disabling the barrier. "Yuh-oh. Not good." Ava said worriedly. The Dogadon pounded the ship some more as Ava tried to shake him off.

Donkey was able to shoot it in the nose a few times with his Coconut Gun, enough times before it let go. The Dogadon flew back a few miles before charging and trying to ram the ship, but Ava barrel-rolled out of the way. The Dogadon shot upwards and came down again, grabbing the back of the ship and trying to pull it down. It fired fireballs as Donkey tried to punch him off, but Donkey succeeded in keeping him away.

"Can't you use any of these upgrades?" Kami asked.

"I wish I asked him what other upgrades he installed." Ava replied.

From Ava's shoulder, Kweeb noticed a little barrel button. "Hey, what's this do?" he asked, jumping off and pressing the button. A hatch on the bottom opened and dropped a TNT barrel, flying over and blowing up on the Dogadon's face. The monster screeched and fell to the sea again, but quickly recovered and charged after the ship.

It tailed close to the aircraft and punched it upward and downward as Donkey tried to beat it away. It flew back and attempted another charge attack that Ava was able to evade. The Dogadon was now ahead of the ship and facing them as it spat more fireballs, zooming around and blasting every which way, Ava still avoiding. "The shield's back up!" the alien exclaimed, just before dodging another ram attack.

Again behind the ship, the Dogadon whipped it with his tail before flying back and spitting more fireballs that the ship absorbed in its shield. Dogadon stopped for a moment to fly above the ship and drop down to grab it, shaking it around again and spitting fireballs as Donkey tried to beat him away. Dogadon flew back and spat more fireballs that the shield absorbed some more until it was finally filled up. "Okay. That oughta do it." Ava said. She then noticed the Dogadon charging a bigger fire blast. "Hold still." She said, pushing a heart button and launching two hearts at him from heart-shaped cannons, making him dizzy. "Eat this!" With that, she unleashed the fire shockwave again and dealt him the last blow. The Dogadon fell to the sea with a great SPLASH!, and he didn't come back up.

"Ooh OOOH!" Donkey cheered and pounded his chest while the other Kongs cheered as well. The ape hopped back in his seat with the other Kongs as they flew off. (Stop the music.)

"Good riddance." Kami said. "Now let's get back to the others."

"Totally." Ava agreed. "Although my ship took quite a beating. Let's find an island to rest until we can get it fixed."

"Good. And maybe we can find something to eat there…"

"By the way, Kami."

"Yes?"

"Nice job with K. Rool back there." Ava smiled.

"Hm hm. Lucky I had you two in my pocket at the time." She smiled.

"Got that right!" Kweeb exclaimed. "Your real name's Kamilla? HA!" He then noticed Kami's angry glare and gave a worried expression. "Uh-oh- OOMP." The Drilovsky immediately smashed him against the window.

"And that's why things will never change." Ava joked as they headed to the nearest island.

**SS United Nations**

The SS United Nations and Facilier's _Old Orleans_ left the base and were now sailing under the peaceful night sky. The Interesting Twins emerged from their Ava and Kweeb disguises and slept in a bunk bed together in a room with the rest of the operatives, while a few others were awake and on the ship deck. While they slept, Ying-Ying, Hannibal Bean's loyal bird, quietly flew over to the ship and crept in through an open window. Inside, it spotted the Interesting Twins asleep in their bunk in their pajamas, seeing their normal clothes on a nightstand. The Yin and Yang Yo-yos were sticking out of their respective clothes' pockets, catching the bird's attention.

"Mmm... Matthew..." Yin mumbled in her sleep as the bird grabbed the string of the Yin Yo-yo in its left talon.

"Scarlet..." Yang mumbled as the bird grabbed the other one in the right talon.

With both yo-yos, Ying-Ying prepared to carry them off, but the strings only extended while the actual yo-yos dropped onto the Twins' bed. The bird face-palmed as it let go and glided over to Hoagie, who was asleep on his side and hugging his pillow. "Mmmmm… Mr. Cheeserman…" the pilot mumbled. The bird searched around in his pocket for some tape, but found nothing, then decided to dig in his back pocket. When she found the tape, Hoagie rolled over and crushed her. Ying-Ying struggled and climbed from beneath his butt, holding up the tape in victory. Afterwards, she flew over and took two pieces of tape, wrapping them around both yo-yos. She was then able to grab the yo-yos by the tape, carry them out of the window, and fly away from the ship, without barely disturbing a soul.

Some of the other gang members were at the front of the ship at this time. Eva stood beside Kade, overlooking the horizon, while Nigel just sat on the railing, head rested on his hand in thought. "Boy, this brings back memories, doesn't it, Kade." Eva said.

"Yep. Who could forget?"

"Hm hm! It only seems like yesterday we started going out."

"Yes, except last time, we had Rachel with us." Nigel spoke. The two turned to him.

"You're still thinking about Rachel?" Eva asked.

"Well, yeah. We haven't heard from her in days. What if she's-"

"Nigel!" Eva cut off. "We've been through this. Rachel's fine. You need to have a little faith."

"Ergh." He shook his head. "It's not so easy… Rachel's the holder of the Master Sword. The weapon that defeated Ganon long ago. You just know he'll be after her, too."

"Maybe… but even if he is, Rachel has her friends with her. She'll pull through, just like she always has. You just gotta have faith."

Nigel sighed. "I hope so…"

That's when Hoagie and Tails walked out on the deck, Hoagie still wearing pajamas, the two yawning and approaching them. "Yaaawn. Boy, what a nap." The chubby pilot said. "Anyway, me and Tails just woke up and decided to work at the sonar for a while. By the way, any of you guys seen my tape?"

"Nope. Sorry." Nigel said.

"We detected some weird energy signal coming from this part of the ocean." Tails followed.

"You know, we are getting close to the area we defeated Jones." Nigel said.

"I bet that signal was coming from the Phantom Sword." Eva figured. "It must be somewhere on the ocean floor."

"So, does that mean we're supposed to dive down there and get it?" Knuckles asked.

"I can handle this." Eva volunteered, kicking her flip-flops off. "Being a waterbender means all the air I can muster underwater. I'll dive down and find the Phantom Sword!"

"Are you sure?" Kade asked, worried. Nigel also felt uncomfortable, letting his cousin go down there. "I mean, we should at least wait for the sun to come up. It might be dangerous down there."

"Kade, don't you know me? I'm the _Princess_ of the _Sea_. The ocean is where I'm strongest, and there's a Full Moon! That's when waterbenders are most powerful! If I can survive inside the sinking Samiya, I can easily last 10 minutes a few meters under the sea."

Kade had to admit, she had a point. Eva could stay underwater for long periods of time, he's seen it himself. …He couldn't doubt his girlfriend's strength. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry I doubted you." He smiled.

"Exactly." She smirked. "Wish me luck." With that, the anchorwoman stood on the railing, wiggling her toes as she kept a tight stance. She looked down past her toes at the calm ocean waves. She couldn't see a thing past the surface, and the ocean looked very dark at night. She didn't let this faze her, sucking in a strong breath through her nose. Without hesitating, she squatted, hands folded, and dove into the sea, starting her swim through the aquatic abyss below.

"Good luck, Eva…" was all Kade could say. (Play the "Aquatic Ambience" Theme from _Donkey Kong Country_!)

_Stage 30: Aquatic Abyss_

_Mission: Find the Phantom Sword!_

_Act 1_

Numbuh 10 began her swim through the realm under the sea, eyes wide, and a wide smile on her face at the incredible sight. The ocean wasn't very dark at all underneath; it was lovely. The bright full moon lit the ocean from beneath the waves, and its majestic reflections on the water were too amazing to behold. Fish, eels, stingrays, many aquatic creatures swam freely across the sea. There also Water Pokémon; Quagsire, Gyarados, Wailords, Corsola, any type you can think of. Eva hasn't been underwater like this in a long time. She forgot how great it felt; her thin body weightless in the water as her long, orange hair drifted upward, becoming disheveled. Under the sea was so peaceful… so quiet. She wanted this serenity to last forever. She was at peace, feeling only the ocean's gentle waves on her skin.

She was startled when a Mantine came from below and started carrying her on its back. Eva smiled and made an air bubble using her bending to talk. "Oh. Can you take me to the sword?"

"Tine…" the Pokémon replied, carrying her off. Along the way, she had to protect it from Lockjaws and Chomps, blowing Bubble Breath at the evil fish. Some electric eels came, shocked, and stunned the Mantine, but Eva blew Ice Breath and froze the eels, continuing without the stingray, but not before patting it gently.

She was then swimming into a swarm of giant jellyfish, quickly stopping and turning to avoid the giant stingers. When she reached a tunnel of the giant electric animals, she felt the top of one of them was really bouncy. She noticed several bouncy spots were lined up in the tunnel and decided to bounce her way across. She came out in another field of big jellyfish, but the jellies were scared off when some Tentacruel came and waved them off. Afterwards, a Kingdra caught Eva and carried her on its back as well.

The Kingdra swam across several trenches, dodging as Croctopuses spiraled up to whack them. Eva made the Kingdra stop when a swarm of Snapjaws and Nibbla emerged from a trench and swam to bite at them, but Kingdra held them off with Bubble Blast.

"Corsola!" called some Corsola from below, Eva looking down to see they were leading into a cave. She hopped off the Kingdra and swam through the Corsola cave below, getting darker as she went on. Bazzas swam in and out of the walls that Eva had to avoid, then curled into a ball to avoid a squad of Lurchins passing by.

When the cave got even darker as she went down, Eva saw a bunch of Underworld Hands reaching to grab her. The swordfish, Enguarde, came to her rescue and poked the hands off as she got on his back. As they swam through, the swordfish poked at some Gleamin' Breams to make the area light up a bit, giving Eva a better view. The dark cave became much prettier as a result. The sea anemones opened and closed, and teeny-tiny fish swam happily about the depths. Seeing the tiny fish put a smile on Eva's face. Even in this darkness… there was still joy and light.

From the floors and ceilings, some Shuris spotted them and attempted to spin at them, but Enguarde was able to poke them off. The swordfish had to poke a few more Breams to keep the place lit up. As they swam ever deeper, they could hear some kind of roaring sound as huge, white tentacles reached at them from the walls, Eva blowing bubbles at them to keep them back. The two swam by a few Puftups and Cheep-Cheeps before finally finding a surface. (Stop the music.)

Eva gasped for air above the water as she disembarked the swordfish friend onto a wet, rocky path, her bare feet splashing the tiny puddles of water. She followed the path further down the cave, which was alit with small light urchins. Ahead, she saw Penelope Taynt working some kind of computer on a small satellite, sitting on her knees by a sub in the water. "If my calculations are correct, this cave should lead a shortcut that will intercept the cruise ship which Amanda is vacationing on. All I have to do is get through on my homemade sub, board upon the cruise ship, and dine on sweet sushi with Amanda, please!"

Eva only stared confusedly at the girl as she walked closer. "Uh… hello?"

Penelope jumped up, startled. "PERSON! Please!"

Eva walked a bit closer and stopped a few feet away. "Uh… what are you doing down here?"

"Taking this secret passageway to meet the greatest person in the world, please. WHAT are you doing here?"

"Uh… looking for a sword."

"You're wasting my life. And yours."

Eva just put her hands on her hips. "Well, excuse me. And just who are you?"

"My name is Penelope Taynt, Amanda's NUMBER one fan, please!"

"Uh-"

"I have my own Amanda website, y'know. Www-dot-AmandaPLEASE-dot-com. I'd show it to you, but my laptop gets NO Internet connection at the bottom of the sea, please."

"Ah…huh… Anyway, before you go, you think you can help me get through this cave in that sub first?"

"And WHY do it? Please."

"'Cause if you do…" she smirked, holding up an Amanda DVD which Penelope gaped at. "I'll give you the-"

"Entire _Amanda Show_ Season 1 with BONUS SKETCHES! Please. I HAVE to HAVE IT!"

"Then help me get through this cave and find what I'm looking for."

"Grrr. DARN YOU! Please. Fine. Board my sub." With that, the insane fangirl climbed into the sub, followed by Eva as she started the vehicle up. "Engines activated. Sonar. Bonging sound, please."

_Bong… Bong…_

"Headlights. Pre-PARE to submerge, please." (Play "The Abyss" Theme from _Rayman Origins_.)

_Act 2_

The two slowly began to move through the dark caves in their submarine, Eva looking around as the lights shone on more anemones, making them hide. Small anglerfish swam out of the way as the sub came by, and Eva stared at strange, glowing jellyfish that could almost be mistaken as alien. This part of the cave was very scary, and Eva was thankful Penelope was down here to guide her. She doesn't think she could swim through this pitch-black cave by herself. A monster could shoot out from anywhere and gobble the unsuspecting news anchor. The only other lights came from these jellyfish and anglerfish, and they were quite scary to look at. But Eva wasn't totally scared. She loved the sea and all its creatures. No matter how scary these animals looked, she knew they lived peaceful lives under the sea. …Well, as peaceful as it got under here. Regardless, she would much rather stay inside the comfort of this submarine than swim out there.

A huge eel came by and bumped the sub, shaking them a little. "Ow, please." Penelope said. That's when they found more eels coming at them. "Grrr. If only my refrigerated torpedoes would refrigerate, please."

Eva looked over and noticed the torpedoes lying on the ground. "Refrigerated torpedoes?"

"Torpedoes that freeze things as they blow up, please. That is, if they WERE frozen."

Eva then thought up a plan. "Lock onto those eels, would you?" she said, walking off.

"Okay, but it's a waste of time, please." Penelope did as told and locked onto the eels as Eva used her Ice Breath to freeze the torpedoes and put them in the cannon.

"Fire!" Penelope pushed the button and launched the torpedo at the giant eels, exploding and freezing them in a second.

"IT WORKED! Please."

"Just keep that up." Eva told her as they proceeded through the abyss. More Underhands reached out to grab them, but they kept getting shunned away by the sub's headlights. As swarms of Nibbla came to bite them, Penelope just fired more torpedoes and froze them.

The cave started to shake a little as Bloopers emerged from the ground and shot ink at the windshield, which Penelope wiped off with windshield wipers. The giant white tentacles came at them from the walls again, but Penelope shot torpedoes and blew them back. More tentacles reached out from the caves and tried to grab them, making the caves crumble and boulders fall down. Penelope quickly drove them through as she fired the torpedoes at some of the rocks coming down.

An even bigger boulder dropped down, so Penelope fired three torpedoes before it was destroyed. The two were startled at the sight of an enormous Blooper, roaring and swinging its tentacles at them, but Penelope kept them back with her torpedoes. Eva then swam out of the sub and over to the behemoth, blowing Bubble Breath at its eyes. It then swung a red tentacle at her, but Penelope shot one last torpedo and took it out, the monster roaring in pain as it sank back beneath the abyss.

Eva swam back in the sub as Penelope drove them to a light at the end of the darkness, resurfacing above some water. (Stop the music.)

The two arrived at a chamber where a small, round island sat in the middle of surrounding water, the water emitting a glow for them to see, its waves reflecting off the wet walls. A light shone from the ceiling to the center of the island, where the two could plainly see the Phantom Sword, stabbed into the rock. "Hm… so there is a sword, please." Penelope observed

Eva jumped onto the island and approached the sword. "Come to Eva!" she exclaimed, gripping it with both hands and yanking it out. (Play "The Lums' Dream" from _Rayman Origins_!)

The two stopped and looked around when they heard some kind of strange music. The walls around them started to glow as thin lines appeared, making little circles that blinked as they could hear singing.

_Oona neena nunu… Oona neena nunu… Oona neena nunu…_

_Wuli woser… wikinava… youree uther… wikiner…_

_Wuli waser… wikinava… youre other… wikinother…_

(Stop the music.) "O…kay." Eva looked confused.

"That was strange, please." Penelope said.

"Well… anyway… let's get back to the surface."

As the two climbed back in the submarine and submerged, a mysterious figure watched them sail off, bending some water and speeding out of another exit.

**Back at the surface**

The rest of the team looked over the naval ship's railing as the sub came above the surface. They smiled when Eva climbed out, holding the Phantom Sword, followed by Penelope Taynt. They threw a rope down for Eva to grab and pull her back up. "Well, thanks to you, Amanda's ship must be long gone by now. Thank you for WASTING my life, please." Penelope yelled, frustrated.

"Yes, well… thanks for your help, anyway." Eva said. "Wanna come to Oceana with us?"

"No thank you. I must be off to try and meet Amanda. FARE thee well, children." With that, the crazy girl saluted and sank back in the sub, submerging beneath the sea again.

"Heh… crazy girl." Rourke said, smoking his pipe.

"Well, now that we have the sword back, we can get going for Oceana, right?" Nigel asked.

"Wait. What's that?" Abby pointed, spotting something coming toward them as fast as a speedboat. (Play the Freaky Monkey Theme from _Ape Escape 2_!)

"LOOK OUT!" Kade yelled as the mysterious figure leapt right onto the ship deck, splashing water all around. Eva uncovered her vision to see it was another old man, with a bald head with white hair around the side, a small white beard, and wearing a light-blue robe with white outlines.

"Who are you?" Eva asked.

The man waved his arms around, calling his water back as he stood up. "I am Master Pakku. White Lotus Master of Water. And judging by that Phantom Sword you drew, and the eruption of singing from the ocean spirits, I can assume you are the long-lost princess, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. That's me."

"Huff. The Princess of the Ocean. How can a little girl be entrusted the fate of being Manaphy's Guardian?"

"Hey, I resent that!" she said, aiming her sword. "Manaphy and I got along pretty well together the first time!"

"True… but this time is far more important. If you are the true Guardian of destiny, you must prove that you have embraced the feeling of the sea."

"Ha. Bring it." The girl smirked. Master Pakku just made a Water Whip and knocked her sword away. He then hopped down to the sea and skidded along an ice path, forming up an icy island around some sharp rocks sticking out of the water. Eva jumped down onto the island and faced him.

"Do you see how the moon lights up the sea?" Pakku asked, directing their attention to the full moon in the sky. "The feeling of the gentle glow of the moon is one that is peaceful. The Moon Spirit guarantees sweet dreams to all that it shines upon. It gives the ocean peace and helps it flow. If your mind flowed as peaceful as the ocean… you would have no trouble."

Eva only smirked as she readied for battle.

"Crazy old man…" Rourke could only say.

"And now… as the ocean flows free… you will be washed away by the great waves!" (Replay Theme!)

_Boss fight: Master Pakku_

"Let us see how powerful the ocean flows within you. Before you are washed away first!" Pakku exclaimed, splashing a wave as the Ocean Princess, who flipped to the left.

"I'll be able to swim it a lot stronger than you can, Old Man!" Eva retorted.

"AHHH!" Pakku shot at the girl in a wave, breaking the ice in his path, but Eva jumped to the side once again. She threw her arms up and made pointy icebergs pop out of the sea, trying to stab him, but Pakku grabbed one and Wall Jumped down them before making his own pointed icebergs come up.

Eva simply hopped up the icebergs and kicked the tips down at the old man, Pakku dodging before Eva came down and pushed a wave at him, pushing him into another iceberg before whacking him with a Water Whip. Pakku recovered and threw his arms out, destroying the icebergs and part of the ice platform, skidding around the field and launching small waves at Eva, who easily dodged. Pakku skidded back onto the field and launched five waves around him, still missing Eva.

The princess dodged as Pakku started swinging a Water Whip at her, slipping and sliding behind him on the ice before whipping him upside the butt with a Water Whip. Pakku jumped ahead and turned around, then started spinning in an ice tornado, launching a series of icicles that Eva continued flipping and dodging. When Pakku stopped, he shot at her in another wave which she dodged behind and Water Whipped him into the sea.

Pakku just dove beneath the water and started making little whirlpools as he swam around, cracking the ice and shaking Eva off. She was forced below the waves, but was able to stop the whirlpool and face Pakku, who launched a Bubble Beam attack that Eva spun and knocked away in her own whirlpool. She swam and chased after the old man as she conjured another whirlpool, getting him sucked inside. Eva blew more bubbles into the whirlpool, which then exploded all over Pakku, who swam back to the surface as Eva followed.

Pakku only glared at her before waving his arms and skiing along an ice path in the air, shooting icicles at Eva from above, the news anchor swimming around to avoid them. She extended more pointed icebergs and made the old man crash and fall to the sea again, Pakku diving down and blowing bubbles at her feet. Eva quickly dove back down and blew bubbles back at his, Pakku swimming away as she kept blowing. He made an iceberg under the water to block her off, allowing him to swim back above the surface and soar around the air on an ice path again.

Eva followed him and started soaring around on her own water path, dodging as Pakku shot icicles and catching and throwing them back. As Pakku kept evading, Eva was able to spit a slightly bigger bubble at his feet, popping and making him trip and fall back to the ice platform. Eva flowed back down and Pakku's eyes widened when she started blowing Ice Breath all over, freezing the old man solid. She formed up her Water Fists as she skidded upwards on another water path, shooting back down towards the old man, gaining enough momentum before bashing him out of his ice cube and knocking him across the field, sliding into and bumping one of the rocks with a thud as the ice vanished and he fell into the water.

"Sigh…" Pakku gasped, coming back up. "The Power of the Sea is with you after all… despite being a little girl. Ohhhh…" he fainted and just drifted along the water.

"Don't underestimate us little girls." Eva smirked as she waved her arms and made a water geyser shoot her back up onto the deck. (Stop the music.)

"YEAHH, good going, Eva!" they all cheered as the anchorwoman smiled happily.

"Hm hm hm! Thank you!"

"That was the second guy that attacked us who said he was from the White Lotus." Nigel said. (To us, it's the 3rd one 'cause they don't know about Bumi yet.)

"What the heck is this White Lotus, anyway?" Hoagie asked.

Pakku immediately awakened and shot up to the deck. "The White Lotus will be revealed to you in time. For now, I wish you safe travels as you proceed to the underwater city ahead. Eva Roberts… you have proved yourself worthy as the Ocean Princess. I must say, your waterbending reminds me of that of another student of mine…" At this, Eva only nodded in thanks.

"Anyhow… take care, now. The Mother & Child Isles are ahead. But be warned." He furrowed his eyes. "While the oceans are peaceful… they are a very dangerous place. And as such, it is very dangerous to tamper with the balance. I sense a dangerous evil nearby that threatens to harm that balance. Be careful…" With those last words, the old man jumped back into the sea and sped away like a speedboat.

"Uh-huh… alright then!" Rourke exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Now that that's settled, let's find us a lost kingdom!" With that, he went back inside.

Marine only looked at the captain suspiciously as they followed him in.

**Yin-Yang World**

The Ying-Ying Bird flew over the seas a while before finally vanishing inside a portal. It came out in the Yin-Yang World, carrying the yo-yos to the castle where her master was locked up. Hannibal Roy Bean stood up from his throne in his robot form when he saw the bird approach. "Ah, good work, mah darling!" he said as he walked down the stairs over to the glass barrier. "And ta think it only took mah descendants finding the yo-yos and defeating that wretched guardian dragon outside."

Ying-Ying took the shape of an eagle and erupted an enormous screech. The sonic waves were powerful enough to crack the glass, allowing Hannibal to bust it down as Ying-Ying reverted to normal.

"Now it's time to give this wretched world the comeback we've been waiting for." He said as Ying-Ying gave him the yo-yos and landed on his left shoulder. "YIN-YANG YO-YO!" The yo-yos created another portal and warped them away.

**Xiaolin Mountains**

The two landed back on the Xiaolin Mountains, immediately catching the attention of the stone men. Hannibal easily ran through and bashed the monsters away in his robot form, grabbing two's heads and smashing them into each other. When Mr. Stone came, the rock monster tried to smash them with a boulder. The robot just fired a missile and blew up his left foot, making the monster jump in pain as the boulder engulfed his head again, falling over the mountain and crashing the ground with a thud.

"Don't they know they can't keep a good villain down? Now Ah do declare it's time to get in touch with our fellow demons again. And Ah know just the person to search for. EE-YAH!" The evil bean switched on the robot's jetshoes and took off.

**Unknown forest area**

Somewhere in a forest area, Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom continued to poke her worn out fireplace in a depressed state. "Sigh…" Her eyes and ears perked when she heard some kind of rocket sound. "What the-"

Before she could react, Death's Head shot through the trees and shot a missile at the leader, Dimentia screaming as she dodged. "Hm, Dimentia, yes? Escaped from the Underworld, you have, no?"

"What?" Her attention was then directed to the Galacta Knight, flapping down and attempting to strike her, but she dodged. Dimentia quickly threw Starbursts at the robot bounty hunter as Galacta Knight swooped down, Dimentia flying out of the way. As she fired lightning at the knight, who defended with his sword, Death's Head shot a grappling hook that zapped her, making her drop to the ground.

Dimentia looked horrified as the Galacta Knight stood over her and was about to strike, but the warrior jumped away when another figure swung its golden sword. Dimentia looked back up, behind her to see another similar figure, who was dark-blue, ball-shaped, wore purple armored shoes, a dark-purple cape, and wore a white mask with glowing yellow eyes behind it.

Death's Head attempted to shoot the figure until it was stopped by cannon fire shooting around him. They all looked up as an enormous spaceship, a brown one with four purple wings at the back, and a white mask at the very front part, similar to the figure's mask, flew into the area and blasted the robot.

Inside the ship's control room, a floating light-blue creature with yellow eyes took aim at the robot hunter. "Enemy locked. He's all yours, Marx."

Beside him, a little pink creature with childish eyes, a red bowtie, red shoes, and a jester hat with two points, red and blue, happily bounced on a ball. "Yeah! Let's get 'em, Magolor!" the little kid cheered. "Let's blow 'em right up! Hii-YAH!" With that, Marx hopped on a button and activated the ship's main cannon, taking aim straight at the robot bounty hunter.

The cannon fired a powerful laser as Death's Head guarded, but the Galacta Knight jumped in its way and swung his sword, blocking the laser off. "Not good!" Magolor exclaimed worriedly. The ship fired more lasers around the knight, eventually able to knock him back. Death's Head tried to shoot the ship, but was shocked by Dimentia's lightning.

"Hmm… outnumbered it seems, no? Leave you alone for now, yes. But this isn't the end, oh no." With that, Death's Head and the Star Knight flew to the sky.

The other strange knight helped Dimentia up as the battleship landed. "Are you injured?" he asked in a Spanish accent.

"I'm…I'm okay." She replied. "Who are you?"

"…I am…" he furrowed his eyes. _"Meta Knight."_

* * *

><p><strong>HOO, finally! Oi, this one took a while. I'm trying not to procrastinate on these. Anyway, next time, we will head to Oceana. Later.<strong>


	33. An Expected Betrayal

**Time to head for Oceana! Eh, but first…**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Arriving at Oceana! The Horrible Treachery.<em>**

**KND Hospital, outside of Rocky Mountains**

The sun was nearly coming up over the KND hospital as Rachel continued to sleep. Suddenly, the entire place shook, and Rachel fell out of her bed, awake. "What was that? !"

Fi came out of her sword and responded, _"Master, I sense multiple evil auras coming from outside. I suggest heading outside quickly."_ Rachel hurriedly put on her normal clothes and grabbed the sword. She ran past the many rooms in the hospital, seeing the doctors and nurses knocked out and the place torn up as she headed down.

When she made it outside, she saw Shadow the Hedgehog on one knee, panting, then gasped at the sight of many Bulblins on Bullbos, led by King Bulblin. The Underworld general raised a tall flag that had Fanny and Patton tied on, struggling.

_"AAAAAHH!"_ A massive bird's screech was heard, and she looked up to see a giant bird with purple feathers and a mask with yellow eyes, holding a cage with its talons containing Sector W and Rouge.

The Bulblin general stepped aside, and Rachel looked in terror as Ganondorf approached her on his black horse, wielding a sword. The dark man smirked at the blonde leader as the horse came to a halt. (Play "Ganondorf on Forsaken Fortress" from _Zelda: Wind Waker_!) "So… what my daughter said was true. You really are the new wielder of the Master Sword. I knew there was something familiar about you."

Rachel only glared at the man.

"…The long-lost descendant of my former nemesis, Link."

"Yeah… that's me." Rachel replied calmly. "That's why I'm gonna be the one to kick your butt!"

"Heh heh heh… just like him: always so naïve." He replied, his horse slowly moving around her while Rachel kept her sword aimed. "But tell me… do you have the heart? To impale that little sword of yours straight into my chest? Silence my heart… my brain, and ending my life?" Ganon stopped and noticed the sword quaking in her hands. "I don't think you do…"

"Well… no, I don't. But you're a human being. An ugly one… but it doesn't feel right killing anyone… just because I don't like you."

"Is _that_ why you refused to kill Ghirahim? Why, you would refuse to kill my daughter if your lives weren't connected. Oh!" he sparked. "But that's another reason… isn't it? The reason you're too hesitant to kill me… is because you _owe_ me. It was _I_ who gave birth to Lehcar, and therefore _I _that saved your life, by breathing life to your Negative."

"What are you talking about? !" she shouted. "You think because you helped give me life, I'm going to do what YOU want? Yeah. I don't think so."

"Heh heh hah hah! Poor, simple mortals… it's no wonder the demons hate you guys: so weak. So ungrateful. So _pointless_ to have in this world_…"_

"And yet, you've won the respect of countless demons. And YOU'RE a mortal. How do you explain THAT, Ganon?"

"Heh heh… true… I _was_ born a mortal human like the rest of you fools… but I was born… with a _unique_ characteristic. I was born with fire... a kind of dark fire that burns deep in the Underworld. I had been blessed with the unholy powers of Malladus. My surrogate mothers, Koume and Kotake, raised me to worship the Demon King. His influence over me grew… as did my power. Eventually, I became so strong with the ways of the Underworld… I finally saw Malladus for the foolish king that he was. I ventured down into the Underworld and gifted the fellow demons with knowledge."

_A younger Ganondorf stood upon a podium, overlooking legions of demons as he waved hands in the air and spoke. "Malladus Uno is a FAILURE as a king!" he roared to them. "In his reign as Demon King, he has done NOTHING to conquer the world of mortals above. For his entire reign, he has been constantly foiled by armies of PUNY, mortal brats. Malladus is a failure. A NEW king must take the thrown. A strong… and POWERFUL king… like me!"_

_All the demons engaged in quiet, contemplating conversations._

_"That's right! I may just be a mortal in your eyes… but _I _have been blessed with the terrific powers of Malladus! My bond with the Demon Realm has grown strong enough to see the error of his ways. He must be ripped from his throne as Demon King. With me as your king, I will lead the Underworld to a golden era. A _DARK_ era… where the feeble mortals will YET be drowned in the Sanzu River… and the glory of demons shall RULE all!"_

_"YEEEAAHHH!"_

"Eventually… I had the respect of the Underworld's toughest men." Ganon spoke. "Unfortunately, I still had my day job. Of serving the wretched king of that ancient kingdom, over 5,000 years ago… the father of your ancestor, Zelda. But when we had finally discovered the location of the Triforce… I no longer needed that old fool. I plucked the Triforce of Power from the sacred triangle and established my own rule upon that realm. From then on, it was all supposed to go so simply: lure the other ones bounded by destiny to me and revive the Triforce… but-"

_A young man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and green clothing stood before a tired, panting Ganondorf, wielding a sacred bow that emitted a golden light. The boy pulled the arrow back and fired, swallowing Ganon in holy light. "NOOOOO!"_

Ganondorf's smirk died into a frown. "I hated that boy…"

"Ha! So my great etc. grandfather kicked your butt! Oh, but you shouldn't need to miss him. I'll be sure to make his victory exactly similar!" Rachel retorted.

"Oh, I'm far from missing him, Child. And I'm far from any worry of what _you_ could do with that blade. Oh, but I do know something…"

"Hm?" she cocked a brow.

"I and my daughter hold both pieces of the Triforce of Power. And you, Child, hold the Triforce of Courage. But… who holds the third piece? The Triforce of Wisdom?"

"I dunno. Beats me."

"While I may not know who holds it… I do know it's out there somewhere. It's the last key I need to get my powers back. When all three pieces of the Triforce are together again… Power, Wisdom, AND Courage… the gods will have no choice but to come down. The Holy Triforce… he who touches it… will have whatever he desires granted. It has _incredible_ power."

"And… you want this power to become the all-powerful Demon King Malladus failed to be, right?"

"Oh, no. Of course not, Child… why waste my wish on such childish power… when I can use it to take this wretched world back to the good days? I shall use the Holy Triforce to reawaken the Golden Era from the past, and revive the ancient kingdom of Hyrule long before it was established: wars of demons and mortals!" Rachel and the others gasped. "Children and mothers slain! An age of burning forests, drying oceans, and intoxicated air. Who wouldn't wish for a more perfect world?"

"You…You're a monster!" Rachel yelled.

"Thank you…" Ganondorf only smiled.

"You…You can't be human! At all!"

"You would wish for an age of hopelessness and misery that has long been forgotten in the past?" Shadow asked. "Despicable."

"Come on, Shadow." Ganondorf spoke. "Haven't you ever had that strong distaste toward humans? Eggman's told me about your little _past_. Don't you remember how the humans… _unhesitantly_ ended the only woman you ever loved?"

"You can't bend me, Ganon. I've put the past behind me. And if you can't do the same, you're going back to the very place you were spawned from."

"We're BOTH gonna send you there!" Rachel vowed.

"Hmm… noble. A shame that I can't kill Rachel right now… otherwise, the power I need that she wields will be lost. But…" He raised his sword. "It wouldn't hurt to beat and tatter you for a while. With two pieces of the Triforce with me, Lord Gnaa will shower me with praise! Especially after we tend to your helpless little friends. Have at you!" (Stop the music.) The horse was about to walk up for Ganon to strike her, but they stopped when they heard some other whinnying. The black horse jumped back when another horse jumped in the way. A light-red horse, with white hair on its head, kicked its feet at the evil horse and made him step back. "You? No… it can't be!" Ganon gasped.

The horse gestured for Rachel to climb on, and she did so. "Okay. Not what I expected, but I'll take it!" she decided, readying her sword.

"Errr. Bulblin Brigade, SPREAD OUT!" Ganondorf ordered as the demons started scattering. "Helmaroc King, get those fools out of here." He ordered the huge bird. "General Bulblin, keep those kids away from her. Everybody scram!"

Rachel kicked the horse on the side as it whinnied again and charged after the Bulblin General, followed by Shadow. (Play the "Horse Battle" Theme from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_!)

_Boss fight: King Bulblin_

The chubby demon rode away from Rachel on the pursuing horse as other Bulblins charged at them, swinging swords and firing arrows. Some demons shot fire arrows at Shadow, who only curled in a pinball and Home Attacked the demons, bouncing their arrows back. Rachel rode up to King Bulblin and swung her sword at the demon, trying to get him to drop the flag holding Fanny and Patton.

More Bulblins rode over to keep the girl away, so Rachel started slicing them off. That's when some Bokoblin started coming on Kargaroks, firing arrows from above that Rachel defended with her sword. Shadow ran and dodged some arrows as he tossed Chaos Spears at the bird-riding demons, knocking them off so he could take their bows and shoot them, too.

Rachel dealt more blows against King Bulblin, knocking more of his armor off, but he blew a Monster Horn and summoned more Bulblins to shoot fire arrows at Rachel. More Kargaroks came and started dropping bombs, keeping the blonde leader away from the general. Shadow was able to grab the bombs and throw them back, destroying the Kargaroks.

More Bulblins rode beside Rachel on both ends, swinging swords and clubs that she avoided. She poked the sides of the Bullbos, making them go crazy and run into trees and rocks, the Bulblins falling off. When they tried to recover, Shadow just warped beside and kicked them, knocking them out. When Rachel was approaching the Bulblin King again, he drew out a slightly bigger bow and started firing arrows which she knocked away.

Shadow Spin Dashed over a few more Bulblins before looking up to see the large bird, Helmaroc King, flying away with the others, the hedgehog focusing his attention on mainly Rouge. More Kargaroks started to fly in, but Shadow continued to Home Attack off of them. When a Kargarok carrying another Bokoblin came, he shot up and kicked the demon off, riding the bird himself. He then started to chase the Helmaroc King, who turned at Shadow and tried to blow him away with his large wings.

As Shadow tried desperately to fight the bird's rough winds, the Kargarok he rode suddenly grew tired and dropped to the ground. Shadow became angered and finally started to glow red, transforming into Dark Super Shadow. The hedgehog warped up to the Helmaroc King and yelled, "Chaos… BLAST!"

"AIEEE!" the large bird yelled when the powerful explosion struck and also burned the cage, making the others drop to the ground. Shadow quickly warped to the ground and caught Rouge in his arms, leaving the rest of them to hit the ground with a thud.

Rachel continued to knock away King Bulblin's arrows as she still chased, the demon pulling out his horn to summon more Bulblins. "AHHH!" Rachel cried when her horse shot over, the girl immediately slicing the horn in half. Rain started to pour onto the area as the angered demon spotted a bridge up ahead, smirking as he rode to it faster. He quickly sped to the other side of the long bridge, turning to face Rachel on the other end, and holding out a spear. (Play King Bulblin's Theme from _Twilight Princess_!) "It's time for a bridge joust. Whoever falls… _falls._" The Bulblin declared. "Have at you!"

Rachel gulped as the Demon General aimed his spear and charged straight at the blonde leader. Rachel kicked the side of her horse to make it charge ahead as well. Both of them had their weapons ready, Bulblin keeping a smirking expression while Rachel held her worried one. Right when the two rode past each other, Rachel quickly swung her sword and sliced half of his left horn off, then passed by.

The two stopped on the other sides and turned again. "Grr! This time, you're finished!" King Bulblin vowed as his Bullbo started charging again. Rachel still only kept her worried look as she charged back at him, Bulblin seeming to come faster with an angered expression.

_"Never let fear get the best of you, Master."_ Fi spoke from the sword. _"Confidence gives power."_ At those words, Rachel put on a more fierce expression, just when the two were closing in. Just as the two were about ram each other, Bulblin stabbed his spear, but Rachel quickly ducked to the side.

"AAHH!" (Stop the music.) The blonde leader immediately swung her sword and struck the demon clear in the stomach.

"NOOOOOO!" Rachel stopped and watched as King Bulblin fell to the bottomless trench below. (Play "King Bulblin Clear Fanfare" from _Twilight Princess_!)

Lee and Paddy hurried over to untie Fanny and Patton from the flagpole on Lord Bullbo, helping them up as they smiled proudly at Rachel. The Supreme Leader raised her sword skyward in victory as the golden sun pierced the dark clouds and made her heroic figure glow, her might sword sparkling beautifully.

After her moment of pride, the horse carried her back to her friends, allowing Rachel to get off and greet them. The horse whinnied and vanished into the distance as Rachel waved good-bye. "Wow, Rachel! That was so coool!" Lee exclaimed.

"Yeah, Rachel! You took that guy out like it was nothing!" Sonya perked.

"Peh. I could've done better than that." Shadow said smugly.

"Gee, Shadow, offer a little encouragement for once." Rouge replied, smacking him playfully.

"And hey! Check out the bow this guy was using." Charlotte said, picking up the bow from Lord Bullbo's side and showing it to Rachel.

Rachel took and studied the weapon as Fi came out of the sword. _"Master Rachel. The aura I sense indicates that this bow was once used by the Hero of Time himself."_

"You mean… this was my ancestor's bow? But why would these demons have it?"

_"There is an 80% chance the weapon was robbed from him by Ganondorf sometime after his death."_

"Stealing from a dead guy? Not cool." Lee said.

"Well, if it was Link's bow, shouldn't that mean it belongs to you now?" Sonya asked.

"Well, even if it doesn't… I'll take this as my reward for defeating that guy!"

**Rachel got the _Hero's Bow_! She can shoot arrows now! Whoopee.**

"…Did you guys hear something?" Rachel asked.

"Not me." Shadow answered.

"Nope." Sonya replied.

"Oh… never mind, then."

"Hey, did anybody see where Ganondorf went?" Sonya asked.

"He probably left when Rachel and Shadow were busy with those guys." Rouge figured.

"Well, at any rate, maybe we should look for the others." Rachel suggested. "Let's get back to the hospital and see if we can track them from there."

**Forest area**

Meanwhile, Ganondorf had eloped to another small forest area, stopping his horse to look back and see if he was followed. Seeing he wasn't, he started gasping for air. "If that horse was the one I thought it was… then she is becoming more like the Hero of Time by the minute. She may even grow strong enough to beat me, too. …No." He shook the thought off. "I will never go back to the Evil Realm again. I have to revive the Triforce and get my powers back before that happens. As long as the power of Malladus burns within me…"

"Well, WELL. Seems we aren't the SHARPEST sword in the dojo." A Western voice said out of nowhere.

Ganondorf looked around. "Who's there?"

"Certainly no hillbilly, that's for sure." Ganon looked up at the grey bird in the tree. "But rather a fellow demon that's willin' to help."

The tiny, dirty red bean on the bird leapt off to Ganon's shoulder. "You… you're that-" Ganon tried to say.

Hannibal reached his left arm/vine up for him to shake it. "Call me HB."

**Samiyan Sea; close to the Mother & Child Isles**

The dark-blue night sky still hung in the heavens, and the white full moon glinted on the sea. The waters were calm still, and the breeze made them sleepy.

"Yaaaaawn." Sonic could barely keep his eyes open, it was so peaceful. "This is my kinda world. Heh, I'm glad you guys got to be here, too." He said to his siblings.

"Ehh, we're used to it." Manic said uninterestingly. "Heck, we been stuck here for 8 years."

"I'm more looking forward to go back to our own world." Sonia followed.

"Ahhh, that's too bad." Sonic smiled, kicking back relaxed. "I'm not in ANY hurry. I could stay and run around here a while."

"Well, you _did_ take a while to get here, anyway." Sonia folded her arms, disbelieved.

"Yeah, Man. I mean, did you even _look_ for us?" Manic asked.

Sonic frowned and opened an eye. "Huh?"

"You DID look for us, didn't you?" Sonia raised a brow.

"Oh… uhhhh-" Sonic was suddenly at a loss for words.

His two siblings exchanged glances. "You DIDN'T look for us, DID you? ?" Manic questioned.

"HhhhhHU HU hu!" Sonic chuckled loudly. "Ceh; COME ON, guys! You think I actually… ehh!..." Sonic felt his siblings' glares burning into his skull. "…I…. uhh HEY, you guys, when're we gettin' there? ?" he yelled to everyone else.

"Uhhh, we're almost there, Sonic." Tails responded, surprised by his friend's sudden outburst. They were coming to an island with a huge rock wall surrounding it, and a tiny island beside it. "I'm looking forward to seeing this underwater kingdom, actually."

As Rourke stood at the front of his ship, still smoking his cigar, Blaze noticed how Marine was constantly staring at him suspiciously. "Uh… is there something wrong, Marine?"

"Oh, Oi don't know, Blaze." She whispered. "But Oi just can't help feelin' like I've seen him somewhere before, eh? Or at leas' heard of him. There's somethin' about that bloke that drives me bonkers."

"Heh. Gotta little crush?" Blaze smirked.

Marine's eyes widened as she shot her eyes at Blaze and pointed. "Eh, jus' a minute now! He is WAY too old-" Just then, the ship gave a slight shake as it came to a stop.

"Yuh-oh. Bad news, kids. Looks like only mah yacht can get us in that island." Facilier figured as they noticed the entrance into the island wall was too small for Rourke's ship.

"Oh well." Rourke said, already jumping down to the yacht. "Come on, kids." The rest of them followed and leapt down after him as the boat sailed into the island.

The inside seemed inhabited by strange little fairies, and was decorated with several trees and shrubs. The boat sailed to the large, circular pool in the center and stopped as Eva stood on the front part of the ship, raising the Phantom Sword upward. The sword brimmed as a blue light emerged from the pool. Before the team's very eyes, a strange little girl appeared from the light and gave a giggle. Her skin and dress were a beautiful cyan, shiny and glossy, and very reflective. _"Oh! Hello, there, children! It's been forever since someone's come to this place!"_ she spoke in a childish tone.

"Uh… who are you?" Eva asked.

_"I'm the Queen of the Ocean Fairies. Mystical beings that reside on the sea and help bring peace among the ocean's sailors."_

"Wow! A Fairy Queen!" Kuki exclaimed.

"Pfft. You're just some cruddy girl!" Wally shouted.

The little fairy just snapped her fingers and transformed him to a frog. _"Well, you're just a toad! Eee hee hee hee hee!"_

"Rrrrribbit. HEY!"

The spirit snapped her fingers again and changed him back. _"That was funny! Anyway… the fact that you're here, must mean you've brought the Princess of the Sea."_

"Uh… yeah. That's me." Eva raised her hand. "We're looking for the Ocean Prince."

_"Ah ha ha ha! I knew that, Silly! It was prophesized the princess would return when the time to bring the Firstborn together drew nigh. My job is to guard the gateway to the newly built lost kingdom. But I couldn't let you in without proof that you were the princess."_

"Well, what proof do you need?" Morgan asked. "She beat Davy Jones, apparently, and she's got that sword."

_"That's right. The Phantom Sword is one of many sacred swords. And _they _only pick certain people as their masters."_

"How can swords pick?" Wally asked. "It's not like they talk!"

_"Well, you're dumber than a regular sword, and yet you talk!"_ Kuki and Abby giggled at Wally's growl. _"Anyway… the Phantom Sword was designed by the spirits of the ocean. And only someone with the spirit of the ocean inside of her can wield it."_

"That would be me." Eva said once more.

"Precisely, so if you could show us the way to Oceana, little girl, that would be great." Rourke grinned cunningly.

"Hold on!" Sonic spoke up. "If it's underwater, aren't we gonna drown? ?"

_"Of course not, silly! The entire city is protected by a bubble barrier! It's breathable for both fish AND landdwellers! Now, are there any last questions before I send you off?"_

"I do!" Kuki jumped. "If you're a fairy, can you grant WISHES?"

_"Hee hee hee hee! No. That's what Star Fairies do. They've been granting wishes for eons! Anything else?"_ No response. _"Oooo-kay then! Enjoy your ride!"_ The playful girl spirit snapped her fingers again, making a large whirlpool spiral in the pool.

"WHOOOAAAA!" The vortex sucked them in as fast as light.

**Under the sea**

They recovered and found their boat rapidly whipping across an underwater current. The sight was fantastic. Endless schools of fishes, sharks, eels, any sort of aquatic life they could think of. It was like an amusement park ride through the greatest aquarium they've ever seen. The sights rushed by so fast, they wanted more time to absorb it all. Their mouths hung open in awe, even Sonic's despite his fear of underwater, and Rourke's pipe fell from his mouth.

"Boy, do I feel sorry for Ava, Kami, and Kweeb having to miss this." Nigel gaped.

They were finally approaching an enormous water bubble barrier. When they drew closer, tall, circular-topped buildings of the ancient kingdom were in sight. The yacht zoomed through the end of the current into the water barrier, slowly lowering itself close to the ground, floating just a few inches above.

The group hopped down from the boat to view the lovely surroundings. They were deep under the ocean, and even though it was nighttime, one could hardly tell from so far down. Mermen and mermaids freely swam about the underwater realm, using floaties made of bubbles to get around. The streets were lit with normal streetlights, but the lights came from clam shells. The buildings towered high in the oceanic sky, made of the stone that made up the seafloor, and were skinny except for the flat, circular parts sticking out.

They smiled as a group of five, young merchildren were swimming (or floating) above them, playfully smacking a kickball around with their tailfins. "Damn… this place is nice." Was all Abby could say.

"Numbuh Fiiive!" Kuki scolded.

"Man, a kid c'n cuss if she wants to…" she mumbled.

"Boy, Kyogre's done a nice job repairing the place since we defeated Jones." Eva observed.

"Yeh, but Oi already feel the gajillion fathoms of pressure on moi skull…" Wally moaned, feeling the need to puke.

"Why didn't I just stay on the boat?…" Violet moaned, feeling just as ill.

While everyone else was looking around, Rourke turned away and took out some kind of communicator, typing something in. "Oi, Mate. Whatcha doin' there?" Rourke turned and found Marine staring at him.

"Oh! Just texting an old friend of mine. Anyway… let's get looking for this Sea Prince!" With that, he walked ahead jauntily.

Marine continued to look suspicious as she followed. "Yea… I'll buy that, eh?"

"Uh-oh. We got trouble." Eva spoke, spotting a series of Kremlings and Eggman robots falling in from the bubbled ceiling.

"HEH heh!" Sonic snickered. "The underwater just got fun! Be right back!" And so, the blue hedgehog was off. (Play "Aquarium Park 1" from _Sonic Colors_!)

_Stage 31: Oceana_

_Mission: Get to the Sea Temple, Samiya!_

_Act 1_

The blue hedgehog began to whip down the first street, straight down the middle of the city. He made a quick turn leftward and Home Attacked a group of Egg Pawns, then up some Bladed Spinners to reach a path along the side of some buildings. Sonic ran across carefully and jumped any pitfalls in the path, for down below was a pit of death; apparently not ALL of the city was on solid ground. He had to Home Attack some Chopper piranhas that leaped up from below to get across the pit, and at the end of the pathway, he reached a spring that flung him onto the rooftops, where some Crabmeat robots locked onto Sonic and shot missiles. Sonic dodged the missiles and Home Attacked them all as he jumped across the rooftops, dodging more along the way.

He finally leapt off at another road, dashing across, then turning right at another road, which was currently overrun by Merpeople on conch-shell carriages, pulled by seahorses. Sonic ran alongside the mermen as the road zipped downward into a tunnel, in which the rounded walls and ceiling showed another aquarium view, of many fishes and marine life. At the end of the tunnel, he was suddenly attacked by Kannon Kremlings, but he easily dodged their cannons and Home Attacked them. The road led around rightward and into a large park.

A bunch of families were running in terror when Kremling Krunchas began running amuck. Sonic Home Attacked each of the blue muscle crocs, but they turned red with anger. One of them grabbed the hedgehog by the legs and spun him rapidly before sending him flying. Sonic glared and tried to dash at the Kremlings, but their superior strength proved far too much, and another managed to grab Sonic and send him flying into the nearby lake (holy wow, a lake under the sea).

Sonic held his breath tight as he sank, taking land on a convenient ledge halfway to the bottom. Since he was unable to swim, all he could do was run across the ledges available to him. He was thankful he was able to hold his breath for so long, and he did enjoy the company of all these fishes. Sadly, there were Chopper piranhas underneath, too, so he had to bounce across them on his way. Sonic made his way underneath the tunnel he passed through earlier, and on the other side, he bounced his way up some jellyfish. He reached a ledge that was at level with the tunnel, watching as the many conchshell-carriage riders zipped through.

Sonic hopped onto a dolphin that was seated beside him and began to ride him across the underlake. They dodged several Bazzas as they zipped through, and also went through some bubble rings to score extra points (they are graded in this story, by the way ;3). The dolphin made a left turn between a trench, dodging Croctopuses as they spiraled up from below. The dolphin surfed into a tunnel of underwater mines which the two dodged, then turned left to make it outside between another trench. They turned another left before they were right back where they started, but the dolphin this time led Sonic near the surface. Sonic was brought to a shallow area of the lake, where fountains sprouted from the middle of the park.

Sonic encountered the group of Krunchas, but this time, Sonia and Manic were there to join him. "Maybe you'll have a bit more luck with OUR help." Sonia figured. Sonic smirked and nodded as the three locked hands, spinning into a hyperfast tornado. The Krunchas were sucked right inside, spinning higher and higher above the ground, before the hedgehogs decided to let them drop and knock out on the ground.

Sonic ran off first as his siblings followed, speeding away from the park and up another town street; which led upward. A squad of Crabmeats from atop the buildings launched a storm of missiles onto their path, so they immediately dashed left into one of the buildings. They startled the mermen occupants inside as they zipped up stairs and came onto the walkways on the buildings' sides. They hit a spring that bounced them to the parallel row of buildings, and they began to run through those as well. They came out on another walkway, which ended shortly, and to get back across to the other buildings, they had to bounce across a row of three Kaboings. The first Kaboing was the shortest, the second bounced midway, while the third one bounced high enough for them to reach the rooftops.

They ran opposite of the way they came and proceeded to attack the Crabmeats which had assaulted them. From the building across from them, a Bazuka was shooting barrels at them, but the three easily Home Attacked the barrels to get across, then Home Attack the Kremling. The Bazuka easily defended with his bazooka, but when the hedgehogs combined a Sonic Tornado, the weapon was blown into the air, allowing the three to defeat him. With that, they Boosted across the buildings, down the way they intended to go, and wiped out those Crabmeats as well. And in the process, they acquired a Red Ring. :D

They jumped back to the road and sped out of the town as they dashed up the side of a mountain. They jumped off a ledge and Home Attacked across a line of Bladed Spinners; over a 50 ft. drop below. At the end of the very long line, they landed on a path that sped them down into the city. As they dashed across, they dodged as water geysers spewed up from sewer lids in the street ('parently the ocean needs sewers, too). They zipped a left turn and suddenly found their selves running up a spiraling pathway around a conchshell building. They zipped around and around until hitting a spring at the top, flinging straight above with their arms and legs spread out.

They smiled as the underwater wind brushed through their hair, falling fast toward the water. They dodged around as a Kannon was blasting cannonballs from a boat below. The Kremling failed to shoot them as Sonia and Manic landed on his head and kicked him into the water. Sonic landed behind the boat, immediately grabbing hold as he dashed across the water, pushing the boat along. They dodged the Choppers along the way before hopping off on a shore and speeding into a long, narrow tunnel. A Kannon was blasting regular barrels at them, but they easily Boosted through the weak barrels before shooting through the Kannon on the other side.

They hopped down into an underwater cave afterward, hurrying through as Flotsams swam at them. Manic tried to bounce one of the stingrays, but ended up taking a shock. His siblings shook their heads as they kept going, dodging Bloopers as the squid minions swam at them. There were gaping holes in the wall, in which the trio had to avoid as gigantic seasnakes; called Deep Pythons, lunged at them in attempt to snack. The bases of their heads were their weak points, so Sonic was able to Spin Dash and shoot through them. They kept running toward a row of springs. However, these turned out to be Trick Springs, the Eggman faces laughing as they were flung up beside a hole, where a Deep Python shot out and munched them. The seasnake savored the taste, until the hedgehogs rapidly spun and shot themselves free.

The three were running out of breath, but they found a crack in the ground where bubbles were coming out of, allowing the three to grab extra breath. They reached a dead end in the cave, but the rest of the path led upward through a cylindrical tunnel. They began the journey upward using the available footholds, but a gigantic Deep Python was looming below them, getting ready to launch up. The hedgehogs hurriedly jumped their way up as the python slowly approached, its mouth wide open and its moan making their skin tingle. Just when it was inches away from snapping them, the three found a giant geyser of bubbles shooting through the middle, so the three hopped in and blasted STRAIGHT to the top, shooting out of the way and high into the sky.

They fell slowly toward the ground, and their eyes sparkled with wonder. The tremendous, posh, pearl structure that was the Sea Temple towered in their vision. They couldn't wait to get inside. (End song.)

The rest of the group, however, chose to walk through the city normally. _"Aaaaaaa_AAAAHH- UUH!" They stopped when the three hedgehogs crashed flat onto the ground before them.

They held their heads up, looking dizzily. "Is this a regular thing for you, Sonic?" Sonia asked.

"Heheh… you get used to it." Sonic grinned goofily.

"Maaan, come awn, you guys." Abby told them as they walked passed. "Le's just get in this temple."

Finally, they arrived at the colossal structure that was Samiya. "Hm. Place ain't changed a bit." Abby noticed.

"Yeah, except NOW it's not trying to drown us." Nigel joked.

As they approached the palace's entrance, a small, red crab glared at them from the roof above. It jumped to Nigel's head, and before he could realize, the crab started pinching his nose. "AAHHHH!" the Brit yelled, running around.

"INTRUDERS! Get back to de surface, ye two-legged barnacles!" it yelled in a Jamaican accent.

"Hey!" Eva yelled, ripping the little crab off and holding him by the right claw. "Calm down! We aren't here to hurt anyone!"

The crab immediately stopped shaking and looked in the news anchor's eyes, studying her form up and down. "Those eyes… that hair... holy mackerel! De long-lost princess herself! Ya haven't changed a bit!"

"You… know me?"

The crab swatted her hand and dropped to the floor. "I am Sebastian de Crab. De king's royal visor."

"You're a cute royal visor!" Kuki exclaimed happily.

"Ahem, yes, well… now dat you're here, I suppose you'll be wanting to see de little Sea Prince and his father?"

"That's right." Tails confirmed. "We're looking for the Firstborn, and we need to have the second one."

"Yes, yes, I know de story. Come on in." the little crab instructed, leading them inside.

**Inside the palace**

Sebastian led them to a huge doorway with a sea-green door, stopping and turning to the team. "Ahem… ladies and gentlemen: King Kyogre!" The stone doors slid open, and the crab proceeded to scuttle inside, followed by the others. There, hovering above the throne, was a great, blue whale with huge hands, the Ocean King himself.

The heroes smiled and kneeled to the whale lord as he studied them. Wally was the only one not to bow, but ("Ow!") Abby smacked him and made him do so. "Ah… my dear friends." Kyogre spoke in a deep, echoey voice. "It is a pleasure to have you here in my realm. I welcome you back to Samiya."

"An honor to be here, too, Kingy." Rourke nodded, standing up with his cool grin. "My name's Captain Rourke. Captain of the Marine Research Team of South America. Protectors of the oceanic life."

"Well, Mr. Rourke… someone who enjoys marine life like yourself must be astonished to be here."

"In ways words cannot describe. But I'm a bit more interested in the… coup de grace to this fine realm. I speak of the Sea Prince, of course." Rourke smirked.

"He's right." Eva said. "We're looking for the Firstborn—_as if we haven't said that enough times—_so we need to find Manaphy."

"Of course… come right this way."

The whale king floated through a door on the side of the room, taking them up another tall staircase outside, leading into another tower. When they heard the majestic, angel-like voice up ahead, Eva and Nigel exchanged excited glances and ran ahead of the others. They arrived at what they clearly remember as the Chamber of the Sea Crown, spotting the young prince himself singing atop the sacred jewel.

_"Huuuh…huh-huuuuh."_

_"Fiii…fi-fiii."_

Manaphy's voice was filled with light and joy, and the deep voices beyond the waves returned this.

"Whoa. Little guy sure can sing." Sonic commented.

"Yeah, but what's that thing he's sitting on?" Manic asked.

"That's the Sea Crown." Knuckles replied.

"How do you know?" Amy asked.

"There's a lot of treasures well-known to us hunters, and the Sea Crown's one of 'em."

"Boy, I bet someone could sure make a ton of money off that." Rourke figured.

"Well, go on, Eva. Go say 'hi'." Nigel smiled, nudging his cousin.

"Mm-hm!" Eva smiled and dashed up the stairs to her blood-brother.

"Mana?" the little prince immediately stopped singing and shot his eyes open, seeing his older blood-sister running up. "Mana-Mana!" Eva reached the top of the stairs and held her arms open for the young prince to jump in. "PHYYY!" Manaphy happily jumped down, and Eva embraced him in a hug.

"Awe! I missed you, too, little guy!"

"Awww! Those two were always so cute together!" Kuki exclaimed.

"Blech." Wally stuck his tongue out.

"Better close that mouth 'fore a fish bites." Abby told him.

"BLEEEHH-" Wally stuck his tongue out at her in a mocking fashion. "OW! !" Immediately, a fish jumped in and grabbed his tongue. He yanked it off as Kyogre spoke.

"Yes… Manaphy has missed you dearly since your departure." The king said. "It would delight him greatly… if you chose to stay here."

"Sorry, Buddy. No matter how much I like the sea, my place is on the surface. But I still miss you, though!" she exclaimed, cuddling her brother.

"Mana, Mana!"

"It is your choice." Kyogre replied. _"As long as I am not stabbed in the head._ But before you go, you may stay here to rest. I'm sure you've had a long journey."

"Got that right." Sonic said. "Running on water sure takes a lot outta me."

"And hey, we actually get to take you with us, Manaphy!" Eva exclaimed.

"Man-Mana!"

"Well, let's go look at the rest of the palace." Peach smiled, walking off.

"Yeah!" Mario agreed.

"You blokes do that, Oi'm explorin' the REST o' this town!" Marine perked, running off.

"Numbuh 5's onta that! Ah wonder what kinda food they have here?" Abby said.

"Be careful what you eat, otherwise they'll consider us cannibals!" Hoagie joked.

"Ah, shut up!" Abby smacked him with her hat.

Rourke only glanced out the palace window and smirked as he left, too.

**Deserted island**

Team Alien and the Kongs were currently resting on a deserted island they found, with Ava, Kami, and Kweeb fixing up the ship while the Kongs just sat back and ate: Donkey was eating the coconuts used for his gun, Diddy ate the peanuts used in his pistols, while Dixie had watermelons. The operatives finally climbed out of the ship and shut the cockpit. "Phew. There we go." Ava sighed, wiping her forehead. "Took some damage, but it looks like the Heart Star can go some more rounds."

"Fin-al-ly." Kami said relieved, dropping to the ground on her back. "Repairing alien ships sure is a lot of work."

"I'm an alien, and I second that." Kweeb agreed, lying down beside her.

"Too bad we couldn't take Funky with us." Dixie said, tossing Kami a melon.

"Ooh ooh ah ah. (And our tech's about as good as your 2x4 tech.)" Diddy said, tossing Kweeb a peanut. "(Not that it's a bad thing.)"

"Mmmmm. Ooh ooh. (But King K. Rool kidnapped our friends again. Donkey hates that croc!)" Donkey frumped.

"Relax, DK." Ava said. "We'll save your friends. First we need to get back to the others."

Kami munched the melon a little before glancing to the side and spotting a ship out in the distant sea. She sat up and swallowed the melon piece. "What's that?"

The rest of them looked and noticed there were a bunch other ships alongside it. Ava squinted here eyes, and was able to spot the large "G" logo on the sides of the ships. "They're… GUN Troops?"

"That Rourke guy works for GUN, doesn't he?" Kami asked. "Then they should be on our side."

"I dunno. I got a bad feeling about this." Kweeb said.

"Let's just lay low here for now." Ava suggested. "Then we'll follow them."

**Downtown Oceana**

Numbuh 3 was joyously skipping ahead of her friends as she, Sector V, Violet, and Marine were exploring the vast, aquatic realm under the sea. "Man, Numbuh 5 can't believe Eva didn't wanna live down here!"

"Are you kiddin'? ? Who'd wanna live under a ginormous BUBBLE? ?" Wally shouted. "Ya KNOW that thing's gonna POP one day! Then we'd all DROWN!"

"Only if you were _human_." Hoagie noted. "Since Merpeople are half-fish, they can breathe just fine. I'm guessing the air bubble is to give them a sense of human _and_ aquatic atmosphere, to better support their two halves."

"If I wanted ta change my lower half, I'd make it something TOUGH. Like a… PIT-bull, or somethin'."

"I wonder if they have any SEAmonkeys here? ?" Kuki said excitedly. "Or RAINBOW Seamonkeeeys! Wouldn't that just be MAGICAAAL?"

"No matter what amount of pressure rests above our skulls, you're still an airhead." Violet remarked. "Now, come on, let's find something to eat. They should have more than a few FISH lying around; unless they're AGAINST that."

They kids arrived at a food stand called "Water-Water Wendy's", where a pretty teenage mermaid girl, with green hair, a black tank-top, and pink tailfin, floated behind the stand. "Well, hiii, theeere!" the mermaid greeted in a Western accent. "You folks new to Oceana?"

"Was it my cat features that gave it away?" Violet remarked. "Or simply our feet."

"Hm hm!" the girl giggled, "Well, we don't have many humans, but YOU'RE certainly an odd one! Anyway, first-come land-dwellers get free samples!"

"Great! Gimme some hamburgers, Ah'm starved!" Wally demanded.

"Would that be WITH or WITHOUT salt?"

"Sure, Ah'll take salt!"

"Certainly, Darlin'!" she floated over to grab one of the cooked meat pieces and placed toppings on it, like lettuce, ketchup, cheese, etc.. "Here ya go!"

"Thanks!" Wally happily took a bite out of the burger. "! !" His eyes widened, and he immediately spat it out. "PLEH, pleh! 'ey! This tastes like SALT water!"

"Well, of course! It can't be Water-Water Grub if there ain't water in it! And you asked for salt!"

Marine decided to take a steak and swallowed it in one gulp, since it was so squishy. "Mmmm! This stuff is YUMMERLY, Mate!"

"Numbuh 5 will just take a Hershey bar." Abby said, looking at the menu.

"Sure thing!" The mermaid gave the African-French the candy bar. Abby unwrapped and took a bite, but- "! ! PLEAH, PLEAH!" she spat, too. "Mmaaaan! Messin' up good candy like THIS!"

The kids viewed around the street, seeing many other restaurants, like Frisch's, McDonald's, Taco Bell, even a Hardee's. "For an undersea world, you sure have a lot of human restaurants down here." Hoagie observed.

"Well, of course!" the girl perked. "These restaurants are in a lot of realms, like Skypia or Galaxia! People from those realms sometimes go to land to explore its features, or even _live_ there. Some people found these restaurants and noticed how popular they seemed, and decided to set some up in their realms! But since the REAL restaurant owners don't know about us, we get to keep the profits. Hm hm!"

"Well, I'M not a water person." Violet stated simply. "Is it a crime if I eat the, er, _unintelligent_ fish?"

"No, it's not! It's really the law of nature. 'Course, dependin' on the species, you may have to pay a fine."

"Sigh, I'll take that chance."

**Oceana Park**

The six kids went to the park to relax by a bench, staring at the fountain in the center. With all the Kremlings cleared out of the way, the Merpeople families had returned, and the group of five merkids were happily kicking their ball around. A group of fish swam by using the bubble floaties, and Violet proceeded to pounce one of them and eat it. "You know, aside from the pool, this place ain't half bad." Abby smiled as she kicked back on the soggy ground.

"Eh, Oi guess it's orright." Wally said grumpily. "They probly got some decent fishsticks." **(A/N: Spelled it that way on purpose.)**

"'Course it's orright!" Marine exclaimed. "This is a MILLION yonks more ripper than bloody Aquaria! I just need to find me the stamping station and stamp my Book o' Adventures!"

"'ey, look!" Wally perked up and pointed. "It's that family o' sharks that tried to eat Numbuh 3!"

"Oooh, yeeeaah!" Numbuh 3 beamed, seeing the family of sharks passing through, wearing bubble floaties as well. "I recognize them! Wow, Junior REALLY got some sharp teeth!"

They saw that Shark Junior went to associate with some strange, manlike mutant fish kids. "Hey… don't those guys look like Davy Jones' crew?"

"Yeah, they do." Hoagie noticed. "What do you think they are?"

"'ey, kid." Abby called over one of the little mermaid girls. "What's up with those kids over there?" she pointed to the mutants. "What are those?"

"Oh, you mean the Fishmen?" she looked over. "According to legend, Fishmen were descended from humans who moved to Oceana a long time ago!" she explained happily. "Those humans evolved and became fishlike beings, and their descendants take those forms, too! A Fishmen is said to be 10 times stronger than a normal human. You know, a FEW humans actually still LIVE in Oceana! Are you some of them?"

"Heh heh, no!" Abby laughed. "We just visitin'. But that's kinda weird, though. I mean, HUMANS livin' with FISH?"

"Well, some humans live in Galaxia, too, right?" Hoagie asked.

"I doubt any CATS live here, though." Violet figured.

"How do you think they find this place?" Hoagie asked.

"Maybe they take summerines!" Marine perked up. "Like THAT one!" she gestured behind them.

The kids immediately whipped around, seeing a black submarine floating beyond the bubble in the distance. "That… doesn't look nice." Hoagie figured. They skimmed the bubble wall and noticed several more submarines floating around the outside, with "G" logos on them.

"GUN should be on our side, right?" Violet asked, worried.

"Ah dunno… maybe we should head back ta Facilier." Abby suggested. Nodding in agreement, the six hurried their way back.

**Samiya; palace balcony**

Eva was still holding Manaphy in her arms as she, Nigel, and Kade stood on a tower balcony, overlooking the beautiful ocean realm below. "You know, I have GOT to talk to Numbuh 362 about setting up a Kids Next Door down here." Nigel thought aloud. "I mean, we already have an Undersea Lab."

"Only YOU could think up something that crazy." Eva remarked.

"Mana Mana!"

"Well, it wouldn't be bad! I mean… I'm surprised YOU didn't wanna live here, Eva."

"The thing is, I probably WOULD have." Eva responded. "If it wasn't for the whole G.A.L.A.C.S.I.A. thing with Nigel. I would probably HATE myself for leaving everyone behind."

"Hm hm." Nigel smirked. "Leaving Earth for GKND really _did_ help a lot."

"That reminds me, there's still that whole 'Dimentia's alive' thing to worry about, huh?" Kade asked.

"Well, we haven't heard news about her since she came back." Nigel said. "She's probably just laying low."

"You don't think she'd work for Lord Gnaa, do you?" Kade asked.

"It wouldn't matter if she did." Eva declared. "We'd still kick all their butts! No matter whose it is!"

Nigel looked over the balcony again, and something caught his eye. "Hey… what's that?" he asked, pointing at a submarine outside.

"WHOA!" The whole palace suddenly quaked as water started to pour down from the top of the bubble barrier.

"What's happening? !" Eva yelled.

"Nothing good!" Nigel shouted. "Let's get inside!"

Eva carried Manaphy as the three of them headed back inside to meet the others in the throne room. "Guys! What's happening?" Nigel yelled.

"We don't know! The whole palace started shaking." Amy replied worriedly.

"Errr…" Kyogre groaned and closed his eyes in pain as he dropped to the ground. "I've… felt this sense, before. The Sea Crown… is in danger."

"Oh, no. It's happening again." Eva knew.

"What do you think's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Let's go check it out!" Sonic yelled as he hurried ahead of the others.

They found the sacred jewel's chamber littered with holes blown into the walls as GUN soldiers wearing scuba diver outfits dropped in. Each of them ripped a jewel out of the crown before carrying it back to their submarines outside. "Hey! You can't take those!" Morgan shouted.

"Give them back!" yelled Eva, running up to stop the military men.

"Not so fast, kid."

Eva gasped and stepped back in shock, a feeling of betrayal overcoming her heart. "R…Rourke?"

"Surprise, surprise." The captain smirked, walking out from behind the crown. "I was the mastermind behind this whole scheme."

"But… I don't understand. Why would _you_ want the Sea Crown?"

"Because the Sea Crown is the very thing that's keeping you waterbending FREAKS around. With it removed, that'll be one less species to worry about."

"Rourke… I don't understand." Nigel spoke. "You…"

"-Are going to bring these jewels to someone who can REALLY make good use of them: the jewelry store! We'll be loaded, and I'll finally get promoted to Commander! And you…" he glared at the Sea Prince, "you're coming with me!"

"MANA MANA!"

"MANAPHY!" Eva cried as Rourke snatched him and switched on jetpacks, flying out of a hole. Eva tried to bend her Water Fists, but was unable to. "Oh no! Without the Sea Crown, all waterbending is cancelled off!"

"And not only that, it feels like this whole town is coming down!" Nigel exclaimed.

"Hey, that rhymes!" Mika perked.

"IS THIS REALLY THE TIME? !" everyone shouted.

"Can't I make humor? ?"

"ENOUGH, you guys!" Tails yelled.

"We have to get out of here!" Sonic shouted.

"WATCH OUT!" Knuckles screamed, jumping and punching a rock that nearly crushed Sonia. "Let's go!"

The team hurried and ran down the stairs, back to the castle's throne room. Kyogre was still injured as they ran past, and Eva yelled, "Wait! We can't leave him behind!" Knuckles jumped and punched another rock that was about to crush her.

Sebastian ran over to them and yelled, "We'll take care of him. You must save de prince and de jewels! Who knows what dat man will do wit' his power? Hurry!"

The group nodded and started hurrying out of there. As they dashed down the halls, Knuckles constantly punched and broke any rocks that fell toward them. The path ahead started to collapse as more water poured down. "Grr. We have to find another way." Nigel said.

"Ugh! I have to save my brother!" Eva yelled.

"Don't worry." Sonic said, grabbing her in his arms. "I'll get us through this. Hold on tight." With that, the blue hedgehog charged, jumped over the ruin and continued to run.

Nigel turned to Blaze and said, "Mind giving me a lift?" Blaze nodded and grabbed him, running after Sonic.

"What? I'm not good enough to carry, Sonic?" Amy yelled angrily.

"I'll give ya a lift." Manic smirked, grabbing her and running after them.

Sonia and Morgan exchanged glances and shrugged as the hedgehog picked her up and started running after them. Mika and the remaining Mario/Sonic team looked up as another ruin was about to come down. Mika erupted a powerful psychic barrier and blew the ruins away, clearing a path. "Let's go!" she told them before running forward.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO! I wanted to give myself a little break on this one, due to the big tests I've been taking this week. The next chapter will have a longepic battle, so I'll save it 'til then. Next time, the battle against Rourke, who was obviously a traitor. Later.**

**…**

**_Trivia: Abby's ancestor, on her mother's side, was Ursula, which means Abby is part-Fishman._**


	34. The Princess Returns

**Let's be GETTIN' outta here! Play the "Kingdom Valley (Water)" Theme from _Sonic 2006_! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eva Roberts vs. Lyle T. Rourke! The Princess of the Sea Returns!<em>**

_Stage 31: Oceana, Act 2_

The three hedgehogs (plus cat) carried their friends as they dashed across the collapsing ocean realm. Sonic and Eva were nearly crushed by part of a falling building, but the speedy hedgehog made a quick turn down a path to the left. The road was broken ahead, but Sonic got them across by Home Attacking GUN Beetles that went across, dashing down the path on the other side.

Manic carried Amy as he sidestepped more falling rocks coming toward them. Manic was too late to dodge one, but Amy quickly swung her hammer and bashed it away, allowing Manic to keep running. The green hedgehog then started hopping up rocks as they fell down, reaching the tops of the buildings and running across them.

Blaze carried Nigel through the destruction as the two constantly had to jump and combine their powers to make large fireballs and smash through debris in their path. Some GUN Hawks flew down to try and shoot them, but the two split up and started hopping over them, blasting fire and taking them out. The two landed back on the ground and started running, and Blaze quickly grabbed Nigel to carry him past more falling debris.

Sonia was carrying Morgan over the city at this time, the hedgehog dodging as debris and waterfalls fell to them. Morgan charged and tossed a Psycho Sphere to blow up a huge chunk coming their way, and Sonia spun in a tornado to protect them from some waterfalls as they went under.

Meanwhile, some water came down and destroyed part of another building, releasing the air bubble inside as Cleveland Brown, in his bathtub, gurgled as he hurriedly began swimming to the surface.

Mika was simply flying across the town using psychic, watching from a bird's-eye view as the kingdom fell to ruin. Despite the destruction, despite the thousands of merchildren crying in fear, Mika didn't care. For every downpour of ocean water that threatened to crush Mika's skull, had she not blown them away using psychic, Mika felt the incredible rush of excitement. Every dangerous encounter they endured, Mika's excitement grew. She became ever-more glad she left the island with Morgan and the Twins.

Sonic dashed and dodged more parts of the crumbling floor, and Eva held on tight as the hedgehog drifted around a tight turn. As Manic kept jumping the buildings with Amy, the top of one of them came down, but the green hedgehog held her and stood on before leaping off and running near the bottom. GUN Beetles fired at Nigel and Blaze as the cat dodged them, tossing Nigel upwards to shoot flames at the robots before she caught and carried him again. After jumping across a few more buildings, Sonia was finally hit by a Beetle, forcing them to fall to the ground below, but Mika was able to catch them using psychic.

The team kept running until eventually meeting back with each other. They saw Rourke in his jetpack ahead, just about to carry Manaphy off. (Stop the music.)

**Somewhere under the sea**

"Those little brats think they've won," Eggman spoke as he and his counterpart sat in a control room with their henchmen, "but they'll meet their makers yet! Once they have a taste of THIS baby!"

"All systems are ready, Doctor." Orbot reported.

"LET'S FIRE IT UP!" Cubot shouted.

"I must say, Doctor, I will never know when you have the time to build these things." Nega said.

"I'm quite full of surprises, Nega!" Eggman grinned. "Captain Rourke can float around in his little ship, but I have something better! Wait until those fools get a load of my Egg Carrier 3!" A hatch then opened beneath the sea, allowing the massive ship with a "3" on the side of it take off to the sky, followed by a fleet of Bowser and Kremling ships. "You're mine this time, Sonic! OH ho ho ho ho ho ho!"

**Oceana**

Just before the naval captain could make his escape, Sonic ran below and jumped high enough to toss Eva, the princess grabbing onto the captain's leg. "Ah! Get off me, you brat!"

"Not until you give me back my brother!"

"Ah, never!" The captain kicked her off.

"AHH-" she screamed before Sonic caught her. The others then arrived and watched as Rourke escaped through the water with some other GUN Troopers, hauling the crystals into a huge submarine that just arrived.

"They're taking them into that sub!" Eva yelled.

"We must stop him." Blaze said.

"YEA'! Le's show that drongo who's boss!" Marine shouted.

**The Red Marine**

Meanwhile, Rourke's submarine; called the Red Marine, opened a hatch, welcoming Rourke and the soldiers inside. The muscular captain walked to the center of the sub, finding the GUN Commander sitting in a throne, Boba Fett by his side. "So, I see you got my message." Rourke smirked.

"Yes, we did. Good work, Lyle. We never could've found the lost kingdom without your coordinates. With the Firstborn's power and the jewels from the Sea Crown, we can end the waterbending population and possibly ALL metahuman kind."

"And that means no more psychos!" Boba exclaimed. "That's what I like ta hear! Way ta go, Rourke, mah man!" he congratulated, slapping Lyle on the back.

"You will have your promotion to Commander very soon." Gunkan said. "First, let's take out the rest of these fools."

"Right then! You guys store the crystals up here. I've got special plans for the little prince…" The captain smirked, and Manaphy cried as he carried him off.

**_Old Orleans_**

The sub started to head away as Facilier used magic to produce an air bubble over the _Old Orleans_, floating the villains. "Come on! Let's hurry up and catch those traitors!" Marine shouted, stomping frantically.

"Patience, Marine. We'll stop them." Blaze assured.

"DON'T TELL ME TA BE PATIENT!"

"Quiet down, kids!" Facilier exclaimed. "And save yo' strength for the GUNs."

"YEAH! LET'S KICK some army butt!" Wally shouted.

"Actually, Numbuh 4, this is the navy." Hoagie corrected.

"You know what I mean! Let's just ram this sucker!"

"Now you readin' my mind." Facilier smirked. "Have a taste of this!"

Inside the sub, the GUN soldiers were immediately startled when the yacht PIERCED the wall, water spilling in. Rourke spotted the kids get off the ship to start attacking, and the navy captain ran down the hall with Manaphy.

The operatives drew out their weapons and started taking out Troopers while Mika and Morgan pushed them away with their psychic. "We have to find where those crystals are." Eva said rushedly, kicking a GUN in the crotch.

"I can sense them down the hall." Mika pointed. "Let's go." The others followed her down the hall, beating more GUN soldiers on the way. Mika and Morgan used psychic to bust down the door ahead of them, running in and gasping at who ambushed them.

"Hey, hey! Guess who's makin' a comeback in THIS story, Baby!" Boba exclaimed, switching on his two lightsabers. Commander Gunkan sat and watched from his throne behind the bounty hunter.

"They're down that way." Mika said, pointing to a hall to her left. "You get the crystals back to the temple. We'll deal with this guy." With that, she and Morgan drew out their lightsabers.

The others headed down a hall as the psychics began clashing against Boba's swords. They kept swinging from all directions, but the speedy bounty hunter proved to be quite fast, defending with his sabers.

"Hm… I've got better things." Eva said, running back the way she came.

**SS United Nations**

When Rourke arrived back at his ship, he carried the crying prince up to his deck. A control panel emerged from below, along with a small pedestal which the captain placed Manaphy on. "Easy now…" he said as Manaphy screamed from a painful shock. "Big Daddy Rourke will make it all better soon, and then we-"

"AAAHHHH!" the captain turned when Marine suddenly shot out of the water on her waterbike, flying to the deck and punching Rourke upside the chin, flinging him across the deck. "YOU TRAITOROUS BLOKE! What's the big idea takin' the Crown like that? ! Oi thought you wanted to PROTECT marine life, eh?"

"You stupid kid." Rourke retorted, standing up and rubbing his mouth as he approached Marine. "It's inhuman freaks like you that are ruining, not only the seas, but this whole WORLD. I WILL be saving marine life, by destroying ALL of you! AHH!" Marine quickly began dodging as Rourke shot his gun at her. She made one more dodge-roll before firing a Light Sphere, knocking the captain's blunderbuss into the sea. When she attempted to jump and spin-kick, he easily grabbed her foot and tossed her at the wall, giving her a headache.

"Oi, Mate… 'ow do you throw so hard?" she moaned, recovering and rubbing her head.

Rourke just smirked at the raccoon before glancing to his left and right to see more GUN ships sailing into the area. "It won't matter anyhow. My fleet's gonna waste this kingdom to the NEW Davy Jones' Locker. Your seafaring adventures are at an end, Raccoon. You're gonna get more than what I gave that poisonbender a few months back."

Marine's mouth dropped wide open. She became more fierce as she gritted her teeth at the captain. "So ya WERE the one that hurt Elijah!"

"Oh, you knew him? Perfect! I only gave him a scar, but I'll be sure YOUR treatment's much worse." His attention was then directed to a huge splash of water a few miles away.

Facilier's yacht shot out of the sea with the many Sonic and Mario members standing on. Sonic smirked as he started carrying Amy, dashing across the water, followed by the other speedy members, jumping onto the GUN ships and starting to take them out. Tails carried Knuckles and flew over the sea, as Sonia ran to deal with her own ships.

"SHOVEEEEEL CLAAAAW!" Knuckles cried as he shot straight for some soldiers, knuckles-first, wielding his Shovel Claws as he pierced the deck of their ship. Sonia began to spin rapidly in a tornado while Tails just threw Dummy Ring Bombs, the fake Rings scattering and blowing up the soldiers.

Marine smirked as Rourke gave a slight frown. The captain then heard another small splash and turned to see Eva, Nigel, and Kade climbing aboard his deck. "FREEZE!" Nigel yelled as they all aimed weapons. "You're under arrest, Lyle!"

"You kids aren't in the position to be makin' arrests." Rourke smirked, smoking his cigar. "So, if you don't wanna get burned, I'd suggest turning home and playing in your treehouses."

_"If you wanna talk about getting burned,"_ echoed Ava's voice, the lot spotting the Heart Star coming from above, "we're the ones you wanna turn to." The alien started mashing buttons with her thumbs, trying to blast Rourke with lasers.

The captain only jumped out of the way and yelled, "FIRE!" as GUN ships aimed cannons and fired at the heart-shaped ship.

"OOH OOOOOH!" Donkey cried as he and the other Kongs jumped off and boarded a naval ship, landing on and taking out the GUN robots.

"Looks like this party's gettin' started." Sonic remarked, smiling with Sonia and Blaze by his side.

"WHOOA!" they yelled when lasers nearly blasted them from above.

_"The only ones partying today will be US, Sonic!"_ At this, they looked up to see a fleet of Kremling and Bowser airships, led by what the Sonic crew recognized as the Egg Carrier.

"Eggman!" the blue hedgehog shouted.

"Yo, looks like he's after Manaphy, too." Manic figured.

"Alright, boys, time to give these clowns a taste of my Egg Carrier 3!" Eggman smirked in his control room.

"ROGER, DODGER!" the henchmen saluted.

"Hey, Muscle Man!" Eggman called to Rourke. "Not so high and mighty NOW, are ya? See if your precious United Nations can unite against THIS!" The children took cover as the ship started firing bullets.

Rourke only held his arm over his face and smirked as he went to his control panel, pushing some buttons and making Manaphy shock in more pain. The front part of the ship opened and tilted back, revealing a large cannon that pointed upwards and charged a blue, sparkling beam. Rourke pressed a large blue button, and a massive laser blasted straight up to the Egg Carrier, erupting in an explosion in one second.

"WHOOOAAAA!" the Eggmen and the henchmen cried, blowing far off in the distance and disappearing in a sparkle.

"So much for the Egg Carrier 3." Tails said, him and the others giving disbelieving looks.

"Who does that guy think he is?" Sonic asked rhetorically.

"ARGH, that load of stuffing be wasting too much of 'is time!" Kaptain Kruckers yelled. "But not I. FIRE! !" The fleet of ships immediately began blasting the GUN ships, who fired back.

Rourke could only watch as all this happened. "And what about us?" He turned back to Eva and the smirking kids.

"You still have US to deal with." Nigel reminded.

Rourke smirked as well. "You think you kids can take on a high-ranked naval Commander like me?"

"I dunno, but I can." Eva said, giving the others shocked expressions.

"But Eva-" Kade tried to say.

"You three help take out the other ships. This is between me and the big boy. I can take him."

Nigel and Kade simply exchanged glances and nodded. "WOOHOO! Okay, codgers!" Marine shouted excitedly. "Let's drown these blokes to the ol' gym lockuh's place!" Nigel switched on his rocket shoes and carried Kade as he and Marine flew off. Eva faced the muscular captain as she drew out her Phantom Sword, swinging it around before pointing at Rourke. (Play "The Encounter" from _Kingdom Hearts 2_!)

Rourke continued to smirk as he pressed a button, surrounding Manaphy and the control booth in a barrier. "So, a little girl thinks she stands a chance against me, eh?" Eva only smirked back. "Don't worry. You'll have yet to rule your kingdom. When we send you with it BACK TO THE DEPTHS!" The captain ripped his suit in half, exposing his green sleeveless muscle-shirt underneath. He then whipped out his own sword, swinging it around before aiming at Eva.

"Only one of us is going to the depths, and it ain't gonna be me."

_Boss fight: Lyle T. Rourke_

"AHH!" Rourke called, swinging his sword down at Eva, who flipped back before running and swinging her Phantom Sword. The two swords clashed against the other as Rourke swung at her feet, Eva flipping over him and swinging some more. The captain dodge-rolled around her and tried to strike, but Eva jumped back, stepping backwards as Rourke swung rapidly at her.

**Red Marine**

The fight also went on in the submarine below, the psychicbenders clashing their sabers against Boba's. Mika leapt over the bounty hunter and struck, Boba holding his sabers up in an 'X' in defense. He quickly flipped over when Morgan tried to stab him, slashing at them as they defended some more.

When Mika slid and tried to strike him from behind, Commander Gunkan took out a gun and tried to shoot her. Morgan saw this and yelled, "Look out!", running in front and blocking the bullets with her saber. The Demon Princess dodged her way to Gunkan before swinging her saber and slicing the gun. "Take that!" she smirked, aiming at him.

The Commander only growled in anger before reaching in his pocket and whipping out his OWN two sabers, which were pitch-black and shaped like pirate swords. "Didn't see that comin'!" Morgan screamed.

"They're darksabers!" Mika yelled. "Watch out!" the Philippine girl helped Morgan defend as the Commander swung his dark sabers.

**With Eva and Rourke**

Eva gracefully jumped as Rourke continued swinging at her legs. She hopped on the ship's railing and hopped over the captain, performing an aerial spin that he defended against. When she landed on his other side, she gave a few more swings before successfully knocking his sword away, smirking and aiming hers. Rourke then performed a slide-kick and knocked Eva off her feet, but the Ocean Princess did her own spin and swung her sword, Rourke jumping as Eva jumped back up.

When Eva swung at him again, Rourke grabbed the sword in his hands, trying to push it away. He tripped a little when Eva pulled it right back, then gave several swings at his chest, doing him a little damage. As Eva smirked, she suddenly noticed the part of his chest where she slashed seemed to have some type of crystal underneath. The man panted a little through gritted teeth as the skin grew back over the crystal. "Wh…What-"

Rourke just pushed the girl away before flipping back to grab his sword, running to swing at her again, Eva quickly defending and flipping back.

In the skies, the Heart Star swiftly barrel-rolled to defend against the lasers fired by the Kremling ships, Kaptain Kruckers giving a smirk. "Eat this!" Ava shouted, diving back down and firing TNT barrels.

"D'AARRGH!" Kruckers screamed from the impact.

With Eva and Rourke, the two continued slashing at each other until Rourke added more pressure on his sword, trying to push Eva down as she pushed back with her sword. She then noticed the barrier protecting Manaphy behind her and smirked, flipping away from Rourke as she gained an idea. "Come and get me!" she taunted, jumping over when he tried to strike again.

Eva swung at Rourke a few more times before knocking his weapon away and knocking the captain into the barrier, giving him a shock while Eva slashed at him, doing more damage. Rourke was finally blown away, covered in a little soot. "You…" he gritted through his teeth before picking up his sword and swinging at her again.

**Red Marine**

Boba and Gunkan continued to fight side-by-side against the two psychics, Boba swinging at Mika while Gunkan dealt with Morgan, swinging his darksabers almost faster than she could defend. Morgan then leapt and kicked the Commander into the throne, the man still defending as the Uno girl tried to slash him, then back-flipping when he swung a horizontal slash.

**With Eva**

Eva still ran and protected against Rourke's strikes, making her way to the barrier and striking it again. Rourke hurriedly chased Eva away before she could set the prince free, chasing after and still trying to slash her. She jumped around and swung behind her to defend from his slashes before stylishly back-flipping above him and stabbing her sword down to do more damage. The captain knocked her away and swung some more before Eva was able to knock his sword away and slash at his chest. Rourke dodged to her left and punched her away, then tried to jump-pound her with both fists before she rolled under and swung at his butt. Rourke jumped around as more parts of his skin were cut, exposing the crystal underneath.

**Red Marine**

In the sub, Morgan clashed her saber against Gunkan's as they started fighting down the hallway. Morgan grabbed him from behind, but the Commander swung her around and knocked her to the wall above some steam pipes. He kicked her saber away, and the Uno girl looked up in fright as he aimed his two sabers straight down at her. "Get ready to _die_, you _devil_."

Mika was able to subdue Boba and watched as Morgan shielded her eyes, and just before Gunkan stabbed down, Mika used psychic to make him stab just below Morgan, slicing the pipes and making steam shoot in his mismatched eyes, allowing Morgan to run and grab her saber.

While the Commander felt his way around, the rest of the operatives ran out carrying the crystals. "We got the gems!" Abby exclaimed.

"LET'S GO!" the Twins shouted.

"Hold on there, now." Boba said, recovering and switching on his jetpack as he shot ahead of them, stopping and turning with his sabers ready. "You kids ain't goin' anywhere with those! It's time ol' Boba puts you in yer-"

"E-YAH!" screamed Kuki and Wally, jumping on the hunter's back.

"What the-" Boba tried to say, trying to spot the kids behind him. Kuki quickly switched on his jetpack and made him fly out of control. "Whoa, whoa, WHOOOAAA!"

"YAAAAA/EEEEHH!" the kids cheered as they flew down the hall on his back, running over many GUN Troopers along the way.

The soldiers recovered just in time to shoot the kids coming down their way. Morgan and Mika jumped in front of them and kept the bullets back with their sabers as they dodged over and sliced the Troopers, allowing the kids to get through. "Let's go, let's go!" Abby shouted, punching some troops back with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R..

**Back with Eva**

Eva had just kicked Rourke to the railing, the angered man growling again as he ran to stab her, but she spun and avoided. When Rourke stepped back, then ran to charge at her, Eva easily jumped right over to kick the back of his head, knocking him to the barrier once again. She gave one last jump attack at the captain, plus the barrier, giving them both a huge shock. Finally, the controls were shattered, and Manaphy was set free.

"Mana, Mana!" the happy prince exclaimed, jumping gleefully. "PHYYY!"

"NOO!" Rourke yelled as Manaphy jumped back to the sea.

**Red Marine**

"Well, here's the exit." Numbuh 2 said as they made it back to the hole in the sub that the yacht poked in earlier, water still flowing in.

"Mah uncle's still up there fightin'!" Abby yelled. "How do we get outta here?"

Just then, five more GUN Troopers came their way and tried to shoot, but Morgan spun-dodged around and stabbed two, then sliced the others. "There has to be some way."

"Mana-Mana!" Manaphy cheered, just flowing into the sub. The young prince made glowing air bubbles appear around their bodies as they began to float.

"Works for me." Morgan shrugged as they flowed back to the underwater city, towards the palace.

Gunkan had finally rubbed his eyes clear from the steam to see them escape. "YAHOO!" He quickly ducked, startled when Wally and Kuki rode Boba right out of there. The Commander looked hesitantly at the rising water before dashing down the hall.

**Up on the ship**

Eva and Rourke continued to clash as the princess flipped away from a strike, panting tiredly. "I don't understand, Rourke." She said through breaths. "You said it didn't matter where you were from, as long as you're people. So why are you trying to destroy the metahumans?"

"We are about protecting the people." Rourke responded. "But you inhuman freaks, from aliens to benders to just plain superhumans, aren't people. You're all a bunch of monsters who don't deserve to live in this world. We'll stop you and ANYONE that stands in our way! AHH!"

The two went back to clashing a little before Rourke's sword was knocked away yet again, and the princess dealt a few more blows against his chest. "Well, you know what? The monster here is _you_, Rourke." Rourke held his left arm up in defense, and with one final strike, Eva leapt high into the air and struck her sword powerfully down Rourke's arm.

"GAAH!" the captain screamed when a good portion of his skin was off. The two now had a good view of the crystal underneath. Rourke looked to his arm and watched with horror and pain as his skin began to come off. "Gah… ack… AHH…" Eventually, all the skin had come completely off, and to Eva's pure shock, as well as the others who watched the fight from other ships, he now had the form of a hideous crystal monster, with fiery eyes and a fiery mouth. _"EEAAAHH!"_

"Whoa…" Eva stared amazed.

"Holy crud, HE'S METAHUMAN!" Ava exclaimed.

_"Aahhh!"_ Rourke screamed after completing his transformation. _"That's right! I've been cursed this way… ever since that cloud of Bang Gas… hit me as a child! Since then, I've never been the same… I HATED this curse! And I vowed to end the lives of EVERY metahuman known to existence! Starting… with YOU!" _the hideous crystal form began growing more than twice Rourke's original height, taking up nearly the whole deck of the ship. The beast threw his arms out as sharp crystals emerged all around his body. _"Ah ha ha ha… AHH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"_

Eva quickly began dodging as the monster started stomping around and pounding his fists at her. "EVA!" Kade yelled, jumping in and hurriedly swimming over to her rescue.

Eva swung the Phantom Sword as the beast fired its pointed crystals all around. She ran around as Rourke held his hand out and launched a swarm of pointy crystals after her. The beast stomped the ground and made the girl trip and drop her Phantom Sword, looking in terror as Rourke smirked and aimed his hand.

"NOO!" Kade yelled, climbing onto the boat and jumping in Rourke's way.

"KADE!" Eva yelled when Kade suffered a barrage of jagged crystals.

_"And now…"_ Rourke spoke as he reached down and grabbed Eva in his right hand, the news anchor trying to shake away. _"To DAVY JONES' LOCKER! DAHH!"_ He was suddenly shot by a missile from behind, dropping Eva and looking back to see her parents, with Eric holding a missile launcher.

"Not so fast." He spoke fiercely.

"No one hurts our daughter." Angelica spoke with anger.

"YYAH!" Eva quickly grabbed her Phantom Sword and slashed at Rourke's legs, making him scream and jump. He bent down, trying to pound her, but Eric shot a missile at his butt, making him jump.

**Sea Temple**

Back at the temple, the others had finally carried the crystals back to the collapsing temple. "There it is!" Abby exclaimed as they dashed up to the Sea Crown.

After placing all of their pieces of the Crown in, they found that one was missing. "Oh no! We missed one!" Hoagie yelled.

"No! There it is!" Kuki said, pointing to Wally down the stairs, struggling to carry his jewel up.

"Huff, huff…" Wally panted. "Why does this cruddy crown have to be so big?"

"Ugh." Morgan groaned, simply using her psychic to lift the gem up, tripping Wally over as it shot up. She carefully pointed the jewel at the open hole before sticking it perfectly inside. (Stop the music.)

The Sea Crown started to glow with light once again as the ocean balance was restored to normal.

**SS United Nations**

Up above, Eric tried to shoot Rourke once more, but Commander Gunkan suddenly came above the deck and sliced the weapon with his darksaber, allowing the monster to kick them away. When Eva ran to try and stab him, the beast grabbed her by the hair and held her up, walking to the ship's edge. _"To the depths!"_ And with that, the captain brought his arm back before tossing her out to sea.

"EVA!" Nigel screamed when Eva hit the water. The princess was knocked out as she started sinking.

Eva Roberts could slowly feel the life force leaving her as she sank below the surface, too weak to swim back up. "PHYYY!" She opened her eyes and looked at the beam of golden light headed her way.

"Eva…" Nigel held his head over the railing of the ship, tears slowly dropping from his eyes. The rest of the team held their heads down in respect.

_"HA HA HA!"_ Rourke laughed in his beastly form. _"…HUH?"_ His cocky look went down when a strange, light-blue light poked through the clouds in the sky. The others looked up to see the brightness of the full moon shining down. The spot in the ocean where Eva had been thrown started to glow bright blue as Eva's silhouette form was shown below. (Imagine the "Koizilla" Theme from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_!)

Kade recovered slightly to watch what was happening as well. They could all only gape as the water rose higher and higher. Eva floated in the middle of the huge water gush, her eyes glowing as the water started to move around and transform. The water was now becoming an enormous liquefied version of Eva, the huge sea goddess holding her head up and reaching her arms out as those parts formed. The water giant looked just like Eva, only having her feet cut off at the bottom where she touched the water, making a small cyclone.

The water spirit opened her glowing eyes and studied her new form. _"Whoa! Now THIS is awesome!"_ She looked down at Nigel and the rest of their friends smiling up at her. She carefully reached down to pick her cousin up and place him in her liquid shoulder.

"Wow, Eva! When'd you learn to do this?"

_"Your cousin's full of surprises." _She smirked. _"Now just sit back and let her handle things." _With that, she rose her left hand up and SLICED a navy ship in half. Soldiers tried to shoot her from other ships, but her liquid form made her impervious, the princess flowing over and catching the troops inside her liquid hand, tossing them away.

Two more ships tried to shoot her, but she went beneath the water, drifted over, and came back up, holding the two ships in her hands and tossing them into other ones. She looked back at three more ships and splashed the water with her massive hand, making a wave that wiped the ships out. She drifted to another ship trying to shoot her, and smirked as she started tilting it upwards, the troops merely jumping off before she turned it completely upside down and dropped it. Some of the Kremling and Bowser ships tried shooting her from the air, but Eva simply waved her arms and swatted them off. One last croc ship tried to ram her face, but she easily smashed it between her hands like a fly.

"D'arr… I'd best be going now, eh?" Kruckers said, already flying off with Bowser Jr.'s ship.

As Rourke watched the water goddess destroy their ships, Commander Gunkan hurriedly ran back inside the U.N.. The GUN leader boarded his miniature sub and escaped beneath the sea, sailing past the huge whirlpool that Eva created beneath her water form and getting away.

After squishing the last of the GUN ships beneath her palms, the giantess looked over and smirked at the monster that was Rourke. The Ocean Princess floated herself over and stood high and tall, looking down at the crystalized beast. _"Rah!"_ Rourke simply charged and leapt straight at her face, but Eva easily grabbed him in her right hand. The water giantess swung her arm around and around before smashing the beast against the deck, knocking him clean out. Eva gently placed Nigel on the ship's deck before dissolving her water form and landing herself beside Kade.

Eva rolled the boy on his stomach as she took some more water and used it to heal the wounds Rourke gave him. "Whoa… that was AWESOME!" Kade exclaimed.

"And THAT'S why I'm the Princess of the Sea." She stated proudly, helping her boyfriend up.

_"Nnnn…"_ Just then, Rourke got himself back up and stood over them.

"AHH!" They screamed as the beast was about to stomp them, but just before he could, they suddenly heard animal sounds coming from the ocean.

Before they knew it, the ship was surrounded by legions of octopuses, whales, sharks, and all the different marine life. An enormous splash of water emerged far in front of the ship, the kids watching as Manaphy rode atop Kyogre's head. Rourke gaped terrified at the Ocean King, whose attention was focused directly on him. Nigel, Eva, and Kade exchanged one last smirk before jumping in the water to let him do his business.

A powerful energy beam charged in Kyogre's mouth, and once it was at full power- "MANA! !" The God of the Sea spat his Hyper Beam directly at Lyle T. Rourke.

_"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" _The beam hit directly and SHATTERED the crystal beast into smithereens. The beam also hit the flagship, and the others watched with amazement as the SS United Nations vanished in an even bigger explosion, creating what seemed like a show of fireworks, lighting the night sky with its huge flames.

The Sonic and Mario gangs had gathered back onto Facilier's boat, along with Team Alien and the other operatives. They watched as Nigel, Eva, and Kade suddenly came above the water, lifted up by none other than the Multipus's tentacle. Kyogre swam to the three on the octopus with Manaphy on the king's head.

"Mana! Mana!" Manaphy waved at Eva.

"The time has come." Kyogre spoke. "Now… catch the Firstborn in the Spirit Ball, and this leg of your journey will be complete."

"What Spirit Ball?" Eva asked. "Huh?" They then noticed the earring on her left ear starting to blink, along with Manaphy.

"It's your earring!" Kade exclaimed.

"Oh yeah…" Eva said, removing the tiny ball from her ear. "It's that ball Beckah showed me. I just decided to make it into an earring… hehe."

"It is the Spirit Ball." Kyogre confirmed. "Capture Manaphy with it now!"

Eva pushed the little button on the ball, making it grow to normal size. "Okay. Ready, Manaphy?"

"Mana Mana!" the cheerful prince leapt off the Ocean King, straight to his sister. "PHYYY!" Eva tossed the ball straight at her brother, the Sea Prince glowing and becoming a light that was sucked into the ball.

Eva caught the ball in her hands as the creatures of the sea started to surround them and begin their song. Eva held the ball close to her mouth as she sang to it as well.

_Wuli woser… wikinava… youree uther… wikiner…_

_Wuli waser… wikinava… youre other… wikinother…_

Once the song ended, the ball floated in midair and erupted in a bright blue light. It came back down, and Eva held it in victory.

**Eva Roberts captured a _FIRSTBORN_! Only 6 more to go!**

**The next morning…**

The sun was rising back over the seas as the many team members faced Kyogre. "Children… thanks to your efforts, the seas are at peace once again. It would displease me to not reward you…"

"Naaah." Abby smiled coolly, shaking her head. "Just gettin' to kick that traitor's butt was all worth it."

"Plus, we got Manaphy with us now!" Eva said happily, holding the ball to her cheek.

"Indeed. And you children have completed another leg in your journey. I believe your path will next lead you to an old friend of yours: Jirachi."

"YYES!" Ava, Marine, and Kweeb cheered.

"ALRIGHT!" Nigel exclaimed. "We get to see Jirachi again!"

"However… because of your previous efforts, Nigel… Jirachi's powers have been lost."

"Oh. Uh… eh hehe." He blushed.

"Do not feel shamed. You did what was right. But… there is a way to restore his powers to his original state."

"R-Really? How?"

"Unfortunately, I do not know. The legends have been lost to the ages. There is only one spirit who remembers the tale. He is the Volcano Spirit. Groudon. And he resides inside the volcano on Hawaii Island."

"Suh-weet!" Abby exclaimed. "We goin' ta Sector H!"

"I should warn you, children: that volcano is a dangerous place. As are all spirit locations. …Well then… until we meet again." And at those last words, the Ocean King dove beneath the sea.

"Hoo. Finally, another Firstborn." Abby said, relieved.

"So, are we going to Hawaii then?" Hoagie asked.

"Not yet." Facilier said. "Let's stop back at port first and get some repairs and some food. This quest is only gonna get harder from here on out."

"No problem." Sonic spoke confidently. "As long as we stick together, Lord Gnaa doesn't stand a chance!"

"YEAH! !"

Just as the ship was sailing off, some bubbles appeared above the wreckage of the SS U.N.. "GASP!" Boba exclaimed, finally coming above the surface. "Aw, that's it! Y'all kids done it now! When ol' Boba gets back ta land, you kids are in for it! Ya can't keep a good hunter down! Ah'm the best, Baby! The best! Ol' Boba's gonn' show you! He'll show you all! That's right!" The bounty hunter only kept talking to himself as he drifted in the middle of the ocean. "Gah, stupid jetpack. Dang ol' kids. Dang ol' animals. Dang ol'…"

* * *

><p><strong>HOO! Finally! After ages of waiting, we caught the next Firstborn! And next time, we will begin the quest for… JIRACHI! Until then, later!<strong>


	35. The Adventures of Sandman and Coldman

**I wonder how the timebenders are doing?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chaos in Nightmare Land! The Adventures of Sandman and Coldman!<em>**

**Zuzu's Valley**

The timebending spirits continued to hang around the snowy field of Zuzu's Valley, the sky alit beautifully with sparkling stars and Northern Lights. During this time, Clockwork has been teaching Jagar King the ways of timebending. "Time is the Element of Memories." The ghost spoke. "A great and sacred power only granted to a choice few. Someone like you who holds great memories of the past can wield the rare ability of time-travel, and the manipulation of time itself. The Time Brake comes from slowing the memories, and not envisioning them too quickly. But when you do, you are able to make time move faster. And when thinking back to previous times, you can Rewind it."

"So, you're saying our timebending powers come from our memories?" Jagar asked.

"Yes. Including myself." Clockwork said, becoming an old man. "Unlike you, however, I was designed specifically to serve Dialga, as an eternal Time Spirit. Much like Fi was designed by spirits. But Dialga created me mainly to help other timebenders train with their powers. You see… Time is a very dangerous element. Manipulation of time is not something to toy around with. The reason Dialga chooses very few of us is because he must only trust the ones worthy enough to use it wisely. But while Time is powerful enough as it is, it works even stronger when accompanied by its sister element, Space."

"But don't Dialga & Palkia hate each other?"

"They do. And so leads to this tale: Dialga sensed he would gain these many apprentices in the future, and Palkia became jealous. As a result, he randomly chose a being from the black hole planet, Zathura, that he hoped to make his apprentice one day. I suppose you can guess who that turned out to be."

"Dimentia."

"That's right. Palkia granted Dimentia her spacebending powers. And she later became the almighty dictator she once was."

"But why can't _I _use my timebending to save Yuki and change the past?"

"Because… simply stomping on a bug in the past could drastically effect the future. In not always a positive way. Even dark times in the past have had some positive effect in the eventual future. For example, if the Whites have not dragged the Africans to America for slavery, who knows if they would've been around to eventually make peace, and make friends with the Whites? Or even Nigel's leave for GKND. He may have upset his friends greatly because of his leave, but if he had stayed, Dimentia would've conquered the universe, and the GKND would have never returned to their homes."

"But YOU were the one who helped bring her back to LIFE."

"I had my reasons for giving her life, and not just because she has a role to play in this quest. It's because even the darkest hearts can be turned to good, if led on the right path. You see, Jagar, while everyone has someone in their life that symbolizes their darkness… they also have someone who brings them light."

"Like Rachel with Nigel…" Jagar figured.

"Just like that." Clockwork said, becoming a baby.

"But… what could possibly happen if I went back and saved Yuki that wouldn't end up good?"

"You'd be surprised. But as stated before… while I teach you these powers, how you use them is up to you. Even a Light Element can be used darkly, just as Dark Ones can be used for good. Each element has Light and Dark Power to them. And only you can choose how they're used."

Jagar sighed. "…You're right… I won't change the past."

"Very well. Let us continue your training."

**Yuki's Cave**

Yuki Crystal had gone back to sitting by his cave, head rested on his hand. "Hey." At the voice, he looked up above the cave and found Olive Pioji, smiling at him.

"Oh, hey. You're one of those timebenders, aren't you?"

Olive slid down the icy slope and stopped beside him. "Pretty much. Otherwise, I'd be nearly dying from this cold." Yuki only looked away in depression and anger. "…So, what happened with you, anyway? I mean… how did you get that curse?"

"Hm… on a mission one day, somebody hit me with an ice ray. I don't know who it was, but it changed me forever. I froze the Supreme Leader's brother by accident, then I got banished, and Jagar wouldn't come with me."

"Well, it wasn't his fault. And besides, at least he apologized. You don't have to be so angry at him. He's just trying to be your friend again."

"Sigh… I just don't know anymore."

"Well… he was the only friend you ever had, wasn't he? Besides those Ice Climbers. Even if you don't like them, they're a pretty friendly couple. It's too bad you couldn't have more friends during your time."

"Well, I couldn't. Don't know why, but people thought I was a freak before, and they think so more NOW. Screw them…"

_"Gee, and I wonder why."_ She mumbled.

"What? !" he shot up.

"Nothing! But hey… if you want, you can come with us. After Jagar's done with his training. We can use all the help we can in stopping Gnaa."

"Hmph. Gnaa can take over the world for all I care."

"Universe." She corrected.

"Whatever. I'm staying right here."

"Fine. But listen… if you want someone to talk to, just come to me." With that, she walked off with a smile.

Yuki looked down with a frown and sighed again.

**Mt. Malladus**

Ganondorf's horse dashed along the fields with the demon thief riding on, following the devious little bean riding atop his bird. Hannibal had led Ganon all the way to Mt. Malladus, flying all the way to the volcano top. The bird landed on the small stage in the center of the volcano, Ganon's horse stopping, allowing the Gerudo to step off and look around. "Mt. Malladus?" he questioned.

"Indeed." Bean replied. "Here is where Ah will reveal to you your TRUE origins! Just sit down 'n' relax." Surrounding them appeared to be a Satanic Circle, candles lit around it.

Ganon sat down and crossed his legs, closing his eyes in meditation. Bean hopped off his bird as the circle glowed while he began chanting. _"Ifalas zaraz i is zarak. Ifalas zaraz i is zarak. O Mighty Evil of the Underworld. Feared by all, even Malladus. Awake thyself from the depths of your _new _form! Your new soul, and speaketh to us once mo'!"_

The flames began to circle the Gerudo thief, who looked terrified as they engulfed him. "UWAAHH!" Ganondorf suddenly found himself falling into a swirling darkness.

_"OOMPH!" Ganondorf fell in the center of a horrible, demonic field (similar to the one from Nolan's nightmare earlier). The man looked around, teeth clenched in slight terror as he looked to a dark cave ahead. The man felt a tinging sensation in his head as he decided to enter the cave._

_Ganondorf carefully trekked the impending darkness, searching for anything that might ambush him. He stopped, hearing a monstrous growl ahead, spotting some kind of prison cell. Ganondorf shouted, "Who's there?", running toward the cell._

_Ganon heard one last screech as a dark, terrifying, demonic voice spoke, enough to give even Ganon the shivers. "**So… you found your way to this miserable realm. Seems my old friend, Bean found you after all."**_

_"What? What is this? Who are you?"_

**_"This unholy realm lies deep in your subconscious. The darkest part of your already horrid soul. You think your great powers come from Malladus Uno, but you're wrong. It is true that Malladus was too weak as a ruler. That's because _I _am the Underworld's true ruler. Destroyed millenniums ago by the very person YOU despise. For I… am your PAST LIFE."_**

_"What?" Ganondorf was horrified. …He recognized this demon. No horror can be greater within The Underworld. The supreme ruler of Hell itself. "You… it can't be!"_

_A figure emerged from the dark depths. An unsightly monster, with no eyes. Nothing but an enormous, wide mouth with dozens of sharp teeth. The beast erupted a deafening screech, Ganon shielding his ears as drool and saliva spat from its huge tongue._

"HUFF." Ganondorf shot back awake as the vision ended, the flames dying down as he gasped for air.

"So, how was it?" Bean asked with a smirk.

"Th…That thing… said it was my past life. It said…"

"And it is true. It is the _true_ Demon King of the Underworld. Sealed away, and destroyed, for its terrifying powers. Jus' like me. And it is PROOF that you are the rightful ruler of the Underworld!"

"But… that thing… what was it?"

Bean grinned widely and evilly, exposing his rotten teeth. "For now, we'll refer to it as… _The Imprisoned."_

**Nightmare Land; Nightmare King's Throne**

Customer Service sat at his computer desk in his office on Nightmare Land, filling out paperwork while waiting for someone, anyone, to call. His grin perked when his computer started beeping. "Ooh! I wonder who that could be?" he smiled, answering the call.

_"Eh heh heh HEH heh heh heh!"_ King Dedede's face came onscreen.

"Well…" Customer smiled. "If it isn't my good friend, Triple D! How can I help you, King Dedede?"

_"Ah got somethin' y'all might want! Take a look!"_ He held up a picture of none other than Virginia Sims.

"GYAAH!" Customer screamed. "Th-That's-"

_"Eh heh heh! The Nightmare King's granddaughter! Got her locked away nice 'n' tight in mah trunk. And if yo' boss wants her back, y'all better pay up for all the damages you caused me in the past!"_

"But that was nearly 300 years ago! Speaking of which, how does a guy your weight stay alive that long?"

_"Listen, Shortstuff, Ah'm huntin' the Firstborn, and if y'all don't want yo' precious Nightmare Princess ta be Dedede-lectable, I'd suggest sendin' me some monsters, ASAP!"_ With that, the screen switched off.

Customer hurriedly ran into his boss's throne room. "Boss! We have a little trouble with a certain chubby penguin again."

"Hmm! Not now, Customer!" Darkrai yelled, looking out his window. "We have other problems to worry about, look!" Customer walked beside him looked. The many Nightmare inhabitants were screaming and running panickingly as Stormtroopers and other villains' minions went about, destroying the place.

"AIEEEEEE!" Jar Jar Blinks screamed, running frantically around the throne room. "Oh-shi NOO! We-sa bein' bombad pretty BAD! They-sa gonna WRECKY this-a leetle factory, ma-sa meh-sa ME-sa! OOM." Darkrai smacked him.

"JAR JAR! Calm yourself down. You were a general, weren't you? Get down there and ready my troops!"

"Oh-sa, me-sa GO-SA!" Jar Jar saluted and ran off. "WYEEEEE!"

**Downtown Nightmare Land**

Down below, the many Nightmares ran for their lives as legions of Stormtroopers fired about, blasting the town to smithereens. "AAHHH!" Eenus the Hillbilly screamed. "We gettin' bombacked, and we AIN'T hearin' a knock-knock joke! YA CAN'T go all bomback without a knock-knock joke! WHO'S THERE? ! WAH!" He ducked from a shot.

"GAAAH!" Mr. Oldman screamed, an explosion blowing him away a few feet. "Ohhh! I can't remain here much longer, lest I get exploded. YIPE!" He ducked some shots from a TIE Fighter. "Ohh, Wesley Dodds, where are youuu?" But to his enlightenment, the ship that he knew belonged to Wesley Dodds started coming in for a landing. "THERE YOU ARE!"

The ship landed as the Sandman, along with Mandy and Katie, stepped off to approach the old man. "Ah, Larry! How've you been?" Dodds asked perkily.

"Larry Oldman?" Mandy asked to Katie, who shrugged.

Larry immediately ran up to them. "Oh, Dodds, you're finally here! I wanna go home! I wanna be away from this land of creepy monsters and lasers flying through the air. How can a city in the depths of space produce air at any rate?"

"Hold on, Larry. We're not leaving yet. We've got work to do."

"HUH? ?"

Sandman then held up what seemed like a mechanical backpack of ice attached to a hose, tossing it to Oldman. "Whaddya say, Frosty?"

"DAHH!" he immediately dropped it. "Ah-Are you cuckoo, Wesley? I thought we gave up the superhero business AGES ago!"

"Well, desperate times calls for desperate measures." Dodds replied. "The world's being attacked by freakshows, and that calls for help from all the superheroes available. That includes us."

"Nnn, forget it! I got scared of all the evil villains and the scary monsters. In addition, the icepack was too cold to withstand."

"Well, listen, Mr. Ancient." Mandy began, glaring. "If these guys continue to run around and destroy our world, you might never get any peace. Always having to duck cowardly from cannon fire."

"D'oohhh. You're right. Mayhaps it is time to get in the uniform again."

"That's the spirit!" Dodds exclaimed, picking the pack up and tossing it to him again. "Welcome back, Mr. Coldman!"

"So, Mr. Oldman was Mr. COLDman?" Katie asked, surprised.

"That's FROSTY Coldman." Larry corrected, wrapping the pack around his arms and holding the attached hose.

"I wonder why he was excluded from the comics?" Katie asked half-sarcastically.

"Never mind." Mandy said, drawing her sword. "Let's blow these creeps and find the Nightmare King. There has to be some reason he wanted me to come here. Let's get going." (Play the "Asteroid Coaster Act 1" Theme from _Sonic Colors_.)

_Stage 32: Nightmare Land_

_Mission: Find the Nightmare King!_

_Act 1_

The four of them charged into the Nightmare city as the monsters ran the opposite direction from the Stormtroopers. Mandy began jumping the Troopers, slicing them as she hopped along while Katie just blew them back with Fear Scream. Some of Gramma Stuffum's Spinach Soldiers headed their way, but Mr. Oldman fired ice beams and froze the monsters, allowing Dodds to shoot some gas and melt them.

Mandy and Katie dashed over to the Nightmare Town Square where Imperial Walkers were blasting the Nightmare King's statue. Mandy and Katie ran over to two Walkers and Wall Jumped up their legs, reaching and entering the hatch. Katie Fear Screamed at her Troopers while Mandy used Scare Stare to make them jump out through the windshield. Like usual, the two used the Walkers to shoot off the other ones, and Mandy even blasted a TIE Fighter that came their way.

Wesley and Larry then headed into one of the buildings, where Girl Troops ambushed them as they headed up the stairs. Larry froze the girls' weapons while Dodds simply rolled over to kick them away before kicking them across the face, knocking them out. When they reached the top floor, some of Mumbo's large bunny ninjas dropped down, their carrot nun-chucks ready. Dodds fired gas at the bunnies which dissolved their carrots and made them faint.

At the top of the skyscraper, they could see a Stormtrooper controlling a crane on the building across the street. The crane held a wrecking ball, which the soldier used to wreck the Nightmare buildings. When he tried to wreck the building they were standing on, the two old men leapt onto the ball and rode it over as it swung back. They jumped to the Trooper's building and Larry shot an ice beam that froze the Trooper's head. The soldier began frantically moving the crane's levers, making the ball swing around before crashing the part of the building below the crane, making the crane topple over and crush a Walker that Mandy and Katie were dodging.

The fearbenders saw the Sandman wave to them and nodded before using the long, fallen crane to reach the top of the building. The two girls then started jumping buildings as TIE Fighters flew by, trying to blast them. The girls found two small turrets and decided to use them to shoot the Fighters as they came by. After shooting 5 of them down, they shot a 6th one, which made it crash into the building Oldman and Dodds were standing on.

"NNEHH!" Larry screamed as the building toppled over, but they jumped and landed safely on the ground.

"You do realize we're doing more harm to the city than actually saving it." Katie noted.

"That's how the world goes, Katie: you spend money to make money, and you destroy the city to save the city. Plus, it's the law of action shows. Now get ready to jump." She instructed as another TIE Fighter came, aiming and blasting the left panel of the Fighter to make it tilt so that the other panel faced upward. Right when it passed by, the girls hopped on the horizontal panel and began riding over the city at high speeds.

The Fighter flew higher up to shoot parts of another tall building, but the ship was quickly taken out by a Plasma Cannon, the girls jumping off and landing on some kind of roller coaster, zooming and swerving around various other buildings. The track was destroyed by a Walker ahead, so they quickly jumped to a coaster beside them, zooming to a pathway between some buildings, that was halfway up the buildings, and jumped off before the coaster rode off the broken track.

Stormtroopers hid behind crates along the glass pathway, popping out to shoot at Mandy and Katie. Mandy defended with her sword while Katie stylishly dodged her way over and knocked out two Stormtroopers, taking their guns and tossing one to Mandy. The two proceeded to shoot the rest of the Troopers before continuing down the path.

The two headed up a wide staircase to a higher glass path where they were ambushed by Girl Troops. They were hit by the Girlifyers, but were unaffected, seeing as they were already girls, including Mandy. Mandy was easily able to run over and slice the weapons in half before knocking the girls out. They continued to another staircase, leading down to a circular platform where Bio Spark Nightmares were battling Denta Drones. The girls grinded down the rail in the center and made it down, both using Fear Scream to make the Drones' braces break.

Afterwards, they dropped onto the road below, meeting up with Wesley Dodds and Larry Oldman. "Well, you girls seem to have things under control." Dodds noticed.

"Yes, but enough wasting time with these small fry. Let's get to the factory." Mandy ordered, running ahead with Katie.

"The factory? Mmm, but I'm not allowed to get the factory smog in my lungs." Larry whined.

"Let's go, Old Man!" Dodds shouted, pushing him ahead.

"AWWW right, then!"

The four ran toward the Fear Factory's front gates, guarded by a Gigant Edge and a Kibble Blade. Sandman aimed his gas gun, but the Gigant Edge protected with his large shield. Afterwards, the Kibble Blade tossed his boomerang and tripped the old men. "Seems like they don't want us inside." Katie noticed.

"Seems like they're going to be disappointed." Mandy said as she dashed over to the Gigant Edge, who swung his sword, which Mandy defended against before leaping over and striking the monster from behind. She afterwards jumped on its head and stabbed through the opening where his eyes were. The Kibble Blade tossed its boomerang at her, but Mandy easily caught it and tossed it back, knocking the monster out. Katie then erupted a Fear Scream and blew their fallen forms back, knocking over the fence. "Let's go." Mandy commanded as the four of them ran into the factory. (Play "Fear Factory Returns" from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

_Act 2: Fear Factory_

The four of them began their journey through the first hall of the factory. They first came to a huge room with a bottomless pit, having to jump small platforms to get across. They carefully jumped as some of the platforms smashed into each other, then started hopping treadmills. They got to a much longer treadmill and ran opposite of where it was pushing them, dashing under Slammin' Steels and jumping sharp Nightmare weapons that came down.

At the end of the treadmill, where it came out of a machine, the four hopped to a bridge that led down another hall of the factory. As they went along the bridge, Dodds sprayed his poison gas as some Bronto Burts zoomed at them, knocking the pink flies out. When they proceeded down the hall, some Fire Galbos popped and spat fire at them, but Larry fired an ice beam that froze the limbless dragons solid, smashing the frozen forms to pieces. Some Water Galbos came out to blow water waves at them, but Larry froze them too as they proceeded.

The hall led them to another huge room with a dark pit. They were on the side of a wall littered with steam pipes, which had steam shooting out of some parts, leading up like a staircase. Larry blew ice at the steam and was able to freeze them into ice handles, which Mandy and Katie used to swing upwards, reaching a higher point where there was a Sir Kibble guarding a lever. Mandy kicked the guard over the edge and pulled the lever, making a staircase appear for Wesley and Oldman to get up.

The four continued down the path to the left, still alongside a wall, which turned a corner down another left, then went right. Bigger jets of steam blew out of pipes along that wall that would blow them into the pit. Dodds stylishly leapt across them first, followed by Larry, who ran past them in a frantic fashion. When Mandy and Katie tried to run through, the last one blew Katie over the edge, but Mandy quickly grabbed her right hand before she could fall, helping the Nightmare back up. Recalling Mandy's unkind nature, Katie was slightly touched by her action.

After making it across, the four reached another hall that led down to a room where giant mechanical hands were lifting crates and pounding some Nightmare material that went along a treadmill. Dodds saw a hand moving over them along the ceiling and decided to grab it, Larry holding onto his legs as it carried them to a rather colorful crate. The hand lifted the crate as it carried the old men to another room in the factory.

Mandy and Katie shrugged to each other before hopping and running along the treadmill. They jumped atop one of the pounding hands as it rose back upward, then grabbed onto a crate carried by another hand. They let go and dropped to some hands passing various crates, jumping along the crates before grabbing another crate that was lifted upwards. That hand dropped the crate onto another treadmill which the girls rode into a slot leading to the next room.

They were now in an even larger room, of dozens of treadmills moving crates down tons of slots, over another pit of endless darkness. "Don't mind us, just passin' through!" Dodds exclaimed as he and Mr. Oldman still rode the hand carrying the colorful crate along the ceiling, into another opening.

The girls decided to start hopping the treadmills, as well as small platforms hanging from chains and holding other crates. They reached a circular platform where a Bonkers and a Bugzzy ambushed them. The hammer monster, Bonkers tossed some coconuts at Katie, who caught and threw them back, while Bugzzy zoomed over and grabbed Mandy in its pinchers, throwing her near the edge, but she easily landed on her feet. The Bonkers tried smashing Katie with its hammer, but she blew a Fear Scream and stunned him, leaving Mandy to slice him with her sword. As for the Bugzzy, it tried grabbing Mandy again, but she swiftly flipped behind and stabbed it.

A cannon then appeared on the platform, and the girls looked ahead over the pit to see a large moving eyeball with hands, moving in a circle. Mandy hopped in the cannon's control seat and took aim at the eye, shooting it once, causing a treadmill to extend from their platform. The eye moved faster, but she was able to shoot it a second time, making the treadmill go longer. When it started moving at super speeds, TOO fast for Mandy to hit, she decided, "Oh, forget this.", shooting one of the two beams that held the eye and making it drop.

The treadmill extended the rest of the way, but it went super fast in the opposite way they wanted to go. Two Wheelies luckily dropped down, and the fearbenders got onto the wheel monsters, riding them across the very long treadmill at a fast pace. Once on the other side, they disembarked their Wheelies and reached a rather large door with two megaphones facing it. The two girls nodded and blew a Fear Scream into the megaphones, causing the door to open.

The two ran inside and headed down a staircase, reaching a lower point in the factory with several giant cogs. They watched to the right as Dodds and Larry still rode the hand carrying the colorful crate over the dark pit, this time Larry holding onto the edge of the crate for dear life. "GYAAH! Mr. Dodds! Perhaps you could provide a little assistance before I plummet to my doom."

The girls shook their heads in disbelief before proceeding to carefully jump across the gears, so as not to get crushed. They stood on a platform on a gear moving clockwise, and were lifted to a hook on a chain, grabbing hold of it as it carried them across the pit to some gears laying horizontally. A squad of Poppy Bros. Juniors tossed bombs as the girls leapt across the gears, Mandy slicing her sword across the bombing Nightmares. When finally at another large door on the other side, a Poppy Bros. Sr. ambushed them, tossing its large bombs. The happy creature merely skipped around as Mandy struck it several times before he was taken out, not bothering to fight at all.

A small slot opened on the door afterwards with some angry eyes staring out. Mandy stared into the angry eyes, making them fright by the Scare Stare, the slot closing and the door opening. After passing down one more hall, the girls arrived at the room where a chicken controlling a robot was stomping Star Bits atop a huge bucket, breaking them into Star Dust which poured onto Nightmare creatures, bringing them to life. (It was the same room Nigel saw on his first journey here.)

"This is the room where he makes Nightmares." Katie explained.

Mandy looked to her left and spotted an elevator. "Let's go." She ordered. She pushed the down button and the two got on as it carried them downward.

After getting off, they went through a small hallway that led to an enormous room, seemingly big enough to be a battlefield, that had many platforms and chains leading farther upward, too high for them to reach. On a huge square in the center, there were several smaller square spots going around it. The girls looked up as the hand holding the old men and the colorful crate came into the room, several stories high from them.

"GAAAHHH!" Mr. Oldman screamed when the hand finally dropped the crate, the two landing in the center of the room, Dodds on his feet and Larry on his stomach.

"Well, that was a fun ride." Sandman said as Larry helped himself up.

"That's weird." Mandy said. "Why would it drop the crate in the center of this big room?"

"Oh hah hah ho!" At this, the four looked to one of the higher-up platforms, spotting two Stormtroopers with a floating egg-shaped container, containing a green-oozed alien with slug eyes, wearing a crown. "I reprogrammed the crane to carry it here, since I heard you FOOLS were coming."

"Hey! That's King Goobot!" Katie exclaimed, recognizing the alien. "He used to buy Nightmares from us!"

"Nnn, that's right." Goobot spoke with a British accent. "The Brain has sent me here to gather Nightmare substance, and he was kind enough to lend me his Stormtroopers."

"We're totally getting another promotion for this, Gary!" Dan said to his friend excitedly.

"Aw yeah! Now if we're done, we need to help the others on Planet Vaporia." Gary said rushedly.

"Alright, alright." Goobot said, floating off. He stopped a few feet and turned back to look down at the gang. "Oh! And I hope you kids like Jack-in-the-box! AH hahahahahaha!" The container of goo cackled as he flew off, followed by the Troopers.

"Mmm, I'M not a kid! I dislike the ways of children…" Mr. Oldman whined.

"Never mind him. What is this thing, anyway?" Mandy asked, looking at the colorful crate. (Stop the music.)

The four looked with slight terror as the box began to expand itself. "I think we're about to find out." Dodds said. (Play the "Mad Jack" Theme from _Donkey Kong 64_!)

The four were absolutely horrified when a gigantic, monstrous jack-in-the-box popped out of the crate. The beast held the face of a clown, painted white, with red around its lips and eyes, and long springy arms. Its bright yellow eyes bore a psychotic look as its mouth gave a wide, horrible grin. It looked down at the four and screamed, cackling as it swung a large knife at them with its right hand.

"GYAAAAHHHH!" Mr. Oldman screamed louder than ever, his eyes and mouth widened in fear (basically the cartoon animation where the eyes pop out).

"When did Darkrai make this? !" Katie screamed.

Mandy shook her head from the fearful sight and said, "Grrr. I'm not afraid of this thing. Let's take him out!"

_Boss fight: Crackjack_

The four scattered as the boxed demon stabbed its knife at the floor, pulling it back out and looking to where they scattered. He retreated to his box and started hopping around the room, creating huge shockwaves that made them lose balance. Along the walls, spikes, which looked like lightsabers, appeared as parts of the walls; divided into squares, began sticking out, trying to stab them as well.

The Crackjack hopped over to Mandy and came back out, sticking his tongue at the girl while trying to stab his knife at her, Mandy barely dodging. An ice ball hit the back of his head and he looked back to see Larry wielding his hose. The man screamed and ran as the jack-in-the-box hopped over to him.

Meanwhile, Mandy noticed the spikes sticking out of the wall seemed to line up like a staircase. She saw this staircase led to a platform with a Plasma Cannon. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed, already jumping up the platforms, careful so the spikes didn't come out and hit her. Once she reached the platform, she took control of the cannon and aimed at the monster. "Hey, Crackhead!"

The beast was about to stab Larry in a corner before looking to Mandy with questioning eyes, still keeping his grin. "Ha?" Mandy immediately fired the Plasma Cannon, dealing a huge shock to the demon's face. The jack-in-the-box fell over, his head knocked dizzily on the ground as Mandy dashed over, dealing several blows to his head with her sword.

Crackjack quickly recovered, rubbing his right eye as it was bruised. He screamed in more anger as he took the knife in both hands, and Mandy ran as it chased and jabbed down after her. He charged his last strike, but still missed and got his knife stuck in the ground. Dodds took this moment to dash up its arm and spray gas in his mouth, making him choke and wobble around a little before toppling over again. Mr. Oldman approached the fallen monster and sprayed ice in its left eye, freezing and blinding it.

The demon helped himself back up and screamed even louder, stomping his box around and causing more shockwaves. He started to inhale some breath and fired his own massive Fear Screams, nearly deafening the group as his screams created explosions. He folded and punched both arms to the ground to create little slicing shockwaves with his knife that went in five directions.

Katie looked and saw another series of spiked squares sticking out, making a path to another Plasma Cannon. She carefully hopped her way up the platforms as the Crackjack bounced over, trying to blow Fear Screams at her which she dodged. The mad jack then spat Fear Spheres at her, but Katie countered with her own spheres as she jumped her way up. When the monster was about to charge one last Fear Scream, Katie made it to the cannon and fired an electric blast.

The beast took another zap and fell to the ground once again. Katie jumped down afterwards as all four gathered by the monster. Katie hit it with Fear Scream, Oldman froze it in ice, Dodds shot gas and melted the ice, and finally, Mandy leapt over and sliced down with a jump strike. (Stop the music.)

The demon jack shot back up and wobbled frantically, screaming loudly with absolute pain. His screaming slowly ceased before falling back down, his crazy eyes darkening out. The square spots around the room's center then rose into tall platforms, each higher than the last as it made another path.

"Hoo. Glad that's over." Mandy sighed.

"Yes, so let's go before any MORE scary things happen." Larry said cowardly. The others agreed and Mandy went first, jumping up the platforms, followed closely by the others. At the top of the last platform, they jumped to a platform with a ladder that started the path up the towering, hollow room.

Just then, the head of the fallen Crackjack detached from its springy body and rolled a few feet away. The group stopped and turned their attention as the severed head began growing a mechanical spider body. The new body helped itself back up as the head rotated upwards, eyes lit back up and facing the group with its psychotic expression, erupting another loud scream. (Play "Mad Jack's Revenge" on YouTube!)

"Oh no! Look at it now!" Katie exclaimed.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before we're spider bait." Mandy ordered, climbing up the ladder first.

"Nnn, wait for me!" Mr. Oldman screamed.

The four climbed to the next platform and swung chains to another across from them as the spider scampered up the walls. They dashed up a staircase as the spider jumped to the wall across from them, spitting giant fireballs and blowing up some of the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Mandy took control of another Plasma Cannon as the spider leapt over to them, gripping the bottom of the platform while its head bent up and faced them. As fire charged behind the steel teeth in its wide-open mouth, Mandy fired a plasma blast inside him, giving him a shock that sent him falling back down.

Some platforms to the right of them activated, zooming up and down as the four hopped on the first one, quickly jumping to the next one when it came up, then making another quick jump to the third. This time, Mandy slipped on her landing; a rush of fear in her heart as she fell, but Katie helped her back up, and the four jumped to the path on the side. The spider recovered and started climbing back up as the four grabbed and climbed a chain, taking them to a higher foothold.

Across from them was another staircase, but they had to cross two treadmills to get to it. There was also a gap between the two treadmills with two chains between them, which they would have to swing. They walked along the first treadmill, thankfully moving where they wanted, but the Crackjack spider suddenly popped up and grabbed the bottom of the treadmill, bending his head up so he was in their way.

The four hurriedly ran back up the treadmill as the clown face spat fireballs at them. Dodds unfortunately tripped, and the treadmill started moving him to the monster, but he aimed his gun and fired a gas blast while it charged another fireball, the impact of the gas and fire exploding and making the monster fall a little. The man quickly recovered and swung the chains to the next treadmill, followed by the others as the spider started to crawl back up.

They made it to and ran up the staircase on the other side, reaching another Plasma Cannon. Rather than grab onto their platform, the spider clung onto the wall parallel from them, Mandy failing to shoot him as he quickly scampered around, spitting fireballs that Larry kept back by freezing them. Katie was able to toss a Fear Sphere and stun it, allowing Mandy to shoot it with the plasma and make it fall to the ground.

Once he fell again, a large hand stuck out of the wall beside them, letting them jump on to lift them upwards. It stopped partway up, and the rest of the towering room seemed empty. Just then, a bunch of large drums popped out the rest of the way, with more large hands pounding them.

The four jumped to the drum beside them and were flung upwards when the hand banged it. They landed on the next drum and kept being bounced as Crackjack recovered and started after them again. The beast aimed its spinner at them and started shooting spider webs as they bounced up the large drums. Some webs came for Wesley, but the Sandman fired some gas that dissolved the webs, continuing to bounce higher. Katie blew a Fear Scream at one of the webs, blowing it back to hit Crackjack's face, covering it, the clown shaking around and trying to pull it off.

Finally, the four reached the top of the room, standing on a circular foothold to the side that went around a large hole. Crackjack suddenly shot back up, its spider legs standing on the sides of the foothold as it faced the gang with a wide, maniacal grin, Larry shaking in his pants. "Ha?" The beast cocked a brow as it noticed the four Plasma Cannons on the ceiling around him.

Mandy stood by a switch and declared, "Taste plasma, you unsightly, misplaced fear!", before slamming her fist on the button.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" The spider clown took an enormous shock from the surrounding Plasma Cannons. When the cannons stopped, the beast was finally tired out, dropping down the nearly hundred-story room and landing with a thundering thud. Its spider body was shattered and the head rolled off once more. His eyes turned sad as a tear dropped, his head shattering to pieces.

"I think you meant to scare Billy. Not me." Mandy stated.

"Good goin', Girl!" Katie cheered, giving Mandy a high-five. (Stop the music.)

"Hey, look! Nnn, there's the door!" Mr. Oldman yelled, pointing to the door across from them.

They walked out into a hall that Katie immediately recognized. "Hey! We're in the Hall of Fear!" she exclaimed, indicating the alignment of doors that led to peoples' fears.

The four looked above the door they just came out of and saw the label read 'Billy'. "Huh. That really WAS Billy's fear." Mandy noticed.

"Yup. So, ready to go meet Darkrai? He's just down this hall." Katie said.

"Totally. I wanna get this stuff cleared up." With that, she started down the hall.

**Darkrai's Throne Room**

The four of them finally arrived at Darkrai's throne room, finding the Nightmare King himself seated on his throne, with Customer Service standing before him. "Ah, if it isn't four of our favorite people!" Customer grinned. "Mr. Dodds, Mr. Oldman, Katie, and, of course, little Mandy." The McKenzie girl only furrowed her frown.

"I see you made it past the incursions outside…" Darkrai observed.

"Yeah… what were all those Stormtroopers and stuff doing here?" Katie asked.

"They just invaded this town a few hours ago. They wanted to free some hostile Nightmares and steal our Star Bits and Nightmare Juice to create their own monsters. Pretty soon, I fear they'll be doing so, using their own Nightmares in Gnaa's legions. But we'll worry about them in time. Now… the fact that you're here, I assume this can only mean you received The Chronicler's message?"

"Yes." Mandy answered, walking forward. "He said you would tell me more about my fearbending. Will you?"

"Har hm hur hur. There's hardly any reason to." Darkrai laughed, floating down from his throne. "You seem to be pretty attached to it already. Even that monster gave you the chills."

"Not more than it did Frosty there."

"Mmm, I take offense to that comment." Mr. Oldman said.

"But are you trying to imply that _I'm_ scared?" Mandy asked the King.

"Hmm… I wouldn't be surprised. Fear is a very complex emotion. It can clog the mind of even the most noble warriors. Anyone… especially fearbenders. The power of Fear became so strong throughout my father's years of granting nightmares to children, it became an actual bendable element. And since the gods of old decided to grant the mortal beings their bending powers, my father did so as well. Granting fearbending to the most frightened hearts he could sense."

"Well, I may have been frightened as a child, but I'm a big girl now. I've conquered my fear."

"I'm the Nightmare King, Mandy. I should know that's not entirely true." He inquired, drifting closer to her. "While your bravery has gotten greater over the years, it is only because you were afraid of your own fate. But your fear has led you to develop a mistrust in others. Even those that care about you, and wish to befriend you. Like Rachel." At this, Mandy's angered expression became saddened. "Now all you do is order people around, using your fear. Like Billy and Grim, and even your own parents." Mandy looked down in depression. "Ah… but you shouldn't worry, Child. If you opened up, and trusted people more often… you would live a more peaceful life."

"Yeah. I don't see that happening very soon." Mandy stated simply, her furrowed expression returning. "But tell me something else: The Chronicler said I had another power, laying 'dormant' within me. What did he mean?"

"Mm, hm hm hur hur. I was hoping you'd ask." With that, he drifted up to his throne and lifted the seat up, revealing a secret compartment underneath with a small wooden chest.

The ghostly king held the chest in both hands as he drifted back over to Mandy. He opened the chest and presented it to Mandy, who looked inside to see it was a tiny golden triangle. Her eyes widened when her chest started glowing, and a necklace with a similar, bigger triangle, with a triangle-shaped hole on its bottom, floated up from under her shirt and hovered above the chest. The tinier triangle levitated itself and slowly attached to the necklace, forming one golden, glowing triangle.

"What…" Mandy was speechless.

"That necklace you wore was but one of two parts of an ancient and sacred treasure called the Triforce of Wisdom. The original holder of the Triforce Piece was the princess of an ancient kingdom. Your long-time ancestor, Zelda, who married the Legendary Hero, Link, who held the Triforce of Courage. After dueling with the vicious demon thief, Ganondorf, Zelda had the Triforce of Wisdom broken into these two pieces. One she kept to herself and passed it down generations of her family… and the other, she entrusted to the spirits. Which so happened to be me."

Mandy watched in slight amazement, eyes still furrowed as the Triforce Piece was slowly absorbed into her right hand. Mandy gasped when the Triforce vanished into her skin and a tattoo of the whole Triforce appeared on the back of her hand. "What…What is this?"

"The mark you see on your hand is the Triforce. The Triforce of Wisdom is but one of three pieces that make up the most powerful relic designed by the spirits. As the descendant of Zelda, you are the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Your cousin, Rachel, has already discovered the Triforce Mark inside her: the Triforce of Courage."

"Stupid Rachel." she could only say. "But what about the 3rd piece?"

"The 3rd piece is currently divided in half. And both halves… lie in the very demon that battled the Hero long ago, still alive today: Ganondorf, and his daughter. And when all three pieces of the Triforce come together… the great triangle will be whole. And he who touches it will have whatever his heart desires."

"_Whatever_ his heart desires?" Mandy asked, now fascinated.

"Yes… but those who seek it for their own selfish gain, rather than for the good of the world, will end up destroying themselves. As they say, be careful what you wish for."

"Hmm… can't argue with that. Wishes do backfire. But just one more thing: what is _this_?" she asked, suddenly pulling out the treasure map she had earlier.

"Mmm… that. I snuck that map under your pillow when me and Blinks came for your nightmare."

"Is true." Blinks said, suddenly popping up beside Mandy, who pushed him back down.

Darkrai held the map and waved his hand above it. Mandy gasped, and her eyes widened, when he caused it to show an image of Nightmare Land. "It is the Marauder's Map. A magical map designed by the spirits to show the image of any place, at _any_ time. InCLUDing…" he waved his hand again, and the image of Nightmare Land changed to one of when Nightmare Land was being built, "…what it looked like in past times." The image changed back to current Nightmare Land.

"So… this map… can show you the past?"

"In a way, yes. It also pinpoints your location." He said as the map zoomed in to the Fear Factory, showing an overview of all the floors and rooms of the place. Several little footprints moved about, with labels by them to show who they belonged to, including Mandy's and the others'. "The map identifies if there is a presence by sensing their footprints, and it tells you who it is. Doesn't work too well if the being is floating. Such as myself." She noticed that Darkrai didn't appear on the map.

Darkrai folded the map back up and handed it to Mandy. "But why did you give me this?" she asked.

"Oh, I believe you'll find it quite useful. Why don't you take it to Planet Secco and try there?"

"Sigh… whatever." Mandy sighed as she walked off.

"Yes, anyhow… I received your helper's call earlier." Dodds said to Darkrai.

"Who-sa woosa?" Jar Jar asked.

"He means Morpheus." Darkrai said. "Morpheus is my apprentice. Originally my father's, but since my father's gone, he works for me now. Earlier, I had him send a vision to Wesley Dodds and the members of the White Lotus that Lord Gnaa and his legions have returned."

"Currently, the others of my team are supposed to be ambushing the heroes and challenging the ones who bend their elements." Dodds explained. "Honestly, I don't know why Iroh agrees with these plans of King Bumi. Anyway, I'm supposed to be going after the Toxic Four's leader."

"The poisonbenders are headed to Planet Avalar." Darkrai responded. "Dialga called me earlier and said all four would be there. You can wait in the Silver River Forest and ambush them."

"Sounds like a plan." Dodds said, starting to head off. "Be seein' ya, Darky. Say hi to Morpheus for me." The others followed him and left down the hall.

"Ooh? But-sa, Da'ky?" Jar Jar spoke up. "They-sa only DREE poisonbendies now. Ones-a them went oh kaboomy."

"Mmm hm hm hm hm." The King chuckled. "I suppose that mistake will rectify itself soon enough."

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

The GUN Commander, Brett Gunkan, arrived back at his office, holding an ice bag to his aching head as he went to sit at his desk. "Ohhh…" he groaned as he felt a pain surging through him. "So… Rourke is dead. The metahuman curse is getting worse by the second." The man sighed as he put his bag on his desk. "No matter." He said, getting up and walking to his window. "I will not stand by and watch these monsters dirtify our world." What looked like brown tree roots started to grow around his body, the Commander bending over as some brown, tree-like creature, with green eyes and a mouth, appeared on his back, and Gunkan's eyes turned red. "No matter what it takes, I will avenge Lyle and DESTROY those freaks."

_"And all other metahumans who dare to pollute our world."_ The monster said in a deep, evil voice.

* * *

><p><strong>AND so begins the galactic part of the quest. So yes, Mr. Oldman is Sandman's sidekick. And the Marauder's Map is from <em>Harry Potter<em>, but it works differently here. Next time… we should head to meet the spirit, Groudon. Later.**


	36. Return of Meta Knight

**Anyone wonder what's up with Gnaa's little vessel?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Let's Find Jirachi! Journey up Groudon Volcano!<em>**

**Bowser's Airship Fleet**

_Harvey McKenzie held his aching head in pain, waking up in the barren wasteland of darkness. "Oh… my head…"_

_"Hm hm hm. Seems someone hasn't been getting his rest…"_

_"Huh?" Out of the darkness, the silhouette of Lord Gnaa emerged._

_"Though such is to be expected, with that of a troubled heart…"_

_"You…You're that Dark Master. The one who's using my body. …That's kinda creepy, don't you think?"_

_"It is necessary. But you must be honored. Having the opportunity to be the vessel of the most powerful being in the world. Having terrific powers of evil and darkness."_

_"Well… it's cool and all… but I'd like to be with my friends."_

_"Hmph, friends? What friends are those? They never did care about you. They only saw you as someone to mock. Take a look."_

_Harvey was shown a vision of Sonya and Lee sneaking up on him, asleep in his bed. The two giggled as they put a blonde wig on his head and put lipstick around his lips. The two then shook him awake before hurrying out of the room, leaving a trail of M&Ms. Harvey looked around, wondering who woke him, then smiled as he noticed the trail of candy, but didn't notice his wig and lipstick. He followed the candy trail, eating each piece, walking out to the treehouse's living room. A blinding camera flash hit his eyes, and was surprised at Rachel, Sectors V, W, and a bunch other operatives pointing and laughing at him. Sonya showed him a mirror afterwards, and Harvey screamed, seeing the makeup they put on him. He threw his wig off and smeared his lipstick before dashing out._

_"Hm hm hm hm, hehehehahahahaheha!" the Dark Master laughed._

_Harvey's heart and mind were struck, remembering the incident. He shook his head from the memory and responded, "Yeah… so what? We had some bad times, but… we had good times, too. They're my friends."_

_"FOOLISHNESS!" Lord Gnaa shouted in his face, startling the boy. "You know why I chose your soul over all others? Your heart is full of nothing but pain and turmoil. Even Malladus saw the darkness in your heart once. He knew you were meant for evil, and he was right. You never had any friends. All you have is just what all I have: DARKNESS!"_

_"NOO!"_

"Ah… no…" Harvey shook around in his bed aboard Bowser's airship, still gripping his head.

Ganondorf walked in to see this. "My Lord. Are you hurt?"

"No… get… out of… my… head…"

"This should help, My Lord!" Zant exclaimed, running in, holding a hamster cage containing the shrunken forms of Ace, Henrietta, Lizzie, and Herbie. The little kids screamed in terror when the clown-faced minion shook the cage around.

The fear from the kids quickly made Harvey's groaning cease, and Gnaa took control of his form again. _"Huff… huff… good work, Ganon."_ He panted.

"Seems that boy is breaking free of your control better than you imagined."

_"Foolishness. He is but a regular human. While that makes his form weak, he is also easier to possess. Pretty soon, I won't have any further need of him. My powers grow stronger…"_

"I'm certain they do, My Lord…" Ganon replied, half-sarcastically. "But perhaps you should get more rest. We'll be arriving at Vaporia soon." The Dark Master decided to do so and went back to sleep. Ganon and Zant left the four-element bender and walked outside, where Vaati waited.

_"Hey, now that that's done, how 'bout a little dinner?"_ the tiny Ace squeaked.

_"I do not know vhat I did to deserve zis."_ Heinie moaned.

_"Maybe your past life was a fairy that granted a little girl a curse of obedience, so she had to obey absolutely every order given to her!"_ Herbie joked.

_"Pfft. That's just lame. Where'd you think of an idea like that?"_ Lizzie asked.

"Ugh. Get them out of my sight, Zant." Ganon ordered. Zant frantically saluted and walked off.

"Hm. Ain't he happy bein' a minion." Vaati said. "Speakin' of which, what happened to the cage with Annie and those guys?"

"Ehhh. It was stolen from Bowser by King Dedede, along with the Firstborn. Incompetent turtle. Not even worth having around." Ganon covered his eyes with his hand and sighed. "Oh, what's become of me, Vaati? I, Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil, Dark Lord of the Triforce of Power, conqueror of Hyrule… reduced to serving a pitiful child with a pathetic little crush."

"Aw, don't feel bad, Ganny." Hannibal Bean said, bouncing to Ganon's left shoulder. "You serve the most powerful bein' that evah stood up to the gods."

"Grrr! _I am_ the most powerful being to defy the gods! I deserve all the power. Not that so-called 'Dark Master'."

"Patience, Ganon." Bean said. "You'll have your glory. Sooner 'n' you might think. Take a look at yer hand." Ganondorf held his right hand up and studied the back of it.

The mark of his Triforce of Power started to glow brightly. "My Triforce is resonating. This can only mean…"

"That the Triforce of Wisdom has been found… an' restored by its rightful owner."

"Hehehehe." Ganon smirked. "This is getting better and better. I may just revive the Triforce after all."

"An' the ultimate power of the gods will belong to us, demons!"

"Haha, indeed. By the way… I wonder what Ghirahim is up to?"

"Ah, forget about him. What's up with that _girl_?" Bean pointed at Nova, a few feet away. The Harnitan girl was bent half over, holding her head tightly.

"Bowser shot her with a Darkness Cannon earlier." Ganon replied. "In her attempt to turn her to the Dark Side. She has been standing there for days… I don't know what she is doing."

Bean decided to hop over, looking up at Nova's face. "Hey, alien girl. You gonna be a while? The Dark Side hain't got all day."

"N-No." Nova mumbled.

"Hm?" Bean raised a brow.

"I-I won't… I won't… hurt… my friends."

Bean only stared curiously.

"No matter what you say… all life… is precious… to me. My friends… especially. I will never… join your side."

"'o the 'eck is she talkin' to?" Bean asked.

"Each person has their own interpretation of what Darkness is." Ganon explained. "Likely, Nova is speaking with someone who represents her own darkness. I don't know who this is… but to withstand this long… perhaps I underestimated this girl's strength."

"I am… Nova.. of Harnita…" the alien spoke weakly. "I am… a Kids Next Door… an environ…mentalist… my bond with the animals… marks my bond with the forest. The Spirit of Forest… needs me again. I must… go to her… NOW!"

And before their eyes, Nova shot awake, and a bright green light shone from her head. _"Ooooooooohhh."_ A majestic, echoing cry was heard in the distance.

Ganon and Bean looked outside the ship, as a gigantic, white whale emerged from a portal. "Wah, Mobius Dick…" Hannibal's eyes widened with amazement. "It's the Space Whale! Mobius Dick!"

The whale echoed another cry as it stretched a tentacle in and grabbed Nova from the ship. _"Ooooohh. (I received your call. I will take you back to your Firstborn.)"_

"It… heard Nova's cry." Bean understood. "She musta used… her Animal Telepathy."

"To summon a beast like that…" even Ganon was impressed. "This girl could command whole armies…"

And with one final cry, the whale vanished through another portal. "…Well, there's ANOTHER Guardian LOST." Bean hopped to Ganon's shoulder. "'ey, Ganny, le's find us some kinda hooker bar, they gotta have a few 'round this system." Ganondorf sighed and proceeded to walk out.

**Somewhere on a shore**

Facilier's yacht had parked by a beach and was being fixed by Hoagie, Tails, and Marine, while the rest of the gang just went for a walk on the beach. They mostly watched as Eva rocked the cheerful Manaphy in her arms. "I can't believe you have a spirit for a brother." Morgan said.

"One of the coolest things about being a demigod." Eva replied.

"Too bad his sister has to be so annoying." Nigel smirked.

"Oh, and what does THAT mean? ?" Eva shouted.

"That Manaphy is too young to know what a pain you are."

"AUUGH!" Eva yelled, tackling her cousin to the ground and tearing away at him as he fought back.

Manaphy smiled and yelled, "PHYYY!", his antennas glowing as red beams connected Eva and Nigel. Before they realized it, the cousins' bodies had been switched.

The two immediately stopped fighting and stood up to study their new bodies. "AAAAAHHHHH!"

"WHOA! They got switched!" Kami exclaimed.

"This is gonna be weird in ALL ways…" Ava knew.

"I forgot about Manaphy's Heart Swap…" Eva said, disgusted.

"Mana, Mana!"

"Oi haven't." Wally mumbled.

"Oh, yes! His ability to switch peoples' bodies." Nigel remembered.

"UGH! ! JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS BODY BEFORE I DIE FROM THE STENCH! !" Eva screamed in Nigel's body.

"Oh, puh-lease!" Nigel exclaimed, in Eva's body. "This body's horrible!"

"Oh, that's it!" Eva yelled, tackling him again, the two ending up in another brawl.

The Heart Swap stopped in just a few seconds and put them back in their regular bodies. The two cousins stopped fighting, already feeling the pain they induced to their own bodies. "…OWWW!"

"Gets 'em every time." Abby smirked.

_"Heeeey! Evaaaaa!"_

The group looked over as Numbuh 11-Teen was suddenly hurrying their way. "Hey, Numbuh 11-Teen!" Eva perked up. "You finally made it!"

"Yes I did!" The nerdy assistant tossed Eva a microphone and camera. "One pack of reporter equipment JUST for you!"

"Thank you, Eliza!"

"My pleasure! Well-p, must be off now. I've just discovered this _rather_ fascinating pillar in Africa. Tooodle-_oooooo_!" And fast as lightning, the girl was off.

"Um… what is all this?" Nigel questioned.

"Oh, I decided to record and report certain parts of our adventures, recapping what happened. Kade, take this." Eva tossed Kade the camera, while she held the microphone.

"Aaaand… action." Kade announced.

"Good morning, fellow Kids Next Door, and welcome back to KNN News. Just recently, my friends and I teamed up with a heroic navy captain, Lyle T. Rourke, and searched for the lost kingdom of Oceana. Not shortly after finding the lost kingdom did Rourke reveal himself a traitor, and tried to steal the Sea Prince, along with the Sea Crown. But thanks to the efforts of, Yours Truly, and my awesome Waterbending Fury, the seas are at peace once more, and the second Firstborn has been captured!"

"And… cut!" Kade stopped the camera. "Wonderful job, Eva!"

"Mm hm hm hm! Of course." She smirked. "When is it not? Eh, little brother?"

"Man-Mana!"

"Eh heh heh heh! That's some mighty fine brother you got there!" a country voice laughed.

"Too bad we have ta take it off your hands." The kids immediately jumped away when a limo shot over a rock and nearly ran them over. The car swerved around before stopping to face the kids, and King Dedede and Escargoon smirked.

"Who are you guys? !" Eva shouted.

"That ain't important right now." Dedede said.

"All that matters is that little brat's comin' with us." Escargoon said, speeding the car right past them for Dedede to swipe Manaphy out of Eva's hands.

"Hey!"

"Mana! Mana!" Manaphy cried, trying to shake away.

"We did it, we did it!" the two cheered. "We got the Firstborn!"

"We can't let them get away!" Nigel shouted.

"I'm on it!" Sonic exclaimed, speeding after them in a blue blur. (Play King Dedede's Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: King Dedede and Escargoon_

The two villains saw the hedgehog chasing them, so Dedede turned and pulled out the car's cannon, shooting fireballs that Sonic sidestepped to avoid. Sonic Boosted and rammed the back of the car, doing the engine a little damage. The angered King Dedede drew out his hammer and started bashing the ground, sending shockwaves that knocked Sonic back a little. Sonic just sped forward as Dedede kept blasting his cannon, and the hedgehog dodged the shots and rammed the back again.

"Grrr! This rat's gettin' annoying!" Dedede grumbled.

"Perhaps it's time to make a call." Escargoon suggested.

"Good point." Dedede took out a cellphone and started dialing some numbers. Customer Service's face soon appeared onscreen. "Listen up, Shorty! Y'all better send me some monsters right now if ya know what's good for ya!"

_"Patience, Triple D! I've programmed this cellphone to summon monsters to your location. Just type in a code and that monster will be transported to you."_

"Eh heh heh! Good thinkin'! Mmm, let's see now…" the King began punching in a code. "Got it! Now get a load o' this." He aimed and zapped two electric blasts on the back of his car, summoning two Bio Sparks. The ninja Nightmares began throwing kunai knives at Sonic, but they were too slow to hit him. Sonic leapt and was able to Home Attack one of the Bio Sparks and knock him off. He then stole the shuriken from the next one and tossed it to Dedede's engine before Home Attacking the Nightmare off.

"Mmm!" Dedede grumbled, dialing another number and making Sir Kibbles appear. The yellow-armored monsters tossed their boomerangs, but Sonic easily dodged again. However, he was unprepared when the boomerangs came back and knocked him down, causing him to drop his Rings.

"Ouf!" he yelped as he fell over.

"Eh heh heh heh! Ain't so tough now!" Dedede laughed.

"Looks like we're getting away after all, Sire." Escargoon smirked.

"PHYYY!" Manaphy screamed, using Heart Swap to switch Dedede and Escargoon.

The two gave confused expressions as they studied their new bodies. "WAAAH! YO' ME!" Dedede exclaimed in Escargoon's body.

"YOU'RE me!" Escargoon screamed in Dedede's body.

"WHOOA! How do y'all work this thing? !" Dedede yelled, unable to control his car.

"You don't know how to drive, Sire!"

"But I'm _you_!"

Sonic was able to recover and Spin Dash into the vehicle. After recovering from the bump, the two switched back to their own bodies. "Finally!" Dedede exclaimed, grabbing the Sea Prince. "Y'all gonn' be real sorry for that!"

"MANA!"

_"Chaos CONTROL!"_

"What?" (Play the "Super Ability" Theme from _Kirby's Return to Dreamland_!)

Before the king's very eyes, Shadow the Hedgehog appeared right above him, tossing Chaos Spears at their car. "WHOOA!"

Shadow dropped on the ground as the rest his team, plus the operatives, appeared beside him. "Rouge!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Hi, Knuckie!"

Nigel knew someone was missing however. "Where's-" But to his joy, the blonde girl he was hoping for appeared right atop Dedede's car. "Rachel!"

The Supreme Leader only smirked at the two terrified villains, holding her sword ready. "GAH, WAIT!" Dedede yelled.

"We have hostages in the back!" Escargoon told her.

"What?"

But right when Rachel lowered her guard, Escargoon swerved the car around and made her fall over and drop her sword for Dedede to catch. "Eh heh heh heh heh! Like takin' candy from a baby!" Just then, Fi emerged from the sword. "Whuh? Who're you?"

_"Signs indicate there is a 0% chance you are my master. Therefore, I will have to ask that you put down that sword."_ The spirit's eyes glowed, and the Master Sword immediately gave Dedede a shock.

"DAAAH!" Dedede finally tossed the sword to the ground, Rachel running over to grab it. "Keep yo' sword! We still have the Firstborn!"

Rachel glared after the two, but then noticed a twinkle in the sky. To everyone's surprise, the pink puffball Kirby came zooming down on his Warp Star. "KIRBY!" they all cheered.

"WHUUH? OH NO!" the villains screamed.

"Kirby! They have hostages in the trunk!" Rachel called.

"Poyo? Huff!" Kirby furrowed his eyes and shot after the villains.

His Warp Star hovered a few feet above the ground as he chased the two. He spotted one of the Sir Kibbles on the car and sped closer, charging his inhale and sucking in the cutter monster. Swallowing it, the yellow hat appeared atop his head, giving him his Cutter ability. He landed on his Warp Star and continued after the villains, tossing a cutter at the other Kibble.

"Get 'im, Waddle Doo!" Dedede ordered as his little one-eyed monster climbed onto the car and started shooting beams which Kirby dodged. The puffball tossed a cutter that made the creature jump back, allowing Kirby to speed up to the car and stick a cutter in the trunk, pulling his strength and forcing it open.

"Poyo?" Kirby raised a brow when he found no one in there.

Waddle Doo then came around to see this. "Oh no! Sir: our hostages are gone."

"Huh? But where did they-" Dedede tried to say.

"Hey, Meathead!" At this, the two looked over and saw a smirking Bartie and Virginia.

"Looking for these?" Virginia asked, holding up the Spirit Ball, Froggy, and the cage with the shrunken gang.

Kirby smiled at them and glared back at Dedede and Escargoon. The two's mouths widened in horror as Kirby jumped on the car's hood before back-flipping far ahead. "Shi-YAH, ANCK!" Kirby cried, drawing his cutter and dropping to the ground, slicing the car right down the middle as it passed by.

Both halves of the car immediately began swerving out of control. "WHOOA! We're splittin' apart!" Dedede yelled.

"Don't leave me, Majesty!" Escargoon cried. The two halves eventually came to a stop and exploded. (Stop the music.)

After Kirby's victory, the puffball stopped and watched as the villains emerged from the smoke, covered in soot. _"Oooooohh."_ They all looked up, eyes widened with amazement. The tremendous Space Whale, Mobius Dick, hovered in the heavens.

"Is…Is that-" Ava spoke, recognizing the creature.

_"Mobius Dick! !"_ Cosmo exclaimed.

The whale's tentacle stretched down to the beach, releasing Nova of Harnita before vanishing through a portal. _"Nova! !"_ Cosmo smiled with joy.

"Mmmm… hm?" Nova shook back to her senses, seeing Celebi's Spirit Ball a few feet away. She hurried over and popped it open, freeing the Forest Spirit.

_"BIIII!"_ Celebi cheered.

"OH NO!" the villains screamed again.

"Celebi, help my friends!" Nova ordered.

Celebi nodded seriously, flying to the shrunken team and sprinkling green dust on them. In an instant, they reverted to normal size and crushed Virginia.

"Oof!"

"YAY!" Tommy cheered.

"We're BIG!" Mushi yelled.

The rest of the main group ran over just in time. "Tommy?" Hoagie asked.

"Mushi?" Kuki asked.

"Joey?" Wally asked.

"Rouge!" Knuckles smiled.

"Knuckles!" Rouge returned.

"Annie?" Wally asked.

"Wally! Kuki!" Annie smiled.

"Kami!" Patton smiled.

"Patton!" Kami returned.

"Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Sonic." Shadow said, frowning.

"Cosmo!" Nova cheered.

"Nova!" Cosmo returned.

"Froggy?" Big questioned, coming out of nowhere.

"Rachel!" Nigel exclaimed.

"Nigel!" Rachel exclaimed, hugging him.

"Who-" Rouge began, noticing Sonia and Manic.

"Sonia and Manic, my siblings." Sonic explained.

"Hi, Morgan!" Sonya smiled.

"Hey there!" Morgan greeted.

"Manaphy?" Fanny asked.

"Yep." Eva nodded.

"Man-Mana!"

"Same as ever." Violet said.

"Uh-huh." Hoagie said.

"Where's Luigi?" Fanny asked.

"He turned evil." Peach answered.

"Mama Mia." Mario followed.

Dedede, Escargoon, and Kirby just kept looking back-and-forth at each persons' names. "Errr, STOP IT, STOP IT! HOW DA Y'ALL KEEP TRACK OF SO MANY CHARACTERS? ?" King Dedede shouted.

"No idea." Morgan said.

"So confusing." Ava followed.

_"BII!"_ Celebi cheered.

"Mana!" Manaphy cheered, Celebi flying down beside him. The two started to play Ring Around the Rosie.

"Looks like they're happy to see each other." Eva said.

"Nnn!" Dedede shook his head from the confusion. "Not fo' long! They comin' with me!" he yelled, drawing out his hammer.

"Oh no they're not!" Amy yelled, taking out her hammer and clashing with his.

Celebi spotted some grass and palm trees beside them and used her plantbending to make vines grow over and bind the two villains. Dedede was able to shake them away and prepare to attack them again.

They all stopped and looked above as a shadow appeared, the sun blocked by a massive spaceship hovering over them. The ship landed several feet away, the group watching as the doors on the side opened with steam coming out. The purple-caped figure that was Meta Knight slowly stepped off, Magolor and Marx by his side, with Marx hopping on his ball, as Meta Knight approached the bald Brit, glaring with bright yellow eyes.

Nigel looked confusedly at the ball-shaped creature as Meta Knight stared back. The knight furrowed his eyes and made a 'huff' sound, blowing his cape back. It turned into purple bat wings as he drew out a golden sword, shooting over to start swinging at the bald Brit.

"WHOA!" Nigel screamed, barely dodging his sword strikes.

"Fight me." He demanded in his thick Spanish accent. Meta Knight shot up to him once more, and Nigel shielded his eyes when he performed multiple sword slashes in front of him. Nigel carefully opened his eyes to watch as his shirt fell into pieces.

"What is your problem?" he asked.

"I have come back to take what is rightfully mine: GALAXIA!"

"…What?" The knight charged to him once more, and Nigel shut his eyes to await the pain.

"Nngh!" Rachel grunted, immediately holding him back with her sword, the knight flipping back. Rachel quickly defended as Meta Knight rapidly clashed his sword against hers.

"Piya!" Kirby yelled, holding Meta Knight back with his cutter.

"Hm? Kirby." Meta Knight instantly stopped.

"Whuh? What's Meta Knight doin' here?" Dedede asked.

"Meta Knight?" Rachel asked. "So, that's your name?"

Meta Knight sheathed his sword. "Yes. My name is Meta Knight. Greatest Star Warrior in all of Galaxia." He looked at Nigel. "And the reason I attacked that boy… was because he stole something that was mine."

"What? I stole Galaxia from you?"

"Yes. Not the Space Realm. The sword. It belonged to me."

"Wait a second! I got the sword from Darkrai II! In fact, I still have it right here." Nigel said, taking out the sword's hilt.

Meta Knight walked over to study the golden hilt. "So… that is the real sword."

"The real sword?" Rachel asked. "What do you mean?"

"Hmmm… perhaps an explanation is in order." Meta Knight replied. "Please. Come aboard my ship." He walked ahead and boarded his ship as the others followed.

"Hey, Bartie! Virginia! Sure glad you could make it." Rachel smiled to her friends. "How's being leader?"

"Oh, great!" Bartie replied. "Speakin' of which, there was something I wanted to give you…" With that, the boy walked over and angrily kicked her shin.

"YOW!" Rachel yelped, gripping her shin and hopping on one foot.

"I had BETTER get a big promotion after this!" Bartie yelled.

"Come on. Let's go in, you two." Meta Knight said, walking past them. The knight looked back and saw Dedede and Escargoon only standing there. "Aren't you two coming?" The two just shrugged and followed them in as well.

**Battleship Halberd**

"This is my Battleship Halberd." Meta Knight said as he led them to the control deck. "The most powerful ship constructed on Dreamland. I, and my associates, Sword Knight, Blade Knight, Marx, and Magolor control this ship. 300 years ago, when the first Nightmare King was destroyed, this ship was destroyed as well. But we found Magolor and Marx, and they helped me rebuild it."

"It was the least we could do since you helped defeat that no good king of ours!" Magolor perked.

"So, you guys are Nightmares." Rachel deduced.

"Yep." Magolor nodded. "We were some of the ones to escape before Nightmare Land was destroyed the first time."

"It went all, KABOOMY, KABOOMY! Haha!" Marx cheered.

"We met up with Meta Knight later and helped rebuild his ship. My name's Magolor. And this is my little bro, Marx."

"This ship was ruined, but we fixed it! Yay!" Marx cheered.

"And I couldn't have been more grateful." Meta Knight said. "This ship is one of my most prized possessions. Second to my Galaxia Sword…"

"Yeah… about that: why do you think the Galaxia Sword is yours?" Nigel asked.

"The Galaxia Sword was specifically designed for true Star Warriors to wield. It was binded to the Star Rod. When Kirby inhaled the Warp Star and acquired the alternate Star Rod ages ago, the alternate Star Rod was lost, and so was the alternate sword."

"Alternate sword and… alternate Star Rod?" Rachel asked.

"Designed by the very first Nightmare King ages ago to use their incredible power… confusing though it may sound. But both weapons could only be used by incredible Star Warriors… but they've both vanished. And I dedicated my life to finding the REAL sword, and using its power. But it seems the real sword already has a master." At this, Nigel looked at the sword hilt in his hands.

"Hehe… guess he got beat there." Sonic chuckled.

"My apologies for attacking you." Meta Knight said. "It was all part of my selfish desire to wield the sword. For ages, I've always dreamed of being the greatest warrior in all of Galaxia… it seems I'd even go to attack the innocent."

"Ahh. Don't feel bad." Rachel smiled, patting the knight's back. "I mean, it's natural for people to want something so badly. But you didn't mean any harm by it, right?"

Meta Knight looked into her eyes, his expression covered by his mask. "So… you are Rachel. Nigel Uno's light."

"Huh?"

He looked back at Nigel. "Since your heroic victory, word of you has spread quickly throughout Galaxia. It is how I discovered you had the sword. We have all seen how you heroically battled the evil interdimensional space demon… you are a hero to all aliens."

"Eh hehehe." Nigel blushed, scratching the back of his head.

"But enough of that. We have bigger matters to discuss."

"And my guess is it's somethin' regarding the return of the Dark Master and the Eight Firstborn." Rachel figured.

"That's right!" Magolor perked. "We've been looking for Jirachi all this time because we knew they'd be looking for him."

"We looked and we looked and we looked… but HE'S NOT THERE!" Marx exclaimed.

"Indeed. Ever since Nigel released him from the Star Rod, he's been freely exploring the universe. He could be anywhere." Meta Knight explained.

"But our sources say that Jirachi was last spotted on THIS planet." Magolor followed.

"He was?" Nigel asked.

"Yes." Meta Knight replied. "It was said that he was spotted inside the Groudon Volcano on Hawaii Island."

"Groudon Volcano?" Eva asked. "That's where Kyogre said to head next."

"He said Groudon would be able to tell us how to restore Jirachi's power." Nigel explained.

"Is that so?" the knight asked. "Well, if that is true, and Jirachi is there as well, then we must go there."

"Hold on." Hoagie spoke up. "First, we need to fly by home and drop off my brother and these kids."

"What?" Tommy whined.

"Why can't we come?" Mushi asked.

"Well, because, you guys, it's way too dangerous." Rachel answered. "You need to leave this to the big operatives."

"So?" Sonya asked. "We're not big operatives, but we get to go. Why can't they come?"

"Well, you _are_ operatives either way."

"Perhaps." Meta Knight said. "But don't you think we need all the help we can find?"

"Yeah!" Tommy beamed. "Especially since those guys probably captured Shaunie and Luvbi."

"WHAT?" Fanny shouted. "Those monsters captured my brother? !"

"That's what we heard!" Mushi said happily.

"So, we're staying, whether you want us to or not!" Tommy vowed.

"A baba boo!" Joey yelled.

"Ugh. Fine, just try not to get in the way." Hoagie said.

"Wait, what about those two?" Virginia asked, pointing to King Dedede and Escargoon.

"Hm. Would you two be willing to help us?" Meta Knight asked. "Having a role in saving the universe may make you both quite wealthy."

"Hmmm…" they both closed their eyes in thought. "Well… sounds like a good deal." The king said.

"But we won't like it." Escargoon glared.

"Very well. Now, start getting along, you four." Meta said to them and Bartie & Ginny as he started the ship. "We are going to be with them for a while. Next stop: Hawaii."

"And with all these characters, this ship beats the yacht by a long shot." Rachel whispered to Nigel as the ship took off.

**Closing in on Hawaii**

The Halberd was now flying over the seas, and the island state of Hawaii was in sight, along with its huge volcano. "So, how did y'all escape from mah trunk, anyway?" Dedede asked Bartie and Ginny.

"I used my shadowbending." Virginia smiled proudly.

"Good luck trying to trap her." Bartie said.

"You do realize we'll not get along with you very well considering you trapped us to begin with." Virginia mentioned.

"Whatevah." Dedede replied.

"Not like we like any of you kids, anyway." Escargoon followed.

Rachel looked to the island ahead and spotted a huge treehouse growing in the jungle. "Hey, look! There's Sector H!" she pointed. "Let's land there."

"As you wish." Meta Knight complied.

Shortly after, the massive battleship started its landing on the beach. The members of Sector H spotted them from their treehouse and immediately ran to see who it was. "Hey-Hey, Sector V!" Numbuh 30 C called, seeing the team walk off the ship. "Long time, no see!"

"Hey, Numbuh 30 C!" Kuki greeted. "We haven't seen you since… when did we last see him?"

"When he totally turned on us just to get a snowcone." Wally reminded grumpily.

"No, actually, I last saw him at the science fair." Hoagie mentioned.

"Oh, right, the snowcone thing!" 30 C remembered. "Shyeah, those were fun times, right? But no hard feelings."

"Not at all, Mate!" Wally replied, walking over to shake his hand. 30 C suffered an immediate shock by the buzzer around Wally's hand.

"Ow, gee… a little warning next time." 30 C said as he shook his own hand from the shock. His eyes perked when he spotted the beautiful Numbuh 10. The Hawaiian kid leader licked his hands and smoothed back his hair as he went to talk to her. "Hey, hey, Baby…"

"Oh… hi, Kenny." Eva waved uncomfortably, gritting her teeth in nervousness.

"I gotta pretty cool story you could post on the Nightly News." He smirked, wrapping an arm around her. "A little story about two superhot kids disposing the entire shipment of Moonbase ice cream… in their stomachs."

"LAY OFF, Buddy, she's with me." Kade shouted, pushing him back.

Eva only giggled. "Was that _really_ the best you could come up with, Kenny?"

"Ouch… kitty got claws." Kenny still smirked. "I'll talk to you later. So, what's up with the rest of you?"

"Well, long story short, ever heard of the spirit Groudon?" Rachel asked.

"Oh yeah! He's the spirit that lives in that volcano over there." Kenny pointed to said volcano far in the jungle. "He's been in a pretty bad mood lately."

"How come?"

"We dunno. But the volcano's been erupting like crazy lately. That lets us know he's pissed."

"And if we don't find out what's up, this whole island might get melted in burning magma." One of the operatives said.

"We might have an idea what's up, though." Kenny continued. "Earlier, some white dude in a red cape was walking over to the volcano with some purple crystal thingy."

"I think I know who that is." Rachel said, furrowing her eyes. "Well, we need to speak to the spirit, anyway, so I guess we'll see if we can solve this problem."

"That volcano is a dangerous place." Meta Knight mentioned. "Guarded by a powerful spirit. You may be roasted to a golden brown if you go up against it."

"You forget who you're talking to." Rachel smirked. "A Volcano Spirit is no match for the descendant of the Hero of Time."

"I'll go in there, too. Since Fire is my element." Nigel volunteered.

"Since lava is melted earth, I'm going in, too!" Angie decided.

"Actually, lava underground is called magma." Hoagie corrected.

"Then I'm TOTALLY going in." Eva volunteered. "You'll need my waterbending in a place like that."

"So, I guess it's decided." Nigel declared. "The rest of you can stay here. We'll confront that spirit. Let's go, team." With that, they began their walk to the volcano.

"Hey, hey, Eva!" Kenny called. "Just make sure the spirit doesn't fry you. You're hot enough as it is, you'll completely dry up."

"Well, make sure that sun doesn't make you too hot, either." Eva turned back and smirked. "Here: let me help!" She then splashed some water on him and froze him totally solid. "That oughta keep your cool." She finished, walking off.

"Hmm… that girl is more vicious than Tiff, it seems. Mm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm." Meta Knight chuckled.

"Stay back, Dude..." Kade told him.

**Unknown deserted island**

At this time, Boba Fett had crawled up onto another island's shore, coughing out and banging water out of his ears. "Gah… those dang old…" The hunter suddenly heard ship engines and looked up, smiling as four familiar ships were coming in. "Hey-hey! About TIME you guys got here!" he yelled, waving as the ships landed near him.

The members of Star Wolf opened their cockpits and stepped off the ships, and Rattlesnake Jake slithered out of his armor. "Ah, sorry we're late, Boba." Wolf said, walking over. "We robbed a bank and got chased by police droids. We woulda got away if Panther didn't stop to wave at the camera."

"Sometimes, I can't help it." Panther replied smoothly. "I even attract myself. Growl."

Jake shot over and shouted, "You'll attract a witch to melt you in her cauldron, hissss."

"Okay, okay, guys, that's enough." Boba spoke up.

"And jusst who are you to start givin' the orders?" Jake hissed in his face.

"He's an old friend of mine." Wolf said, getting in Jake's way. "And he's got important info."

"That's right!" Boba exclaimed. "It's about that Nigel Uno boy you hate so much. He's met up with his long-lost cousins, the psychobenders."

"Euck… Uno… I still cough at the name, ever since one of those fools killed my father."

"And yet, you respect him, hyuhhh." Leon smirked.

"That was a one-time deal. Next time I see that brat, he's mine."

"Well, you're in luck." Boba said. "Ah hear they's collectin' these 'Firstborn' things. And Ah heard the big dude say to go look for Jirachi. They'll be headin' off to Galaxia soon."

"Then it's back off to Galaxia, then." Wolf declared.

"Huh… it'll be just like old times." Leon hissed.

"Ah can't wait to start blastin' them brats again." Jake said.

Boba climbed in to Wolf's ship as they all got back on their own ships, closing the cockpits and starting them up. "Ah-halright! Let's give 'em a taste of bounty hunter powuh, Baby!" Boba exclaimed.

"Uh… let's stop back and get you your own ship first." Wolf suggested. The ships aimed up at the sky and shot off for space.

**Groudon Volcano**

The four had finally arrived at the fiery furnace that was Groudon Volcano. They were standing in the cave entrance, looking down at the glowing red ahead, obviously emitting from the heat. Fi came out of Rachel's sword and spoke. _"A report, Master: signs indicate extremely hot temperatures in the area ahead."_

"No kidding." Rachel said, already sweating from the heat in her orange sweater.

_"I am detecting an incredibly powerful energy mass coming from the crater. Most likely the presence of the Volcano Spirit, Groudon. I also detect many dangers and hazards along the way."_

"No problem!" Angie exclaimed. "With my earthbending, getting through here will be a snap. Hiii-YAH-" She charged and kicked her right foot into a wall, attempting to break open a path… but nothing happened. Angie felt pain surge through her body when her foot came in contact with the solid rock. "Eeeee-yowie, yowie, yowie!" she yelped, gripping her foot and hopping on the other.

_"Another report, Master: in most spirit locations, such as this volcano, certain bending abilities will be ineffective in certain areas."_

"Now you tell me? ?" Angie squeaked.

"In other words, no cheating with earthbending." Eva figured. "Looks like we're getting through the old fashioned way."

"Okay, team." Nigel began. "Let's find this spirit and see what information he has to offer. Let's go." (Play the "Earth Temple" Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_!)

_Stage 33: Groudon Volcano_

_Mission: Find the Volcano Spirit, Groudon!_

_Act 1_

The four proceeded past the entry tunnel and walked down a spiral path, with magma in the center. The heat was slowly getting to them, and Angie felt it the most, her bare feet aching from the rugged, hot ground. Then passed another tunnel to a room with a rock bridge going down a magma river. They walked single file over the bridge as Fire Toadpolies stuck out of the lava, trying to spit fireballs at them. Rachel shot them off with her bow as they continued. They arrived at the end of the bridge, but the ledge at the end of the river was still too far. The four noticed magma geysers rising out the rest of the way, as well as big pots of water by their sides.

"I've got it." Eva said, bending the water from the pots and throwing it onto the geysers, freezing the magma into flat rock platforms for them to stand on.

"What would we do without you, Eva?" Nigel smiled as they hopped across the platforms to the other side.

"'Nigel, there is a 90% probability you would perish in burning hot magma if my assistance was not available.'" Eva replied, talking like Fi. The others laughed as they reached the ledge and continued down the tunnel.

They reached a dead end, a wider area of the tunnel which had several cracks along the ground and walls. Fi came out and reported, _"Master: signs indicate this is an area where Angie's earthbending is available. She may be able to use her Seismic Sense to find a hidden path behind one of these walls."_

"Okay. Give it a shot, Angie." Rachel said.

Angie did so and closed her eyes as she started to feel her way around the walls. "Let's see… magma… magma… person?" Beneath the floor, she could feel somebody digging their way up. Angie stepped out of the way as Penelope Taynt popped out with weird digging claws, wearing an archaeologist helmet with a flashlight as she looked around.

"This isn't Amanda's secret Hawaiian beach house, please."

"How'd you get here?" Eva asked.

"You again?" Penelope replied. "Looking for another sword, please?"

"Er, no… we're looking for a spirit."

"You're wasting your life. Now if you excuse me, I must dig beneath the earth and locate Amanda, please." With that, she dug and vanished beneath the ground.

Angie went back to feeling around the walls until, "Here it is!" After finding the hidden pathway, she kicked the wall down.

They entered the hidden path and turned right down another hall. The hall became wider as a bunch of boulder Pokémon, called Golem, spotted them and rolled over, but Angie easily used earthbending to kick and roll them into each other. They continued to a larger room with another magma river, seemingly no way across. Rachel spotted a ball-shaped rock on a thin stem with a Bomb Flower and fired an arrow, blowing the stem up, so the ball rolled over to them. "We could use this to get across."

"Sounds like the only option." Nigel said as they got on. "But just be careful."

The four of them faced separate directions and carefully balanced on the ball as Nigel made it roll down the river, since he was facing that way. A couple of Fire Toadpolies came out and spat fire at them, but Rachel shot them off with her arrows. The four carefully navigated around some lava geysers and rolled the ball into a tunnel, making a left turn and jumping off at a platform.

They entered the next room with another lava river flowing downward, deeper into the cave. Eva blew Ice Breath onto the lava and froze a rock platform, the four hopping on and slowly riding it down the river. A couple of Geodudes that were flying around spotted and chucked rocks at them, but Angie was able to kick the rocks back and knock them in the lava.

They reached the end of the river and hopped on the ledge before their platform sank beneath the magma, going into another hallway. They reached a dead end in the hall and were ambushed by a Rhydon, a rhino Pokémon with two legs, two arms, and a drill horn on his nose. The Rhydon walked over and punched at Rachel, who ducked, while Eva splashed some water on him, making him a little weaker. The Rhydon stomped the ground and made boulders come down. Rhydon grabbed a boulder and chucked it at Eva, who barely dodged right. Angie then kicked a boulder up and kicked it at the Rhydon's nose, pushing him back. Angie stomped the ground once more and made more boulders come down above Rhydon, eventually making the beast dizzy. Angie quickly ran over and kicked the Pokémon in the stomach, successfully pushing him into a wall.

Rhydon toppled over afterwards, the impact making the room shake. The ground suddenly gave way and crumbled, the four falling down several stories, but landed safely on their feet. They left the unconscious Rhydon and went through another tunnel, leading them to an outside area. The sky was completely blocked by the rising smoke from the volcano, and ash poured down like black snow. Below them was another magma river, wider and seeming to lead straight to the volcano.

To the left of them, on a cliff above where the river started, a strange house sat upon the cliff. The group stared confusedly at this, but suddenly felt the volcano shaking. Large fireballs came flying out of the crater, raining all over the area. A fireball hit the front of the house, melting it and exposing Cleveland Brown in his bathtub, which began sliding down the tilting floor.

"Oh mah God!" the man yelled, immediately climbing out, not waiting for it to land in the lava river below. Strangely enough, the tub began floating on the lava. "Wait... why did I decide to move here?" Cleveland asked himself.

"That might help!" Rachel smiled. The others nodded and leapt down to the bathtub, using it as a boat as they began zooming down the magma river. They made careful swerves left and right to avoid crashing into sharp rocks, speeding up lava ramps and flying over trenches, landing back on the river and going even faster. They then had to quickly turn the boat down a snaky path, having to keep switching from left to right. When the river became straight again, the tub was propelled upwards by several magma geysers. The final geyser was so big, it shot them over a large pit of lava, landing them on a ledge at the foot of the volcano, the tub shattering upon contact.

They entered the cave entrance and walked down another tunnel before reaching a room with a towering statue, of some bald boy with an arrow down his head, holding a staff. "Whoa… what is it?" Nigel asked.

"It looks like that phantom thing." Rachel said.

"You mean Phantom Gnaa?" Eva asked. "So, this must be a statue of the Dark Master."

"I don't know." Rachel replied. "It doesn't look too evil. I think it's someone else."

"Look!" Angie pointed to something on the wall behind the statue. "There's something in there!"

They immediately ran over and saw it was some kind of small ice wall. Frozen inside the wall was a sleeping figure with a star for a head. "That's…" Rachel started.

"Jirachi." Nigel finished.

"He really _is_ in this volcano."

Eva walked over to feel the substance that trapped him. "It's ice."

"Ice? How could ice survive in a volcano?" Nigel asked.

"Must be some strong ice." Eva stepped back and tried to bend and melt the ice into her hand. "I can't bend it."

Nigel stepped in front and shot a couple fireballs at the ice, but no luck. "I can't melt it."

"Wait. There's something on the wall over here." Rachel said, noticing some writing on the wall left of the ice. She read the letters written on the wall in order. "'W, E, F, A, P, _, _, _. Write the remaining three powers to open the way.' …Huh?"

Fi then popped out and said, _"Master, signs indicate that filling in these last three letters will-"_

"Open the door, thanks for the info." Eva interrupted. "It would just help to know-"

"Wait! I got it." Rachel perked, taking her sword and using it to inscribe the last 3 letters: S, P, and F. The signs accepted the letters and spelled out what they all stood for: "'Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear.'" Rachel read. "They're the elements!"

The message vanished and a different message appeared that Nigel read. "'When all 8 powers come together, binded by the two halves of the sacred jewel, the power that has been scattered for ages will at long last be reawakened. But the one who wishes to use the sacred power must unleash their Light or Darkness at their absolute strongest and mix it with the powers as the key for that control.' …Well, that's interesting."

"I wonder what it means?" Rachel followed. At that instant, the volcano began shaking again, and the ice wall slowly started to melt. The Jirachi frozen in the ice melted as well. (Stop the music.)

"It was a fake…" Nigel observed.

"Well… at least we have another way." Rachel noticed. "Let's keep going and see if we can figure this out." (Play the "Dark Ice Mines Waterfall" Theme from _Star Fox Adventures_.)

_Act 2_

The four slowly continued into the cave, as it emitted some kind of light-blue glow. They stopped when they entered a cavern of various frozen Jirachis. "O…kay." Rachel looked confusedly.

"What's this all about?" Nigel asked.

Fi came out and reported, _"Master, I am detecting no auras emitting from these illusions. There is a 0% chance the real Jirachi is inside this cave."_

"Well… that's real good to know." Rachel said as the spirit jumped back in the sword. "Let's just keep going."

They trekked further into the glittering ice cave. The cave was alit with lots of glowing moss, making the ice sparkle beautifully. They walked slowly, eyes transfixed by this beauty. It was almost too amazing for their eyes to behold. To think that so much ice could exist in the heart of a volcano. The rest of this magma mountain was boiling heart and hard, rugged rock. But here, the air was nice and cool, and the ice was beautiful. The ice made this volcano seem far too unnatural. Like it completely ignored the laws of physics… to make for something far more beautiful. It just made them think… if such amazing, glittering beauty exists within the heart of a burning mountain of darkness… maybe other places could be just the same.

"I'll never understand how all this exists in a volcano." Eva said aloud as they walked along the path down a river. When they reached the end of the river, the path seemed to continue in a cave under the water. They all shrugged and dove beneath the partially cold water, swimming into the dark cave.

Lots of anglerfish and jellyfish lit up the cave, and this whole place became a lot more beautiful. If the glittering ice wasn't enough, the dim lights from these fish within the darkness were spectacular as well. Eventually, they resurfaced inside an icicle grotto, continuing in a tunnel that led upwards. Angie quivered a little from the icy ground below her bare feet, but was able to keep going. The four came to a massive room with a huge, bottomless pit, following a path that led around the side of the room.

At the end of that path, across from them over the pit, was another cave that seemed to emit red aura. They noticed a row of icicles above them, as well as some small platforms down low in the pit. Rachel aimed her bow and shot at the tops of the icicles, making them drop and stick on the platforms, allowing them to get across.

Before they continued up the staircase leading outside, Fi came out and spoke. _"Master: I am sensing a tremendous mass of energy just in the area up these stairs. I calculate an 80% chance the Volcano Spirit is just up ahead."_

"Perfect." Rachel replied. "Okay, guys… time to see what's up with this spirit." With that, Fi returned to the sword and the four proceeded up the stairs. (Stop the music.)

At long last, they had reached the very top of the volcano. They stood on a large foothold, overlooking the expanse of the massive volcano crater. "Hm hm heh heh. So, you've arrived." (Play Ghirahim's Theme from _Skyward Sword_!)

The four immediately shot their attention left at the smirking, diamond-skinned Demon Lord. "Ghirahim…" Rachel glared.

"Who?" Nigel asked.

"Long story."

"Hm hm ha ha. If it isn't the helpless little gang of snot-nosed brats. It is fascinating you were able to make it this far without peeing your pants."

"Yeah, well… the monsters we've faced thus far haven't been the scariest." Rachel smirked.

"Mm hm…" Ghirahim glanced over at the bald Brit. "Well… if it isn't the Demon Prince himself." He suddenly vanished and reappeared behind the boy, startling Nigel. "I haven't forgiven your family for stealing the throne that rightfully belonged to my previous master." Nigel felt uncomfortable when the Demon Lord started licking the scalp of his baldhead. "But seeing the precious blood of demons tainted with that of mortals just makes me sick."

Ghirahim teleported to where he stood before. "My original master would be disgusted. But we should be thankful to the gods he isn't here… yet. On a more pressing matter, I heard you recovered another one of the Firstborn."

"Got that right." Eva smirked. "Only 6 away from beating you."

"Mm hm heh heh ha! Dimwitted little princess. Little children like yourselves can never recover the Firstborn in time. And in addition, only truly powerful beings like myself and the Dark Master would be able to comprehend their ultimate power. Still… it's fun to see you TRY!" The kids became angered when Ghirahim laughed for a few seconds. "Anyhow… I have a ship to catch. You aren't the only ones going on a space trip. In the meantime, I'll leave my newly tamed spirit to attack you. Farewell." Ghirahim laughed as he teleported away. (Stop the music.)

"Well, that guy was strange." Nigel said simply.

"Tell me about it. And I thought Kenny thought he was 'smooth'." Eva replied.

"Well, never mind him. I wonder where-" Before Rachel could finish, the volcano began quaking again.

"Uh…? Guys?" Angie spoke, pointing to a bubbling spot in the volcano.

"…ROOOOOAAAARRRR! !" Before their very eyes, a gargantuan Godzilla-like behemoth emerged from the lava. The back of its body was red while its front was white, with a belly that seemed like lava. It had yellow eyes, glowing some kind of dark purple aura, and many white spikes going down the side of its body. It had white, sharp fingernails, and its feet were below the lava.

"What is that thing? !" Rachel shouted as they all freaked out.

Fi came out and answered, _"Master, the being before you is none other than the Spirit of the Volcanos, Groudon. According to legend, he emits a heat so incredible, it drains the life out of any flora substance, and dries out almost any body of water."_

"Good to know, Fi, but I'd like to know what his problem is."

_"Signs indicate a strange darkness emitting from his form."_

"Wait! What's that on his head?" Nigel asked, noticing something glowing dark-purple on his head. The four squinted their eyes and saw what it was.

"It's an Evil Crystal!" Rachel pointed out. "If we can destroy that crystal, we might be able to free him."

"ROOOAAAR!" the beast roared at them again.

"Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!" Nigel cried. (Play the "Scaldera/Tentalus" Boss Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_!)

_Boss fight: Groudon_

The massive spirit erupted another roar before slowly stomping toward the little operatives. His stomping caused waves of magma to surf to their foothold, but Eva quickly used Ice Breath to freeze the waves into solid rock. Angie then used earthbending to kick the rock chunks at Groudon's head, doing him some damage as he stomped closer. The beast roared and started flinging shockwaves of fire at them. Nigel countered with his fire, Eva countered with water, and Angie made a rock barrier to hide behind with Rachel. Groudon then scooped some lava in his hands and tossed giant balls of lava straight at them. Eva once again froze them quickly as they came, turning them into boulders, and Angie flung the boulders and hit the spirit's head.

Groudon stomped closer to the foothold, and the kids were amazed at how enormous he was up close. The Godzilla looked down and rose his right fist, attempting to crush them, but Eva blew more Ice Breath and was able to keep the hand back. Groudon stopped and shook his hand from the cold, then was about to crush them with the other one. Eva once again held it back with ice, and Groudon shook the cold off.

While Groudon was rubbing his hands for warmth, Rachel took out her bow and carefully aimed straight at his little left eye. She released the arrow and shot it straight at the eye, making him scream in pain and cover it. Groudon then lowered his head to their level and started charging a Hyper Beam in his mouth. Since his head was close enough, Rachel was able to run and jump over. She raised her sword and dealt several blows against the Evil Crystal before Groudon shook her off, landing her on the foothold.

Groudon stood back up and held his aching head as he slowly backed away. He let go and roared at the operatives in more anger. Just then, tentacles of lava emerged from his lava stomach, stretching over and trying to swat the gang. Eva quickly blew ice at the tentacles and froze them into rock. She and Rachel hopped on one of the frozen tentacles and started running up to its body. More tentacles came at them, but Eva froze them as well. They kept jumping tentacles as the ones they were standing on gave way and shattered. When they made it up to the spirit's body, Eva grabbed Rachel in her Water Fists and tossed her up to its head. Rachel began striking the Evil Crystal again as Groudon screeched in pain, shaking her off. Eva instantly created an ice path and caught and carried Rachel as she surfed across it, dodging lava geysers that Groudon made come up and try to burn them.

The two made it back to the foothold as Groudon finished rubbing his head. The spirit started stomping their way again, creating more waves of lava that Eva froze into solid rock, allowing Angie to kick them at its head. The Godzilla stopped and launched more flaming shockwaves that the gang protected with their water, earth, and fire respectively. Groudon cried another roar and leapt a few feet in the air, quaking the ground with his landing and sending a massive magma tidal wave coming toward them. Too big for Eva to freeze, Angie just used her bending to make the platform rise higher, the lava going just a few inches below the top.

Angie sunk the platform back down as the lava passed and Groudon continued toward them. He turned around and splashed the lava with his huge, flat tail, flinging huge balls of fire up to the foothold. The group dodged the fireballs and let them hit the ground, setting those spots on fire. Groudon stepped closer to the foothold and stood over the group again.

He rose his left fist and punched down even faster, too fast for Eva to freeze, making a shockwave of fire. While his hand was down, Eva took that time to freeze it, so Groudon quickly brought it back up. He punched the ground with his other fist, the group dodging another shockwave before Eva blew ice on that hand. Groudon once again rubbed his hands for warmth as Rachel took out her bow and aimed at the right eye, firing and dealing some more pain.

Rather than kneel down to them like last time, Groudon just continued to stand over them and charge his Hyper Beam. "Give me a boost, Angie." Rachel ordered.

"You got it!" With that, the 7-year-old earthbender stomped the ground and flung Rachel straight up to the monster's head. Rachel landed perfectly on top of him, dealing more blows against the Evil Crystal. With one final strike, Rachel sliced the dark gem downward, totally destroying it.

"ROOAAARRR!" Rachel leapt back down as Groudon gave one final screech. The massive spirit finally toppled over and fell backwards, splashing and sinking below the lava.

The team smirked in victory as Rachel twirled her sword and sheathed it. (Stop the music.)

The four carefully looked over the edge into the magma pit after the colossal spirit fell and sank below. (Play the "Dragon Room" Theme from _Skyward Sword_.) They jumped back with a start when Groudon splashed out of the lava and roared to the skies, his head clear of the Evil Crystal that had possessed him. The Godzilla-like spirit stood straight up before looking down at the four group members, tiny to his vision. "Ah, I should've guessed what sorts could make their way through my volcano and best me in battle. You are four of the Chosen Ones, aren't you?"

"That's what everybody calls us, yup." Rachel shrugged.

"Of course. I am Groudon. Spirit that resides in the volcanos. Probably the greatest causer of dry seasons…" He then noticed Eva Roberts and bent his head down for a closer look. "Well… if it isn't the daughter of my greatest rival."

"You're Kyogre's rival?" Eva asked.

"He and I go way back." Groudon replied, standing back up. "Many ages ago, before the Earth became the way you see it today… people dwelled on many other planets. Some were always suffering terrible floods, so they relied on me to dry up the water. But as a result, those people began to suffer long droughts, so Kyogre was called upon to make it rain, but that eventually led to more flooding. And so began our great rivalry to prevent the others' element from succeeding. We decided to settle our dispute on a lonely rock that was still in the making. We engaged in an epic clash between ocean and magma. Eventually, our battle led to the creation of the oceans and continents. And our fight would've continued, had the Sky Spirit, Rayquaza, not stopped our fighting. But we're still bitter rivals. And I TOLD him that he would lose his daughter to Davy Jones the moment she was born, and I was right."

"Sounds like good times." Eva remarked.

"So, you and Kyogre created the oceans and continents?" Nigel asked.

"Sort of. We created the oceans and landmasses. But it was the Earth Spirit, Regigigas who used his incredible earthbending to shift them around throughout the years. Of course, he did need my help to control those convection currents in the Earth's mantle. I believe it's how, what you humans call 'tectonic plates', are able to move."

"Hmm… interesting piece of geology there." Nigel noted.

"Anyway, why are you kids here? Did Kyogre want to send me a message? Oh, oh, let me guess what it is!" He spit in the lava. "Am I right?"

"Uhhh… no…" Eva answered weirdly.

"He said you would tell us about the Star God, Jirachi." Nigel explained.

"Oh, I thought I recognized you somewhere, Baldy. You're the little brat that set Jirachi free from the Star Rod. You must feel real proud of yourself…"

"Actually, I do. But Jirachi's powers have been lost and we need to find out how to revive them."

"Plus, we need to find Jirachi himself." Rachel followed. "We heard he was spotted in this volcano, but all we saw were-"

"-illusions." Groudon finished. "The only reason we spread that silly rumor was because we knew the Chosen Ones would one day have to restore Jirachi's former powers. We spread the rumor to lure the heroes here, and only they would be able to make their way through this volcano. But while I don't know where the real Jirachi is, I know how to bring his powers back."

"Good, so tell us!" Angie demanded.

"Ah-he-he-hem: you are all familiar with the many planets of Galaxia." They nodded. "Before the Earth was created, the spirits had originally created the Galaxian planets, and resided on each of their respective elements. For example, Kyogre lived on Aquaria, Celebi lived on Flora, Polaris lived on Glacia… and I lived on the lava planet, Halcandra. That's the first place you must go."

"What's on Halcandra?" Nigel asked.

"During my time there, I was entrusted a sacred jewel, one that would help to restore Jirachi's powers after he was set free: the Jeweled Scepter. A scepter that controls the power of planets. You see, planets are referred to as 'star systems'. That's because they _are_ stars. By mixing the Jeweled Scepter's power with Jirachi, the young Star God's mighty star power will be restored. Of course, the jewel is nothing without its power source of light. And the light has been entrusted to the Mother Wisp. Who hid it on who-knows-where. Not me."

"So, our mission is basically, find the Jeweled Scepter, its light power source, and Jirachi himself, wherever he is."

"But what about his Guardian?" Rachel asked.

"His Guardian?" Groudon replied. "His Guardian is someone you know very well, actually. In fact, she's only been guarding him for the past million years."

"The past million years?" Nigel began to think. "I think I know who you're talking about, but… it can't be possible."

"Therefore, it must be possible. After all, you've encountered all these other supernatural activities throughout your adventures, why would you need to question anything?"

"Hm hm, good point." Nigel chuckled. "But still…"

"Follow your instincts. That's what I say. Well, I've served my purpose. I'm sure that little spaceship you have out there could take you to Halcandra. Anything else?"

"Actually… are you a fire or an earthbender?" Nigel asked curiously.

"Mmm, a little of both. But my specialty is lavabending, really…"

"Which is…?"

"A mixture of fire and earthbending."

"Ooh, ooh!" Angie waved her right hand. "Can you show ME how to lavabend?"

Groudon bent down again and got a closer look at the earthbender. "So… you are the earthbender that was chucking rocks at me. I never expected a child with such tiny feet to be so strong with the earth."

"I never expected a big lava monster to be so… uh… lava-y."

"Uh hu hu hu. Anyhow, lava can only be bent by truly powerful earth or firebenders. When not at that level, lava can easily be bent when an earth AND firebender combine their powers."

"Sounds simple enough." Nigel smiled.

"Well then… anything else?"

"No… I think we're good."

"But how do we get out of this volcano?" Rachel asked.

"I've had that arranged…" They jumped back in shock when a huge, brown-furred lion landed beside them, a grey cape blowing on his back as he gave a roar. "This is Entei. The Lion of Flames. He can take you back the easy way."

The kids smiled at the lion as they climbed atop his back, getting ready to take off. "Thanks again, Mr. Groudon!" Angie cheered.

"Alright. Let's go team." Nigel declared. "Next stop: Halcandra!" With that, the lion gave another roar before dashing across the volcano, the kids holding on tight as the wind rushed through their hair (except for Nigel).

"Well… back to sleeping in the volcano… I think I'll order a pizza." Groudon then pulled out a massive cellphone and dialed a number. "Hello? Tony's Pizza Place? Yes, I'd like to order a… 5 story pizza, topped with extra hot sauce and pepperoni… and have it delivered to the crater of Groudon Volcano. What do you mean that's physically impossible, don't give me that crap. Y'know, the little people on Kateenia could do it, so you should have no trouble with… aw, you know what, fine, I'll just call Avalar's Pizza Castle. I don't know why I even called you." He hung up. "Ugh…" He then noticed something else odd. "Why do I have a cellphone?..."

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><p><strong>OH MY GOD, THAT WAS THE LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! ! And the worst part is… THERE'S AN EVEN <em>LONGER<em> ONE AT THE END OF THIS STORY! ! Ugh… SO, you think it's going to be easy, goin' to Halcandra and getting that scepter? PAH! We're not even CLOSE to that part! Prepare for a VERY long space journey! Starting with, you guessed it: VAPORIA! By the way, I actually got that volcano stage from this pretend game a friend of mine and me used to play, about ****_Pokémon_. Ah... good times. Next time… we'll hopefully get ready to leave. Later.**


	37. Dimentia's Reform

**Okay, so, you know how the last chapter was really long? I wanted to give myself another break and make this one a lot shorter. I wanna save the good stuff for next time. Anyway, here we go.**

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><p><strong><em>Dimentia's Reform! Set Course to Galaxia!<em>**

**Bowser's Airship Armada**

Bowser's airship fleet was getting closer to the forbidden planet of Vaporia, the ships packed with Koopas, Stormtroopers, and many other Brotherhood villains, all on their mission to rescue their comrades. Since the ships weren't electrical-powered, they were safe from Vaporia's deadly pull. Aboard the main flagship, April Dickson stood in thought, worried for her new friends after hearing the dangers of that planet. "Awe, what's wrong, Dickson? Worried about your wittle mutant pets?" She gritted her teeth at the sound of this familiar voice. She didn't have to turn her head, already knowing who was behind her. (Play Groose's Theme from _Skyward Sword_!)

"Ugh! Who let _you_ on here?"

Behind her was April's worst enemy and bully from school, the blonde-haired fatty known as Olivia Johnson. "Brain wanted me on here. Don't think I very much like it either. Having to be on the same ship with you mutants."

"Go back with your Teen Ninjas. My new friends may be 'mutants', but they're a lot nicer than you could ever be. Matter of fact, you look a million times more ugly than any mutant."

"Hmph. You're just jealous because you've only spent your entire life with freaks. All of the NORMAL kids saw you for your hideousness and shunned you away. If you had a little more of the looks like me, and a lot less of the freak, you'd rise in stardom among these creeps."

"Oh!" April smiled with sarcasm, turning to her. "So, if I looked like a cow and destroyed my face with that so-called 'make-up' of yours, I would be popular, too? ! …Yeah… no thanks."

"Hm. Poor, denying April. But the sad truth is, all you mutants are really good at is doing whatever you mutants do. Which, in your case, is only giving people such a headache with your psychoness or whatever that they eventually die from the pain." April only became more enraged, gritting her teeth and quaking her fist in anger. "It's no wonder the military and everyone else wants you all dead."

"YOU'LL BE DEAD BEFORE ME, YOU-"

"Enough, ladies." (Stop the music.) They turned their attention to Darth Genious at the door. "Olivia, perhaps you should go and help the Teen Ninjas. We'll be arriving at the planet soon."

"Whatever." Olivia said, walking off. "Just don't call me if she starts growing scales."

April calmed down and took heavy breaths as she walked beside Brain. "Why did you let her in here again? It's not like she's any more evil than just being a snob."

"I assure you, she is a bigger help to our plans than you may realize. A being like Olivia who only desires stardom is always filled with darkness."

"Terrific." She replied, sarcastically. "Anyway, Nolan and the others are going to be okay, right?"

"They will be fine. I am training Nolan to be my apprentice. He discovered a way to send the message to me, he will lead the others to safety."

"Mm… I just hope you're right."

**Hawaiian Beach**

From the distance, everyone could see the smoke from the volcano slowly dying down. They could immediately guess that the four operatives had completed their mission. During this time, Rouge walked over to Blaze with the yellow Sol Emerald. "Hey, we forgot to give you this." She said, handing her the gem. "We found it in a chest on a mountain."

"Hm… then this makes 4."

"Only 3 more to go!" Tails cheered.

"Hmm… so you four have succeeded." Meta Knight said when the four operatives arrived back from the mountain

"Did you learn anything new?" Magolor asked.

"We think so." Rachel replied.

"We need to find something called a Jeweled Scepter on Planet Halcandra." Nigel explained.

"Anything on Jirachi?"

"Nnope. Not really."

"No matter." Meta Knight replied. "We have a path. I believe it is time to head into space."

From atop the ship, Marx, still bouncing on his ball, looked up and spotted another huge ship coming their way. "Meta Knight, Meta Knight! She's here, she's here!"

The others looked up as the massive spaceship was hovering over the island. Tails gave a wide smile, being the first to recognize it. "It's the Blue Typhoon!"

The ship slowly landed several feet away from Meta Knight's as Amy asked, "But… who's piloting it?"

Her questions were answered when a hatch opened at the bottom of the ship, and none other than Numbuhs 74.239 and Infinity stepped out. "Hey, what's up, guys!" Gabe greeted happily.

"Gabe? Jeremy? What are you doing here?" Nigel asked.

"On his way to Earth, Meta Knight stopped by Moonbase and picked us up." Jeremy answered.

"He brought us to this ship and the three of us repaired it while he was off finding you guys." Gabe explained.

"The 'three' of you?" Nigel asked.

"We… brought someone else." Infinity said.

From inside the hatch, they could see the silhouette of a third person, with a pair of eyes, one yellow and one black, glaring at them. All of the operatives gasped when the former galactic leader herself stepped off and approached them. "Hmm… salutations."

"Dimentia!" Peach cheered.

"He-Hey! Decided to come after all, huh?" Sonic smirked.

Nigel only looked furious. "YOU! !" Dimentia dodged right when the Brit shot a fire blast. She then made a barrier when Rachel fired arrows at her.

"I don't know how you escaped, but we're sending you straight back to Underworld Prison!" Rachel exclaimed, drawing her sword.

"No, wait-" Infinity tried to say.

"Just what I was hoping for." Dimentia said, charging her hands with lightning. "If I'm going back, YOU'RE coming with me!" (Play the "Dimentio Battle" Theme from _Super Paper Mario_!)

_Boss fight: Dimentia_

The space clown flew back as the two chased her, Nigel and Rachel dodging opposite directions when Dimentia shot a Star Burst. Nigel fired his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. and pulled her to the ground, his fists on fire as he punched at her while Dimentia countered with electric hands. He charged a large fireball and pushed her into a tree. Dimentia recovered just in time to see Rachel come at her with a jump strike, rolling right just in time to dodge.

Rachel tried slicing the former leader, but Dimentia grabbed and held the sword back, electrocuting it with her lightning hands and shocking Rachel. While she was stunned, Dimentia spun behind and kicked her away. She quickly turned and jumped from Nigel's fireballs, but Rachel suddenly recovered and ran to deal a few blows against her.

Dimentia vanished and the two dodged when a Star Burst flew out of thin air. Three more Dimentias appeared and zoomed around to try and confuse them, throwing Star Bursts in all directions. Nigel shot a fireball, and Rachel swung her sword at one, but both were clones that vanished, and the real Dimentia teleported again. She reappeared behind them and made the ground between them explode, blowing them back a few feet.

The two quickly recovered and ran when Dimentia tried catching them in box barriers, blowing the boxes up afterward. Nigel then jumped and grabbed her legs, pulling her back down and kicking her on her back. She blasted him with lightning and pushed him back, standing up, only for Rachel to slice her from behind and push her back down. "That's for taking Nigel away from us!"

Nigel shot her with a fire blast and yelled, "That was for trying to destroy the universe!"

"THIS is for trying to get me to decommission myself!" Rachel yelled, striking her again.

"This is for trying to kill my dad!" Nigel yelled, burning her again.

"NNNGH!" Dimentia yelled, standing back up and stunning both operatives with lightning. "AHH!" she was suddenly hit by a magic blast from behind.

She looked back to see Grim aiming his scythe. "Yeh didn't expect to roam free from the Underworld for that long?"

Dimentia immediately fired lightning at him, Grim catching all the energy in his scythe and firing it back. Rachel dealt a few more blows against her before Nigel charged another huge fireball and pushed her several feet away.

"You guuuys! Stop fighting!" Amy pleaded.

Grim, however, didn't listen and charged in to strike her. But he was suddenly stopped by Clockwork, holding his scythe back with his staff.

Rachel was about to run and strike her, but Meta Knight suddenly shot up and knocked the sword out of her hand with his. "Do you children always follow the 'strike first, ask questions never' policy?"

When Nigel tried to burn her, he was frozen in time by Jagar King, using Time Stop. Olive Pioji and Misty Greene then ran to help Dimentia up, brushing her clothes off. (Stop the music.)

"Enough." Clockwork spoke, pushing Grim back. "Revenge will solve nothing."

"Oh, come on, Clockwork." Nigel said when Jagar released him. "Don't you remember what she did all those years ago?"

"I remember everything. But I can't stay holding onto the past."

"Well, whether you can or not, she's way past her expiration date." Grim replied. "I have to take her back to the Underworld. I mean, we can't just bring someone back from the dead just like that."

"If I recall, _you_ brought Facilier back from the dead after your crowning as Demon King."

At the moment of realization, Grim turned to Facilier beside him. "…You did." The voodoo man shrugged.

"Indeed." Clockwork smiled. "I've always believed people with a complicated past should receive such a second chance. Don't you?"

"…Hmph." Grim lowered his weapon.

The Time Ghost then drifted over to Dimentia's weakened form and healed her wounds. "Now it's time for _your_ lesson." With that, he waved his hand and put Dimentia to sleep in an instant.

Meta Knight sheathed his sword and said, "Let us put her in a more comfortable location." Gabe and Jeremy walked over and proceeded to carry her inside the Blue Typhoon. (Play the "Dreams" Theme from _Spyro: Eternal Night_.)

**Dream Realm**

Dimentia lay unconscious as she drifted through the lonely emptiness that was outer space. She slowly awakened and studied the infinite surroundings. "Uh… where am I?"

_"Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom…"_

She gasped. "Who's that?"

_"It is I… The Chronicler… spirit who watches peoples' lives."_

"Oh, great." She sighed. "A rapist."

She could hear The Chronicler smack his forehead. _"UGH! I am TIRED of… sigh, never mind. I am here to teach you of your Space Element…"_

"I don't know if you get this a lot, but I already know my Space Element."

_"Yes… but there is more you must know than simply floating and teleportation. Step into the light to learn more…"_

A rock path appeared for Dimentia to land on. The former galactic leader walked along the path to a gate of pink energy, as well as a glowing pink platform. She stood on the platform and was shown an image of where she had been just now: the vastness of space.

_"Space is the Element of Openness. While the Space God, Palkia, granted you your powers as only mere choice… it was no accident. The benders of dimensions are strongly closed-minded about their feelings… giving them the impending desire to release it. Dimensional benders can release their space in so many shapes and forms…"_ Dimentia closed her eyes as the endless space around her began to swirl and twist into a dimensional vortex. When she came out of her vision, the space gate ahead opened.

She continued along the path and reached a ledge where the road continued over a far chasm. _"Space works very similarly to psychic. But rather than rely on the mind, it relies on the area around you. Benders who wield Space can leisurely float around wherever they like…"_

Already knowing this power, Dimentia lifted herself off her feet and drifted to the ledge on the other side, feeling no weight to her body. She then arrived at a wall, completely blocking her path.

_"While a wall or object stands in your way, there is space on the other side. No matter the distance, as long as there is space… you can Warp there."_

Dimentia snapped her fingers and vanished in an instant, reappearing on the other side. Afterwards, she stood before a door with two electrical generators on both sides, with a third one above it. _"Your cluttered internal space has created interference. You are able to release this interference in the form of electricity."_

Knowing this power as well, Dimentia fired lightning from her hands and lit up the electrical generators, making the door open and allowing her in. For her final test, she arrived at the arena of the usual stone demons, all ready for battle. _"The evil ones are trying to clutter your space. Use the area around you, and defeat them."_

The first bit of stone demons tried to grab her, but she Warped off. She reappeared in the air behind them and fired Star Bursts. The next squad that tried to jump at her, she trapped them inside a box barrier and blew them up. Two more ran at her, but she snapped her fingers and Warped them over the edge, watching them fall in the chasm. For the last bit, she just fired Space Lightning and blew them over the edge.

She landed in the center of the field as tons more stone men had her surrounded. She closed her eyes and channeled the space energy around her. _"When the space around you is the most cluttered, your powers can bend and twist it until it is perfectly clear again."_ The galactic leader cupped her hands together and spun them around, twisting the area into a dimensional vortex and destroying every last demon.

She stopped after a few seconds and teleported away, reappearing inside the temple with the Reflecting Pool. _"Good… your Element of Space is strong, just as it's been for the past thousands of years… but for such a long period of time, you've kept secrets. You refused to open up, and that led to your inner self to become cluttered."_

"Hmph. I had no reason to open up. And I still don't… especially not now."

_"Dimentia… I know you are still troubled for what happened in the past… but if your space is to be at its strongest… you must be able to trust those around you. Look into the light to see your path ahead…"_

Dimentia just shot him (or at least the sky) a glare and walked over, sticking her face into the pool of light. (Stop the music.)

_Squadrons of TIE Fighters and enemy ships patrolled around a massive space station. Inside, Stormtroopers stuck Jirachi in a machine, and Dimentia gasped as the little Star God screamed, being drained of his energy._

**Blue Typhoon**

Dimentia finally gasped and shot awake, finding herself lying in a bed aboard the Blue Typhoon. She gave a small glance to the door and looked back down, sighing in depression.

**Outside**

"She's WHAT?" Nigel shouted to Clockwork.

"Dimentia is Jirachi's Guardian." The ghost replied.

"Hmph. I'm surprised you're actually telling us that." Jagar remarked. "For once."

"Mmm. But Dimentia's mind has been cluttered since her return to the living. If she is ever able to fully awaken herself as a Guardian, she must be able to open up."

"Hm. I know that feeling." Blaze said.

"Any volunteers?" Clockwork raised a brow.

Nigel looked around and already felt all eyes on him. He himself even felt he had to be the one to do it anyway. "Sigh. Fine. I'll be right back." He decided, heading inside.

"ANY-howww…" Gabe drew out. "Come on inside! We have another little surprise…"

Gabe led them inside the hangar, where the operatives were shocked, smiling at their 2x4 aircraft, as well as the Sonic crew, seeing their ships. "Sw-e-e-et!" Hoagie drew out.

"Rigged 'em up, all ready for space combat!" Gabe said. "We hopefully won't have much trouble with Gnaa's troops in space now."

Nigel found Dimentia in the Blue Typhoon's control deck, standing by the window and overlooking the ocean. Dimentia felt his presence and turned slightly before looking back at the ocean. The Sector Leader only folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "…I'm not too excited either, Dimentia, so let's get this over with."

Still having her back turned, Dimentia decided to speak. "…For thousands of years, I've always kept to myself. Having no one to trust but my own minions. No real friends to share with. But who could blame me? I was able to manipulate one of the most powerful beings in the universe. A Firstborn, no less. An endless supply of eternal life. …And I ended up creating a universe-wide organization of villain-fighting kids. All for the sweetness of immortality. The only person I told the truth to was Darkrai. And what does he do? He stands against me. So, I knew, right from then… no one could know the truth. I kept up my lie to everyone for over a million years. And every little drink of Dream Water I took to keep me young, my internal space became smaller and smaller, even too little for a Kateenian to squeeze. Until I was finally exposed for the evil I was on the inside. Not the Kids Next Door legend Infinity and everyone came to know. And now that Time Spirit expects me to come back and fulfill a destiny that was already started, but only went bad? I can never go back. I'm better off dead. Grim should've finished me when he had the chance…"

"Dimentia…" Nigel walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "All that stuff was in the past. It's a new time now. Now is the time to begin anew."

"Oh, don't give me that crud." She snapped, smacking his hand off and facing him with hurtful eyes. "Both you AND Rachel know that I'm, and always have been, no good. I'll always be listed as your highest-ranking supervillain. You can't change the past."

"But you _can_ decide your future. Look… I'm sorry we attacked you earlier. But we need all the help we can to defeat this Dark Master, and that includes you. And you need to fulfill your role as Jirachi's Guardian."

"I've already fulfilled my role, and nothing good came out of it!" she yelled, slapping at the air. "I can never go back to Galaxia…" She turned and looked back out the window. "It's best for everyone…"

"Dimentia-"

"A-HE-HEM." Nigel noticed Numbuh Infinity beside him. "Uh… let me talk to her. I've been with her a lot longer than you have." Nigel just shrugged and walked off as Infinity stepped closer to his former leader. "Dimentia… ever since we first met, I've always looked up to you as a hero to all kids. As an operative who was truly loyal to the Galactic Kids Next Door, I can honestly say I was… very disappointed after finding out the truth."

"Finally, someone who's honest…"

"But the time of lies and deceptions truly is over." He spoke in his professional tone, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Clockwork has given you a second chance. Whether it was for destiny or not. If you help us, people will forget the old galactic dictator. And the Kids Next Door legend to all will be redeemed."

"Hmph." She huffed once more and looked away.

"Dimentia… please… I've always had faith things could change…" he sound more sincere, "if you were just given the chance. And the friends…"

Dimentia looked into the diplomat's pleading black eyes. He always seemed the closest to her, and the one who respected her the most. And if he had faith in her now, despite what she's done, she'd only feel worse in letting him down again. She finally came to a decision after a while of thought.

**Minutes later**

The two massive starships shot away from the planet's atmosphere and took off for the stars of outer space. "WOOHOOOO!" Marine cheered aboard the Blue Typhoon. "We're goin' back inta SPACE!"

"And good thing the others were able to convince Dimentia to come along!" Toad smiled.

Dimentia stood with the rest of the operatives aboard the Battleship Halberd, watching the planet get further away as the ships flew off, eventually shrinking in the distance. Numbuh Infinity smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder again. "You've really made my day… Sir."

"Hm hm." She smiled and chuckled.

"All systems are check here." Tails reported from his cockpit aboard the Typhoon. "I must say, Gabe did an excellent job repairing this. How're things with you, Meta Knight?"

"The Halberd is working perfectly as always." Meta Knight reported. "We are prepared to take on any enemy attack."

"Eh heh heh heh!" Dedede laughed. "I'd like to see Bowser's little ol' pirate ships take on this baby!"

"Although the paint job could use some work." Escargoon said.

"Poyo!" Kirby cheered.

"Is the lightspeed function operational?" Meta Knight asked.

"Lightspeed is operational." Magolor reported. "Get 'em fired up, Bro. Next stop: Galaxia!"

"3-2-1, 3-2-1!" Marx cheered, still bouncing on his ball. "Go… BLAST OFF!" The cheerful Nightmare slammed his right jester point onto a button, the ship charging for hyperspace.

"Activate lightspeed, Amy." Tails ordered.

"O-kay!" Amy pulled a lever on the Typhoon, and the ship prepared to go into hyperspace as well. Both ships vanished within the blink of an eye.

**Somewhere in Galaxia**

They both reappeared in a rather black part of Galaxia, approaching a pitch-black planet with several yellow cracks, as well as a yellow aura around it. "Hm. I don't remember ever visiting this part of Galaxia." Nigel said.

"What's that planet up ahead?" Eva asked.

"I dunno… but look!" Hoagie shouted, noticing the many flying pirate ships surrounding the planet. "Aren't those Bowser's ships?"

"Oh, perfect!" Fanny replied. "Fly us in closer! I want ta give that turtle a piece o' meh mind."

"Hmm… something seems familiar about that planet." Dimentia said. "I don't think we should be here."

"According to scanners, the name of the planet is-" Before Magolor could finish, both ships immediately started shaking.

"Oh no! All communications are down!" Tails shouted.

"All power's been disabled." Magolor reported.

"We're going down, we're going down!" Marx cheered. "AHHH!"

"What are we going to do?" Rachel asked.

"I do not know." Meta Knight said. "But be on your guard. I sense darkness from this planet…" The gang looked worriedly as both ships flew in to forcibly land on the planet.

* * *

><p><strong>SO, guess where we are: VAPORIA! And next time, we will finally do the SECOND act of this stage! So, yeah, short chapter. Took me a while to think up that Chronicler scene, I don't think it was too good. So, next time, we will return to Vaporia… and a certain spirit revives a beloved character from the shadows. ;) Later!<strong>


	38. From Vaporization To Revitalization

**Return to Vaporia! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Escaping Vaporia! The Horrible Nightmare Ends!<em>**

**Planet Vaporia**

Both ships landed beside each other on the black, mysterious planet, littered with piles of scrap, with yellow flames rising in the distance. Meta Knight and Tails worked frantically to fix their ships, but to no avail. "It's no use, Meta Knight." His partner, Sword Knight, said in a Scottish accent. "All power's been lost."

"Now we're jus' sittin' ducks now, eh?" Blade Knight said in an Australian accent.

"Oh, GREAT." Wally folded his arms grumpily. "We haven't been in Galaxia for one quarter of a minute, and we're already trapped on some unknown planet."

"It could be worse, Wally." Kuki replied, still keeping a smile. "What if an evil fairy comes and casts a spell on us that forces us to obey absolutely every order someone gives us?"

Wally only looked at her confusedly. "…The crud does that have ta do with anything?"

Nigel, Eva, Rachel, and Dimentia went out to study the area. "Well… not the nicest planet I woulda picked." Nigel said.

"No kidding. What is that smell?" Eva asked, waving her hand by her nose.

"What is this planet, Dimentia?" Rachel asked.

"A forbidden planet that has long been abandoned by the galaxy." Dimentia spoke in a grim tone. "A dangerous wasteland far too horrible for GKND OR Irkens to visit. And that's not just another one of my lies this time."

"Well, it's being visited now. By them, too." Nigel pointed to a fleet of Bowser airships coming down, several Stormtroopers dropping and sliding down ropes to the surface.

"Hm. At least we're not alone." Dimentia said. "Anyway, I heard of a special Wisp that's supposed to be on this planet. A Plasma Wisp that can fuel our ships and have us out of here in no time."

"It looks like we'll need a few." Rachel figured.

"But be on your guard. The inhabitants of this planet are not to mess around with…" (Play "Desert Hoodmongers" from _Rayman 3_.)

_Stage 24: Vaporia_

_Mission: Find a way off the mysterious planet._

_Act 2_

The four operatives slowly began their trek through the piles of broken junk, walking through a small tunnel and to a small trench with a poisonous river. They hid behind the corner and watched as the airships hovered several feet off the ground, allowing Stormtroopers and Koopas to climb down ropes and land on platforms in the poison river, or the side of the river. There appeared to be new types of Stormtroopers: EVO Troopers, who used their special armor to survive the poisonous river, Shadow Troopers, who were able to turn invisible, and finally, Purge Troopers, with armor much stronger than any other Stormtrooper's.

"Squadron 9 to flagship." A Stormtrooper on a platform spoke into his communicator. "We've landed on the planet's surface. Beginning expedition now."

"You know you can't call anyone here, right?" another Trooper reminded.

"I know. I'm just used to reporting where we've arrived all the time."

The others exchanged a questioning glance and walked down a small path, leading to the river, as Eva walked to a Stormtrooper that was tapping his communicator. "Gah, stupid planet…" he mumbled.

"Um… excuse me?" Eva tapped his shoulder.

"Hm?" He turned to her.

"Um… what are you guys doing here?"

"Oh. A couple of our best operatives, and some bounty hunters, crashed onto this planet, so we were called for a rescue mission."

"Ah… hey, you know anything about a Plasma Wisp on this planet?"

"I think the aliens here keep all the Wisps at the…" the Trooper then realized who he was talking to. "Hey!" Eva immediately bended her Water Fists and punched the soldier into the poison river.

"It's those kids! Blast 'em!" Another Trooper ordered. Dimentia held up a space barrier as they all began firing. Rachel defended with her sword and dodged her way over, jumping the platforms and slicing the Stormtroopers. The EVO Troopers held up protective barriers to defend against Dimentia's lightning, but Rachel still used the Master Sword to pierce through them.

The Koopatrols charged at Eva, who only froze them into ice cubes. She jumped gunshots from behind, looking to see no one there, but the invisible Shadow Troopers blinked on and off. Nigel ran to burn the invisible Troopers and knock them out. With them done, they went to tend to the Purge Troopers, which held up shields to defend against Nigel's and Dimentia's fire and lightning. Rachel ran to deal a few strikes against one, but another Purge grabbed her from behind and tossed her away, landing barely on the edge of another platform before she could fall in the river.

Dimentia was finally able to stun them with her lightning from behind, allowing Rachel to come back and land a few more strikes before they were finally taken out. They looked up and spotted a few more enemies landing on the ledges of the trench walls above them. The group continued down the platforms along the river and started up a hill, leading up the trench.

On the first ledge, Rachel ran and sliced a few more EVO Troopers, as well as skeleton Koopas called Drybones. The already-dead Koopas couldn't be destroyed, so they only split their parts away before continuing. They headed further up the trench, where Sniper Stormtroopers aimed and fired with sniper rifles on higher ground. Rachel gave them a taste of their own medicine and fired arrows up at them, making them take the fall.

After finally reaching the highest ledge of the trench, they found some kind of gate with a cage right behind, containing a Speed Wisp and Drill Wisp. "Hey! Get us out!" the Speed Wisp yelled, oddly in English.

Just then, more Shadow Troopers appeared and started blasting the gang, moving around invisible, but Rachel was able to find where they were and slice them as well. A couple more Sniper Troopers fired from airships, but Rachel was still able to shoot them down.

Eva then proceeded to freeze the gate for Nigel to kick it down. She then froze the chain hanging the Wisps' cage, breaking it and dropping the cage, forcing it open upon impact and releasing them. "Oh, thank the stars! We're outta here!" the Drill Wisp exclaimed.

"Wait!" Nigel stopped them. "Any idea where we could find the Plasma Wisps?"

"Oh, they keep all those guys in the mining tower WAAAY over there." The Speed Wisp said, indicating the tower in the distance. "The fastest way to get there is through these underground caves."

"Oh, but it's hopeless." The Drill Wisp replied miserably. "The Vaporians have this whole area guarded. And those demons are invincible!"

"Doesn't matter." Nigel said. "We have to get the Plasma Wisps and get off this rock."

"Whatevah." The Speed Wisp shrugged. "All I know is I'm not sticking around here any longer." With that, he took off for the sky.

"Say… you're that bald kid who rescued my brother on Planet Secco." The Drill Wisp recognized. "The one who was in the Pokey Mummy?"

"He certainly is!" Eva grinned, wrapping an arm around Nigel's neck. "So, a little help in getting us in these tunnels might just repay him."

"D'ohh. Fine. You asked for it." With that, the Wisp shot into Nigel's body, allowing him to absorb the Color Power. (End song.)

"DRILL!" The girls wrapped around him as Nigel became a yellow drill, burrowing into the ground beneath them before reaching an underground cave, where Nigel reverted to normal as they landed. The girls shook from the dizziness before standing and brushing their selves off.

"Listen, Baldy, if those Vaporians spot you, you better find someplace to hide quick, 'cause if they touch you, it is GAME OVER!" the Drill Wisp exclaimed. "...Well, enjoy the last few moments of your life!" With that, he flew back through the tunnel they dug.

"Well, those guys were in a hurry." Eva said as they walked to a small room in the cave, leaping down a small cliff to a lower floor. "I wonder what they-" Dimentia immediately held her back, glaring ahead.

All four focused their attention on an orange spark in the center of the room. "Hey, you!" They turned their attention to a Stormtrooper, who had followed them in through the dug hole. He tried to run at them, but the kids jumped to the side, the Trooper tripping into the spark and disintegrating in an instant. _"AAAAAAHHHH!"_ his scream of despair was the last thing heard.

They gasped and stepped back when the spark blinked. _"Mip mip MIIP mip, mip mip mip. (Flesh beings detected. Preparing to vaporize.)"_

Dimentia immediately held the alien back with lightning as it approached, having help from Nigel's flame blasts, making the being spark out of control. When Eva splashed some water on it, the spark flashed brightly, and its invisibility shield disabled, exposing the hideous, pitch-black alien, emitting electricity. "What is that thing? !" Eva shouted.

"Just hurry up and kill it!" Dimentia ordered. The alien extended its orange electrical tentacles to try and grab them. Rachel bravely dodged the tentacles and went over to the alien. Keeping a good distance, she swung her sword and successfully damaged the alien, forcing it back. When it zapped a tentacle at her, she flipped right over and sliced the monster's head clean off. The rest of its body spun rapidly for a few seconds before exploding.

"Whew. That was a close one." Nigel sighed in relief. "Just what kind of planet is this?"

"Planet Vaporia." Dimentia replied grimly. "There's a reason the GKND never come here, you know. Any ship that drifts near this system is just BOUND to malfunction, having no choice but to land on this planet of these... _demon_ aliens just waiting to shred you, and the last sound that comes out of your mouth will be your hopeless screams."

"Wow… where'd you learn to talk like that?" Eva asked.

"When you've been around for thousands of years, watching everything die around you, it's perfectly natural." She smiled innocently.

"How come you never sent my dad here if you wanted to kill him?" Nigel asked.

"'Cause even I'm not that cruel. Now, if we're all done here, perhaps we should get a move on. Unless you want to wait for more to show up and be obliterated to nothingness." She said, continuing down a tunnel ahead. "But even though we know how to beat them, it's best to stick with stealth. Just in case." The others nodded and followed behind. (Play "Haunting Spirits" from _Rayman 3_.)

They carefully continued down the tunnel, already stopping behind a corner when they spotted another Vaporian. The alien continued down the hall, allowing the kids to dash behind a glass wall when he came back, then patrolled down the previous way they came. The four proceeded down the path and stopped behind a rock in a room where another Vaporian stood guard below a small ledge, which was where they had to go. _"Meeep meep meep. Meep meep. (Ugh. Why did they set me in this dead end? It's not like anyone could make it up here.)"_

"The Vaporians are attracted to electricity." Dimentia whispered. "We could use that to distract him."

"I've got it." Rachel said, carefully taking out her bow and aiming an arrow to the corner. Dimentia took the hint and lit it up with some lightning. Rachel fired it to the corner, attracting the attention of the alien. While it was distracted, Dimentia made some box barrier platforms as a staircase leading up to the ledge, getting away before the Vaporian came back.

"Wait a second, couldn't Dimentia just teleport us to the tower?" Nigel asked.

"It would be a lot simpler if I KNEW where I was teleporting. I could warp us right on top of a Vaporian."

"Point taken." Rachel agreed. "Let's just keep going."

They continued down the hall before reaching a dead end with a dark pit. To their left was a ladder leading to another ledge, which led around the pit to a door. However, a Vaporian patrolled around that ledge, around several glass walls. They climbed up while it was on the far end, ducking behind another glass wall. When it was coming back, Dimentia electrified another arrow for Rachel to fire at the corner, the alien rushing over in an instant. They then ran to the other corner and hid behind more glass. When the Vaporian passed them, they were able to hurry to the next room.

They crouched behind two fallen cars and spied on a group of three Vaporians ahead, guarding a door. They spotted another high ledge to the right of them and saw a ladder, climbing up. _"Zip zip ZIP zip, zip zip? (Hey, guys? Don't you feel a little bad, trying to kill a bunch of kids that are stranded on this planet?)"_ one of them asked.

_"(…No. Why? Do you?)"_

_"(…Er… n-no no, of COURSE not, guys! I'm just… ah, come on!)"_

Rachel aimed another electrified arrow at the cars they were just behind and fired. Attracted, the Vaporians ran over to study the arrow, allowing the kids to head in the door.

They had finally made it back to an outside area, atop a cliff, looking around to make sure it was safe. "Coast is clear." Rachel reported. "I wonder where the tower is?"

"Uh… Rachel?" Nigel tapped her shoulder, looking and pointing upwards. Towering right over them was the mining tower itself.

Fi came out and reported, _"Master, there is an 80% chance-"_

"Don't. Say it." Rachel ordered as Fi jumped back in. "Sigh, okay, we found the tower… let's just find a way inside without being spotted." The four of them continued down the path on their right, finding what seemed like an entrance. (End song.) However, the four of them stopped when a gang of Vaporians stood in their path.

_"Mip mip mip mip… mip… (So, I asked if he was going to the strobe light party, and he said…)"_

_"(Hey, look! More flesh creatures, like the one we killed earlier! Catch them!)"_

"I'm… guessing this wasn't the way." Eva figured.

"Run!" Nigel ordered when the Vaporians started chasing them. They ran the opposite way down the cliff, but screamed and ran back when another squad of Vaporians headed their way. They were completely surrounded by Vaporians, seeming to have no way to go.

"Jump!" Dimentia ordered, jumping off the cliff. The others gulped and shrugged as they jumped after her, just before the Vaporians caught them. "AAAAAaaahhh!" their screams echoed in the dark abyss.

**Mining Tower Dungeon**

Meanwhile, the group of seven villains who had crash-landed earlier were unconscious inside a prison cell beneath the tower. They all finally woke up, groaning and holding their throbbing heads. "Argh… what happened…" Cad Bane groaned.

_"Hm hm hm hm."_ Came a light giggle.

Everyone shot completely awake and searched around. "Who's there?" Nolan shouted.

A strange, orange light came from outside the cell. They all held their guards up as a vicious Vaporian approached them. Just when it was about to touch their cell… "BOO! !"

"AHH!" They jumped back and covered their eyes as an impish figure popped out. Realizing it wasn't a Vaporian, they uncovered their eyes slightly.

"Eee hee hee! I SCARED you!" the girl cheered. (Play Midna's Theme from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_!)

Nolan and Danika exchanged their still-startled glances. This girl wore a stone helmet that covered her left eye. Her body was black and white, with little glowing blue lines. She was as tall as a toddler. Her hands were a baby's size, and her bare feet were an inch long.

"Hey, check this out!" the figure smiled, sticking her hand in the back of the lifeless Vaporian's head. "When a Vaporian dies, you can use his severed head as a puppet!" They watched as she was able to move its mouth.

"Who ARE you?" Nolan asked.

The imp dropped the lifeless alien and floated inside the cell, easily slipping through the bars to Nolan's face. "My name is Midna. And aren't you the heroic little cripple I've heard so much about." She grinned, playfully pinching his cheek.

"You're the denizen from Cheshire's world…" Danika recognized, speaking quietly. "The one from my dream."

"You're a Shadow Being." Matthew deduced.

Cheshire slowly arose from the ground and extended her right arm to the shadow imp. "Hm hm hm! Nice to see you again, too." Midna smiled, shaking the shadow's hand.

"You two know each other?" Danika asked.

"Of course! I know all shadows. I'm quite popular around them, if you catch my drift…" she gave a wicked grin.

"What are you doing here?" Nolan asked.

Midna drifted outside the cell and responded, "I was kidnapped by these alien demons. They were interested in my power for some reason, so they locked me in here. Seems they didn't count on my escape. Poorly designed cells. How nice that I have some company! It's amazing you made your way past all those filthy monsters with barely a scratch."

"Hmph, yeah, for us at least." Matt replied grumpily.

"In case you didn't hear the news, my brother was killed by these things…" Danika said through gritted teeth.

"Ooh, he has?" Midna said in a fake teary expression. "How odd. I've only been playing with him all this time. He's such a fun human to mess with!"

"What are you talking about?" Nolan asked. "He was disintegrated by the Vaporians."

"How can that be?" she smirked. "He's just fine. Matter of fact, he's right here!" With that, the shadow waved her arms, summoning what looked like tiny pieces of dark matter from all around the room; similar to what people destroyed by Vaporians become. She formed the dark matter together until it all became a shadow, the exact shape and size as Leo. The team gaped when the boy himself emerged from the shadow, shaking around.

"NO! NO! NAAAHHH! !" He finally stopped when he realized nothing was happening, uncovering his eyes. "…Huh?"

"Leo!" Danika yelled happily, running to the front of the cell.

"Sis? Where are we?"

"I don't understand…" Nolan spoke.

"Eee hee hee!" Midna giggled. "It's all quite simple really. After escaping this prison, I was able to use my powers and kill one of the guards. Afterwards, I took its lifeless body and produced my own microwave shield. Then I blended in with the others ganging up to charge on you. I was the one that grabbed Leo. But what you thought you saw, with him being vaporized into dark matter, was ACTUALLY me using a powerful shadowbending technique to scatter the matter of his own shadow, and therefore scatter his body as well. It was a safe gesture, perfect for faking his death without actually killing him! It seems to have worked a little TOO well! Eee hee hee!"

The team had no words to express their thoughts. Their mouths just hung open.

"And look at this!" Midna grinned as she took Leo's shadow again, squishing it around like Jell-O, causing Leo himself to mimic the movements. She squished the shadow to the size of a doll, and Midna held the doll-sized Leo in her smaller hands. "The same way I scatter the shadows, I can ALSO mend the shadow into any shape or size, and the person is forced to mimic! I call this… Shadow Shrink! Eee hee hee! It's a personal favorite of mine."

"You…" Nolan could not have been more furious. "You little SNOT! ! How could you put Danika through all that? !"

"Do you have ANY idea how I felt? !" Danika shouted.

"It was a necessary evil." Midna smirked, dropping Little Leo and coming back in. "A mortal who hides from the sun and befriends the Shadows rarely has any love for any other mortal. I had to see if you were different, and I was right." She then sat on Nolan's head and pressed his cheeks together with her tiny feet. "Besides… this whole expewience got you and wittle Nowan a wittle cwoser together!" She laughed and flew off as Nolan and Danika blushed.

She went back outside the cell and turned back at them. "Great. So you saved his life with a little magic trick." Bane replied, uninterestingly. "So, can you get us outta here?"

"Oh, you bounty hunters would just LOVE getting out of jail, wouldn't you?" she smirked at Bane and Aurra. "Yet, it's supposed to be the hunters that put the animals in cages."

"Well, we do need to get out of here." Jeremiah reminded.

"Yes." Dani replied. "We need to get off this planet before any more goons show up."

"Hmm… very well then. But know that if I help you… _you_ have to let me come with you, Danika." Midna smirked. "After all, we Shadow Beings must stick together…"

"Fix my brother, first." She ordered.

"Siiiigh." She sighed in annoyance, rolling her eye. "Fine." With that, she stretched Leo's shadow back to normal, and Leo was restored as well.

"Good. Now open the cell."

Midna then closed her eyes (or her one exposed eye) and channeled an orange energy ball into her hands. She released the ball at the cell and blew it open. As the others proceeded to walk out, Danika ran to hug her brother on the ground. "Don't worry!" Midna assured. "It'd be a pleasure to help my old friend, Cheshire's master. So, if you need any help, just summon me." With that, she blended into Danika's shadow with Cheshire. (Stop the music.)

**Underground cave; actually the same cave**

The four operatives had landed safely in an underground cave after their drop. "Boy, that was a close one." Rachel said as they brushed off. "Let's keep going and find a way up this tower."

The gang proceeded down a hall, sidling along a wall as they came to a corner turning left. At the same time, the eight villains were sneaking along the same wall on the other side of the corner. "Someone's coming!" Rachel gasped, quietly, having her sword drawn.

"Shh, someone's coming." Danika whispered, having her daggers ready.

Nigel tip-toed beside Rachel with flames in his hands while Nolan rolled beside Danika, having a missile ready. When both teams were about to turn the corner…

"EE-YAH-" They immediately ceased their attack when each found out who it was.

"YOU? ?" Nigel shouted.

"YOU! !" Nolan yelled.

"Grrr!" Nigel lit his flames back up.

"Hnnn!" Nolan charged a missile.

"RAHH!" Nigel jumped at him.

"AHH!" Nolan rolled at him.

"STOP IT!" Midna yelled, immediately appearing between them and pushing both boys' heads back with her little hands as they kept trying to charge the other. After a while, they finally stopped. "Phew. Boy, I didn't think you'd need help so quickly."

"What are you kids doing here?" Bane asked.

"We should be asking that question." Eva replied.

"We crash-landed here a few days ago, passing by this planet." Matt explained.

"One of those Vaporians mauled me! !" Leo yelled.

"That was just Midna, you idiot." Jeremiah retorted.

"Well, we all crash-landed on our way warping here on our ships." Nigel explained.

"Is _Ava_ with you guys?" Aurra asked smugly.

"Yes." Nigel replied grumpily. "Thank Zero she didn't have to come with us to see you."

"What about Marine?" Elijah asked.

"Why do you care?" Bane asked.

"Guys, enough!" Midna shouted. "Look… _you_ crash-landed on this planet with no way out." She gestured to the villains. "THEY crash-landed on this planet with no way out." She gestured to the heroes. "I saw we compromise." She smirked.

"No way! I'm not walking a single step with them!" Nolan yelled.

"Good thing you can't walk at all." Midna remarked. "But if either of us has any hope getting out of here, it's best if we work together."

Fi then came out and said, _"Master, I calculate a 90% probability working together will give us a better chance at escape."_

"Good, good!" Midna smiled. "Besides: you'll need to, considering coming to this tower was a waste of time."

"What do you mean?" Dimentia asked.

"I mean the Vaporians had the Plasma Wisps relocated to the arena a few miles away. And they have the area LITTERED with Vaporians. You'll have to work together."

"Hrrmph. Little brat puts up a good argument." Bane figured.

"Fine. We'll team up." Nolan decided. "But I get first crack at you when we get outta here."

"Fair enough." Nigel agreed.

"Then it's settled." Midna nodded. "We'll find a way out if we keep heading up. Let's go." (Play "Modern Crisis City" from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Act 3_

The lot of them headed up a staircase to a hall with three Vaporians. The poisonbenders burped Gas Bombs at them while Dimentia zapped them with lightning, exposing their bodies. Bane and Nolan shot them and blew them up. They dashed through a door on the other side and ran up a staircase to another hall with windows to the side.

Eva sensed some water pipes inside the walls and used her bending to make the water shoot out, electrocuting the Vaporians' shields. Dimentia made the ground beneath them explode and destroy them as the place started shaking. Midna had floated outside and extended a huge arm from her orange ponytail, gripping the top of the room and successfully ripping it from the tower.

The room slid down a pile of scrap and junk before stopping at a field on the ground. A gang of Vaporians charged at them, but Eva threw some water on them while Dimentia gave them a shock, exposing them. Rachel quickly dashed over and sliced one down the middle while another one grabbed her right leg with a tentacle. Danika saved her by tossing her daggers into its eyes and blowing it up.

The last three tried coming for Aurra, who drew out two nun-chuck parts. The parts immediately connected via electric chain, similar to a lightsaber, allowing her to swing it around an oil drum, tossing it at one of them and blowing them all up. The 12 hurried down another small hill to a poisonous river, jumping waste cans and cars that were floating on the river.

At the end, they came to a field with plenty more Vaporians. Midna got in front of Danika and said, "I'll draw them in my energy field. Then you handle the rest." They ran in the center of the field as Midna produced a shadowy circle around them, stunning each of the Vaporians that came in. Danika then had Cheshire come up and zoom around in a huge, monster-like form, her mouth wide open as she snapped at all the Vaporians and killed them.

_"Zeep zeep zeep. (Why couldn't we just be an electrician planet?)"_ the last Vaporian asked before his head was eaten off.

The 12 hurried down the path and crouched behind two small piles of scrap, behind two more Vaporians. _"Beep beep BEEP beep, beep beep? (Hey, did you see somethin'?)"_

_"MIIP mip, mip mip. (Probably jus' another electrical malfunction. I remember this las' malfunction we had. I was about to bone mah girlfriend, but then we had this malfunction, and she said dere was no way.)"_

Another Vaporian drifted beside them, making a beeping sound identical to a pick-up truck. Nolan immediately fired a laser at the right one while Dimentia shot lightning at the left. Nigel shot fireballs at Nolan's while Eva splashed water on Dimentia's, exposing both of them. Rachel immediately jumped between them and performed a spin attack, slicing both of them.

The other Vaporian, who made the pick-up truck sound, made the sound again, floating in midair above the center of the field, summoning a bunch of old junk parts. Those old parts became a bulldozer with two claws, the teams separating left and right when it swung at them. Nigel and Nolan fired fire and missiles at the left side, the machine turning and catching them in its claws. Danika and Rachel immediately ran up the back of it, slicing both claws off and dropping them. The poisonbenders burped Gas Bombs at it from behind, the alien turning around again, only to be suddenly splashed with water by Eva from behind it. When the machine turned back around again, Dimentia fired lightning at the wet spot on its back. The bulldozer short-circuited and fell to the ground before exploding, killing the Vaporian with it. The heroes and villains nodded to each other before hurrying closer to the huge arena ahead. (Stop the music.)

They went down another hill and reached a strange, yellow river. "What is that stuff?" Nigel asked.

"It isn't liquid. That's for sure." Bane replied.

Midna floated a few inches above the substance and stared hard at it. "…It's Fear Energy."

"But I thought Fear Energy was supposed to be red?" Matthew asked.

"It feels similar. I'm not sure though."

Bane then looked up and spotted some more junk parts floating over the river, by what seemed like psychic energy. The parts seemed to be going to the arena. "Well, we won't get anywhere standing here. Let's go." He said, jumping onto a floating car with Aurra. The Toxic Four hopped onto an oil drum, Leo barely hanging on the edge, while the other three were standing on it. Dani and Rachel grabbed onto a lamp post, Dimentia and Eva grabbed a rusted pipe, while Nolan and Nigel fired their grappling hooks around opposite ends of a fallen TIE Fighter (notice the symbolism?), letting it carry them away.

The 12 of them hovered over the supposed Fear Substance, getting closer and closer to the arena. When they spotted a path that seemed to go the rest of the way, they all hopped their junk parts onto the safe landing. But just when they were about to keep going, another squad of Vaporians ambushed and startled them. They were about to try and fight back, but the Vaporians quickly lashed tentacles and wrapped around their arms and legs.

_"Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep! (Haha! Haha! Come on! Let's vaporize 'em! Let's vaporize 'em GOOOD!)"_

_"(NO! I have a better plan! Let's go see what King Vapus wants to do with 'em!)"_

_"(OOH HOO HOO HOO HOO! Good plan! You'rre IN for it, NOW, you little munchkins! HAHAHAHAHAHA! !)"_

**Vaporia Coliseum**

The gang of operatives and villains were forcibly dragged to the arena, over a bridge leading over some more yellow Fear Energy, and throwing them on the ground. "Mm hm hm hm. Well, well. We really DO need to stop meeting like this." (Cue Ghirahim's Theme!)

They all looked up and spotted Ghirahim, holding a cage containing what seemed like a cyan-colored, electrical flame with blue eyes. "I believe this is the Plasma Wisp you were looking for. What's that? Oh, no, it's not like one of the Wisps YOU'RE used to. It is actually a Nightmare creature, one of many sent here to lay siege upon the planet during the Nightmare Wars, turning this planet into a monster-filled wasteland."

"Ghirahim?" Rachel questioned.

"What? Surprised to see I'm not vaporized? Here's a little interesting piece of history: ages ago, this planet was one of the most advanced in the galaxy. That is, until the inhabitants of this world were cursed by a horrid substance: the Yellow Fear!" They gasped. "And now they are a ravenous people, DESPERATE to feed off electricity, and kill any mortal being in their now-distorted sights! But… they recognize a fellow demon when they see it. That's why I have an all-access pass."

"Great!" Nolan exclaimed. "Then help us get out of here."

"Mm hm hm HEH…" Ghirahim smirked.

"What?"

"I saw the way you all worked together. It was delightfully… unpleasant. I'm interested to see how well you'll fair a little bit longer."

"You can't do that!" Danika shouted.

"I could care less what happens with either of you. No matter what side, all mortals are a waste of matter. So, it's time to watch all your matter become just what the rest of this planet is: WASTE! His Royal Highness will see to that! Prepare to face the grand ruler of all Vaporians! The horror of alien demons himself! They're yours now… King Vapus!" The smooth-skinned demon laughed again as he warped out, dropping the Plasma Wisp's cage. (Stop the music.)

The whole area began shaking as the bridges leading off the battlefield collapsed into the river of fear. A massive door opened on the opposite end from them as the Vaporian-filled audience of the arena cheered away, their lights blinking like crazy. (Play "When They Come For Me" by Linkin Park.)

Both teams stared worriedly as a gigantic orange spark drifted out of the door, to the arena. The Vaporian switched its shield off, and they all jumped back at its hideous form: the massive Vaporian stood straight up and gave a deafening screech, its spider-like legs hovering just a few feet above the ground. The inside of its mouth had teeth on all sides, and four hands zoomed around its body, connected only by the orange electricity, and it also had two regular arms. Three microwave-producing circles spiraled around the center of its body. The monster spotted the little Plasma Wisp in its cage, who screamed and tried to get itself out. The demon gently picked the cage up in its right hand and dropped it in his mouth.

Rachel elbowed Nigel and pointed to the center of its body: the three circles appeared to be surrounding a yellow stone, emitting a yellow aura. They immediately figured that was the demon's heart. "Kids Next Door… er, and villains: BATTLE STATIONS!"

_Boss fight: King Vapus_

The hideous alien turned invisible once again, the 12 running in separate directions as the massive orange spark chased them around. As Eva and Dimentia ran, they splashed water and zapped it with electricity, slightly damaging the shield. After Nolan fired a missile at it, the shield was disabled. The Vaporia King roared and moved to the center of the field. Cad Bane shot bullets while Nolan shot more missiles, but they didn't seem to harm its rough skin.

"We have to attack that weak spot." Rachel said. The alien beast emerged electric tentacles and started swinging them all around the field. Eva's legs were grabbed by a tentacle, but Dimentia zapped it and released her.

As Rachel jumped some of the tentacles, she called, "Fi, I could really use some help now."

Fi came out and spoke, _"Master, this is King Vapus. The supreme emperor of Vaporia and the likely source of the microwave energy. Its weak point appears to be the yellow stone in its chest."_

Rachel swung at another tentacle and shouted, "GREAT! Crap I already know! Anything else? !"

_"Your sword may be able to absorb the electric energy and redirect it."_

"Works for me!" she exclaimed. She held her sword up and attracted another electric tentacle, the energy catching onto the tip. The sword absorbed the electricity before it started glowing orange. She swung and sent an orange slash at the alien, but Vapus quickly swat it away.

"Try again!" Midna shouted as she produced an energy field, catching his floating hands. Cheshire zoomed around and bit the hands off as Rachel absorbed more power into the sword. Dimentia fired some lightning and stunned its arms as Rachel sent the slash, the demon screaming from being hit with his own energy, shutting it off.

With the powerless monster on the ground, Rachel was able to dash over and deal a few swings to the heart, greatly injuring the monster. When its body started lighting up with microwave energy again, Rachel hurriedly ran out before it could kill her. The monster stood back up and screeched at them before turning invisible again.

The invisible demon chased them around some more while Nolan fired missiles at its barrier. Dimentia stunned it by shooting electricity, allowing Nolan to blast the laser, tearing apart his shield and exposing him. The Vaporian went to the center and made its electricity skim all around the ground to try and grab them. Its four floating hands touched the ground and started sending shockwaves at them. Rachel dashed over and stabbed one, Aurra swung her light-nun-chucks at another, Danika stabbed the third, while Eva froze the fourth for Nigel to melt it.

The angered king roared and jumped into the fear river, coming out and spitting huge balls of the substance around the field. Dimentia electrocuted one of Rachel's arrows as the blonde aimed and fired at its left eye. The beast then charged a bigger blast, keeping its mouth wide open, only for Bane to take out a grenade and toss it inside, doing damage on his insides.

The beast came back on the field and swung more tentacles. Once again, Rachel caught the energy in the tip of her sword and swung a microwave slash, giving him a shock and disabling his energy. But when Rachel ran up to strike the heart, the beast lit back up a little and grabbed her by the legs. It tossed her above his head and held his mouth open to eat her, but Rachel grabbed the top and bottom of its mouth to keep from falling in. She then flipped above his head and started stabbing at him, making the beast grip his aching head as Rachel jumped off, dealing more strikes against the heart.

The demon gave another angry screech as it lit all the way up again. The Vaporians in the audience became angered at this and floated over to assist their king. "Hey, no cheating!" Rachel ordered, slicing across the first two.

Midna caught four more in her energy field for Cheshire to fly around and snap them, and Eva covered more of them in water for Dimentia to shock and blow them up. Bane handed a gun to Aurra as both of them ran around and shot all the Vaporians they could.

_"BLEEEEP! !"_ King Vapus cried, using his powers to summon tons of pieces of junk from the surrounding area. The scrap flew all around, the group dodging when Vapus flew it at them. Rachel quickly swung her sword at the pieces of scrap before a trashcan suddenly knocked it away, the sword flying across the river and sticking to the other side.

"CRAP! !" she yelled.

"PIYAH! !" Just then, a twinkle lit up in the sky, and the infamous pink puff that was Kirby came shooting down in his Warp Star.

"Kirby!" Rachel yelled with an excited smile.

The puffball shot inside the arena's walls and shot back out, along with tons of Plasma Wisps. One of them seemed to be glowing a brighter light, so Kirby landed on the field and sucked the creature in. Kirby's skin became green as the plasma cap appeared on his head with a star emblem, the Star Warrior glowing brightly.

"SUPAH PLASMA!" the puffball declared, the Super Ability empowering him. King Vapus glared at the tiny puff and flew over to try and eat him. Kirby shook around at a fast pace to expand a powerful barrier, shaking faster and faster so the barrier would keep King Vapus' ugly hands back. During this time, Midna flew across the river and picked the Master Sword out of the ground, tossing it back to Rachel, who easily caught it in her left hand.

When King Vapus became tired with trying to fight past Kirby's more massive plasma barrier; which grew as big as Vapus himself, the puffball launched it out, giving Vapus a more painful shock and disabling his energy. Once he was down, Rachel dealt a few more blows against the heart before flipping up and stabbing it straight in the center.

She flipped off and left the sword in there as Vapus got back up. The demon frantically shook around to try and shake the sword out, but it stayed in tight. Finally out of energy, the King of Vaporia fell to the ground. Rachel ran and pulled her sword out as the heart hovered higher in the air. The yellow energy from the river was sucked into the heart, and that same energy was sucked from the Vaporians' bodies, their pitch-black forms becoming white as they fell to the ground. The overpowering heart spun around before shooting to the sky, erupting in a great explosion that lit the heavens yellow.

Rachel caught her breath for a moment before twirling and sheathing her sword. (Stop the music.)

The black clouds that were just covering the sky slowly faded away, allowing the sun to pass through and give the planet light. The fallen forms of the Vaporians got their selves up shortly afterw, the now-white aliens rubbing their heads. _"Mip mip MIIP mip, mip mip. (I say, what happened?)"_

_"Meep meep MEEP meep, meep meep! (Holy crap! We've been freed!)"_ And soon, all Vaporians were cheering happily.

While the others just looked around confusingly, one of Bowser's airships came down and lowered an anchor. "There you guys are!" Gary exclaimed. "Get on, we're getting out of here!"

"Finally." Bane said, flying up to the deck with his rocket shoes. Aurra jumped after him, and Dani flew Nolan up while the poisonbenders grabbed the anchor and were hauled up.

"Finally, we can get going to Avalar." Matt said as the poisons boarded. The operatives just shot them all glares as the ship flew away.

**At the landing spot**

The rest of the crew aboard the Halberd and Blue Typhoon came out to greet the four heroes when they came back, alongside tons of Vaporians. Ava walked over and kissed one of the aliens, allowing it to learn and speak their language. _"Eons ago, we were some of the most technical-advanced species in the galaxy. But one day, during the Nightmare Wars 500 years ago, the Nightmare King laid siege upon our land. We fought back and had him outmatched. But just before our victory, he cursed our planet with something far worse than any curse in the galaxy: the Yellow Fear."_

"What's the Yellow Fear?" Rachel asked.

_"The Yellow Fear is the most dangerous type of Fear Energy ever produced by the first Nightmare King. Too dangerous even for him. So, he trapped the source of the fear within the heart of our king. As a result… our whole planet became a Nightmarish wasteland, and we became a tribe of cannibals who desperately crave electricity, and destroy any other creature who appears in our sights. But thanks to you kids, our curse has been lifted, and we can begin rebuilding our lost civilization!"_

The revitalized King Vapus approached the four kids and bowed in thanks. _"VOOOWOOP."_

Rachel smiled and approached the king. "Well, I'm glad we could help out."

"Poyo?" Kirby smiled, holding up a chocolate bar. The king reached down and picked up the candy. The kids laughed when he studied the substance and stuck it in his teeth.

"That little puffball's starting to remind me of someone." Sonic smiled.

_"We are also gifted with much knowledge of the galaxy."_ The English Vaporian continued. _"If there is anything about Galaxia you wish to know…"_

"Actually…" Nigel spoke up. "Would you know anything about a Sun Temple on Planet Secco?"

_"Ah… that story. Ages ago, there was another civilization advanced in technology that lived on Planet Secco. It was once a whole planet of robotic beings. But when we became cursed with out lust for electrical power, we invaded the planet and destroyed everything… we are ashamed to say we are the cause of the planet's current desert environment. But the people that once lived there were loyal worshippers to the God of Suns. His temple should still be there._"

"Why would a bunch of robots worship a Sun God?" Rachel asked.

_"It was believed Solaris also contained the power of time travel. Much like Dialga or Celebi. The robots mined for powerful gems called Timeshift Stones, which they believed could change an area back to a previous time state. They believed Solaris would use these stones to bring their civilization back should disaster ever befall… but he didn't."_

"Do the stones work?" Eva asked.

_"We don't know. But the stones were supposed to only react to timebending."_

"Sounds like a job for the timebenders." Nigel figured. "So, I guess we're going to Secco."

"Hold on. Didn't Matt say something about heading for Avalar?" Rachel asked.

"Wait!" Yin spoke up. "You mean Matt and the poisonbenders?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"LET'S GO!" Yin shouted, Yang covering his ears. "Get this ship working and LET'S GET OVER TO AVALAR!" With that, she walked back in the Halberd rushedly.

"OI SECOND THAT!" Marine shouted, running in the Typhoon.

Soon, everyone was back on their ships and getting ready to lift off. "Main engines set." Tails reported. "Scanners working. Chaos and Sol Emerald energy loaded."

"Status report, Magolor." Meta Knight ordered to his copilot.

"Rear wings are up." Magolor reported. "Reactor still needs more energy."

"Kirby. Activate the Reactor!" Meta Knight ordered through the intercom.

"Piya!" Kirby still had his Super Plasma form as he stood in the Halberd's Reactor. The little puffball shook around to build up his forcefield until it was big enough to power the core and make the ship fly.

"All power to the Reactor's been restored. We're clear for takeoff!" Magolor reported.

"You've done well, Kirby." Meta Knight said. "We're heading for Avalar. Let's take off!" The Vaporians waved good-bye as both spaceships took off for the sky and sailed out of the atmosphere.

**Zuzu's Valley**

Yuki Crystal went back to sitting in his cave to warm up by the fire. The timebenders finally had to leave, so he was more upset than before. Especially considering that Olive girl had to go with them. It was then Rumpel Stiltskin approached the boy in a fake pitiful voice. "Oh, boo hoo hoo. Did those mean, nasty timebenders weave you here all alone?"

"Mmm." Yuki grumbled.

"You know, I really do feel bad for you, Yuki. I really do. And it's upsetting to see your old friend won't use his powers to go back in time and make sure that unfortunate accident never occurred. He must not really like you at all…"

"…" Yuki stayed quiet, keeping his angry expression.

"You know, I would gladly go back in time and save you, Yuki… but thanks to those no-good spirits, my powers are nothing without first cutting a deal. Whaddya say…?"

"Oh, can it, Rumpel. I may have been banished, but I know about your tricks."

"Hm, touché. But surely I can cut _some_ deal. Do you honestly want to waste the rest of your life in this wasteland… when you can be using your powers for something… _productive_?" He squinted his eyes and gave his usual puckered smile.

Yuki finally looked at him with interest. "What did you have in mind?"

Rumpel's smile grew into an evil grin.

The Ice Climbers spied on them from outside the cave, and already suspected trouble from that elf.

* * *

><p><strong>And SO, Vaporia is saved. But before we head to Avalar… we will see how Chad, Emily, Luvbi, Shaunie, and the Eds are doing. We haven't heard from them in a while. So, later.<strong>


	39. Only A Ghost's Chance

**I wonder how those previously mentioned ones are doing?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Escape From Ghost Zone Prison! A Bonding Adventure for Hateful Pairs!<em>**

**Bowser's Airship**

The eight villains were finally brought back to Bowser's flagship, walking onto deck where April and Brain waited. The blonde Dickson girl immediately ran over and hugged Dani and Nolan. "You're okay!"

"Hehe, yeah." Nolan blushed.

"Yeah, yeah." Matt replied simply. "But we need to get to Planet Avalar."

"Cad Bane can take you there on his ship." Brain said. "Meanwhile, could I speak with you inside, Nolan?" Nolan complied and followed him inside the ship.

Nolan sat in the center of the room while Brain paced back-and-forth behind him. "I sense you are troubled, dear boy. Might I ask what's wrong?"

Nolan looked down and sighed. "On that planet… Leo was killed. I mean, he turned out to be okay, but-"

"Watching the death of someone close to you is an unbearable thing, no?"

"…Yeah. I mean… I'm not exactly 'close' to him… but Danika is. When he 'died'… she just went out of control. She looked so hurt. And seeing her that way… felt worse than how I felt when Dillon died…"

"Mmmm…" Brain slowly moved in front of him. "You mustn't fight these feelings, Nolan." The former operative looked up at him. "These are good feelings. They make you strong… with the power of the Dark Side."

"I dunno… it doesn't feel…"

"It will feel good, in time. There is something I wish to show you. Get some rest. Then, I will take you to Planet Coruscant. My father's former domain." The canister brain left Nolan to his thoughts and rolled out of the room.

**Ghost Zone Prison **(Play the "Fellmuth Arena" Theme from _Spyro: Eternal Night_.)

Chad and Emily lay unconscious inside a damp prison cell. The two groaned and awakened, finding their selves in a rusty old prison. "Where are we?" Emily asked.

"I dunno- Huh?" Chad then realized a cuff was wrapped around his right wrist, and an energy chain connected it to a cuff on Emily's left wrist.

"Pray! Art thou okay?" The two peeked into a window on their left, seeing Luvbi and Shaunie trapped in the next cell.

"Wh-What is this place?" Shaunie quivered.

"Urgh! Let go, please!" The four looked outside the cell to the left, seeing a couple green ghosts, dressed as police officers, dragging Penelope Taynt down the hall and throwing her in a cell across from Shaunie and Luvbi's. "Sir, perhaps you don't know who I am. My name is Penelope Taynt. I'm Amanda's number one fan, please."

"Can it, Kid." One of the guards ordered. "You're under arrest for breaking into Star Station."

"I was TRYING to schedule a meeting with Amanda in her private quarters inside said station until YOU guys ambushed me."

"Whatever. Just wait here until the warden-"

"I have my own Amanda website, y'know. Www-dot-AmandaPLEASE-dot-com."

"I-"

"It features anything you need to know about Amanda, and-"

"Enough!" came a voice down the hall. The two guards turned and saluted as the warden, Walker; a ghost entirely dressed in white, except a black hat, walked down the hall beside Skulker and Ember. "You two are dismissed." The guards drifted down the hall. "And I'll deal with _you_ later." He shot Penelope a glare.

Chad and Emily stood straight and kept their guard up as the three ghosts stood outside their cell. "This is her, Walker." Skulker said. "The Halfa that Brain created."

"Are you sure?"

Skulker took out the Fenton Crammer and set it to 'uncram', aiming at Emily and firing. In an instant, she smiled and reverted to her ghost form. "All right!" she exclaimed, doing an air twirl.

"I'm sure." Skulker smirked.

"Who are you?" Emily asked.

"My name is Walker." The warden answered. "And this is Ghost Zone Prison, where I'll be your warden."

"Hey, I've heard of this place." Chad mentioned. "The Ghost Zone is one of the dark areas of Galaxia. A realm where ghosts wander off to live. And this is the prison where they keep the rogue ones."

"Correct. And it seems our good friend, Skulker here's caught us a Halfa."

"Halfa? What's a Halfa?" Emily asked.

"Half-ghost, half-human." Skulker answered. "A very rare breed of ghost."

"Before you, there have only been 2 other Halfas." Ember continued. "First, there was Vlad Plasmius. A traitorous ghost who's been dead for months now. …Then there's him." Skulker pulled out a picture of a white-haired boy in a black jumpsuit, and glowing green eyes.

"The ghost boy legend known as Danny Phantom." Skulker said, disgustedly.

"Danny Phantom? I've heard of him! I'm, like, his Number One fan!" Emily exclaimed.

"Just stay away from mine, Sister." Penelope told her.

"Well, that's great to hear." Skulker smirked, putting the picture away. "The Brain's got a plan to bring him and all the Brotherhood's enemies here. You'll be sharing his fate."

"NOT so fast." Emily smirked, switching back to human form. "I know about your little zone, too. In the Ghost Zone, HUMANS are ghosts." She was then about to walk through the wall on her left. "We'll be out of here in a couple of-" She was suddenly blocked by the apparently-solid wall, feeling around it. "Huh? What the-"

"I'm well aware of our ghostproof-only walls." Walker replied. "Ever since the incident with Danny Phantom. That's why I've remade the prison walls so that _humans_ can't walk through either. You're gonna be in there for a while." He smirked. "And if you kids even think about trying to escape…" Emily stepped back in fright when Walker got in her face and stuck his finger close, "you and me are gonna have a problem."

"Hey, Walker!" They looked left again when a short, blue-shelled Koopa, with spikes and glasses, came over.

"Ah, Iggy." Walker greeted. "These are the four kids we told you about."

The crazy-looking Koopa looked at the four of them and sniffed. "Ah! So, YOU'RE the four that beat Morton! Whaddya kids think you are, some kinda plumbers?"

"I'm not a kid! I'm a teenager!" Chad corrected.

"All I know is that you're ANNOYING! But I'll have you taken care of before long. Oh, Tubba! Here boy!" he called down the hall, making a whistle.

The hall started quaking from some stomping when a large, chubby blue Koopa, with big, orange lips, stomped over. Emily's eyes widened in fear when the monster stuck his nose by the cell and sniffed a few times. "Mmmm. Dat shmellsh gooood."

"Haha! Tubba Blubba here's a ghost eater!" Iggy laughed. "He just got finished eatin' a bowl of Boos earlier, but he's-a gonna have-a HALFA for dinner! EEH!" The Koopaling laughed as he walked down the hall, followed by Tubba and the three ghosts.

"Well, this is just fabulous." Chad said sarcastically. "Trapped in a ghost prison, chained to a half-ghost freak."

"Hey, I'm having a hard time enjoying this experience with YOU here. And if I don't get out of here, I'm gonna be eaten by that…that THING!"

"Pray, thankst Rayquaza I doth not hath to be chained to yonder crybaby." Luvbi remarked.

"It doesn't help with you being so mean to me." Shaunie whined.

"Alas, both couples continue to bicker as they stand trapped inside the cells of this ghostly prison." A Spanish voice spoke.

"What?" Emily looked to the cell across from hers to see none other than the mariachi owls, playing their usual music.

"Will this bickering group find a way out of the prison? Or will they meet with a horrible-"

"Hark, 'tis the mariachi band!" Luvbi shouted.

"Hey, you're the owls that followed Nigel around." Chad recognized. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, the author wanted us to appear in an earlier part of the story. But we got a little… held up."

"Grrr." Penelope grumbled. "Forget these owls! I must get out of here to meet Amanda, please!"

"Psst. Ahem." Emily and Chad turned their attention to a guard on their right. The guard shook his head until his green face became a more pale face, with a white mustache and big, white bushy brows that covered his eyes.

"Who are you?" Emily asked.

"My name is Bootler, my good madam and sir. Word has spread that a Halfa has been arrested and dragged to Ghost Zone Prison. I have been sent by His Highness, the Ghost King to find you." He took out a pair of keys and tossed them into their cell. "There are many guards around here. Meet me at the top of this building if you wish to escape. I will take you to the Ghost King from there. Be careful." With that, his face switched back to that of a guard's as he drifted away.

"…Well, that helps." Chad said. "Now, let's sneak out of here and-"

"Wait!" Emily suddenly realized something. "What about the Eds, where are they?"

"We believe they are being forced to work in different parts of this prison." The leader of the mariachi band said.

"We have to find where they are and escape with them."

"Ugh… it can't ever be easy, can it?" Chad groaned.

_Stage 34: Ghost Zone Prison_

_Mission: Rescue the Eds and get to the top of the tower._

_Act 1_

Emily already proceeded to open their cell using the keys and walk out. Afterwards, they went to open the mariachi band's, Shaunie and Luvbi's, then Penelope's. "Thank you, please. Now I MUST be out of here to find Amanda. FARE thee well, beings." With that, the crazy fangirl proceeded down the hall on her own.

"W-Wait!" Emily called after her.

"Doth not wasteth thine time." Luvbi told her. "She ist long gone. Let us findeth yonder Ed Boys and be on our way, yea?"

"Good point." Emily replied before turning back to the musical owls. "You guys comin'?"

"We… are more used to standing in one place and playing music."

"…Okay, then. Let's go, guys."

The four of them continued down the hall where Penelope ran. A couple guards were coming down, so Emily became a ghost and held on to them, becoming invisible so the guards would go right by. When they were gone, they became visible and kept going. They spotted the cafeteria doors up ahead, and ran and hid behind the doors as they peeked inside.

A line of ghostly prisoners waited impatiently at the stand for their food. On the other side, Ed was happily taking a bath in some gravy. "Prison gravy, prison gravy, prison gravy…" he repeated over and over.

"Well, there's one of them." Emily noticed.

"Th-There's a lot of scary ghosts there…" Shaunie whimpered. Luvbi rolled her eyes at him.

Chad looked around: to their left, a guard stood by the door, staring disbelievingly at the bathing Ed boy. On the right was where the tables were, several guards patrolling around them. It seemed the only way behind the long food stand where Ed worked was on the other side of the room; without that guard on their left seeing them. "If we get past those guards around the tables, we'll reach Ed."

"And how do we get him out of here without all those guys spotting us, Mr. Spy Guy?" Emily asked.

Chad looked and saw some ghostly meatballs by a spoon. He studied a lightbulb hanging above the prisoners in the back of the line, saw the very back prisoner just a few inches out of the line, behind the second-to-last, looked to the wall by the tables, then saw a clear path between the tables toward the back prisoners. "We'll start a riot. Just follow my lead. Let's go."

The four snuck to the right and dashed under a table as a guard passed by. They crawled under the next table before he came back. Another floated in one spot beside that table, so they just crawled under another one to their right. A guard paced back-and-forth around the next one, waiting until he was on the other side before they crawled under it. They saw a row of trashcans around a corner and ran to duck behind them before any of the troops noticed. A guard was pacing beside the trashcans, but they easily avoided him when he wasn't looking, running over behind the food stand where Ed was.

"Scrub my tushy, scrub my tushy, scrub my tushy…" Ed sang, continuing to bathe.

Chad and Em just looked disgustedly and rolled their eyes. The two continued to squat below the stand and waddled over to the ghostly meatballs. Chad grabbed the spoon and put the meatball in, aiming at the light hanging above the prisoners. He bent the spoon back and let go, flinging the meatball off like a catapult. It bounced off the light, to the wall, then off the floor between the row of tables, right past the very back prisoner out of line, and hit the guy in front of him square in the head.

That prisoner looked at the guy behind him and immediately thought it was him. "Hey, what's the big idea? !" he yelled, shoving him.

"What's your deal?" he replied, pushing back. In a few seconds, both prisoners were in a fight, with every other prisoner joining in.

The guards exchanged surprised glances and ran, er, flew in to stop the fighting. "Bathe in gravy, bathe in gravy, bathe in gravy!" Ed repeated when the four finally went over to him, the large Ed stopping and noticing them. "Oh, hiya, guys! Are you here to take a gravy bath with me?" he asked, holding the ladle of gravy above him and letting it pour down all over.

"Er… maybe later." Emily said, creeped out. "We need to find the rest of your friends and get out of here."

"Let's sneak out through this door." Chad instructed, leading them through a back door beside them.

"Don't chuck what you can't chew, guys." Ed smiled, wrapping the gravy tub around his shoulders like a backpack and attempting to take it with him. However, the tub immediately broke off when Ed failed to drag it in the door.

They were now inside the prison's kitchen, standing on a platform above some stairs and overlooking the many mechanisms. There was a long treadmill that carried the disgusting food into the cafeteria line, with several prisoners working at the ovens and dishwashers, and several guards patrolling the area. There were also huge pieces of meat hanging by rows of hooks along the ceiling. There was a huge pot beside a wall, sitting on a tall platform, and Chad noticed a lever on that wall. He spotted a ladder on the far other side, leading up to a ledge that led to this lever. And the only thing there seemed to be to hide from the guards were short sacks.

"Hey, Shaunie, I need you to sneak past those guys and get to that lever." Chad whispered.

"Me? Why do I have to do it?"

"Since you're not wearing shoes, you won't make a sound when you walk. Besides, you're the only one small enough to hide behind those sacks, so move." The Fulbright child only whimpered in fright before slowly walking down the stairs and dashing behind a sack while a guard's back was turned. He snuck behind two sacks on his right as a guard paced between two more. Shaunie ran behind the sack on the further side, thankful that his small, bare feet didn't make a sound. He looked ahead at two guards pacing around two sacks parallel to each other. When they were both facing away, Shaunie hurried behind another sack across from him.

"Hey, Mack?" one of those guards said to the other.

"Yeah?"

"How come we always float around the same areas over and over?"

"I dunno. I think it's just to give the prisoners a sporting chance if they escape."

"Oh… that's kinda weird, don't you think?"

"Yeah, well, the job just gets so boring, it's pretty much in our instinct to make it interesting."

_"Phew."_ Shaunie sighed below his breath. He spotted the ladder and hurriedly climbed up, dashing behind the huge pot on the ledge and pulling the lever.

The guards were startled when the hooks holding the meat started moving. "Grab on." Chad whispered, leaping around a meat chunk so the chain, binding him and Emily, would wrap around where the meat hung from. As a result, Emily was able to grab on and hide with him, squeezing behind the meat to avoid detection. Luvbi floated up and grabbed a piece to easily hide behind. The guards only watched confusedly as the hooks moved along, not noticing the kids hiding behind. They didn't even notice Ed who, rather than hide behind a meat piece, engulfed his entire piece and was hanging from the hook by the mouth, his body having taken the shape of the meat piece from having swallowed it whole.

Shaunie had jumped from his ledge to the ledge where the exit was, as the others landed on with him. Still having the huge meat inside him, Ed wobbled along as they continued outside. They were now on a ledge on the side of the building, overlooking the railing at the endless ghostly space below. "Sure wouldn't wanna fall here." Emily said, viewing the eerie green, ghostly dimension. She and Chad looked above their heads and saw how high the prison building really is.

"Hm… it's a tower, alright." Chad noticed.

"No duh, Sherlock." Em remarked.

"Hmph. Let's keep going."

The path continued down their left past some trash bags. A ladder led up to a higher ledge where a guard paced back-and-forth. They climbed up and hid behind two trashcans, not seeing any way to get by him. "Great. Now what?" Emily asked.

"I know." Chad replied. "Your turn, Ed."

The five waited until the guard was turned around before Ed lifted one of the trashcans. "Aliope!" the dimwit cheered, chucking the can straight at his head, the ghost too late to react before the can hit and knocked him out.

"Alright, Ed!" Emily smiled as they kept going past him.

"I took lessons as a hula lady." Ed replied as they went into the next door.

When they entered another hall of prison cells, Chad held Emily back with the shackle before she walked further. "What?" she questioned. Chad pointed ahead at a door opening, Tubba Blubba walking in and sniffing around.

"Mmmmm… something shmells goooood." When the chubby monster started coming their way, Emily immediately grabbed and made them invisible. They stood completely still while the beast stood right by them, sniffing around their space.

"Tubba!" A whip suddenly whacked him in the tail, held by Iggy Koopa. "Quit wandering around! It's almost time for dinner!" With one last glance in the team's direction, the monster followed Iggy back into the other room.

As they proceeded down the hall, they started to find strange, blue labels on the walls and cells, reading 'Wall', 'Cell', 'Keyhole', etc.. On a staircase ahead, there were labels that read 'Stairs'. The team walked up the stairs and crouched below the top, peeking in a room guarded by green ghost dogs, vicious and snarling as ectoplasm drooled from their mouths. On the left was a treadmill moving big chunks of trash to be squished flat by a steel slammer. And the one pulling the lever was Double D.

For each chunk of trash he smashed, he put on a label, such as, 'Squished', 'Smashed', 'Flattened', 'Mashed', '2-dimensional', 'Two-sided', 'Etc.', etc.. Emily looked around the dog-guarded area and smiled when she spotted a small puppy, holding a stuffed bear in its mouth. She whistled and called quietly, "Here boy!", clapping her hands.

Chad grabbed her left arm and whispered, "What are you doing? !"

"Relax, Blondie, I got this. Here boy!" she whistled once more. The puppy noticed her and started panting and wagging his tail, walking over with the toy. She took and tossed the toy a few feet, the puppy running to grab and bring it back. She took it once more and wiggled it above the dog's head. "You want this? Huh? You want this, boy? Go scare off the other doggies, boy! Go scare them off!"

"Ruff ruff!" The puppy turned around and faced the other dogs. His eyes turned a blood-red, snarling and growing 10 times bigger than his previous height. He erupted a loud roar, blowing saliva at the frightened dogs and even Double D. The other dogs whimpered and ran off, phasing through the door on the other side. The puppy shrunk back to normal size and went over to lick Emily's cheek.

She giggled and said, "Good boy, Ghostie Puppy… thing! Good boy!" She scratched the back of his ears and tossed the stuffed bear for him to run and catch it.

"Good lord." Double D said, looking disgustedly at his saliva-covered form. "Prisons are so filthy! I don't belong in here! Eddy, perhaps, but what kind of society is this?"

"D'ah, don't worry, Double D." Ed replied, walking over and rubbing some gravy on his armpits. "I saved some gravy for you to scrub nice and clean!"

"Um… thank you, Ed, that was… moderately gracious." The kind Ed boy thanked, although he was quite disgusted.

"Say, what are all these labels for, anyway?" Chad asked as Edd proceeded to place a label on the treadmill and slammer.

"Ah-ha. Well, it's just unbearable to work in an unlabeled environment."

"Ay, must be a joy to be thee." Luvbi rolled her eyes.

_"Hey! Did you here something?"_ came a guard's voice back the way they came.

"Can we just keep going, please?" Shaunie whimpered.

"Yea, before the newborn whimpers again." Luvbi retorted.

"I'll have you know I'm 5!" Shaunie yelled as they entered the next door.

They were at another hallway with some stairs to their left. They walked up and crouched beneath the top as two guards stood by a door. They could hear some kind of thumping going on behind the door. "Me thinkst this be yonder solitary confinement hall." Luvbi figured.

"Hm, but why is that door so guarded?" Double D asked.

"Maybe they have the world's hugest nose hair!" Ed exclaimed.

"Um… I highly doubt that, Ed. Though they must have something important in there."

"Let us see what it may be." Luvbi smirked. "Watcheth this." She then carefully twirled her right index finger and conjured a small whirlwind, extending it behind the closer guard's head and smacking the side of the further one's.

"Hey, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot where the wind hit.

"What?"

"You smacked me."

"I did not, I was-" That guard was then smacked by a whirlwind himself. "…Huh?"

"Praaayyy… flee for thine liiiives… I am yonder ghost of Ghost Zone Prisooon…" Luvbi moaned in a fake-eerie voice.

"AHH! Prison ghosts! RUUUN!" With that, both guards took off.

Afterwards, the 6 came out of hiding and burst into laughter. "Ha HA! Ghost of yonder prison! How simpleminded art these fools?"

"I must say, that was oddly brilliant." Double D complimented. "Now, let's see what they have in here." They quietly walked to the door as Emily and Chad peeked in the small window.

"Um… hello?" Emily whispered.

"MMAH-HAH!" A girl with a blue hat, glasses, and a crazy face popped up and startled them.

"Ah!" The two jumped back. "And… you are?" Emily asked.

"My name's Courtney."

"Uh… well, hey there, Courtney. Why are you in there?"

"RAH-HAH!"

"Uh-huh… how pleasant." Edd could only say.

"Open the cell?" Courtney grinned crazily.

"Eh, might as well." Emily figured. "Think you can open it, Double D?"

The smart Ed boy did so and tinkered with the door's lock. "Hmm… this should work." In a few seconds, he was able to unlock the cell and let the strange girl out.

She looked at Edd, still keeping her crazy expression. "Thank you, Sock Boy. Time to fly." She looked ahead to a barred window and walked over, easily bending the bars enough to squeeze through. She looked back at the group and yelled, "RAH-HAH!", before leaping out the window.

"O…kay." Was all Chad could say.

"Um…" Double D looked speechless, too. "Let's go find Eddy, shall we?"

They passed the rest of the solitary cells and went up more stairs to a door leading to another outside area. They were now on a balcony area, hiding behind some trashcans as guards watched a row of shackled prisoners crush stones with pickaxes. To their left was a tall wall that seemed to have another balcony above it. The ladder leading up there was rolled up, but the wall seemed jagged enough to climb.

"We'll climb up here." Emily said as they walked over.

"It's too high." Chad told her.

"Well then, give me a boost. Hold your hands out." Chad did so and put his hands together, holding them open for Emily to step on. The blonde boy heaved her up for her to reach and grab the jagged part. She grabbed the chain with her left hand and hauled Chad up to grab the wall and started climbing beside her. When they reached the top of the wall, Chad pulled a lever and lowered the ladder for the others to climb.

They crouched behind more trashcans and made their way behind two more guards, overlooking another row of shackled prisoners breaking stones with pickaxes. In the center of this row, they could see Eddy, telling stories to the prisoners as he hammered. "So I was flying to school in my homemade airplane, and I drop a bunch of stink bombs on the playground when everyone's at recess, then I jumped off and dive-bomb right through the ceiling and land on the teacher's head!"

"Mm, this guy's good." The prisoners nodded to each other, engaging in conversations.

"But that couldn't compare to this one time, when I took these kids' parents on a tour of the city, and I actually-"

"Psst. Eddy."

"Huh?" The leader Ed boy turned his head and spotted Double D.

"Eddy. We're going to get you out. Just keep the guards distracted."

"Don't forget to wiggle your bunion, Eddy!" Ed called.

"Um…" Eddy turned back around. "Hey, anyone ever hear about that prison ghost that's been spotted recently?"

"Hey, Zack?" one of the guards spoke to the other.

"Yah?"

"Was somebody just whispering to that short kid behind us?"

"Beats me. We usually just stand guard, ignoring all other sounds around us."

"Ah…" The guard looked around and wondered something else. "Hey, Zack?"

"Yah?"

"Why do we have all these trashcans lying around?"

"Well, because-"

"GRAHH!" Just then, Ed popped out of a trashcan, totally covered in gooey trash. "I am the ghost of Ghost Zone Prison. Here to steal your retinas, and feed them to a monkey named George."

"GHOST ZONE PRISON GHOST! AAHHH!" The clearly-oblivious guards spun their tails and took off.

Double D then walked over to Eddy and used his technical know-how to unlock his shackles. "Good work, guys! Now, let's get to scamming!" Eddy declared. "Ahem: step right up to have your shackles unshackled! Double D, the chain-breaking master, will undo them in the blink of an eye! Only 25 cents!"

"You'd think he would start charging for more than 25 cents." Emily whispered to Chad.

"Come on, Eddy. We need to get out of here." Chad told him.

"We need to reach the top of the tower." Emily explained.

"No problem!" The short Ed boy took out a huge piece of gum and shoved it in Ed's mouth. "Chew away, Lumpy!"

Ed kept his goofy grin as he chewed the large gum piece. He then started to blow a massive bubble, starting to float up. Eddy and Edd grabbed on, and the others shrugged and grabbed onto him as well, slowly floating higher up the tower. (Play the "Sweet Revenge Topsail" Theme from _KND Operation: VIDEOGAME_.)

_Act 2_

The 6 held on tight to the larger Ed as the gum balloon propelled them upward, looking down as they appeared nearly a hundred feet above the ground. Being this high up put chills down their spines. Even within this vastness of ghostly space, it felt as though a cold wind was breezing past their necks. There was an incredible view of the ghastly green ghost realm (even though there wasn't much to look at), and the shouts and voices of the people below were slowly fading.

When they made it to another segment of staircases, the gum finally failed and popped, Ed sucking it back in as they landed. They reached the top of the stairs to the building's roof, which had a wide, tall, cylindrical tower. "Sigh… why'd this guy have to meet us so high up?" Chad sighed.

The 7 started their trek up the tower's stairs, encountering some black Boos that popped up and floated over, trying to explode on them. Chad grabbed one by the tongue and used it to break open a hollow wall, revealing a ladder on the other side. They used it to climb to a higher level, which had a jagged wall, using it to climb further. When the jagged part cut off partway up, Emily used her ghost form to fly up and grab a higher part of it, using the shackle to pull Chad up with her. Afterwards, the Eds got atop each other for Shaunie and Luvbi to climb and reach that part, then lifted their selves up there.

They continued up another staircase around the tower before reaching another ladder that seemed to go the rest of the way. As they climbed upward, they passed by the mariachi band, sitting on a little branch and playing music. "Welcome to the Ghost Zone Prison Tower. From the top of this precarious platform, you can see the marvelous views of this wonderful dimension… 'wonderful', being in the case of a ghost, anyway."

When they finally reached the top of the tower, they found Penelope fixing a hang-glider, with a guard floating beside her. That guard spotted the main group and threw off his disguise. Bootler revealed to be a much shorter, round-shaped ghost, with stubby hands. "Hm. So, you've made it. Congratulations."

"About time, please. Now, are ya COMIN', or what?" Penelope asked, wrapping the glider around her waist. The others grabbed the top of the glider as Bootler flew over the edge. Penelope shot a glance to the camera and said, "Please.", before running and leaping over the edge, the kids holding on tight as they flew away from the prison.

They were able to get a few miles away from the prison, spotting a huge castle in the distance. "That must be the Ghost King's place." Emily guessed.

"Great, so let's land there, so we can-" Before Chad could finish, an Ecto Blast suddenly hit them from behind. (End song.)

"WHOOA!" The eight of them fell and crashed onto a flat, floating asteroid. They dizzily helped their selves up and looked around.

"Well, well." They looked up as the warden, Walker floated down onto the asteroid. "I'm surprised you were able to escape without barely making a sound. But Danny Phantom's escape was the last the prison will see. You kids have a little dinner date."

"That's right!" They looked up once more as Skulker and Ember carried Tubba Blubba onto the platform, Iggy Koopa on his head with a whip. "You beat my brother! Now you'll have the honor of being first on the menu for my ghost-eating monster. Get 'em, Tubby!"

"GHOOOOSTS." (Play Tubba Blubba's Theme from _Paper Mario_!)

_Boss fight: Iggy Koopa and Tubba Blubba_

The ghost-eater ran and punched the ground, missing the group as they scattered. Penelope aimed her wristwatch and fired some pink gas, making the Koopas cough. "Bleh! Get us out of here, ya lump!" Iggy ordered, whipping the monster.

Skulker sprayed some black smoke around the ground, spawning Bomb Boos that flew over to try and blow up Chad and Emily. When Tubba shook the pink smoke away from them, he used his strong lungs to try and suck Emily in, but Chad quickly grabbed a Boo by the tongue and tossed it inside. The monster chewed the Boo before it exploded inside him, the quake knocking Iggy Koopa off his head.

"Blah!" the Koopa yelled, trying to whip at Luvbi, but the angel conjured a tornado that blew him upwards. When he came back down, Eddy leapt and kicked him across the field. "Grrr!" Iggy then ran and hopped back onto Tubba as the monster got himself up.

But when he did so, Emily ran and kicked him in the gut while Ed jumped and slammed down on his head. He shook and spun away as he started to inhale once again. Chad grabbed another Bomb Boo and tossed him in Tubba's mouth, doing more damage on his insides.

"Bah. This is pathetic." Iggy Koopa said. "Good thing Kammy's been teaching me some magic!" With that, the Koopaling took out a magic wand and sprinkled some magic on the monster. Tubba started to glow with energy as he gained more muscles, bigger, sharper spikes on his shell, sharper finger and toenails, and spiky hair.

"YEEEAA! Dat feelsh gooood!"

"Haha! Now let's kick some heinie!" Iggy exclaimed, giving the monster another whip. (Play the "Skabb 2" Theme from _Spyro: Eternal Night_!)

"Save room for us." Skulker smirked as he and Ember flew down. Chad and Emily ran as the ghost-eating monster chased, reaching his arms down to try and grab them. Skulker fired a net that trapped the two, Tubba smiling as he lifted it above his wide-open mouth. Emily wrapped around Chad and turned intangible, phasing through the net before Tubba swallowed it.

They flew behind Skulker and became visible, Emily using the chain to swing Chad around and knock Skulker into Ember and to the ground. Tubba walked over to try and suck them in again. "I have a plan." Chad said. Emily nodded and flew them to the top of Tubba's head.

"Duh? Where'd dey go?" the dimwitted monster asked.

"I hope this works." Emily said, dropping in front of his face while Chad held onto the shackle. Tubba glared at her and sucked her inside, swallowing her whole.

Inside, Emily hung from the shackle to keep from falling into the digestive acid. She spotted Tubba's heart and proceeded to fire an Ecto Ray, the monster screeching from the damage. Chad immediately hauled Emily out of the monster before he shook both of them off, coughing fireballs around the area.

Shaunie yelped and shielded his eyes from some of the flames as Luvbi shot in front of him and blew them away. "Ugh! Must thou stand cowering in one spot if thou hast to be such a-" Just then, Ember swooped down on her guitar and grabbed her. "AAHHH!"

"That'll be one less bug. Let's see how well you fair without your wings." Ember threatened.

"TASTE STINK BOMB, BABY!" Eddy yelled, drawing out his slingshot and firing stink bombs at the ghostly singer before she could rip off Luvbi's wings, dropping the angel for Shaunie to catch her.

Walker made a little 'huff' before making a whistle, summoning a squad of ghost guards. Eddy and Penelope tackled two of them before bashing their heads against each other. Ed wrapped around another one and gripped its helmet, yanking it off and exposing his hideous face. "AYAHH!" He ran away.

Chad grabbed the last guard's tail and swung him around before tossing him up to Walker, knocking the warden out of the sky and onto the monster's head. Tubba picked him up in his right hand and held him by his face, sniffing and sticking his tongue out to taste. "No, you idiot!" Iggy yelled, whipping him and dropping Walker with a thud. "That isn't the ghost you wanna eat!"

"Nope. This one is!" Emily exclaimed, flying over and punching Tubba's groin, then gut, then swinging Chad into his head, knocking him over. The two landed as Chad crawled into his mouth, finding the heart and dealing a few punches before Emily pulled him back out. Tubba then threw up a few slime balls, getting everyone covered.

"Uck, gross." Emily groaned.

"Ay, I am going to need 5 baths-" Luvbi was then swooped by Ember once again.

"LUVBI!" Shaunie yelled.

Skulker smirked at his girlfriend, but then felt a pair of arms grab onto his shoulders from behind. "Hey, what the-" He looked back at who it was.

"MAH-HAH!" Crazy Courtney yelled.

"Huh- Get off, you crazy brat!" the hunter yelled, throwing Courtney to the ground beside Shaunie.

Shaunie walked over and asked, "Courtney, how did you get here?"

She sat up and answered, "I flew."

"Well… can you fly me closer to Ember?"

"RAH-HAH!" she yelled, standing up. "Sure. Grab on." Shaunie did so and leapt onto her shoulders. The crazy girl ran and leapt over the edge, extending her arms and flying around the area like a bird. Ember spotted them and flew further away on her guitar, strumming sonic waves in their direction. When Courtney flew over the guitarist, she dropped onto her head.

"Augh! Get off me, you brat!" Ember yelled as the guitar spun rapidly out of control. Shaunie landed on the tip of the guitar and held onto Luvbi's arm as he tried to control it, aiming it back at the platform.

At this time, the Eds got done beating a few more guards before Tubba walked over and started devouring the guards. "No, you stupid monster! Eat THEM, not our guys!" Walker shouted. "Iggy, what's wrong with you? !"

"Gah! I'm trying to! Stop eating, you dumb beast, and pay attention to-" He then looked up in fright when the guitar zoomed over and shoved the short Koopa right off Tubba's head, knocking him right over the edge. "AW NOOOO!" The Eds watched as Iggy Koopa fell into the endless, ghostly abyss below.

"HAHA! Have a nice fall, Sucker!" Eddy yelled.

Tubba smacked his lips afterward and said, "Mmmm… dat goood. Me want seconds…" He looked down and spotted the three boys.

"Oh, geeze." Eddy cried as they ran away. They were stopped in their tracks when Skulker shot ectoplasm at their feet and stuck them.

"Gotcha." The hunter smirked.

"Hey, Skull Butt!"

"Huh?" He looked up and saw Chad and Emily flying straight at him. The Halfa dropped Chad, extending the shackle and catching Skulker between them. "Hey!" The hunter tried frantically to shake away as they were flying him straight at Tubba Blubba, the monster holding his mouth wide open. Emily shot away and grabbed Chad when they stuck the hunter right in Tubba's mouth, Skulker's upper half sticking out. Skulker tried to shake away, but Tubba bit down, ripping the lower half of his suit right off, the upper part dropping and crawling along the ground.

When Tubba swallowed, he looked up and saw Ember's guitar zooming straight at him. Shaunie and Luvbi jumped off and allowed it to crash and explode right on his head, making him wobble in dizziness. "Gah, stupid kids." Walker mumbled angrily. He felt a shadow loom over him and looked up to see Tubba Blubba standing over. Walker gained a frightened expression and screamed, "AHHH!", before the monster toppled over and crushed him.

At this time, the upper part of Skulker's suit died out, and the tiny green ghost climbed out of the head and rolled along the ground, shaking his head dizzily. He looked up and screamed at Chad and Emily towering over him, the Halfa reaching down to pick him up. _"Hey, let me go! I am the greatest hunter in all of Ghost Zone! You will ALL fear me!"_ the tiny ghost declared.

"Surrrre we will, Buddy." Emily remarked doubtfully. "But for now," she wiggled him in front of Tubba's face. The monster shot his eyes open and sniffed. "Here, Tubby! Nice, tasty ghostie!"

"Mmmmm. Deserrrrt."

_"ACK!"_ Skulker immediately jumped out of her hands and scampered away as the giant Koopa smiled and stood up, licking his lips as he chased the tiny ghost. Skulker leapt over the platform's edge, Tubba jumping after him.

Chad looked over at Skulker's fallen armor and went to dig around. "Aha!" He pulled out some kind of thermos.

"A thermos?" Emily asked.

"Fenton Thermos. Perfect for catching ghosts." Chad then opened the container and aimed at Emily, pressing the button and firing a blue ray.

"WHOA!" Emily yelled when she was sucked inside. As a result, she slipped out of the shackle, making the energy chain switch off and for Chad's to come off, too. He then released Emily from the thermos when they were both freed. "Hm… good one."

"Hmm, a spectacular performance." Bootler came and said.

Penelope had also finished fixing up the glider. "Let's go, please."

"Yes. Now is the time to meet with the Ghost King. Follow me, please." The others grabbed onto the glider and started flying after the ghostly butler. Crazy Courtney watched them all fly off, with the mariachi band on her shoulders as she flew.

"And so, this team has defeated the ghost-eating monster and the… er, ghosts. And are now on their way to meet with the Ghost King. How will this meeting go? Find out… er, right now. And so, we leave you with this note:"

"RRAH-HAH!" Courtney yelled. (Stop the music.)

**Ghost King's Castle**

The eight followed the ghostly butler across the vast ghost realm to a huge castle sitting on a flat asteroid. They entered and walked through the castle's ghostly halls, viewing all the scary pictures, cobwebs, and any other typical haunted house stuff. The ghostly butler led them through a huge door into a massive throne room. "Mmm, they are here, Your Majesty."

The eight gaped at a massive, green ghost with bright, orange eyes. "Ah… I thought I spotted little children wandering around in my woods." He spoke in a deep voice.

Emily could only give a great, wide smile, seeing the king of her favorite creatures. "Oh. My. Gosh! The Ghost King himself! I am like, your BIGGEST fan, I-"

"That's enough, Child." The Ghost King chuckled. "You may call me Kobosh."

"Yah, great. So, how 'bout helping us find a way out of this joint?" Chad asked in a sassy tone.

The Ghost King immediately shot over to them, towering and glaring over the frightened teen boy. "I've been watching you. You're the little brat with the attitude who's got such a grudge against us 'freaks'."

"You can say that again." Emily remarked as Kobosh flew back to his throne.

"Just because someone LOOKS different, or has unusual powers, doesn't mean that they ARE. Just take a good look at Emily. Even though she has those powers, can you honestly say she's any different than you are?" Emily only smiled with pride as the Dickson boy rolled his eyes. "Frankly, you both seem to have that attitude."

"Puh." Chad scoffed.

"As a matter of fact, though, Halfas are very special creatures in the Ghost Zone. You see, we ghosts are merely outcasts of the dead that have evaded possible justice in the Underworld. We make our retreat in this old realm, and live in peace, although the humans don't see us as peaceful. As you know, Halfas are half-ghost, and half-human. Like the Avatar is a link between the mortal world and Spirit World, we believed that Halfas were a balance between humans and ghosts, and allowed our two kinds to interact."

"Wow. Do I suddenly feel special." Emily smiled.

"Pfft. You just seem like another freak to me." Chad replied.

"Gee, thanks a lot." Emily frowned and glared. "But you know what's funny? He didn't start acting like this until after getting hit with that weird ray gun."

"He was hit by a Darkness Cannon." Kobosh replied. "When someone is hit with a Darkness Cannon, they are shown visions of their inner darkness, and it even bends them into acting in a negative away, seeing only the bad side of things. It isn't quite mind-controlling him. Rather, the cannon has awakened thoughts inside his head that he's always had, but never wanted to speak."

"In other words, he's always been like this deep down." Emily deduced.

"Pfft. What does a ghost know, anyway?" Chad asked.

"A lot more than you do, Brat." Kobosh retorted.

"I said I'm not a brat! I'm a teenager!"

"Kid or teenager, you. Are. Both. Short!"

"Prithee, but, I seem to remember thee being zapped to thine doom by the late Dimentia?" Luvbi asked.

"Ghosts are already dead. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to kill us again. Especially from simple Space Lightning."

"Very fascinating information, but it isn't helping us get any closer to Amanda, please!" Penelope shouted.

Kobosh only growled and shot a glare at the girl. "Well, I believe our time is done here. I know the perfect place for you to go next." He waved his right arm and opened a green, spiraling portal. "Ghost portals can open anywhere in the universe. This one will take you to the Valley of Avalar. Surely, that place may stop the effects of the Darkness Cannon."

"And a great big thanks for your help, Kobosh." Double D smiled and bowed.

"Yeah! And for a Ghost King, he isn't really that scary." Eddy said.

The king immediately erupted a massive roar, spewing saliva and mini ghost skulls all over the frightened Eds. He stopped and smirked at the shivering Eds. "That scary enough for ya?"

"Hehehe." Emily giggled. "Thanks for the help. Great meeting you, Your Majesty!" she bowed humbly. Still very excited to be in his presence, she spoke, "If there's anything I can do…"

"Since you ask:" Kobosh perked up, "many of Ghost Zone's usual inmates have been running amuck, due to Walker's bargain with the Sith Lord. If you could use that Fenton Thermos to gather them up, I would be honored to repay you."

"Will do!" Emily saluted perkily. "Now let's go!" With that, she grabbed Chad's wrist and pulled him through the portal first, followed by Shaunie and Luvbi, the Eds, then Penelope Taynt as the portal vanished.

_Side mission unlocked: Gather all of Ghost Zone Prison's inmates and bring them to Kobosh._

"Hah hah, that girl…" Kobosh chuckled to himself. "Now, I wonder how old Monty's doing?..."

* * *

><p><strong>HOO, that was rough. 'kay, so only one stage once again, but next time, we'll truly be heading for Planet Avalar. There, we'll meet another spirit and learn some info. And also a romantic scene with Chad and Emily! ;D Later.<strong>


	40. Toxic Love

**Time for some Chad/Emily romance!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Through the Toxic Forest! Meet Hexxus, God of Poisons!<em>**

**Battleship Halberd; approaching Avalar's atmosphere**

The Halberd and Blue Typhoon were currently approaching the colorful fairytale world of Planet Avalar. As they approached the atmosphere, Rachel sat on her knees, head rested on her hands as she sighed and stared out a window in thought. The Master Sword was leaning against the wall beside her as Fi jumped out. _"Something is troubling you, Master?"_

She sighed. "Yes, Fi. I've been thinking… about this whole thing. I mean, the Grandfather thing was intense enough… but we've dealt with alien invasions, Underworld demons, zombie fish pirates, mad scientists that try to saw the world in half with gold, and Fanny grew into a giant several weeks ago… and I mean, look at us! We're just kids!" she yelled, throwing her arms out. "And we have to deal with all this stuff! Heck, we had to deal with an actual teen murderer a few months ago. Who's the whack job who decided we'd do all this? I'd like to just go back to… I dunno, fighting Ice Cream Men, and trying to steal birthday cake…"

_"Hmm… it is true, such destinies and battles may be far too great to place on the shoulders of children… even Link had to wait until he was older to wield the Master Sword… but I always believed that children were chosen for such matters because of their spirits. Children's spirits are joyous and carefree… perfect traits for fighting the Dark Side. I calculate it is why the Firstborn's Guardians are children. But you mustn't despair, Master."_ Fi smiled. _"Simply keep your spirits high, and stay courageous. For when this is over, you all can return to the peaceful life you originally had."_

Rachel looked up and smiled at the spirit. "You know, you may have been made as just a servant, Fi… but you can be really inspiring."

_"I am honored to be of assistance, Master…"_ Fi nodded.

Dimentia, at this time, stood by a window at another part of the ship. The former leader looked to the starry sky. The bright star that had emerged in the spot after Zathura's fall continued to shine, its light still reaching to many vast planets. She closed her eyes and sang quietly to the star.

_"O Great, Mighty Star…_

_Hear that which I plead._

_Show me what I want most._

_Show me… what I need._

_What I… neeeed…"_

**Valley of Avalar**

A ghost portal opened behind a small waterfall as the eight people, previously in the Ghost Zone, came flying out, landing in a shallow river as the portal vanished. "Ow." Emily groaned slightly, rubbing her head as they all looked back up. (Play the "Valley of Avalar 1" Theme from _Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon_!) Their eyes were completely widened, fixated on the marvelous sight that was the Valley of Avalar. The morning sun shone brightly on the fields of lush green grass, reflecting light off the silver river of pure water they had currently fallen in. The mountains surrounding the valley towered in the distance over the few clouds that covered the land.

"This place is… beautiful…" Chad said quietly in awe.

"Good lord… and to think, all we had was our cul-de-sac…" Double D said as they walked out of the river onto the land beside them.

"When you say you're going to another planet, I can normally picture, like, futuristic buildings and green things with antennas… but man." Eddy replied, feeling just as amazed.

"It's like a great, big gravy tub blessed this land with its succulent ooze…" Ed said, gazing with wonder.

"…Er…" Emily bent down from slight pain in her legs. "Boy, crashing on that asteroid was a little _too_ much…" The Halfa pulled off her shoes and socks, dipping her feet in the refreshing water. "Ahh… boy, my feet hurt."

"Um, let me help." Chad offered, sitting down beside her and lifting her feet onto his lap, proceeding to rub them.

"And… now they don't hurt so much." Emily smiled and sighed in relief.

While they did this, Penelope looked around and spotted her glider that landed a few miles off, running over to it.

After a while, Chad stopped massaging Emily's feet, and the half-ghost dipped them back in the water. "Thanks, Chad…" she smiled at him.

"No problem." Chad smiled back, scratching the back of his head. "Listen, I… I'm sorry for the way I acted before. It's true, I've never been the biggest fan of metahumans, but… I shouldn't have acted like such a bully."

"Ah, don't worry about it. My guess is it's near impossible to resist the effects those Darkness Cannons give you."

"Well. Either way… you're pretty cool, Em."

"Hm hm! Thanks! And you have strong hands…" she said happily.

"Haha…" he chuckled and blushed nervously.

"By the way… did I tell you it was my birthday recently?"

"R-Really? When?"

"Oh… sometime after this whole quest began. I kinda wanted to have a party, but… all this happened."

"Oh… well, I'm sorry we had to ruin your party."

"Hm hm, it's okay! And it wasn't your fault, y'know. Besides… all this excitement is party enough. You know, if I never met Cosmo and Nova, I would never have these much adventures. And I certainly wouldn't come to a place like this."

"Oh yeah! We should probably try to look for all them…" Chad figured, standing up.

"Relax." Em replied, standing up. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Why not just… take a break?..." she asked, gently wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Um, hehe, yeah… maybe…"

"Yeah…" The two stared closely in each others' eyes before Emily gave a little smirk. (Play the "Valley of Avalar 2" Theme!) "…THINK FAST!" she yelled, playfully pushing him in the river and running barefooted down the rushing water, laughing with pure joy.

"Grrr!" Chad playfully grumbled, kicking off his own shoes and chasing after her. The two splashed and kicked water at each other before Chad grabbed Emily and started wrestling with her.

The two rolled around a while before Emily was on top of Chad, holding him down. "Ha! Pinned ya!" Emily exclaimed.

Chad just blew into her face and forced her on her back, getting on top and holding her down. "A guy with strong hands like me? Fat chance!"

"Alright, Strong Guy." Emily smirked. "But I can do something I know you can't do." With that, she switched into her ghost form and phased beneath the ground. She suddenly popped up behind Chad and wrapped her arms around him, taking off to the sky.

Their hair was blowing back, and their skin cooling from the rushing wind blowing across as they gazed at the spectacular view of the valley from the sky. They soared over and under some clouds before shooting toward the ground, flying just a few inches above the water as Chad dipped his finger in, letting it skid across. Emily flew them higher and soared through the clouds, alongside some colorful dragons that were flying into the area. She flew closer to the ground beside some cheetah men, scampering across the wide meadows.

She finally took them to the tops of one of the mountains. She gently placed him on the ground on his back before lying down next to him.

Shaunie and Luvbi had just watched the happy moment between the two from the ground. "Ay, nothing lessens the anger more than being able to soar through yonder skies…" Luvbi sighed peacefully.

"I'll bet…" Shaunie said, a little nervously. "…Is your wing feeling better?"

"Yea, somewhat…" she replied, flapping her wings a little. "…Hey… I hath never got to thanketh thee for… rescuing me from yon female ghost…"

"Heeheehee… well, when a friend's in danger, you gotta put aside all fears and do what you can to help."

"Yea… 'twas very brave of thou…" she smiled at him.

"Hehe… can you take me flying?"

Luvbi flew up and grabbed under his arms, attempting to lift him… but he seemed too heavy. "Huff… no such luck. Mayhap if thou were a bit smaller…"

"Grrr-rrr!" Penelope grunted, hauling her fallen glider over. "Don't just stand there! Help me fix my glider! If I reprogram it for space travel, I should be able to fly up to that space station and find Amanda, please!"

Double D approached as Penelope began work on the glider. "Um, Penelope… I admire your passion… and your technical knowledge… but, um, don't you think there's a little more to life than this Amanda person?"

Penelope shot him a glare with her psychotic face. "Amanda means EVERYTHING, please! The world means NOTHING if I don't get to meet her!"

"Perhaps, but there SURELY must be-"

"Ah, give it up, Double D." Eddy stopped him. "What can ya do with crazy girls? Still, this is a pretty nice place. We need to find that Kobosh guy again and ask him how he makes those portals! People will pay a FORTUNE to come to a planet like this!"

Chad and Emily had their arms around the others' head as they lied upon the mountaintop, watching the clouds drift by. "You know… I don't think I really hated metahumans." Chad said. "I… think I was just jealous."

"How come?"

"Well, like just now. You people can do all this amazing stuff. Like flying, going through walls, controlling water, running like cats… feeling others' emotions. And I was the only one in my family born without powers, it looks like. April got powers, Sonya got powers, even Mom and Dad have their little robotic suits. But I was the only one born… normal."

"Awe… you don't have be so upset about it."

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Chad said, sitting up. "And besides… I won't have to worry about it long."

"How come?"

"As soon as I get me some Bang Gas, I'll get to meta around before ya know it!" (Stop the music. :( )

"Wait… what?" Emily shot up in surprise. "Is that why you came with us to begin with?"

"Well, yeah… why do you think I wanted to break into an enemy base? I figured some of them might have some Bang Gas. If I could steal some of that stuff, I could inhale it and have my own cool powers. I hear that Brain keeps a lot of the stuff. He has quite a few metahumans in the Brotherhood, you know."

"So all this time, you just wanted to steal some Bang Gas to give yourself powers? !"

"Shyeah. I said it myself, I'm jealous. I was the only one born without powers in my family, so I wanna get some. Being a normal human is boring."

"But Chad! You shouldn't hate yourself just because you were born 'regular'. Normal humans can be just as special as metahumans."

"Please. From what I recall, you've been having the time of your life since you got your ghost powers."

"Well, yah… but the saying goes, 'With great power, comes great responsibility'. And as a Halfa, I may have a pretty heavy duty. You've watched _Danny Phantom_, right? You're lucky just staying the way you are: normal."

"So, you're saying that you would give up your super awesome ghost powers?" Chad raised a brow.

"Well, I…" Truthfully, Emily _didn't_ want to give them up, "there's a difference! These powers were forced upon me… sort of. But the only reason you want powers is because you're ashamed of being just a 'regular' person!"

"Whatever. I'm getting me some powers, anyway. The sooner I can, I might have a shot with Danika."

"Oh, I see… you're only doing this for _Danika_, aren't you? What if it doesn't even change anything? If she loved you, she wouldn't care if you're meta or not."

"Well, I guess we're going to find that out, won't we?"

This just left Emily speechless and upset. For some reason, she really didn't want Chad to end up with Danika… or practically anyone, really. But he seemed to really like Danika, and part of her wanted him to be happy. Even though she didn't think Danika was a good match… she figured she had to help him try. Even if she disapproved of his plan. "Sigh, alright… if it really means that much to you… I'll help you steal some Bang Gas. That space station Penelope was talking about might have some." Just then, there was a loud rumbling coming from the sky, so they looked up and spotted the two spaceships coming in for landing. "Hey! That's the Blue Typhoon!" Emily recognized.

"Friends of yours? Well, let's go!" Chad exclaimed. Emily turned back to a ghost and carried Chad as they shot up towards the ship.

**Blue Typhoon**

Inside the ship's cockpit, Tails heard a knock on the windshield, smiling when he looked and spotted Emily and Chad, waving at them. "Look! It's Emily!" The others looked up, and smiled and waved as well.

Afterwards, the two passed by the Halberd's cockpit. The two's smiles widened when they spotted the KND operatives, as well as Annie, and they knocked the windshield to get their attention. Annie looked up and gasped, "Emily!"

"Chad!" Rachel exclaimed.

"So, we are not the only ones here." Meta Knight examined. The two blonde teens pointed ahead of them, flying in that direction.

"Well, guess we oughta follow them." Magolor figured.

"Go-we go-we go-we! YAY!" Marx cheered.

**Outside the Silver River Forest**

On the very far end of the valley, the Silver River flowed into a nearly pitch-black forest. From a cliffside, Mandy and Katie watched as The Terrible Toxic Four slowly entered the forest. Mandy took out a walky-talky and spoke, "This is Mandy to Dodds. We just spotted the poisonbenders head into the forest. Do you copy?"

_"Yep, read you loud and clear. We'll be ambushing them soon. Wesley out."_

After hanging up, Mandy slipped the phone into her pocket and turned around, sitting by Katie on a rock. "So, what's this planet about, anyway?"

"Well, this is Planet Avalar. A fairytale-themed world in Galaxia. And one of the prettiest." Katie began explaining. "Somewhere beyond the mountains are the Giant Farms, where the titans roam. The Valley of Avalar is where the proud Cheetah Tribe scamper the fields. It also has a small forest where little creatures called Elfin live. And somewhere past the forest is the Ogre Swamps, home to the ogres. And many other wonderful places that make this one of the most beautiful planets in Galaxia."

"How cheesy." Mandy could only say, disgusted. "But do any humans live here?"

"There are a few humans. In the kingdom of Far Far Away, for example. In fact, I heard an ogre from the swamps married the princess of that kingdom one day. Happily ever afters, such as that, are a pretty common thing here."

"Blech." Mandy felt her stomach sickening from this info.

"But the main population, I believe, is dragons. I even heard the dragons were the first ones the spirits granted their element powers to, before they gave them to mortals."

"I see… but what about that forest those poisonbenders just went in to?"

"Ah. That's the Silver River Forest. One of the most unexplored places in Galaxia. It's home to an evil spirit. The one who granted powers to the poisonbenders. _Hexxus_."

"Well, I don't see why those boys would be wanting to go in there. Unless they're seeking to gain more power from this Hexxus."

"Hm." Katie then looked in the distance and spotted the two ships coming in for landing. "Hey, someone's here."

"That's odd. Let's see who it is." With that, both girls stood up and headed for the ships.

**Back in the Valley**

After both ships landed, everyone stepped off and gazed at the scenery. "EMILY!" Annie, Cosmo, and Nova immediately ran over to hug their friend.

"Zuri!" Zuri exclaimed, rubbing against her leg.

"Awe, I missed you guys, too!"

"Wow, I guess I never really took much time to explore this place." Nigel said, gazing at all the sights. He came to this valley once, during his galactic adventure, but he doesn't recall it looking this beautiful.

"Me either." Morgan said. "Last time we were here, some crazy teen with a gun was chasing us."

"SHAUNIE!" Fanny yelled, running over to hug her youngest brother, alongside Paddy.

Eva looked over and frowned when she spotted Penelope Taynt. "Ugh. You, too?"

Penelope just shot her her usual crazy glare before working on her glider. Eva and Nova decided to release their Firstborn Spirits from the Spirit Balls. Celebi immediately went to fly around the meadow while Manaphy dove and swam into the river.

As Dimentia stared up at the sky, Infinity walked over and asked, "Ummm… perhaps you would like to take a walk with me… Dimentia? It may ease your mind a bit." The former leader smiled to him as the two walked down the river.

"I know I'm already feeling better." Rachel smiled.

"Agreed. It may be best if we rest here for a while." Meta Knight said.

At this time, Morgan, Kami, and Ava were sitting by the river, resting their bare feet in the refreshing water, while Kweeb just sat between Kami and Ava. "Ahhh." Kami sighed. "Boy, you aliens sure have it good."

"I'll say." Morgan agreed. "I wonder if this planet has any wizards or magic charms and stuff?"

"Yeah, this place'd make anybody relax." Kweeb said. "Even a hothead like Kami!"

"Say what?" Kami raised a brow.

"I'm just worried about you pushing around the little Elfin creatures, since they're small, like me." Kweeb remarked.

"Oh, yeah?" Kami then stood up and rose her huge right foot above Kweeb. "Sounds like someone's asking for a stomping."

Manaphy then swam by. "Mana-Mana! PHYYY!" The young prince extended the two red beams from his antennas, connecting Kweeb with Kami. When the beams vanished, Kweeb had noticed everything became smaller, while Kami noticed everything was bigger.

_"AIEEEE!"_ Kami screamed in Kweeb's little body. _"I'm… I'M TINY!"_

"AWESOME!" Kweeb exclaimed in Kami's body. "Now I'm the one doing the stomping!" he said, keeping his right foot over Kami.

_"H-Hey! Stay back! Don't step on me- AH!"_ she jumped back when Kweeb tried to stomp her, then accidentally fell into the river.

"That's karma for you, Kami." Morgan stated as Kami floated past her.

"Heehee! She looks really cute in that body!" Ava giggled.

"Uh… where's she going?" Morgan asked, noticing Kami floating down the river at a fast pace.

"Mmm-maybe that river's a little TOO strong." Kweeb figured.

Meanwhile, Marine and Yin were standing barefoot in the river a few feet away. "I gotta admit, Mate, this place totally beats the oceans… almost." Marine said as Kami, in Kweeb's body, flowed past them.

"Me too. You'd expect a place like this to be in a storybook." Yin replied. "But I wonder where-"

_"Heeeelp!"_ Kami called, floating further away.

"Kweeb?" Marine called.

"Come on, we gotta help her!" Morgan shouted as they ran by. Yin and Marine exchanged a quick glance before chasing Kami with them.

"Don't you mean 'him'? !" Marine called.

From atop a cliff, Katie and Mandy watched Nigel and Rachel playfully splashing each other in the river. "Well, whaddya know. It's our relatives." Katie said.

"Hmm… so, Rachel's here, too. I think it's time for a family reunion. Care to join?" Mandy asked.

Katie looked over and noticed the other girls running down the river, not noticing they were chasing Kami in Kweeb's body. "Um… no thanks. I'm going to see what those girls are up to." With that, Katie ran to follow them.

Mandy looked back down at the splashing couple and leapt down from the cliff.

**Silver River Forest**

The Terrible Toxic Four have finally arrived at their destination. "Well… this is the place." Matt said simply. The Silver River Forest, unlike the rest of Avalar's lands, was nothing more than a dark forest of poisonous liquid, harmful to any creature, except for the ones nurtured by it. And the pure-watered Silver River that led to this forest went from refreshing to intoxicating just upon entry. "This place… isn't so bad." Matt said, though still a tad afraid, much like the other poisonbenders. Except for Leo, who was totally afraid.

Said boy whimpered as he looked to trees and bushes, seeing vicious eyes peeking out of them. When he spotted a huge spider drop down by his head, hanging from a web, "AAHHH!" he screamed, jumping into Matt's arms. "OH! H-Hey, Matt! Hey, did you ever notice we've been going to the NICEST places on our journey? !"

"Ugh. Get off, Leo." Matt ordered, dropping him.

Leo shot back up and said, "No, really, think about it! First, we go to the jungle of big, scary dinos, then we go to the planet of vicious, human-exterminating aliens. And now we come to the dark, spooky forest in search of a POISONOUS SPIRIT! ! What could be more thrilling?"

"Well, he's pumped. So, what are we waiting for?" Jeremiah asked.

Matthew spotted part of the river of purple, gooey liquid and walked over. He stuck his finger in the substance, and immediately pulled it out from the sting. "Ah! It's poison."

"Well, that's weird. Everything else is all… fairytale enchanted. Why would this water be poison?" Elijah asked.

Matt rose his hand up, attempting to bend the poison, but no such luck. "I can't bend it. This must be a Spirit Location. You normally can't bend in certain areas there."

"So, that means…" Jeremiah began, "there really is a Poison Spirit."

"Well, that's great! So, let's turn back now, in case it's an evil one." Leo suggested, trying to walk back until Matt grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"Not so fast. We have to meet this spirit and see what he has to say. Let's go, team." (Play the "Treetop Rock Returns" Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

_Stage 35: Silver River Forest_

_Mission: Find the Poison Spirit, Hexxus._

The boys began their journey into the dark, sunless forest of poison, climbing some vines up a small wall with a waterfall of the poison. The path ahead didn't seem littered with too many trees, so they decided to stay on it. As they progressed, little poisonous bugs, called Grove Mites, flew out of the trees and went over to bite them, but the benders swat them to the ground and stomped them.

Out of a pile of fallen trees ahead, some monstrous poison dogs, called Death Hounds, jumped out and charged over. Leo screamed when two of the dogs tackled him, but Jeremiah quickly took out his pocketknife and stabbed the dogs, making them run off. The other two snarled at Elijah, but he conjured a Poison Whip and lashed at them, eventually scaring them off. The poisonbenders then proceeded to climb a large pile of fallen trees to a higher path.

They came to a point in the river where fallen trees were slowly drifting down. Matt, Jeremiah, and Elijah hopped on one, while Leo missed and fell in the river. "YOOOW!" He flew back out, injured from the poison, and landed on the log, barely tipping it over. Matt and Elijah used Poison Whips to swat away some Grove Mites that came out of the river. Afterwards, some Grove Worms emerged from the water and slithered over, but Leo recovered quickly and took out his gun, shooting the worms off.

They were coming to the end of the river, about to go down a long waterfall. They spotted a branch hanging over the pit and used Poison Whips to wrap around it and swing to a path on the other side. When Leo tried to swing over last, the branch came off, and Leo was sent screaming down the falls. Matt shook his head in disbelief while the others snickered as Leo's butt was burned by the toxic below, flying back up and landing beside them.

As they continued to a turn in the path, three swamp warriors, called Grove Beasts, dropped down and drew out swords. The four scattered when they struck the ground, Jeremiah and Elijah rolling behind one and burping Gas Bombs. Leo ran behind another one and used a Poison Sting, scratching its back and making it slowly hurt with poison until it fainted. Matt just burped some Gas Bombs at the last one before making it choke with regular poison gas.

Afterwards, they continued to a pond of the poisonous liquid with some platforms to lead them across. As they jumped the sinking platforms, some sludge Pokémon, called Grimers, fell and landed on some of the platforms, spitting poison sludge at them. When they landed on a larger platform, more Grimers fell and surrounded them. The poison blobs jumped and covered the poisonbenders, but they were able to blow them off with Gas Bombs. Matt was able to wrap around one with a Poison Whip and swing it into others, knocking them out.

After reaching the ledge on the other side of the pond, Leo screamed when more poisonous spiders dropped down, hanging from webs and spitting venom at them. The four evaded and walked around the spiders before reaching a larger, wider tree. They whipped off some spiders on a vine wall and climbed to an opening in the tree. On the inside, the four proceeded to head up some stairs and climb some vines heading further up the tree, taking out any spiders in their path.

They found an exit and were now on a high branch of the tree. They saw a series of branches on other trees, leading up and going around to another large tree. The four used Poison Whips to swing across the abyss. Some spiders dropped down in their way, but Matt and Elijah kicked them off so they could keep going. When they reached the inside of the next tree, large sludge blobs called Muks dropped down. One of them tried chewing on Leo's head, but Elijah and Jeremiah pulled him out quickly before Leo shot Gas Bombs at him.

The other two tried grabbing Matt, but the leader quickly flipped behind them, throwing gas attacks. Jeremiah and Elijah then leapt inside them and fired Gas Bombs from in there, blowing them to pieces. Matt then rolled inside the last one and blew _it_ up, causing a door to open for them to proceed. The four were now standing in another branch, overlooking another dark pit with a series of giant, blue floating jellyfish.

"The heck are these things? Floating alien jellyfish?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yeah! They don't even look that-" Leo began, reaching out to touch the closest one's tentacle, only to erupt in shock. "YAAAHAAAAAA!" When Leo finally released, he was pitch-black with soot.

"Ugh. Let's go, and don't touch the tentacles." Matt ordered as they climbed some branches to reach its head, jumping onto the bouncy part, then bouncing their way across the jellyfish, waiting for them to float by for them to land on. The rest of the jellyfish along the way were electrifying for a few seconds before switching off. When they were off, the four carefully jumped across them before they lit back up. Leo was the last one to hop, and he ended up getting shocked once again.

After reaching a ledge, the four were ambushed by a pack of several more Death Hounds, led by a hideous swamp monster called a Growth. The Growth sent the hounds after the kids, who quickly used their Poison Whips to keep them back. Leo cowardly held his whip as a dog snarled at him, so the monster was able to swipe it in its mouth, Leo screaming and waving his arms in the air as the dog chased and whipped him. "How are you able to grab it, anyway? ! It's POISON! !" he shouted.

The other three didn't have too much trouble fighting the rest of the hounds. Matt used Poison Whip against them while Jeremiah and Elijah just rode on their backs, scratching them with Poison Stings. Leo kept running from his hound's whip until he was able to trick it into running over the edge and falling to his doom. "HAHA! Shows what you know, ya-" However, the dog was able to toss the Poison Whip back up and whack his head one last time. "YOW!"

Once they were all gone, the four surrounded the Growth. The swamp monster stomped a shockwave along the ground, but the poisonbenders easily jumped it and fired Gas Bombs upon him, quickly knocking him out. They continued along the path where the monsters came from, finding only a dead end with a pond of green poison this time. They dove into the poison pond and swam through the underwater cave underneath, avoiding any poisonous fish as they swam to the inside of what looked like another tree.

They resurfaced and found their selves inside the tree, looking around at a bunch of large spider eggs. "Boy, this place gives me the creeps." Jeremiah said.

They then leapt down a ledge to a floor below, looking at a long hallway ahead. (Play the "Muncher Marathon" Theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_!) Leo looked back with absolute fright when he saw a huge swarm of spiders in a dark cave. "AAAHHHH!" He ran off.

The others looked back as well, eyes widened at what they saw, immediately hightailing as the spider swarm chased them. Grimers and Muks dropped down in their way, but the benders paid them no mind as they just kept running. The four did have to use Poison Whips to take out any large spider webs in their path, however.

The four then had to use bouncy nests of spider eggs to hop their way to a higher point. When they arrived at a river of spiders, the four used Poison Whips to swing across branches leading over the river, continuing running on the other side. More Death Hounds popped out and ambushed them, but the kids ducked when they leapt at them, letting the dogs be eaten by the spiders as they kept going. More spiders started to pop out of the walls, so the kids hurried even faster towards the exit.

The kids reached a dead end with some Barrel Cannons leading upward. Just as the spiders were catching up and flooding the room, the four hurried and fired their way up the tree trunk. The last cannon shot them up to a ledge which they hurried and ran up some more stairs as the spiders got closer. Once out of the tree, the four found a long vine slide, using it to slide down as the spiders came even faster. The four gained more speed as they shot closer to a ramp at the end of the slide that flung them over a long, wide part of the poison river. Just before the spiders could bite Leo, the four shot up the ramp and flew right over the poison river as Grimers fired sludge at them from below. The four landed on the foothold at the end with a thud, standing and brushing their selves off. (End song.)

"Hoo… that was close." Matt sighed.

"YOOOWWW!" Leo screamed, running frantically with a spider biting his butt.

"Augh!" Elijah face-palmed, grabbing and yanking the spider off before crushing it. "And I thought _my_ last name was 'Frantic'."

"You can't go 5 seconds without something unlucky happening to you." Jeremiah told him.

"SHUT UP! !" Leo shouted, then leaned right a little as if someone was whispering in his ear. "I know, Steve, I hate them, too."

"Will you three just stop it? !" Matt yelled, turning to a dark cave ahead. "Honestly, the three of you have got to be the most annoying people on the planet!"

"Now, that's no way to talk to your friends, is it?" (Play the "Freaky Monkey 5" Theme from _Ape Escape 2_!)

The four looked around for the source of this voice, seeing none other than Wesley Dodds and Mr. Oldman walking out of a dark cave ahead. "I keep telling ya, Dodds, these children hain't no good no how." Mr. Oldman whined.

"Who are you old geezers?" Elijah asked.

"My name is Ghastly Sandman." Dodds answered.

"And _I _am Frosty Coldman!" Oldman shouted.

"Ha! Those are the dumbest names ever!" Leo laughed.

"Hang on… didn't you use to be some kind of superhero?" Matt asked.

"Yes, we were." Dodds replied. "Until we retired. But duty calls when duty calls."

"Heehee! He said 'duty'!" Leo snickered.

"But now you're probably wondering why we're here. We, or I, was sent by the Order of the White Lotus to test your Poison Element. Even though I'm not quite a bender of the element myself, I know that a group of friends shouldn't be picking on each other like that."

"Tell that to Mr. Screams-at-every-little-scary-thing." Jeremiah replied.

"Every little thing IS scary!" Leopold shouted.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you're a crybaby." Elijah replied.

"Well, Steve thinks you have a barf face!"

"Ugh! You see what I have to deal with here?" Matt said.

"Well, it seems this little adventure is starting to tear you boys apart." Dodds said. "And you're nearly all each other has since your banishments." Mr. Oldman then used his ice beam to spray around the open field and freeze an ice wall around it. "It doesn't matter now, I suppose. You're minions of Lord Gnaa. Your chaos here ends now." (Replay theme!)

_Boss fight: Wesley Dodds and Larry Oldman_

"Let's see how you kids like a taste of your own medicine!" Dodds exclaimed as he readied his gun.

"You're done now, ya munchkins!" Mr. Oldman shouted.

"Pfft. Let's teach these geezers how to rumble!" Matt said. The four dodged and ran as Dodds spread poison gas around the area. Elijah ran along the ice walls as Larry shot ice balls at him, the South American leaping off and kicking him in the face.

"Gah!" the old man screamed, spinning around from the kick before Jeremiah slid and kicked him off his feet. "Mmm, why must children be so agile?"

Matt ran and kicked the gas gun away from Wesley before the two started throwing punches and kicks at each other. Matt flipped back and threw some gas at Dodds, who rolled to his right and grabbed his gun, firing some gas back. Leo ran and dealt Sandman a few punches from behind before Dodds tried to spin-kick him, Leo ducking as Matt threw a poison blast and flung the man over Leo.

Jeremiah drew out his small and large knives and chased Oldman as he fired more ice balls at him. When Jeremiah attempted a jump attack over him, Larry fired an ice ball as he came down, knocking him back up and over a few feet. Elijah flipped over and kicked his ice pack away before dealing a few punches to his head, then kicking him down. The man rolled over and grabbed his ice pack, continuing to try and freeze the two boys.

"Gah." Wesley grunted, getting himself back up. "Let's try something new, Larry." With that, both men fired their weapons upwards at, the poison and ice mixing and making a green and white cloud, raining drops of acid and freezing rain. One of the ice drops tapped Leo on the head, freezing the boy solid in an instant.

Matt dodged over to kick Wesley's stomach while Jeremiah attacked Mr. Oldman, cancelling off both beams. Elijah then went over and breathed some poison breath on Leo's frozen form, melting the boy free. Afterwards, the stupid poisonbender burped some Gas Bombs that Wesley rolled and dodged.

Mr. Oldman shot a Polar Bomb at Jeremiah and froze him, then turned to try and hit Elijah. The boy dodge-rolled his attacks left and right before reaching and kicking Larry in the gut, making him grunt as he then went to unfreeze Jeremiah. Both green-eyed boys continued to kick at Oldman some more when he recovered.

Dodds started firing his own Gas Bombs from his gas gun that Matt and Leo rolled and dodged. Matt took out some Purple Flurp and drank it, erupting a bigger Gas Bomb that blew Dodds back. As Sandman recovered, the poison leader jumped and kicked his stomach, leaping back off as Sandman stood up and defended from more punches and kicks.

Mr. Oldman eventually froze the ground and caused Jeremiah and Elijah to slip and fall over. The two drew out Poison Whips and wrapped around his legs, tripping and pulling him over, then leaping right over before swinging and sliding the old man along the icy ground. As Dodds defended against Matt, Larry slid over and tripped his ally, making him fall on his head, then rammed his own head against the ice wall.

Both men groaned and rubbed their heads, standing up. "Alright: let's do it again." Dodds decided.

"Okay." Both men went to separate ends of the field and fired their rays above the ground once again, connecting them and conjuring the cloud of freezing and acid rain.

"Let's finish these guys off!" Matt exclaimed.

"RIGHT!" Their leader immediately whipped out some Purple Flurp and tossed one to each of them. The four drank away as they ran to four separate ends of the field. All four boys finally let out one big burp, firing four huge Gas Bombs to the sky. When all four bombs impacted, they exploded and rained tons more Gas Bombs, exploding all around the area.

"AHHH!" the old men screamed, the shaking from all the explosions destroying the ice wall and causing Dodds to fall over, while Mr. Oldman still stood dizzily. After a while, the raining stopped, and the poisonbenders smiled and high-fived each other.

"Ergh…" Dodds sat up and groaned. "Maybe we should help resolve your problems the less violent way." He said before fainting.

"Duh-hoiiii." After a few seconds of rolling his head, Mr. Oldman finally fell over with a thud.

"Ha. Stupid old men." Matt smirked. "The current generation is always the stronger one."

"YEAH!" the boys high-fived once again. (Stop the music.)

"Ah…augh…" Wesley Dodds groaned as they both stood up. "Ahem, nicely done, boys. Seems you have a friendship that doesn't take long to fix."

"Well… all friends have their bad moments." Matt said.

"That friendship of yours is an important thing for any poisonbender. You'll need it for the trials ahead. And speaking of 'ahead', the spirit you're looking for is JUST… up ahead. He'll tell you what you want to know about poisonbending… since I don't really know much about it."

"Mmm, okay, the test is over!" Mr. Oldman shouted. "Now, let us get out of here in this spooky place and go back to the unicorns and fauns frolicking about in the sunlight."

"Well said, Frosty. OLD MEN AWAAYYY." With that, both men fired their weapons downward like rockets, taking off to the sky.

"…The hell were those guys?" Jeremiah asked.

"Angels?" Leo guessed.

"Forget them. It's time we go meet this spirit." Matt declared. "Let's go, guys." With that, they all proceeded through the cave ahead.

**Hexxus' Domain**

The four slowly trekked through the dark cave with Leopold shivering, thinking of what horrible monster might come out and gnash at them. "Geez, talk about 'Courage, the Cowardly Dog'." Elijah said.

"Quit bein' a baby, Leo, there's nothing really scary in this forest." Jeremiah said.

"Oh yeah, sure. Except for the poisonous slime blobs, big scary bugs, and need I remind you of the GIANT, VENOMOUS SPIDERS!"

"Will you three quit it? !" Matthew shouted, still leading the way. "The monsters only like it more when you're afraid."

"Just why the HELL did we have to come all the way out here to meet this spirit again? ?" Leopold asked.

"I-I dunno! Maybe he's friendly. Either way, the dream told me to come here for some reason. I just wanna find out…"

After finally exiting the cave, they found their selves at the top of a waterfall of the poisonous liquid. In the center of the river that flowed to the waterfall was a tall, leafless tree. "Aw, THAT'S just great! We come ALL the way out here to see a Whomping Willow!" Leo shouted.

"Oh, be quiet, you idiot. There has to be something here…" Matthew looked below the small ledge they stood upon and spotted a row of platforms leading to the tree. Leo quivered in fright for him as the three watched their leader jump down and start hopping the platforms, over to the tree. The toxic leader felt his way around the bark before spotting what seemed like an 'X' carving. "Huh?" The bender stared closely at the X, tapping it a few times with his knuckles, sensing some kind of faint aura. He pressed his left hand against the bark, leaning on the tree as he let out some poison breath, covering the 'X' carving in his gas.

_"Haaaahhhh…"_ The X started to sizzle with acid as the ground began to quake. _"That'ssss SLIMY!"_ Matthew immediately hopped his way back across the platforms, his friends helping him back onto the ledge.

_"OHHH-OHHH YEEEAAH!"_ called some Grimers' high-pitched, singing voices in the background.

The benders watched with fright as the tree began to dissolve into some kind of brownish-black acid, a large, poisonous smoke cloud rising from that spot. "The SSSSLIIIME!" The kids gaped when that cloud started forming arms, as well as a mouth. "Can ya feel it, Baby? Can ya feel the SSLIME!" The entity started to form itself more as it sang.

_BOILLLIN' pain!_

_AAAACID rain!_

_SLIIIME beneath me!_ A left arm formed below him.

_SLIIIME up above!_ He rose a right arm above him.

_You'll. Just. LOVE. Mah…_

Finally, the being formed itself a rather muscular body, with a head of smoggy hair, no nose, and shady white eyes and mouth, looking down at the poisonbenders. "Toxic looove."

After finishing his song, the spirit lowered itself closer to the poisonbenders, still very tall to their vision. "Well, now… what type of PUNY little PESTS are Pilferin' around my Property?" he asked, adding emphasis to every "P" sound, spitting small drops of acid at them. (Note: any capitalized "P" words are "P" sounds he's Putting emphasis on.)

The other three hid behind Matthew, with Leo still shivering, as the leader wiped the spit from his face. "Ahem… are you… the Poison Spirit, Hexxus?"

"Mm, that'ss riiight." He smirked, shaking his hips a little. "And if it isn't the little poisonbending quartet who have long been banished from their homes to live in a dumpster."

"How do you know us?"

Hexxus smirked and sang some more.

_Mah name is HEXXUS, Baby! (Hexxus, Baby!)_

"Ssspirit of all things Poisonousss!"

_I find. All. The most. Pain-endured soouuls_

_AND GIVE 'EM POWERS, BABEH!_

"Now, let's get to work about you, little sweetss." Hexxus looked back down and smirked, his head drifting downward. The other benders stepped back when he flowed around Matt's head, placing his smoggy hands on his shoulders. "I been watching you, boyss. I know all about your little adventuress. Your little incidentss in the passt."

"Hm… oh yeah?" Matt cocked a brow. Hexxus smirked and continued to sing loudly in his ear.

_Your name is MATTHEW Dimalanta! (Matthew Dimalanta!)_

_FORMER Sector LEADUH_

_Until one day your POISON…_

_Caused your town some NOISE 'N'…_

_You left yo' TEAMMATES alone!_

He then shot into Leo's face, the boy immediately tilting back in fright.

_Yo' name is Leo! (Leo!)_

_Dimwitted boy-ah!_

"…Uh-huh?" Leo nodded.

_Parents long lost, and…_

_YO' SISTERS' TOY!_

"Hey!" Leo shouted when he flew over to Jeremiah.

_Jeremiah Heartly…_

_With burrrns so darkly!_

Jeremiah looked away as Hexxus rubbed his shoulders from behind.

_Banished FROM New York, and…_

_A crush on Kamiii!_

Jeremiah's eyes widened as he blushed, turning as the spirit drifted behind Elijah.

_Elijah Frantic!_

_A raccoon's man!_

_An encounter with that navy captain had you…_

_BANISHED from the LAAAND!_

The spirit flew back to his body and grew into his regular massive height.

_Oillll and grime!_

_Poiiiison sludge!_

_Diesel clouds and… noxious muck!_

_Sliiime beneath me! _He twirled his finger in the river.

_Sliiime up above!_ He scooped some water in his hands and held it above him, letting it pour down.

_Don't. You. LOVE. My…_

Two long, muscular legs emerged from his form, stretching out as he looked back at the poisonbenders. "Toxic looove!"

"Uhhh… it's… slimy…" Jeremiah could only say, unsure.

"Sso, what can I do for you boyss today?" Hexxus asked, taking a seat on the ledge across from them, crossing his big, muscular legs.

"Er… it's about our poison element." Matt said. "Is there… can there be any good in them?"

"Mmm, that old story…" Hexxus replied, drinking some poison and smacking his lips. He afterwards got in the river and drifted to their ledge. "Well, clearly The Chronicler has gotten to you boyss."

"Matt, actually." Elijah corrected.

"Then I'm sure he's told you all of the thingss that are associated with Poisonbending…" He spat a little smoke in Matt's face.

Matt coughed and waved the smoke away, giving a slight nod.

"Well, I can only say they're all true." He said, kicking back and swishing around in the poisonous river. "Our Poisonous Powers come from the very hurtful things from the insultss given to us by other People. I, mysself, was an outcasst to the spiritss. They banished me to this forest, ever ssince I tried to melt a rainforest with my… GLORIOUS!" He floated up and sang again.

_Ah see the world…_

_And all the creatures in it._

_Ah chew them up and…_

_Spit 'em out like spinach._

_I burn down the forests…_

_Every, living, TREE!_

_And replace 'em with SHHOPPING MALLS, parking lots, and…_

_SUH-WEET! Factoriiies!_

_Any-thing that's harmful to the_

_('VIRONMENT!)_

_Enviro-_

_(TO THE!)_

_Environment!_

_I FEED UP on it!_

_Like egg chow mein CEMENT!_

_Oilllin' pain._ Oil dropped from his fingertips.

_AAACID rain!_ He threw his left arm out, the benders shielding from acid rain.

_Poi. Son. Is. What…. Gives me faame!_

_Sliiime beneath me!_

_Sliiime up above!_

_Boys. You'll. Love. My…_

His head drifted around the Toxic Four, giving them all coughs before going back to his body. "Toxic looove!"

He came back down and continued, "So… they had me banished to this placcce."

"…But… what does that have to do with anything?" Matt asked.

"I was banished, like you were banished. Forced to hide into exile. But I ssee you're exxpecting more of an answer!"

Matt nodded as Hexxus began to sing some more.

_YOU SEE, Ah-_

"ENOUGH WITH THE SINGING, ALREADY! !" Matt shouted.

"Okay, okay." Hexxus frowned, lowering to the poison leader. "But the point is, Matty, you and I have a lot in common. Same for yo' little teammatess. You're very good with your skillss as a Poisonbender. Although you sseem to lack the Proper control."

"Meaning…?"

Hexxus got in front of Matthew's face, placing both hands on his shoulders. "You take these Poisons to the heart. When People throw the insults at you, you let them dig deep until they just hurt. But for every dangerous Poison, there's always a Poison to counter it. You wanna know how you can counter it?"

"Ah!" Matt winced as Hexxus continued to spit at him as he spoke. "Yes, yes I do! But a little space wouldn't hurt."

Hexxus floated back up and replied, "Firsst… don't let the poisons in yourself. It doesn't matter what others think about you. All that matters is how _you_ feel about yourself. And besidesss… you have friendss. The four of you will always have each other. And friendship… is a healthy little poison that can heal any wound." The four benders finally looked up and smiled at each other. A few Grimers and Muks gathered along the opposite cliff as Hexxus leaned back and wrapped his arms around them. "Just look at me. I got these little guys to keep me company… I'm doing okay. But just the four of you together, makes the Perfect symbol of Toxic Love!"

"Hmm… maybe you're right." Matt smiled.

Hexxus smiled back and sang more, anyway.

_POIIISON gain…_

_From PEEEOPLES' pain!_

_Don't. Let it TAR-nish… your good naame!_

_Sliiime beneath me!_ He dipped his head back in the water.

_Sliiime up above!_ He spun around as he flew upwards.

_Now. YOU. Know about…_

Hexxus did a little twirl coming back down, the other benders deciding to dance along with him. "Toxic looove!"

"Although… I do believe each of you has your own… ccertain ssomeone that gives you a little healthier poison." Hexxus smirked, turning his head. "But Perhapss you'd rather hear a little interesting Piece of hisstory… I do believe you're familiar with a former sstudent of mine."

"Who?" Matt asked.

"The Dark Master. Negatar Gnaa. I was his Poisonbending teacher."

"You…YOU WERE? ?"

"Precissely!" He turned back around. "Do you know why he became the Dark Master to begin with? Because he learned all of his elements from the darkesst benders of those elements. Poison from me. Shadow from Voldemort. Psychic from Palpatine. Even Darkrai II was a troubled ssoul, because of his past remorsse for Dimentia, his heart was pained when he taught his fearbending to Lord Gnaa. Gnaa knows only the dark features of those elements. And then he learned Darkness itself… from that loyal little phantom that follows him around. He was the first Negatar to ever truly master the power of Darkness. And sso, he became a Dark Masster!"

"Hmm…"

The Poison Spirit did some stretches before proceeding to settle back in the poison river. "Well, I believe that'ss all we needed to discuss here. But firsst, I'm sure you boys would love to learn a new move: if a poisonbender thinks of something sad and upsetting, they are able to conjure Acid Rain. You'll produce a sstorm cloud of Poison to rain down on everything surrounding you. This might be nicce in taking out sseveral enemies in one area. Well… that'ss it. You boys should be heading off now."

The Toxic Four gave another nod, now in a much brighter mood as they started their trek out of the forest.

**Matthew Dimalanta can now use _Acid Rain_!**

**Valley of Avalar; Hermit's Cave**

Dimentia and Numbuh Infinity had wandered into a secret cave behind a waterfall in the valley, walking through with curiosity before seeing a light. They ran to it and reached out of the cave, finding their selves at the top of the waterfall where the cave started, giving them a good view of part of the valley. "Hmm… odd little place up here." Dimentia said as they hopped across some stones to the other side of the river.

"Hey, Dimentia, how come we never set up a Kids Next Door on this planet?"

"I dunno. I guess all the fairytale stuff creeped me out. And besides, people are always able to solve their own problems so easily on this planet, I didn't think there was a need."

"Still. We should think about setting one up."

"Yeah, if I ever build up my empire again."

The two found a cave on the other side and walked through, finding a small, open area, surrounded by walls, except for the other waterfall pouring to the river below. From there, they could see the two spaceships, as well as their socializing friends.

When the two walked in the center of the area, they stopped in fear when a hoarse breathing sound came from a dark cave behind them. _"Why have you returned?"_ They slowly turned as an old, grey Cheetah man in a green cloak with a staff stepped out, pointing a finger at them.

"What?... I've never been here before." Jeremy said.

"Not you! The female…" he aimed at Dimentia.

"I've never been here either." Dimentia told him.

"You have returned from the dead… _and_ to Galaxia. I recognize you… Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom. Who could forget a face… as hideous as your _heart_?"

"She's put all that behind her!" Infinity shouted.

"I'm not proud of the things I've done!" Dimentia followed.

"Oh, is it that simple? To leave behind the darkness inside you? You are no different… than _him_."

"Who?" Jeremy asked.

"The Dark Master, of course." Their mouths dropped. "Lord Gnaa came here, too… many decades ago. Seeking to learn of his poisonbending element. He was just a little boy… but he was _cursed_ with the powers of the _Dark Side_. He is far younger than you are… but his heart knows nothing but evil. He doesn't see the light… and likely never will. You can run…" he started cackling, "but you can't hide, Dimentia! The darkness will overcome… and DESTROY you like it's done in the past!" The Hermit burst into maniacal laughter.

Dimentia gritted her teeth in anger and charged some Space Lightning in her right hand. "No, Dimentia." Infinity grabbed her left hand. Dimentia's anger and lightning died down as she sighed. "Do not listen to him. He is just an adult after all."

"The Darkness will come, Dimentia!..." the Hermit shouted, beginning to dissolve into smoke and blow away. _"The Darkness will COOOME!..."_

The kids covered their eyes when the smoke blew past them, blowing to the sky in the distance. Infinity uncovered and saw the cave the man had come from had some kind of light-blue glow. He walked over and spotted a Sol Emerald under some rocks, picking it up. "Well, it wasn't a total loss, coming up here."

He turned back and saw Dimentia holding her head down, obviously hurt by what the Hermit had said. "Dimentia…" He walked over. "He didn't know anything. Don't let it get to you."

Dimentia looked back up, still not showing much emotion. "I…I'm fine. Let's get the Emerald back to Blaze." With that, the former leader walked ahead, followed by Infinity, who still looked worried for her.

**Coruscant; Galactic Council Headquarters**

Flying cars and vehicles drove across the endless array of skyscrapers that made up Planet Coruscant. An Imperial Star Destroyer hovered over the atmosphere as a butterfly-like ship dropped from the flagship, flying into the atmosphere. The Imperial Shuttle came down from the sunset sky, approaching an enormous dome-shaped building (while requesting to land like a dainty butterfly).

Nolan followed The Brain off the shuttle after landing, rolling inside the building, two Imperial Guards; men dressed in red robes, bowing as they let Brain pass. The domed brain in the canister led the cripple up several stories via elevator before reaching a ruined office with a broken window that showed a great view of the city.

The Brain took a long whiff through his… nonexistent nose and sighed. "Ahh… the smell of office dust after the toll of ages. There can be no more pleasant smell, no?..."

"Um… yeah, I guess." Nolan replied unsure, rolling over and wiping some dust off the desk with his finger. "And… why are we here?"

"You sit now in the very domain where my father organized his operations. My good Papa Palpatine. Former Supreme Chancellor of Galaxia… former ruler of the Galactic Empire. Slayer of the Jedi. Oh, how he was brutally murdered before his time. He left his fortune to me just before his departure. From the Stormtroopers to this very office. He even confided in me a secret chamber down below. Follow me…" Nolan did as told and followed The Brain out of the office.

The two were zooming down another elevator before reaching a dark chamber just beneath the building. They rolled to a large door with a computer terminal. _"Password."_

"Revan Bane Sidious." The Brain spoke. The terminal blinked blue as the door slid open. Nolan followed Brain into a hallway of pictures and paintings of various, malicious-looking people.

"What are all these?" Nolan asked, looking at all the paintings as they moved along.

"This is the Hall of Sith." Brain answered. "The hall where all the greatest Sith Lords', and even apprentices', features are posted. Forever remembering the history of their greatness." They stopped beside a painting of a human Sith in a dark robe, sitting in a throne with his hands folded. "This is Lord Kaan. Founder of the Brotherhood of Darkness. Leader of over 20,000 Sith Lords in the Dark Army for nearly 1200 years."

They then went beside a painting of a baldheaded Sith with dark-yellow eyes. "This is Darth Bane. A renowned Sith Lord, responsible for establishing the Rule of Two. Creating the balance between master and apprentice."

Finally, he led him by a picture of a pale-skinned Sith Lord in a black robe, grinning with rotten teeth. "And this… is my father. Emperor Palpatine. The greatest Sith Lord of them all. Forever to be remembered as the one who killed _all_ the Jedi in Galaxia. Excluding those despicable twins, Luke and Leia, I don't believe he missed a single Jedi."

**Star Station**

Meanwhile, aboard Brain's space station, a cowardly, white-skinned alien with a long neck and a fake mustache shook in fear as he stood at a cafeteria line, scooping up food and dropping them onto villains' trays. He was none other than Yarael Poof. The Jedi who evaded Order 66. "Everyone I know is dead…" he mumbled to himself. The poor, long-necked alien has been hiding for many long years, ever since his Jedi comrades were wiped out by the Stormtroopers, afraid every day that the Siths may eventually discover and kill him as well. "I can't go on… I can't do it! I have to kill myself…" The Jedi picked up a knife and was about to cut himself when…

"Hey, you have anymore squid soup?" a Stormtrooper came and asked.

Yarael tossed the knife away and said in a cheerful tone, "Yes, we do!"

**Back on Coruscant**

"Things were going so smoothly for Papa Palpatine." Brain continued. "Until that boy… Luke Skywalker came into the scene. …And brainwashed the mind of that traitorous apprentice."

_A young Darth Genious watched with joy from the throne room door as his father, the Sith Emperor, induced Luke Skywalker with an endless ray of Force Lightning, the boy screaming in absolute pain. "FATHER, PLEASE!"_

_The black-armored Sith that was Darth Vader looked back-and-forth between his son and Palpatine. Finally, without hesitating, the apprentice lifted the Emperor right overhead, and hurled him over the shaft. "AAAAHHHHHH!" A bright blue light erupted from the bottom when Palpatine's body came in contact with the electrical reactor._

"I was traumatized…" Brain spoke. "My father taught me everything I know as a Sith. After his death… I believe his spirit has always remained with me. I tried to make my escape after his fall… but it was too late. The entire station erupted into flames, and exploded into nothingness. Destroying my body in the process. However… my powerful brain survived. And I drifted to Planet Earth. That's when I met Monsieur Mallah, and passed my knowledge on to him. I granted the ape intelligence… and in turn, he agreed to help me fulfill the destiny I knew was meant for me. The destiny…" he turned to the cripple, "I share with you."

"What?"

"It's true, I am the last living Sith Lord in the universe today. But I assure you, there have been many before me. And there may come a time when the Sith Lords rise again. We just may be the keys to that, Nolan."

"How can that be? I'm not even a psychicbender."

"Nolan… the term 'Sith' refers to the dark part of the mind. You do not have to be a psychicbender to be a Sith Lord. For years, I have been watching you. Ever since the Dark Master freed us from our frosty prison. Not a psychicbender, but strong with the Dark Side. A mind, lusting for revenge… perfect as my apprentice." He then turned back to his father's portrait. "The type of revenge I wanted… for what those fools did to him." He started to speak in a rather upset tone. "They took you away from me, Daddy. How could they? How could they take poor Papa Palpatine away from his Little Genious?" he sniffled. "Why must they be so mean to us, Daddy? Oh, but don't worry. They'll all pay. They… will ALL… _pay…_"

Nolan felt the area began to shake as Brain's eyes glowed red, and his dome green, releasing a powerful amount of his psychic energy. After a while, the energy died down, and the shaking subsided as he turned back to Nolan. "My apologies… my Psychic Bending Fury nearly went out of control for a moment."

_"Hey, hey, he said it!"_ Peter Griffin shouted offscreen.

"What the-?" Brain looked around confused.

"I dunno." Nolan shrugged. "But, about that… don't you think, maybe it's not so good to take revenge?"

The Brain cocked an eyebrow… well, he would if he had one. "Nolan… you are not showing remorse for your former teammates, are you?"

"Well, no! But…" The boy looked away in thought as Brain rolled behind him. "You can't stay mad at someone forever… can you?"

"Can you not? Do not forget, it was that Ava girl who got you in trouble with the Kids Next Door. It was Lizzie who put you in that wheelchair. And even if you are not angry with them… what about us? Your fellow freaks."

"Huh?"

"You were the leader of the Prospectors, Nolan. A team of freaks in the Kids Next Door. Hated and shunned by all 'normal' types. And now, you are in the Brotherhood of Evil. An entire organization of freaks, mutants, and outcasts. Don't you recall the bad treatment your friends received from the other operatives? Never to be accepted as one of their own?"

"Ergh…" Nolan felt the painful memories, and angry emotions returning to his mind.

"And, oh, Corey. Poor, defenseless Corey. Throat slit long before his time by that vicious Koda Shrieves."

Nolan gritted his teeth, gripping the left armrest of his wheelchair.

The Sith Lord rolled closer to his apprentice, speaking softly in his ear. "And… who could forget… the unjustly process… known as decommissioning? Turning close, lifelong friends into mortal enemies. And the only ones who were secretly spared this fate… met with worse ones. Such as when poor, Dillon Simmons… met his fate. Ah, but do the others care? What operative could ever care… for a teenager _or_ a freak? Isn't that simply _aggravating, _Nolan?"

Nolan finally took a deep sigh and closed his eyes. "Yes… you're right…"

"I wish to make this world better for them… but to do that, you must help me."

"Yes… I'll do whatever you say…"

"Very good, _my apprentice…_ But… could you call me 'Master'?"

"Yes… My Master…"

"Good… good… then your journey to the Dark Side can progress… Say, speaking of revenge… whatever happened to that talking piece of wood that sent you and your friends to the past?"

"Actually, I don't think we've seen him since he did that. I wonder what he's doing?"

**Plank's Lair**

"Friends... we have suffered… a cold and humiliating defeat." Plank spoke to his army, pacing along the stage in the audience room. The legions of Plank Troops, however, were still quite injured from the battle against Cosmo and Nova, and were very torn up and distorted. "But we mustn't lose hope! We shall locate these aliens and take back what is rightfully ours! Once Celebi is ours again, we will continue to build up our army and conquer this worthless land of-"

"Uh… excuse me? Plank?" called one of the soldiers. "Yeah, we talked it over, and… we're not sure if this whole 'conquering the world' thing is… gonna work out."

"What?"

"Yeah, I mean, we were kinda just better off being hunks of wood. Doing what we normally do, like, building things."

"Yeah, for one thing, I get to stare at a nice, refreshing pool all day, watching other kids have fun and play around." A diving board said. "It's… kinda nice."

"I get to sit in a park, so all the cute little kids and their heinies can go up and down." A teeter-totter said in a homosexual voice.

"Yeah, and when you think about it, bein' used for shelter and other stuff isn't SO bad." Another plank said. "I mean… we were kinda helpin' people."

Plank started to panic when they all engaged in agreeing conversations. "No, no you fools, humans only take advantage of you, they-"

"Come on, everyone! Let's go play with the cul-de-sac kids at the construction site!"

"YEEEAAHHH!" With that, the entire army of wood excitedly dashed out of the exit.

"NO, WAIT, STOP, COME BACK, I…" Realizing they were all gone, leaving only him and Johnny, Plank stopped and sighed. "Well, Johnny… we're officially ruined."

"E-yep…"

"We… probably shouldn't have attempted this to start with."

"Probably…"

"…Wanna go over and play at the construction park?" At this, Johnny gave a wide grin, grabbed his pal, and carried him off.

* * *

><p><strong>ARRRGEH! And so, we meet Hexxus. And had some Em 'n' Chad romance! :D And yes, that Hermit was the one from <em>Dawn of the Dragon<em>, Spyro. In fact, this chapter kinda used the 'Dark Side' topic a bit in those last two scenes. Next time… the Toxic Four will meet with their ladies! Later!**


	41. A Poisonous Date

**Ooog… mates, I am still sick. So, this chapter might not be SO good, considering I've not the energy. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Poisonous Date: the Poisonbenders Get With Their Girls.<em>**

**Star Station**

Tons of Imperial Shuttles and Bowser airships were landing in Brain's massive space station, either dropping off or picking up Stormtroopers and other minions. One of Bowser's airships landed in the hangar beside Brain, letting out a bunch of tourists in vacation outfits. The last two out of the ship were Ganondorf and Lord Gnaa; in Harvey's body. "Why did you build a hotel in this base again?" Ganon asked.

"I needed the extra money." Brain said. "It goes well, considering we even have a few famous people. Such as Amanda Bynes, for example."

"Ahem, speaking of Amanda, Sire…" began Professor Calamitous as he approached. "I was testing out my new Gene Splicer the other day, and, well, I accidentally zapped her. It seems to have scattered various personas of hers during her time, and I believe we should try to locate them."

_"Worry about it later."_ Lord Gnaa ordered. Calamitous saluted and scampered off. _"Now, what was it you wanted to show me, Brain?"_

"Ah, yes. Follow me, please."

The Brain led the two to an elevator shaft, which was guarded by Imperial Guards and yellow tape. "Uh, sorry, Sir, but the elevator's down temporarily. You'll have to take the escalator." One said.

"Very well." With that, the three villains approached and started their slow ride up the long escalator. Right beside was an escalator going downward. Several minions were riding the downward one, greeting the Dark Master as they passed by.

"My Lord."

_"Koopa Troopa."_

"My Lord."

_"Eggman robot."_

"…My Lord."

_"Stormtrooper."_

"My Lord."

_"Bokoblin."_

"My Lord."

_"Fatblin."_

"My Lord."

_"Koopatrol."_

"My Lord-"

_"Koopa."_

"My Lord-"

_"Robot-"_

"My-"

_"Koop-"_

"Lord-"

_"BOT!"_

"Lord-"

_"Koopa bot!"_

"My-"

_"Boko Trooper!"_

"M-"

_"Boko bot!"_

"Lo-"

_"TROOPA TROOPER!"_

"-rd."

_"STORMBOT!"_

"…My Lord." A robot greeted.

_"Sigh…"_

"…My Lord." A Stormtrooper greeted.

_"Go f$^k yourself!"_

"My Lord." A Koopa greeted.

_"Go f%^ yourself!"_

"My Lord." A robot greeted.

_"Go f%^k yourself!"_

"My Lord." A Bokoblin greeted.

_"GO F%^K YOURSELF! !"_

"…My Lord." A Fatblin greeted.

_"Sigh…"_

That's when a bunch of Teen Ninjas passed by. "HEY, HEY! Wassup, Lord Gnaa? !" one of them shouted.

"'SUUP!" another one exclaimed.

Eventually, the three made it to the top. _"Argh, finally. That was an ordeal."_ Lord Gnaa sighed as they walked to a door. Two Imperial Guards stepped aside and let them in. Brain led them into a chamber with a capsule in the center of some machine. Inside the capsule was none other than the Star God himself. _"Is…Is that-"_

"Correct, My Lord. It is Jirachi." The Brain rolled over and flipped a lever using his psychic. The unconscious Jirachi screamed in pain as the machine sucked energy from him.

_"But that can't be. Jirachi's power is-"_

"Still residing within him." Brain replied. "King Goobot and his Yokians captured him earlier. Even though he is wished free from the Star Rod, he still contains a strong portion of spacebending power. I am planning to use this power for the Brotherhood, in our own dimensional traveling back to where we originally came from. There, we can battle the heroes who've dared to outcast us to begin with, and defeat them. One… by one."

_"BWAHAHAHA! Sounds like the perfect plan, Genious! Why make this dimension drown in Darkness when we can drown them all? We'll spread the glorious word of evil EVERYWHERE!"_

"Indeed. But we'll become even stronger, once Jirachi's powers are restored completely. We'll need the help of his Guardian for that."

_"Ah, yes. Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom. Someone who has already been long-exposed to the Dark Side, we should have no trouble in manipulating BOTH of them to our will! By the way, Lord Genious… what is this darkness I feel emitting from you? Have you been speaking to Nolan?"_

"I most certainly have. His connection to the Dark Side is increasing. Soon, he will fully be worthy as my apprentice."

_"I still can't picture a regular _human_ becoming a Sith Lord… but I can feel his anger and hatred. Every minute, the darkness empowers me. 'Tis why I believe it is time I acquire a weapon more befitting my power."_ The Dark Master rose his right hand, holding it open as a line of darkness started to form. In an instant, what seemed like a key, as big as the Master Sword, with a black bar and red handle, appeared as Gnaa gripped it.

"Is that…" Ganon tried to say.

_"A Keyblade." _Gnaa finished. _"One that awakens the darkness of peoples' hearts. No weapon could be a more perfect match for my power."_

"Speaking of which, where is that Rumpel imbecile?" Ganon asked.

_"I have sent Rumpel on a private mission. One that is vital to my plans. If he succeeds… the impending darkness will come sooner."_

**Planet Avalar; Gruntilda's Lair**

The skies were dark and stormy over a forgotten mountain on Planet Avalar. On that mountain stood a huge tower, atop a monument of a witch's head, carved in the mountain's side. Up the long, spiraling stairs of the tower, strange green steam drifted out of a door, down the flight of stairs. Inside the chamber beyond that door was an old witch in a black robe, purple scarf, and black pointy hat. However, her body was merely made of wood, and her boney skull head sat in a glass capsule. The old witch wiggled her fingers above a grey magic cauldron with a face as she spoke.

"Dingpot, Dingpot, by the bench. Who's the loveliest looking wench?"

"Well, it isn't Grunty. Heck, no way! All her breath's been taken away." The cauldron, Dingpot, said, giving a cough.

Gruntilda shot the cauldron a glare, but figured it was right. "D'oh, you're right! A body I need! But how to perform this little deed?" she asked herself, pacing around. "For many years now, I've been lifeless. Unable to eat, or even piss. Ever since then, it's been quite absurd! Being DONE IN, by that wretched bear and bird!" There was then a knock on her door. "Geh. Come in, come in."

The door flung open, and in stepped none other than Rumpel Stiltskin with his usual smirk. "Hey, hey, Grunty! Long time, no see, huh?"

"Ah, Rumpel Stiltskin! My old first mate. From Hogwarts School, who had many a date."

"Mmm, still rhyming, eh, Grunty? So, how is my old friend fairing lately?"

"Nnn, still I am, nothing but bone. Sitting all the way up here, all alone. How are you, my old chome (chum)?"

"Oh, good, good. Made an Irish girl a giant, had a few run-ins with some timebenders… oh, and I joined an evil Dark Master in his quest for universal domination!"

"Hm, so I hear, of this one named Gnaa. But recruiting you, I must say 'hah'!"

"Oh, he did." He said, stepping closer. "And between you and me, Grunty…" Rumpel looked around and gestured Grunty to lean down so he could whisper, "Lord Gnaa has instructed me to do a top secret… _mission…_ involving a certain brat waiting outside. And I'll need your help to do it."

"Mm, what is this favor, might I ask? Do you believe Grunty is up to the task?"

"Are you familiar with creatures known as… _the Heartless_?"

Grunty only gasped. "You ask to die, little elf! The darkness of hearts is what gives them health!"

"I know, I know, but Lord Gnaa wants them. He's instructed me to revive them from the depths, and I'll need your help for that. I also figured, along the way, I could 'help' an injured soul with his problem, if ya know what I mean."

"Hmm… that devious smirk means only trouble. I'll require compensation, should such a thing bubble. Conqueration of Avalar, and a new body. Preferably one that makes me look like a hottie."

"Oh, trust me, Grunty. If this goes as planned, we'll both have _everything_ we could ask for." And Rumpel gave a devious, wide grin.

**Valley of Avalar**

Nigel and Rachel decided to sit on a cliff above the waterfall where the ghost portal appeared, smiling and holding hands romantically as they overlooked the breathtaking valley. "Awe, aren't you two the sweetest couple?" At that instant, they were suddenly blown over the cliff by a Fear Scream.

"Errr…" they weakly held their heads back up, looking up and gasping at who was on the cliff. "MANDY!" Nigel shouted.

"Wow! This adventure's just FULL of surprises!" Rachel exclaimed, shooting back to her feet and dashing up the vine wall that led above the cliff, immediately clashing her sword against Mandy's. Nigel kicked on his rockets and shot above the cliff, over on Mandy's other side. The Brit tossed a barrage of fireballs at her, but Mandy knocked them away with a spin attack, then stopped just in time to dodge a jump attack from Rachel.

**Silver River Forest**

Meanwhile, Kami was still trapped in Kweeb's body, floating on a small piece of wood from a fallen tree down the poison river through the Silver River Forest. She could only quiver in fear at how big everything looked from such a small view. _"Whoa. Everything looks a lot scarier when you're this small."_ She gasped when she heard a drinking sound, looking to see a Grove Mite, massive from her height, drinking from the river. "AHH!" Kami immediately jumped and grabbed the side of the ledge, climbing safely onto land. She gasped again as a bunch of poisonous bats glared down at her with glowing white eyes from the trees. She ran under a bush and- "AHHH!" screamed when an enormous spider spotted her from above, so she hurriedly ran out from under the bush. As she ran, she bumped into a gigantic, black shoe that just stomped in her path.

"Huh?" Jeremiah Heartly felt something small hit his right foot, looking down and spotting the all-too-familiar yellow alien, Kweeb (unaware that it was Kami).

The poisonbender bent down as Kami recovered and opened her (currently) black eyes, looking up at his huge, toxic-green ones. _"You…"_

Jeremiah smirked evilly, drawing out his pocketknife and getting ready to stab. "Well, look who decided to go for a walk. Get ready for a little payback, you bug!"

_"Aaaahh, get away! !"_ Kami backed away in fear.

Jeremiah's smirk vanished. He put his knife away with a confused look as he held the alien up by the antenna, looking closer. "You sound familiar… do I know you?"

"Jeremiah, why'd you sto-" Matthew was about to ask, then stopped himself when he and the others noticed the alien. "Hey, you found Kweeb!"

"Let's make him lick our bellybutton lint!" Leo exclaimed.

_"Ew."_ Was all Kami could say.

But just then, an energy chain shot over and grabbed the little alien. The boy looked back and saw the chain coming from Marine, standing beside Yin, Kweeb (still in Kami's body), and Ava. The raccoon sheila yanked her chain and grabbed Kami, handing her to Ava. The red beam instantly connected her with Kweeb, switching their bodies back.

"Finally." Kami sighed, relieved to be back in her own, normal-sized body.

"You're those girls from the base!" Jeremiah shouted.

"Yin!" Matt shouted.

"Matt!" Yin shouted.

"Marine?" Elijah asked.

"Elijah!" Marine exclaimed.

"LEO! !" Leo screamed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? ?" they all shouted.

"First of all, Bane and I brought the boys here." Suddenly, Ava's head was smacked by a nun-chuck, which came from Aurra Sing with her extendable laser-nun-chuck.

"Oh, even better." Ava said, taking out her swords and tossing one to Kami. "You three handle The Horribly Gassy Quartet. We'll take on Aurra." With that, she and Kweeb proceeded to chase the adult Glomourian.

"THAT'S TERRIBLE TOXIC FOUR!" Leo yelled.

"Four on three?" Matt smirked. "That hardly seems fair for you, doesn't it?"

"Well, let me even those odds." Came another female voice as Fear Spheres came and exploded on the ground before the benders.

"Katie?" Yin asked as their adoptive Nightmare cousin arrived.

"I'll explain later. Whaddya say we get a little payback?" With that, the girls nodded and faced their own opponents: Matt against Yin, Leo against Katie, Jeremiah against Kami, and Elijah against Marine. (Play the "Super Mario World Castle" Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: The Terrible Toxic Four_

Both teams immediately scattered and went after their opponents. Yin dodged as Matt threw poison gas as she chased him, running around some trees to ambush and tackle him. Matt threw her off and stood back up, turning around and seeing she was gone, then started looking around some bushes. Yin had actually changed into a rat, sneaking over and crawling up one of his pants legs. Matt started wincing at the little rat bites she started giving him. He felt around and tried to grab her, but she scampered away and changed back.

Katie was stylishly flipping and sliding while Leo farted Gas Bombs at her. The Nightmare girl slid over to kick his butt, but Leo quickly did a slide-kick and knocked her over. She then blew a Fear Scream and blew him back before standing back up. She felt her ponytail be pulled and was suddenly lifted up, twirled around, and thrown into a tree by some invisible force. "Alright, Steve!" Leo cheered.

Kami and Jeremiah were in a clash with his two knives against her sword. Kami swung at his feet, but he jumped and kicked her down. She flipped back up and continued swinging at him as he defended. Jeremiah then grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, breathing in her face and nearly stunning the Drilovsky with his horrible breath. She waved her hand in front of her face to blow the stink away, but quickly defended when he tried cutting her.

Elijah was firing gas rays at Marine, who was able to easily dodge-roll and punch Light Spheres, knocking him back. He then drank some Purple Flurp and started burping Gas Bombs around the area, causing several explosions. When the smoke cleared, he saw Marine had only hovered in the air with her tail. Elijah dodged when she fired energy balls from above, then came down and spun and whacked him with her tail.

Matt grabbed Yin's arms from behind and pulled them, but she was able to haul him overhead and jump on his stomach. She jumped off when Matt threw some gas, jumping back up and breathing some Sleeping Gas, fogging the area. Yin held her breath to avoid breathing the gas, looking around the fog for Matthew. She was suddenly kicked from behind and knocked out of the gas cloud, looking back to see Matt jump out, then rolling before he landed and punched her. She ran behind a tree and changed into a rat again, scurrying up his leg and under his clothes once more. Matt felt around and successfully grabbed her this time, throwing her hard against a tree and making her switch back.

Steve, the imaginary friend, grabbed under Katie's arms and lifted her up as Leo kept cheering. Katie decided to kick behind her and make Steve let go, figuring she must've hit his crotch. Afterwards, she ran over and started wrestling with Leo, the two rolling around the ground. They let go and stood up before Katie kicked him in the chin, then did a spinning jump-kick that knocked him away.

Kami and Jeremiah continued to clash as the boy kept blowing bad breath in her face, making her constantly step back. He was backing her closer and closer to the poisonous river. Kami looked back to see she was barely standing on the edge, trying not to step back any farther. When Jeremiah launched more of his breath, she flexibly bent back, the tip of her hair touching the poisonous acid. She shot back up and was able to push him to the ground, swinging her sword while he still defended and jumped back up.

Elijah ran and grabbed Marine's tail from behind, but the raccoon spun and swung him into a tree. She ran and tried to punch him, but Elijah grabbed her fist and used all his strength to keep it back. "Mate, why are _we_ fighting?" Marine whispered.

"There're other villains here, too." Elijah whispered. "We don't want them to find out, yet." Elijah then pushed her away as Marine jumped back several feet. He then gestured for her to look in her hand, which she opened and found a small, folded piece of paper.

As the fighting went on, Matt was able to push Yin on the ground and kick her away. Leo tried to blow Sleeping Gas at Katie, but the Nightmare screamed and was able to blow it back, making Leo inhale the gas and pass out. As Kami kept swinging at Jeremiah, she knocked both his knives away, smirking as she aimed her sword. Jeremiah quickly took out a flat, jagged piece of metal from a pocket in his hat and tossed it directly above Kami's sweater, successfully sticking her to a tree beside Yin.

Matt and Jeremiah faced their opponents and smirked, about to take them out. They slowly approached, but just before they could throw some gas- (Stop the music.)

"That's enough, boys." Wesley Dodds came and sprayed some of his own gas, blocking them from each other.

"One of the most annoying things about children is how they battle and CLASH all the time!" Mr. Oldman shouted. "Mainly the males and the females…"

Sandman stopped blowing his gas gun and said, "Now, why don't you kids stop fighting and make up?"

"Hmph. Alright, then." Matt said, walking over to Yin and helping her up. "I'll see you later." He slipped a folded note in her right hand and walked off.

Jeremiah then walked over and picked his jagged metal out of the tree, releasing Kami. "Pretty good aim, eh?" he smirked, handing her a similar piece of paper. "Laters." He then walked off after Matthew.

Katie looked over Leo's unconscious form and spotted another piece of paper sticking out of his right pocket, picking it up and sliding it in her own pocket. Elijah walked over and held the boy's head up. "Hey, wake up." He ordered, smacking him silly.

"KOWASAKI!" Leo yelled, shooting up.

"Let's go, Idiot." With that, Elijah pulled the drowsy boy away.

"Um… who are you guys?" Katie asked the two old men.

"Defenders of right and justice." Dodds replied simply.

"Even to you rotten children." Oldman said.

"OLD MEN AWAYYY." With that, both heroes took off in the same style as last time.

The girls only exchanged confused glances before starting their walk out of the forest.

**Valley of Avalar**

Ava and Kweeb had actually chased Aurra out of the forest at this time, both Glomourians clashing their weapons. Aurra's nun-chuck wrapped around Ava's sword for her to toss Ava away. From the ground, Kweeb shot a few blasts at Aurra, making her wince from the tiny lasers.

When the previous four girls ran out of the forest and into the valley, they immediately hurried over to the fighting taking place. "Sister!" Yang exclaimed, running over. "These villains ambushed us from out of nowhere!"

"I know! We just ran into those four poisonbenders."

"What?"

Meanwhile, Cad Bane had appeared and was attacking Cosmo, who ran and swiftly dodged Cad Bane's gunshots. Cad Bane fired another bullet at Cosmo, who dodged, but the bullet came right for Yang.

"YANG!" Yin shouted, immediately shoving her brother out of the way. "YAH!"

"SISTER!" Yang shouted when the shot scraped the side of her hip.

"HA! Let's see the Stormtroopers try and beat that!" Bane exclaimed. He aimed his gun at Cosmo, who winced when he fired, but was protected by a psychic barrier.

He looked and saw the psychic barrier was made by Morgan, and the Uno girl tossed another psychic blast that Bane flipped and dodged. Shadow then zoomed over as a pinball and Home Attacked the hunter, knocking him away and taking the gun. Bane dodged more as Shadow tried to shoot him, then the Duro took out a bunch of bombs and rolled them over.

Before they could explode on the hedgehog, however- "PIYAH!" Kirby shot over on his Warp Star and sucked the explosives right in. A blue, pointy hat appeared on the puffball as he became Bomb Kirby, proceeding to throw bombs all over the hunter.

Ava and Aurra continued to clash their weapons as Ava spoke, "Why did things have to change between us?"

"You tell me. You're the one who ditched me to hang out with those GKNDorks. You're the one who betrayed me."

Ava jumped a swing. "I did not." Another swing. "I left so I could help save the kids of the universe. Including you."

She rolled behind Aurra and attempted another slash that Aurra jumped. "Yeah? Well, that wasn't what happened, was it?"

"Errr." As Ava held her weapon back, Kirby rolled a bomb over and blew the hunter away.

Meanwhile, Mandy and Rachel were still in their own clash. Mandy had kicked the Brit off the cliff at this time, knocking him out, leaving only Rachel. When both cousins knocked the others' weapons away, they shot each other glares and charged, gripping the others' hands and trying to hold them back. As they did so, Rachel's left hand and Mandy's right hand; which were pushing each other, started to glow a golden light. They immediately stopped and stared wide-eyed as the Triforce marks appeared on the back of their hands.

Mandy stopped staring and looked back at Rachel. "So, you DO have it."

"You have a Triforce mark, too?..." Rachel asked, eyes widened in surprise.

"The Triforce of Wisdom. Had a little help finding it from Darkrai, though. I'm also a fearbender. Check it out." With that, she erupted another Fear Scream and blew her back, running to get her sword. Rachel recovered and stylishly dodged Mandy's swings, running to grab her own sword, then start defending once again.

As the others continued to fight down below, The Terrible Toxic Four dashed past them into Cad Bane's ship. "Yo, guys, we gotta go!" Matt shouted.

Bane kicked at Cosmo one last time and said, "This isn't the END, punk.", before running to his ship.

Aurra was the last to join them, and as the ship was lifting from the ground, Mandy quickly scampered over and gracefully flipped onto the ship, riding on with it as it shot to the stars.

"Are you okay, Nigel?" Katie asked, running over to help her adoptive brother up.

"Argh… I think so. What are you doing here, Katie?"

"Got mixed in a little adventure with Mandy. Managed to swipe this." She pulled out and unfolded the Marauder's Map.

"What is it?"

"A Marauder's Map. I feel like we're gonna need it."

"So, how'd your little battle go?" Ava asked Kami as Kami gave her sword back.

"It came out a tie, it looks like. But that one gave me this." Kami said, unfolding the note passed on to her by Jeremiah. She squinted at the slightly blurry writing, sounding the word out. "Core-ruse…core-ruse…can't?"

Ava looked over her shoulder and read it. "That's 'Coruscant'." She corrected.

"What's Coruscant?"

"Coruscant is the big-city planet." Kweeb answered. "The whole planet is one big city. It's basically the Galaxian Capital."

"It was one of the first planets in Galaxia designed by the spirits to have human life." Ava continued. "As a result, they're pretty more advanced in technology than you Earthlings are."

"Hey, look. There's more to it." Kweeb said, jumping from Ava's shoulder onto the note, unfolding a part on the bottom. The bottom part read 'Toche, Uscru District'. When Kweeb unfolded it, Kami noticed a ticket fell out as well.

The other three girls opened their notes to find the same thing, tickets included. However, when Katie opened her note, all she found was a poorly designed fake coupon for free popcorn and cotton candy, along with a ticket. She sighed and tucked both items away.

"I fear that remaining here any longer will only draw more attention from our enemies." Meta Knight concluded, coming out from his ship. "We must continue to the next planet immediately."

"Wait a minute!" Amy shouted. "We never had a chance to look for that spirit Kyogre told us about."

"Sorry, Amy. Mission first." Sonic said.

"Great. Now, let's get off this cruddy fairytale planet before I pukify." Wally demanded. "OW!" He earned a smack behind the head from Kuki, who smiled happily.

Nigel spoke, "Right. Next we should be going to-"

"AMANDA, PLEASE!" Penelope shouted, getting in front of Nigel and cutting him off. "We must get to the space station so I can finally meet my star!"

Nigel shoved her away and continued, "I was GOING to say Planet Secco. I have to meet this Sun God and-"

"We want Amanda. We want Amanda! WE want AMANDA!" Penelope cheered.

"Ugh. Let's just go." Nigel face-palmed.

**Halberd; Dedede's Room**

The spaceships were flying back in the starry skies of space in an instant. Most of the team members were asleep, such as King Dedede and Escargoon for example, who were sleeping and cuddling with each other in one bed aboard the Halberd in a dark, quiet bedroom. Their peace was disturbed when their door opened. The figure who stepped inside was shaded by the darkness of the room. However, it seemed short and ball-shaped, with bright yellow eyes glaring through what seemed like a mask.

The figure slowly approached the sleeping two, holding up a needle with some sort of substance in his right, mittened hand. As he got ever closer, the sleeping pair felt his presence and woke up, smacking their lips. They gasped, their eyes widened in fright once the figure reached them. "IT'S YOU-" But their screams were silenced when the figure impaled both of them with the needle, letting the substance seep into their bloodstream. "Mmmm…" The two's pain subsided as their eyes glowed a bright red, and they gave maniacal grins.

**Halberd Hangar**

Inside the Halberd's hangar, Nigel was currently seeing his friends off; the girls who got the invites to Coruscant as well as a couple others. Ava and Kweeb were taking Kami on the Heart Star, like usual; Yin, Yang, and Katie were taking a S.C.A.M.P.E.R., while Marine just drove in her own ship from their previous galactic adventures, the S.S. Super Marine. "You can meet us on Planet Secco." Nigel instructed to Ava, Kweeb, and Katie. "We're going to look for the Sun Temple in the Ancient Wastelands."

"Be careful, Nigel." Ava cautioned him. "Irkens or not, that planet is full of outlaws. I hear it's where Rattlesnake Jake came from… well, after Hell, of course."

"Hm, relax, Ava." Nigel smirked. "You remember old Nigel, right? We can handle anything vicious and scary."

"Yeah! So, come on, you old sheilas and boomers, and le's see what this place is about on Core-ruse-can't-count, or whatevah." Marine demanded.

"Hm hm! Okay." Ava chuckled. "See you later, Nigel." With that, everyone got in their ships as the hatches opened, and Nigel watched them take off.

**Virginia's Room**

Meanwhile, Virginia Sims and Bartie Stork were peacefully asleep in their own bed. Their doors slid open as King Dedede and Escargoon stepped in, still with glowing red eyes and evil smirks. Both of them slowly crept up to the two and uncovered their blanket, but before they could awake and react, Dedede rose his hammer and bashed both of them in the face, knocking them out cold. Afterwards, Dedede pulled out a sack and stuffed the Nightmare Princess right in, and the two laughed maniacally on their way out.

**Halberd Kitchen**

Fanny Fulbright was happily working in the kitchen aboard the Halberd, alongside Sonya and Morgan. "Just a few more seconds, and… done!" the Irish cheered, carefully pulling a cake out of the oven and setting it next to other baked goodies.

"Wow! I never knew you knew how to cook, Fanny!" Sonya smiled with admiration.

"Of course Ay do! I've been learnin' from my mum since Ay was three. I was hopin' to become a Moonbase chef, but, couldn't pass Head o' Decommissionin' up."

"Hm hm, I've been cooking a while, too!" Morgan smiled. "Maybe later, I'll show you how I make my Mochi Cupcake. I remember every time I baked something, Buddy and the girls would run down and fight over my food."

"Ay'll have to steal yer recipe." Fanny winked.

Morgan sighed and frowned. "It won't be the same without them, though. I wonder how they're doing on New Island?"

"I'm sure they're fine!" Sonya said positively. "And when you see them again, you'll ALL be wonderful psychicbenders! But let's bring everyone this food! They're probably pretty hungry."

"Hm hm, okay!"

**Halberd Cockpit**

Nigel had returned to the ship's cockpit in time to see Jagar telling Rachel about the map Katie got from Mandy, the Brit sparing a glance to Kuki happily playing with Marx. "It's a Marauder's Map." The timebender explained. "The Time Spirits designed it to show how any location looks in the present state, and how it looked in a previous state. It also pinpoints anyone's locations by detecting their footprints."

"Hmm… interesting. But why would Mandy have something like this?" Rachel asked.

"Hey, guys!" Morgan cheered as she walked in with Sonya and Fanny, carrying the dessert with her psychic.

"Who's ready to fill their tummies after a long day's space adventure?" Sonya smiled.

"I'm in for that!" Hoagie exclaimed as they all hurried over and picked something to eat.

"Mmm, this stuff is GOOD!" Wally yelled, chewing on a donut.

"I vote we mark these three the chefs of the ship." Magolor decided.

"Numbuh 5 seconds that." Abby agreed.

"Yummy, yummy! It's in my tummy!" Marx cheered, still bouncing on his ball and chewing a cake.

It was then that Meta Knight walked back in, still holding his cape wrapped around him. "Hey, Meta Knight!" Sonya perkily ran over and greeted with a cup of tea. "Have some tea!"

The masked star knight took the beverage and began guzzling it through his mask where his eyes peeked out. "Hmm… it is quite delicious. It puts me in a better mood than I am now for some reason. Mm hm hm hm hm."

That's when Dedede and Escargoon stepped in with their sack. "Uh, pardon me, fellas," Dedede spoke, "but we gots to go drop by the space junkyard and drop off some o' this trash."

"Very well." Meta Knight spoke. "You may go. Just return as soon as you are finished with your… _business_." The two nodded and stepped out.

Afterwards, Fi popped out of Rachel's sword and reported, _"Master: I am sensing dark auras emitting from Dedede and Escargoon. I calculate an 80% chance they have something important within that sack."_

"I had a feeling something was up." Rachel whispered.

"Wanna follow them and check it out?" Nigel asked.

"You bet, Soldier."

**Blue Typhoon**

From the control deck of the Blue Typhoon, Tails watched in curiosity as Dedede and Escargoon took a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and flew off. "That's weird. I wonder where they're headed?"

Meta Knight's image appeared on the screen. _"Dedede and Escargoon have gone to take care of some business. They'll be back momentarily."_

"Hmph." Shadow, having suspicious feelings, just decided to exit down the hall, passing by Rouge.

"Shadow? Where are you going?" the bat asked.

"Taking care of some business."

His partner just shrugged and entered the cockpit.

**Downtown Coruscant**

The other girls, plus Yang and Kweeb, had soon arrived at the big-city planet of Coruscant, gazing up at all the buildings towering over them with flying cars passing in between. "So, this is Coruscant." Kami said, looking around. "Your typical 'Year 3000', isn't it?"

"For you Earthlings, I guess." Kweeb replied. "Of course, when you're my size, you see this as a forbidden planet of giants who step on everything."

"Let's ask someone if they know anything about this 'Toche'." Yin said, running over to a green alien with brown hair. "Ahem, excuse me, Sir? Are you familiar with a place called…" she squinted at the paper, "Toche?"

"Oh, heen mah titzu winu sits wazu. (Oh yeah, I remember that, that was a nice place.)" the alien replied.

"…Huh?"

"Es quadro beeko menu hepo hey. (I remember it's that li'l ol' place with the dancin' in the big bubble.) Qon weet shitzu Jerry sprango on tabo hey. (I asked my cousin Jerry if he wanted to come on down and watch it with me.) Meetzu winaunu, winaunu ilbo enu ello hanyu. Enu ello hanyu. (I keep telling him he needs to get out more, but he always just seems so distant. So distant…)" The alien sighed.

"Uhhh…" Yin didn't understand a word out of the guy's mouth.

"Here." Ava said, pushing Yin aside and pulling the alien's head closer so she could kiss him.

"OH, careful not to lick the tootie rolls!" the alien said in a stereotypical homosexual voice. "Hey, I'm speakin' y'all's language!"

"Great! So, can you please tell us about the Toche in USCRU? ?" Yin shouted.

"Oh, Toche is the Galaxies Opera House down in the Uscru District. They playin' a show tonight at 7. Hey, any o' you kids wanna try a Hutt specialized Oreo? I got a whole bag o' them in my back pocket."

"Um… no thanks." Ava said. "We'll just be going now."

"Hm, that's okay, then. I can eat 'em myself." With that, the alien pulled out and proceeded to eat the alien Oreos.

"Now that I think about it, I'm going on a date with Matthew." Yin said. "I should wear something fancy. Wanna go shopping with me, Yang?"

"Yeah! We have plenty of time." Katie smirked.

"NONONONONONO! ! I am SO not going to be your servant again!" At this, all the girls giggled.

"Actually, I'm gettin' kinda hungry." Kami said. "We have plenty of time until this show starts. Do they have any restaurants?"

"Oh, plenty!" Ava smiled. "Why don't we go to Big Meat's House o' Hutt-sized Meat?" she pointed to a building which seemed nearly completely made of meat, which had a fat, chubby sluggish alien on their sign. Kami only gulped with disgust.

"Nah. Let's go to Slugga the Hutt's Sluggy Buffet." Kweeb suggested, pointing at a restaurant with a bunch of alien slugs hanging around it, with a sign that read 'We do NOT roast our own kind'.

Kami felt her stomach sicken once again, but finally smiled when she spotted a familiar restaurant. "Hey! There's a Frisch's Big Boy! Let's go eat there!" With that, she and the other humans; plus Katie and Marine, happily ran over.

Ava and Kweeb just exchanged a confused glance as Kweeb twirled a finger by his head, mimicking that Kami was crazy. "Humans." They both said disbelievingly, walking after them.

Kami walked in first and approached a white blob alien with buggy black eyes at the counter. "Uh… do you take my order, or…"

"Bl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l." the blob wiggled.

"Um… what?"

"Bl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l."

"I-I can't understand."

"Bl-l-l-l-l-l-l!" the alien seemed to be getting mad.

"Do YOU speak EEEENGLIIIISH? ?" she drew out.

"Bl-l! L-l-l-l-l!" the blob wobbled over to a door where a red triceratops alien with a cannon horn came out, shooting strange rock balls at Kami's face.

"Ow, hey! What the heck is your problem?"

"Um, let me handle this. I speak his language." Ava said, approaching the alien. "Ahem: bl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l! Bl-l-l-l-l-l-l!" The kids watched as the two argued in that weird language. Kweeb and Kami exchanged a glance and shook their heads in disbelief.

"Bl-l. Bl-l-l-l-l-l." The arguing seemed to calm, and the blob led them over to two separate tables: Yin, Yang, Katie, and Marine were seated at one while Team Alien had their own.

"O-kay, that was an ordeal, and, you so owe me." Ava stated.

"Hehehe…" Kami blushed.

The triceratops alien then came over and spat some plates on their table from his cannon horn, then spat out some purple octopuses in hamburger buns onto those plates, which Kami looked disgustedly at. "I thought I'd start us out with some dessert." Ava said, stabbing her sword into her… squidburger like a fork, holding it to her mouth and eating it.

Kami hesitantly reached for her burger, and screamed when a mouth with sharp teeth shot open and started roaring, the alien squid shaking around. "WHOA!" Ava shouted, stabbing her other sword into the food, making it silence. "Gotta make sure you stab it first. These things always taste better freshly killed. Go on. Eat it."

Kami felt even more unsure about this now. Eating food that had just been freshly killed? She couldn't deny these aliens had some weird ways. The Drilovsky girl carefully gripped both sides of the squid sandwich and held it to her mouth. Very slowly, she touched her teeth to the top and bottom bun and bit down, eating off a very small bite and chewing.

Ava and Kweeb rose an eyebrow, eagerly awaiting a reaction as Kami swallowed the food. She looked very disgusted at first, but her face froze almost completely, rolling her eyes down at the food. Before the aliens knew it, Kami began guzzling down the rest of the food. "OMM THIS STUFF IS SO GOOD!" she shouted through chews.

"Uh… glad you like it." Ava said, smiling weirdly with Kweeb.

**Nightmare Land Town Square**

King Dedede and Escargoon carried the unconscious shadowbender all the way to Nightmare Land. The two disembarked their ship and carried the sack over to the Nightmare King's statue. They pulled Virginia out and shook her awake, the goth girl yawning and looking around. "Huh… what the- What are you doing? !" she shouted as Dedede tied both her wrists to the ground so that she was directly facing the statue.

"Oh, you'll see." Escargoon smirked.

"Let the ritual commence." Dedede spoke. Both villains stood beside Virginia and began chanting something as Ginny looked frightfully at the statue.

_"Ifalas zaraz i is zarak. Ifalas zaraz i is zarak."_ They chanted, bowing to the statue. _"IFALAS ZARAZ I IS ZARAK! IFALAS ZARAZ I IS ZARAK!" _The eyes on the statue started glowing, absorbing some kind of white aura from Virginia's eyes and mouth.

Before the ritual could commence any further, Shadow the Hedgehog shot over as a pinball and attacked both of them, and the white aura vanished. Nigel and Rachel arrived on Rachel's R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., reprogrammed to fly, and the blonde leader ran over and sliced the ropes binding Virginia to the ground, the two exchanging a smile.

"Mmmm!" Dedede and Escargoon recovered and shot glares at the operatives and hedgehog.

"Piyah!" Kirby cheered, coming down on his Warp Star.

"Eat this, Kirby!" Nigel ordered, shooting a fireball at the pink puff. Kirby sucked it in, his skin becoming red as a flame appeared on his head, becoming Flame Kirby. Escargoon curled into his shell and charged a spin before Dedede used his hammer to whack him over and push Nigel and Rachel away.

Kirby blew fire on the snail shell, catching it on fire, but Escargoon kept rolling and trying to hit him. He then tried to roll into Shadow, but the hedgehog was able to grab and hold him back, lifting the flaming shell and swinging him around before tossing him at Dedede.

The fat king was knocked over, but the two quickly recovered as Escargoon's flames vanished. "Ahem." Their attention was directed to none other than Darkrai, Customer, and Jar Jar Blinks. "This should help." The Nightmare King said, holding up his sword. The two villains gave a scream as Darkrai dealt each of them a diagonal slash. As a result, some dark energy flew out of their bodies and to the sky, where it exploded. The king sheathed his sword and said, "There we go."

"Oh… what just happened?" Dedede asked.

"I think we were possessed, Sire." Escargoon replied.

"Yes…" They looked back up at the king. "You were possessed."

"Wa-hey! If it isn't Darkrai!" King Dedede smiled.

"Hey, how's it goin' there, big guy?" Escargoon grinned nervously.

"Save the kissing up for later." He turned to his granddaughter. "Are you okay, Virginia?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Good… these two were possessed by Nightmare Power. They were brainwashed into kidnapping my granddaughter and using her to revive the original Nightmare King from his slumber."

"But who would wanna do that?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know… but there is clearly a _traitor_ in your mist."

"A traitor?" Nigel asked.

"Yes. Clearly, someone in your crew is scheming to free the first Nightmare King. That would result in another Nightmare War."

"Then it would have to be a Nightmare…" Nigel thought. "Do you guys remember anything?"

"Hmm…" Dedede began to think. "It's hard to remember… but Ah do think he had… glowing yellow eyes."

"And he was short, too." Escargoon followed.

"It… couldn't be Meta Knight, could it?" Rachel asked.

"Of course!" Nigel deduced. "You heard him! He wants to be the greatest warrior in Galaxia! He's probably helping us find Jirachi in his own little scheme to revive the Galaxia Sword and take it for himself, and he probably wants to awaken his old king and show him his power!"

"That could be true." Darkrai replied. "Meta Knight was one of the Holy Nightmare's greatest creations. But like many of his greatest works, he proved too powerful for him. Especially the little puffball you see before you."

"Poyo?" Kirby rose a brow.

"You mean… Kirby's a Nightmare, too?" Rachel asked.

"Hm hm… here's an interesting little story. For many years, my father designed and created Nightmare creatures to haunt the dreams of children. But for his entire eternity, he's had one absolute goal: to design the Ultimate Nightmare. One that would match the powers of them all, but stronger. And… he succeeded. He created the innocent little puff you see today. He called him… Kirby."

"Pie!" Kirby smiled.

"But first, he needed to test him. So he put all his Nightmare soldiers against him, and Kirby used his powerful lungs to steal each of their abilities. First, he mastered elements: such as fire, ice, water, wind, plants… and then he mastered weapons: swords, boomerangs, whips, spears, shurikens… even yo-yos. He truly was the Ultimate Nightmare, and the Holy Nightmare was proud. But his pride did not last long. The spirit apprentice, Clockwork came to him one day. He told my father that one day, Kirby would become strong enough to surpass and dethrone him. My father began to fear Kirby, so he had no choice. He erased all of Kirby's memories as a Nightmare and of his history, and put him asleep in a capsule which he sent off to space, never to be seen again. But… Kirby returned, after the eons… and his powers slowly returned… until he was strong enough to dethrone my father. Sealing him in the grave before you.

"The moral of the story is… when someone is viewed as too powerful… all others begin to fear them." He glanced over at Shadow. "I'm sure you can relate to that."

"Hmph."

"Anyway… my father has been imprisoned for nearly 300 years now. But since then, fragments of his aura have been escaping from this grave, possessing any hearts it comes in contact with, controlling them into awakening his full form from his slumber in order to grant them power. You witnessed this yourselves, when Jar Jar here was possessed weeks ago."

"Mm-mm. It was cwazy!" Blinks said.

"But now it seems the energy has reached Meta Knight, a fellow Nightmare. His lust for becoming the greatest Star Warrior may lead him to awaken the former king once again."

"Wait, hold on, let's not jump to conclusions." Rachel spoke up. "We aren't really sure if it's Meta Knight or not. Why don't we all get back to the ship and… talk with him?"

Perhaps you should." Darkrai suggested. "Who knows what sort of tricks this traitor might try next."

"Good thinking." Rachel replied. "Let's go, guys." With that, everyone hurried back to their ships and lifted off, on their way back to the Halberd.

**Planet Coruscant; Galaxies Opera House**

It soon became 7:00 p.m. on Planet Coruscant (or in the Uscru District of Coruscant at least). The four girls who received the secret invitations from the poisonbenders arrived at the Galaxies Opera House. After shopping, Yin came dressed in a beautiful blue, sparkling gown and blue high heels, with a little blue flower in her hair. She did a twirl as she said, "You know, you three should've dressed up. It is an opera." She smiled.

"I would've at least picked more variety." Kami said with a disbelieved look. "I mean, all blue?"

The girls looked around the tremendous, expansive auditorium. The place was chockfull with millions of people, it looked like, and their respective dates could be anywhere.

"I still can't believe that guard bought the fake coupon." Katie said, holding a bunch of popcorn and cotton candy. "Although I think he was from the planet of people who see every piece of paper as a god."

**At the lobby**

"O Great, Holy Spirit." The alien at the snack stand kneeled before the poorly-drawn fake coupon on the counter. "I obey your EVERY COMMAND, Your Greatness!"

"…" The paper just sat there.

**In the auditorium**

Yin looked for a second. "Oh, look. There's Matthew." She pointed out, making her way over to her date.

Kami noticed her date sitting far away. "There's Jeremiah." She said, walking over.

Katie and Marine spotted their dates in separate, far off rows and fought their way past the audience to reach them.

Matt uninterestingly watched the performance on stage as Yin was able to make her way over and sit in the seat beside him. "Uh… is this seat taken?"

"Hey, you made it!" he smiled. He was a little surprised by her appearance. "Whoa, not bad! Heh, you didn't have to dress up for me."

"Well, one of us has to." She winked, taking her seat beside him. "How come you invited me here? A place like this isn't easy to navigate."

"Yeah, well… this was the only perfect place we could hide from Brain and those other guys. That's why I chose it."

"Hm." Yin just settled and kicked back in her seat. "So, how did you four get mixed in with them, anyway?"

"Ganondorf came to us one day and recruited us. Figured, you know, why not. As long as he wouldn't sing."

"What was your life like before starting the Toxic Four?"

"Hmm… I used to be leader of Sector R in the Philippine Kids Next Door. I always tried to use my powers to fight adult tyranny, but… I ended up causing more destruction than good. Especially in Uzbekistan. Eventually, I decided to abandon my team and… went hiding in Cleveland, Virginia, where I met the others."

"And things haven't changed since, huh?"

"I dunno. I've always thought that poison was good for nothing but destruction… but lately, I've been thinking… maybe there can be good in it. I feel like they've only come from my negative emotions. Maybe if I had good feelings… nicer feelings… it could be more than destruction."

"Well, I'm glad you think that." The Chinese smiled. "Ow…"

"What's wrong?" Matt asked, noticing Yin grip the side of her hip.

Yin uncovered and revealed the bullet scratch in the side of her hip. "I was shot earlier by one of those bounty hunters. I'm fine…"

"Hmm… let me help." Matt offered, moving her dress aside and digging his fingernails into her skin.

"Oh!" Yin winced from the pain as Matt took his fingers out after a few seconds, pulling her dress back down. They watched with amazement as the wound in her hip slowly disappeared, leaving barely any trace of its existence.

"Hey, it worked!" Matt perked.

"Whoa… how'd you do that?"

"Well, it's usually what we do for a Poison Sting… but since you're one of the few… 'regular' people that make me feel good… I thought I might be able to do some healing effects instead of injuring."

Yin smiled warmly. "It felt nice…"

At this time, Kami shoved her way past other rows of aliens and was able to make it and sit beside Jeremiah. "Hey."

"Huh? Oh, I was wondering when you would show up." He smiled.

"Awe, you missed me. Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to give you this." With that, she stomped his foot.

"Ahh! What was that for? !"

"For almost stepping on me out there in the forest!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, you-"

"-switched bodies with Kweeb, exactly. Don't want that to ever happen again. Awww, but how sweet of you to ask me out all of a sudden." She said with a fake tone of sweetness. "I have to admit, the 'trying to kill me' bit just to slip me the note was pretty clever."

"Hm. I bet pretty girls like you get asked out all the time." He smirked.

"Well… not exactly. I'm sort of in the nerd community. Plus, I work in an Arctic tundra all day, fixing silly wounds."

"Sounds like the place I'd like to be right now."

"Oh yeah, your burns… how did you get those, anyway?"

"I grew up as an orphan in New York. Probably 'cause my parents knew I was a poisonbender and didn't want anything to do with me. We lived in a crummy orphanage with barely any electrical power. We mostly had to use candlelight. And since gas is flammable, and I liked to practice with my power, I… started quite a few fires. And exploded a lot. Eventually, I just decided to run away, and I wound up in Virginia."

"Hehe… too bad I wasn't around to help heal those burns. Heck, it would've been better than pulling splinters out of Dib's finger."

"Well, they're a lot better now. And on the bright side, I did get to meet the gang. Not to mention, I just got myself a date, so things are going fine. You really know how to wield a sword, by the way."

"Awww!" Kami felt swooned by the compliment (but not really). "But speaking of which, did you really have to use the bad breath? You nearly killed my sense of smell."

"Well, I can barely remember the last time I brushed, so I'm not surprised. But maybe this'll make it feel better." With that, he leaned over and breathed in her face again.

Kami winced, expecting the same awful smell from before… but now it smelled minty and fresh, like he had stuck a peppermint to a toothbrush, put toothpaste on, and started brushing. "That… actually smells pretty nice."

"Heh. One of the benefits of being a poisonbender is being able to change how your breath smells."

"Hm hm… no need to worry about that then, when you're going on a date." She smirked.

Meanwhile, Leo was resting his head on his arms, nearly dying from the performance of the boring opera as Katie came over. "Um… hello?"

He shot up and gasped at all the cotton candy and popcorn she had. "OH, SWEET RELIEF!" he yelled, swiping the sweets from her and began devouring as Katie took a seat beside him.

"Uh-huh… so, I hear you're an idiot."

"I am not! I just… don't… know a lot of things… most of the time."

"Right. Um-"

"You know, I didn't even wanna come to this crap fest by myself! Why am I the only one without a date?"

"Aren't I your date?"

"NO! I wanted to take Scarlet." He said, sadly. "But she and Lehcar are busy… being EVIL and… and stuff." He gave a sigh. "Somehow, I don't think she likes me."

"She'd probably rather kiss you than stay in a room with Violet for 1 second."

"HAHAHA! ! You're funny!" he yelled, spewing popcorn at her face. "Anyway, I think I'm over Scarlet, really."

"Someone like her? I wouldn't wanna date to begin with."

"Yeah! You're a WAY nicer person to hang out with! You're pretty, and you don't pick on me like Danika and Cheshire does!"

"I wouldn't quite agree." Katie smirked. "I may be pretty, but I am a Nightmare creature. Therefore, I love to scare people. I can also turn my face into that of a fly's."

"Well… you're still the only girl who isn't one of my sisters that likes to hang out with me."

"I've only been hanging out with you for a few minutes."

"Well, do you like to?"

"Well… yeah, you're kinda cool."

Leo immediately stood up and yelled, "YEEEAAAHHH!"

Marine and Elijah were sitting by each other, kicking back in their seats and resting their feet on the seats in front of them. "Purple Flurp?" Elijah offered.

"Don't moind if I do, Mate!" Marine perked, taking and drinking the beverage while Elijah drank his own.

"BURP!" he burped in her face.

"BURP!" she burped back, laughing.

Elijah shot her a glare and went, "BURP!"

"BURP."

"BURP."

"BURP."

"BURP."

"BURP."

"BUURP."

"BEEELCH."

"HAACK…" Elijah tried to let out another burp, but couldn't. "Oh." He blushed.

"WOOHOO! Beat ya, Mate!" she taunted.

"I wanna rematch!"

"Ah, put a sock in, eh, it's an opera! Shouldn't we be listenin'?"

"Big deal. If I can't understand them, I don't give a ***."

"Total strewth, eh?"

At this time, all four poisonbenders and their dates were staring romantically at each other. Yin's grey eyes stared into Matt's midnight-blue ones, Kami's emerald-green eyes looked into Jeremiah's toxic-green, Katie's bright blue eyes looked at Leo's green eyes, and Marine's bright blue eyes met up with Elijah's dark-green ones. In an instant, all four couples engaged in a kiss.

Yin and Matthew's kiss was interrupted when the paper-worshipping alien appeared behind them, holding up the fake coupon. "EVERYBODY! !" Everyone around the area looked up at him. "THE PAPER… HAS RETURNED! He is back to bring us the good word! ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY PAPER! ! !"

"…" The coupon still said nothing.

Yin and Matthew looked back at each other and resumed kissing.

* * *

><p><strong>Arrr, that coulda gone better. SO, the poisonbenders finally get dates with their crushes. Next time… I will hopefully feel better and we can continue to Secco. Where MIKA will meet her pairing! Later!<strong>


	42. Dust of the Past

**Annnd we're BACK at Planet Secco! What'll we find here? Well, first we gotta do this.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Landing on Planet Secco! The Ancient Dust of the Past.<em>**

**Somewhere in space**

After rescuing Virginia, and freeing King Dedede and Escargoon from a spell, the small group returned to the flagships. Shadow returned to the Typhoon while the others boarded the Halberd and walked to the cockpit, where Bartie immediately ran and embraced Ginny in a hug. "Ginny! You're okay!"

"Hehe. Settle down, Bartie!"

"Hm… so, you are back." Meta Knight observed.

"Yes… we're back." Nigel said, still looking suspicious at Meta Knight.

"Well, great!" Magolor cheered. "We're getting closer to Planet Secco."

"Here we go, here we go!" Marx cheered, still bouncing away. However, he stopped when he noticed some red dots on radar. "…Ooh?"

The ship started shaking as laser fire came in contact. Tails' image appeared onscreen and spoke, _"Guys! We've picked up a squadron of TIE Fighters coming right toward us."_

"Activate the cannons and fight back." Meta Knight ordered. (Play "Meta Knight's Revenge" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

Swarms of TIE Fighters began zooming into the area as both ships fired bullets and shot them down. Ahead of them was a small fleet of Star Destroyers where the TIE Fighters came from. "Oi, Sir Meta Knight. Some of the Fighters 'ave crashed into our interior." Sword Knight reported. "They're breakin' in."

"Hmph." Meta Knight threw back his cape, turning it into wings, and drew his sword. "Time for some action!" With that, the knight shot down the hall to where some TIE Fighters were crashing in. Stormtroopers started coming off, but Meta Knight started slicing them up before they realized it. He flew out of one of the holes left by the Fighters and flew around the ship's exterior, slicing at TIE Fighters and exploding them before they could crash.

The same thing was happening aboard the Typhoon, but Shadow was running through and tossing Chaos Spears at all the Stormtroopers, taking their guns and shooting other ones. Morgan and Mika climbed on the Halberd's bridge (wearing space helmets for breath), and Morgan floated to the Typhoon's bridge. From there, she easily grabbed TIE Fighters with psychic. She looked over at the Halberd's bridge to see Mika grabbing some as well, so the two psychicbenders tossed the Fighters into each other, blowing them up.

"Ready, Sonic?" Tails called to his best friend.

"You bet!" Sonic exclaimed, from inside some kind of energy chamber.

_"Morgan, move out of the way."_ Tails called through the intercom. Morgan did so and ran off the bridge as the roadway opened up, emerging a massive cannon. _"Power from the Chaos and Sol Emeralds transferring to the Sonic Power Cannon."_

The massive cannon surged with energy as Sonic charged a super-powered Spin Dash.

"Ready…" Amy began as the cannon locked onto a Star Destroyer. "FIRE!"

The massive energy pinball zoomed to the first Star Destroyer, directly hitting and destroying the cockpit, exploding the whole ship. "Target destroyed!" Tails exclaimed.

More TIE Fighters crashed into the Halberd's lower interior, but the Stormtroopers were ambushed by the Junior Prospectors, jumping and throwing sacks over their heads before pulling them over. Mushi happily bounced on the soldiers' guts afterwards before Luvbi blew them out of the holes, back into space.

More TIE Fighters fired at the Halberd's deck, one of the shots blowing Mika away, but Meta Knight flew up to one of them, smashed through its windshield, and threw the Stormtroopers out before controlling the Fighter into crashing at another one. Meta Knight quickly shot over to another one, taking control, and crashing it into another one as well before flying out. "Dimentia. Power the Reactor!" Meta Knight called.

Inside the ship's core, Dimentia unleashed her Space Lightning upon the Halberd Reactor. From the cockpit, Magolor watched as a gauge filled up with energy. "Energy charge complete, Meta Knight."

"Perfect! Double-twin Cannons: FIRE!" Meta Knight flew out of the way as the two large cannons aboard the Halberd's deck started to activate. Both cannons aimed at the second Star Destroyer and fired away, attacking the cockpit and exploding in an instant.

"YES!" they all cheered.

**Star Destroyer**

From aboard the final Star Destroyer, which appeared bigger than the other two, Ooblar, the Yokian henchman, flew around frantically. "Oh no! They're beating us, Sire!"

"Silence!" King Goobot ordered. "Release the Heavy Lobsters!" (Stop the music.)

**Back with the others**

The Star Destroyer immediately dropped two pods towards the ships. As the Junior Prospectors were walking through, they were blown back when one of them crashed in the Halberd's wall. (Play the "Heavy Lobster" Remix – "Ultra Heavy Lobster" Version!) They watched as the pod slowly opened, releasing a big, golden robot lobster. The kids screamed when the lobster fired lasers from its claws, immediately dashing down the hall. The Heavy Lobster activated a jet boost and chased after them.

"Guys! We're being attacked by a big, robot crab!" Tommy shouted into his wristwatch communicator.

"Sword Knight! Blade Knight! Stop it at once!" Meta Knight ordered, still flying outside.

"Right then!" they both saluted, running down the halls, followed by Nigel, Rachel, and Kirby.

_Boss fight: Heavy Lobster_

The Prospectors hurriedly slammed a button on one of the walls, making a door close on the Heavy Lobster. However, they looked worried when the door started melting from a laser the robot was firing. "It's breaking through!" Tommy yelled.

"Those guys better hurry." Mushi said.

Before the Heavy Lobster could break through, the five arrived just in time from behind it. Rachel, Sword, and Blade swung their swords at the Nightmare while Nigel tossed fireballs to try and burn it. While they battled the monster, with none of their attacks seeming to work, Mika arrived just in time and tossed a Psycho Sphere at it, pushing and exploding the lobster into the door. The door was blown open, but the Heavy Lobster survived.

"Well, that coulda gone better." Rachel said as they kept running.

While Sonia and Manic were running down the halls of the Blue Typhoon, another pod crashed into the wall, releasing a black Heavy Lobster. "Oh, great!" Manic shouted, charging and trying to Home Attack the robot, but it only swat him away with its claws. Sonia spun into a tornado to try and suck the monster in, but was ineffective. The Heavy Lobster then blew some fire from one of its claws, spinning around Sonia's tornado and burning the hedgehog.

Rouge came up from behind it, and the bat girl immediately performed a Screw Kick, but her attack did no damage. The lobster charged his jet booster and started speeding down the hall.

Inside the Halberd's cockpit, Gabe was currently watching the Heavy Lobster's movements through the Halberd on radar. "That thing's heading for the Reactor!"

"DIMENTIA!" Infinity shouted, already running to help his leader down there.

Mika ran and ambushed the Heavy Lobster, attempting to lift it with her psychic, but to no avail. "It's immune to psychic!" she shouted.

"No wonder." Morgan said, hearing her through communicator. The Heavy Lobster boosted again and made Mika jump out of the way while it kept going.

Back on the Typhoon, the black Heavy Lobster was on its way to the main core when Mario got in its way, riding Yoshi. The robot launched flames at them, but Yoshi swallowed some and spat out fireballs, damaging the monster a little. Yoshi then leapt as the two tried to Ground Pound it, but did no damage as the robot swatted them away.

That's when Peach ran in front of him and shouted, "Get 'im', Toad!", holding up her mushroom-headed servant, who looked worried.

"Um, Princess, I'm not so sure if- Hey!" The Princess just tossed Toad at the monster, headfirst at its armor. After recovering from the impact, Toad immediately began crawling around the robo crab, dealing little mini punches, but Heavy Lobster easily shook him off. But while it was distracted, Peach opened its right claw and shoved a turnip inside, so when he tried to fire, that claw ended up exploding.

Peach gave herself a little clap, but Amy pulled her away when the lobster charged its booster and continued down the hall. Amy chased and jumped on it, giving it a few pounds with her hammer, but Heavy Lobster shook her off.

Tails continued to watch the Heavy Lobster's movements on their radar. "Guys, quick! He's reached the engine!"

The crab robot blasted down the doors to the Typhoon's core, ready to strike. "Not so fast!" Knuckles called, running from behind. The red echidna spun around and performed his Knuckles Attack, putting on his Shovel Claws and greatly damaging his booster, but the monster proceeded to shoot missiles at the core, anyway. "NOW, Sonic!"

The blue hedgehog arrived just in time for the show. He held the light-blue Chaos Emerald in his hand, using its power to charge a powerful Spin Dash and pierce straight through the back, the robot erupting in an explosion. "AW, YEAH!" Tails cheered.

"Great!" Sonic smiled. "Now let's hope the others can deal with their problem."

The golden Heavy Lobster continued stomping through the halls of the Halberd, approaching Angie Granite. The girl smirked as she stomped the floor, attempting to fling a rock at him… if only the ship wasn't made of metal. "Eep! I can't bend metal! AHH!" Sonya quickly pulled her out of the way before the lobster shot her, still boosting down the hall.

"He is reaching the main Reactor!" Meta Knight shouted in his thick Spanish accent.

When the doors to the Reactor slid open for Heavy Lobster to come in, Dimentia immediately pelted the robot with Space Lightning, electrocuting it, but not doing much damage. Unaffected, the monster just shot a missile from its right claw. "Dimentia!" Infinity yelled, arriving and shoving the Zathurian out of the way, the missile exploding on the ground and blowing him back.

The Heavy Lobster proceeded to shoot the colorful core that was the Reactor. Kirby hurriedly ran from behind it and shouted, "Pi, pi!"

"The ship is taking massive damage. Quick, Kirby!" Meta Knight shouted.

"Kirby!" Morgan called, running down the hall with the frying pan she previously used in the kitchen. "Eat this!"

Kirby smiled as the Uno girl tossed the utensil, sucking the frying pan inside and gaining his chef's hat and frying pan & ladle, becoming Cook Kirby. The pink puff happily caught the robot in a frying pan and proceeded to cook it at high temperatures. Some of the nuts 'n' bolts popped out of the Heavy Lobster from the intense heat, but it was able to shake away and punch Kirby. "PIE!"

"That monster is mechanical. Cook Kirby is not enough." Meta Knight said.

"Any more ideas?" Dimentia asked.

Morgan then pulled out a golden frying pan with a red handle. "Well, there is this special one I got from my grandmother. Try this!"

Kirby saw the gold utensil coming for him after Morgan tossed it, immediately standing up and inhaling. (Cue "Super Ability" Theme from _Return to Dreamland_!) Kirby glowed with light as a golden chef hat with a bright star emblem appeared on his head, holding a gold frying pan and other gold utensils. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the Heavy Lobster and laid him on a kitchen counter (all of this is part of his form, oddly enough), then started chopping him into pieces with a golden knife. He rapidly tossed the pieces into a refrigerator, allowing them to freeze after a few seconds, then pulled them out and stuffed them in an oven, cooking at extremely hot temperatures for 5 seconds before the oven exploded. Kirby took the burnt pieces of the Heavy Lobster and chopped them up a few more times before tossing a plate with a piece to each person in the room.

The speedy Super Cook Kirby (which they've decided to name "5-Star Chef Kirby") scampered throughout the ship and tossed a plate to everyone else, finally stopping and eating his own in one bite. "Pie!" he smiled happily.

The others smiled at him and attempted to eat their pieces, but immediately hurt their teeth upon contact of the burnt metal. "I'll… skip out on lunch." Infinity decided.

"Besides, we just ate." Morgan said.

"Pie." Kirby blushed. Right as they finished, both ships were finally coming in for landing on Planet Secco. (Stop the music.)

**Planet Secco**

The ships had landed on the endless, sunny, sandy expanse that was Planet Secco. The land looked no different than when Nigel was first here, already feeling the sweat coming on from the intense heat. He was already feeling like Heavy Lobster just moments ago, when 5-Star Chef Kirby burned him in that oven. Unlike Sonic, however… who was freely running around.

"WOOHOO! THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM TO RUN AROUND ON THIS PLANET! NO WATER! !"

"Oh, Brother…" Sonia shook her head, as did Manic.

Eva and Kade were standing in the sand, doing another KNN News segment with Sonic scampering about in the background. "Hello, everybody, and welcome back to KNN News. After our last segment, we've had an unexpected encounter with a few Galaxian characters, including the two great Star Warriors, Kirby and Meta Knight." Eva spoke.

"Pie!" Kirby smiled, getting his face in the camera.

Eva moved him aside and continued, "We've also met up with former galactic leader, Dimentia, who has surprisingly turned over a new leaf. We began our grand adventure into the stars, first crash-landing on a planet of vicious demon aliens known as Vaporians."

_"Woohoo!"_ Sonic cheered in the background, leaving a cloud of sand in his path as he ran.

"But thanks to our heroes, including _myself_, a terrible curse was removed from the planet, turning the aliens back into the peaceful inhabitants they once were."

_"Yeah!"_ Sonic cheered some more.

"They informed us about a lost civilization said to exist on the planet seen before you: Planet Secco. As well as an ancient Sun God they used to worship. Does this lost tribe exist? Tune us in next time, when we-"

"YEAH!" Sonic immediately zoomed between her and the camera, getting the anchorwoman completely covered in sand.

"And… cut." Kade said, stopping the filming.

As Nigel, Rachel, and Meta Knight overlooked the endless sands from the deck of the Halberd, the two had explained to him the incident with Dedede and Escargoon. "So… they were possessed by a Nightmare."

"Pretty much." Rachel replied.

"And…" he turned to them, "you think the traitor is onboard my ship?"

"Yah, we figured…" Nigel said. "And we narrowed a few suspects. But there is something we wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Were you… were you another one of the first Nightmare King's projects… to create the Ultimate Nightmare?" Rachel asked.

"Hmm…" Meta Knight looked away in thought. "I was created… some time after Kirby was banished. After that incident, the Nightmare King decided to practice making powerful weapons that almost match those of the Star Rod, Galaxia Sword, and other sacred weapons throughout the ages. He succeeded in making them, and created me specifically to use the powers of his artificial Galaxia Sword… and I was a master. My skills were close to matching that of Kirby." He turned back at them. "Which explains why I was designed in almost the same structural detail."

The two's mouths dropped when Meta Knight held up his mask, showing that his blue face looked almost exactly like Kirby's. He put the mask back on and continued, "I was the strongest Nightmare in his army at the time. But after a while, I realized the evil he was doing to the galaxy. I betrayed Darkrai the First, and hid out on Planet Popstar. But during my time, holding the fake sword… power never felt so good. I was truly one of the greatest warriors in Galaxia. Second only to Kirby. It has always been my dream to wield the _real_ Galaxia Sword, and perhaps become the greatest warrior in Galaxia."

"And, would you go as far as to awaken the first Nightmare King if it meant getting to wield the real sword?" Rachel asked.

Meta Knight's eyes immediately widened. "No! I would never attempt something so reckless and foolhardy!"

"Okay, okay! Just asking…"

"Um, Meta Knight." Magolor called, floating over. "The Reactor's taken plenty of damage. I'm not sure if the ship can survive another attack."

"We will have to look for resources on this planet. Tatooine Town is nearby. There must be a scrap shop that sells the materials we need."

"Oh, we can go looking for it." Morgan offered, with Mika nodding in agreement. "We're pretty used to these types of hot temperatures."

"Very well. But be cautious. Secco is very well-known for its crime rates." The five psychics nodded and jumped off the ship, walking toward the town ahead. "But hurry back so we can get this fixed! This ship has gotten me laid several times."

**Some time ago; in some random city**

Five college girls in a convertible were pulling up to and stopping at a red light in a downtown street. The Battleship Halberd was coming in for landing right behind them, landing and scraping along the left side of the road, and scratching several buildings and tearing down telephone poles with its wings.

The five girls looked up as Meta Knight stuck his head out the cockpit window. "Any of you girls like to make the Stardust Sweep?" he asked, coolly.

"Sure, but, we only got 12 parsecs." One of them replied.

"Hm hm hm, hop in."

**Back on Secco; present time**

Nigel and Rachel slid off the ship and spotted Dimentia standing and looking off in the distance. "Um… you okay?" Nigel asked.

"…I hate this planet."

"How come?" Rachel asked.

"I was around when this planet was still… more lively. It was one of the nicest places in Galaxia. I always loved coming here to mellow out and play with the little robot children. But after those demonified Vaporians attacked this planet… I've never forgiven those Nightmares for what they've done. I hated the desert they made of this place, and never wanted to return."

"Hm… I wonder what this planet used to look like before." Rachel said.

"I can answer that." Jagar said, walking over with the Marauder's Map. He held it open as the three looked over his shoulders. The map showed a brownish desert expanse like they saw now, but their eyes widened when the image on the map changed to that of a grassland. "First of all, there was plenty more vegetation… though not that much. But it was mainly more advanced in technology. Most of it could be found in the Ancient Wastelands to the west."

That's when Sonic ran and stopped by them with Blaze joining as well. "And is this Sun Temple found within the Ancient Wastelands, perhaps?" Blaze asked.

"Wouldn't doubt it." Sonic said. "But do you know anything about these Timeshift Stones the Vaporians told us about?"

"I heard plenty of them are still lying around in the wastelands." Jagar replied. "But no one knows if they really work. When the Timeshift Stones are sprinkled with Time Dust, which can be created using timebending, they would react and restore any life in the surrounding area, changing it to a past state."

"Then you could probably make them work." Rachel figured.

"And then we can find the Sun Temple and meet Solaris." Nigel deduced.

"Sounds like an adventure to me." Sonic smirked. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's find us a Sun God." With that, the speedy hedgehog charged ahead of the others.

"Um… the wastelands are that way." Jagar corrected, pointing the opposite direction.

Sonic quickly ran past them and yelled, "Whoopsie!" The others hurriedly ran after him that direction.

**Outside the Halberd; a few moments later**

"Ahhhh… nothin' better ta do in the desert than work on your tan." Fanny Fulbright said as she and Eva lied back on lawn chairs, dressed in their vacation outfits while the sun heated their skin.

"I know our cousin could sure use the heat." Eva replied. "Good thing they went off to visit that Sun God."

"Ugh, don't remind me. I still can't believe I'm related to that baldheaded weirdo."

"Ah, cheer up, Fanny. Who knows, maybe it'll turn out Cole's wife really wasn't related to Grandfather's wife."

"Shyah, but what're the odds of that happening?"

"Hey, Fanny?" Fanny raised her sunglasses and glanced right to see her youngest brother.

"Hey, Shaunie. What's up?"

"…Fanny…" Shaunie nervously scratched the back of his head. "Do you think… I'm… a coward?"

"Well, ya had the guts to come all the way out here without any shoes or socks." Fanny smirked.

"Fanny!"

"Hm hm hm!" she giggled. "Just kiddin'. You are pretty brave, Shaunie."

"You're just saying that to be nice."

"Come on, Shaunie. _Me_, bein' nice to a _boy_?"

"Heehee! Well…"

"I'll admit, you're not the bravest kid in the world, but you are braver than you realize." Fanny smiled, placing a hand on his little shoulder. "You and Paddy, really. You both came to save me from that detention center, where ya fought that bounty hunter. You were brave enough to stand up against a kajillion-foot tall monster to help me. Come ta think of it, ya had the guts to turn me into a giant knowin' I was totally gonna eat yer heads off."

"Heeheehee!"

"But just remember, Shaunie: even if ya feel small, don't ever feel intimidated by anyone bigger than you. Don't let anyone hurt you, don't let anyone push ya around… and you'll probably be as brave as… well, heck, Kweeb. He's the only one that's got experience with that sort of thing."

"Heehee! Yeah… thanks, Fanny. You are nice. Um… but there was one other thing."

"What's that?"

"Well… can you train me? I wanna get big and strong like you."

"Heh, like me?" she smirked slightly.

"Well, yeah. You're the biggest, strongest person I know, Fanny. You're really brave and tough, and everyone's afraid of you. If I was like you, Fanny, no one would ever bully me again. Could you pleeeease teach me?"

"Awww!" Fanny sat up and ruffled his hair. "I never knew ya admired me that much! Okay, I'll train ya." She decided, standing up. "But don't whine if Ay get too hard on ya." With that, they entered the ship and walked up to the bridge.

**Ancient Wastelands**

(Play the "Lanayru Desert" Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

"Welcome to the Ancient Wastelands…" began the mariachi band leader as they stood on a rock, playing their usual music. "Once the center of an ancient and proud civilization… now the center of disaster and ruins after the toll of the ages…"

The kids arrived at a distant, desert canyon area. Ruins of minecarts and high-technical machines littered the area, and there seemed to be no signs of life anywhere. "Hm. Haven't seen them in a while." Nigel said, noticing the musical owls.

"So, these are the Ancient Wastelands, huh?" Rachel said. "Definitely not the liveliest place I woulda picked."

"This place was a lot more flourishing centuries ago." Dimentia replied. "But the course of the ages took its toll…"

"The map says this was the area where the robots mined for Timeshift Stones." Jagar said, looking at the Marauder's Map.

"But where is this Sun Temple?" Blaze asked.

"Probably buried beneath the sand… or something." Sonic figured.

"I bet these robots would know something about it." Nigel said.

"Well, if these Time Stones really work, we'd be able to ask them ourselves." Rachel thought. "So, let's get going. This place is already real depressing…"

_Stage 36: Ancient Wastelands_

_Mission: Find the Sun Temple._

_Act 1_

The kids passed by the mariachi band and started their venture between a small trench, walking into a cave. "Whoa!" Rachel tripped on something in the sand. The six looked and saw it was some kind of old, dusty robot. "Hm… must be one of the inhabitants."

"It is." Dimentia informed. "Let's keep going."

The kids entered the cave and saw a minecart leading to a high wall. Rachel and Sonic pushed the cart to the wall and used it as a boost to make it up for the others. They reached the other side of the cave to a small field of fallen robots and machines. Their attention was directed to a strange, dark-blue stone with a phoenix symbol in the center.

Fi popped out and reported, _"Master, signs indicate this is one of the Timeshift Stones mentioned previously. According to Jagar's explanation, the stones make work with some Time Dust."_

"How can we make that?" Rachel asked.

"Any kind of timebending, I guess." Jagar figured. "I'll just use Rewind." With that, he held his hand open at the stone and used a Rewind on it (which wouldn't do much, considering it's been there for years). The strange material called Time Dust appeared on the stone, and everyone jumped back startled when it immediately turned a bright blue. (Switch to "Lanayru Desert Past" Theme.)

The group stared with amazement as a circle expanded around the area. Grass and flowers started to bloom, the fallen machines lit up with electricity, and the robots were brought back to life. The little mechanical creatures immediately started digging in the walls or putting gems on treadmills, taking them someplace else. The robots were about as tall as 7-year-olds, like Sector W, and were white with reddish-brown faces. They had no legs, but had arms made of electricity, connecting the hands to their bodies.

"Wow… it actually worked!" Rachel beamed.

"Hm… so it did." Dimentia followed, still feeling glum.

"Talk about eternal life." Sonic said.

"Not quite." Jagar corrected. "It only goes as far as the energy field. Anything that steps outside it falls apart again."

"Well, while they're alive, let's ask them for directions." Blaze suggested, walking over to one. "Excuse me."

"What do you want, vrrpt?" the robo asked.

"Could you direct us the location of the Sun Temple?"

"No! No one sees our Sun God, vweeep! Not strangers like you!"

"Strangers? We just brought you back to-"

_"They don't know what's happened, yet."_ Jagar whispered. "This is a past state. We're technically back in time."

"Aha. Either way, we must speak with Solaris. Perhaps this will show you we're worthy." She held up the yellow Sol Emerald.

"Ahh. Sol Emerald, zweeep. Those belong to Solaris! Mmm… fine, vweep. Get that to Solaris. His temple is on an island out in the ocean. There're monsters and bad robots around, so be careful, sudo-WOOP."

That's when one of the doors opened to their left, letting in a minecart that hovered just a few inches above the track. The group got into the minecart and let it take them inside a huge cave with a bottomless pit. It was supposed to take them the rest of the way across, but the cart reached the end of the Time Stone's field and stopped. They spotted some platforms on their right, leading to a bigger platform with another Time Stone, surrounded by four skeletons. They jumped across the platforms and reached the stone for Jagar to use some timebending to make it light.

The entire cave was immediately reverted to a past state, and the rest of the minecart track was activated, too. However, it also brought the skeletons to life, turning them back into Bokoblin with lightsabers. The monsters switched on their weapons and attacked, but Rachel dealt several strikes against one and kicked it off the edge, Sonic Home Attacked another one off the edge, Nigel and Blaze shot flames at the third, while Dimentia just warped the last one over the pit.

The six hopped back to the minecart and proceeded to ride it the rest of the way. They passed by a couple stalactites with Boko Baba hanging from them, but Rachel easily cut the heads off the demon plants. The cart finally reached the door on the other side and exited outside. The cart was at the stone's limit and couldn't go any further, so they climbed out.

They walked to a small trench with a Time Stone in the middle, along with a few platforms with fallen robots. Jagar activated it with some timebending and restored life to that area, the robots turning out to be Bladed Spinners and hovering back up. Sonic Home Attacked across the robots and pulled a lever on the other side, extending a bridge for the others to get across. Then they leapt down a gorge with two parallel rows of train tracks with broken trains. They found yet another Time Stone in the center, which Jagar activated. The trains activated and slowly moved forward while some fallen Eggman robots were restored around the area as well.

Dimentia stunned them with her Space Lightning, allowing Sonic to Home Attack and Rachel to slice them in half. They saw the path continued on another high ledge and decided to climb onto the train cargo, letting it carry them over and jump to the ledge. Next, they were at a small river of quicksand with some giant lobsters walking around. Nigel stepped in the quicksand, but Rachel immediately pulled him out when he started to sink. "Okay… bad idea." He figured.

Rachel noticed a nearby lobster and thought of something. "Hey, lobster boy! We just ate another one of your kind for lunch!"

The lobster screeched at her, curled in his shell, and rolled over. He bumped the side of the ledge they were on and came out dizzily, allowing Rachel to shoot and kill it with her arrows. The shell fell over, and the kids proceeded to jump on and ride it down the sand river. A few other lobsters were trying to roll into them, but Jagar quickly froze them with Time Stop. The shell started to sink, but they reached the end of the river just in time and hopped off.

They were now at what seemed like a lake of quicksand with a few short walls and small islands. "Well, now what?" Rachel asked, seeing no way across.

Jagar pulled out the Marauder's Map and studied it. "It says this is where the roadways used to be. …In fact, there's one right here. I wonder…" The Time Spirit then stepped into the quicksand.

"Hey, you're not sinking!" Rachel noticed.

"The roads must just be inches below the quicksand. Follow me." They did as instructed and followed as the timebender walked along the sunken pathways that appeared on the map. He led them to a circular island in the center, where he then used his timebending to activate a Time Stone.

An energy field expanded, restoring the flowers and grass around the area. It also revived a few giant robot parts, which turned out to be Egg Hammers, as well as one of the good robots held prisoner in a cage. Sonic and Blaze performed several Home Attacks on one of them before it fell. Jagar froze the second one in time, allowing Dimentia to shock it, so when he unfroze it, it fell apart. Nigel shot fire in the last one's eyes for Rachel to cut off his legs, making it topple, then slice its head off.

When it was gone, the cage containing the robot opened, letting the little creature out. "Thank you, zrrpt! Say, you remind me of this one kid in green clothing, voo-weep." He said to Rachel.

"Oh, you don't say…"

"By any chance, would you know where the Sun Temple is?" Blaze asked.

"Oh, sure, vrrpt! But if you're trying to meet Solaris, you'll need what's in that chest." He indicated a large chest right behind him with three little rods on its lock. One rod had a lightning bolt, and was pointing right. The other had a tornado, and was pointing down left. The last had a flame, and was pointing upward. "To open it, you'll have to activate the three elemental rods around this area. There's a wind one, a fire one, and a lightning one. They're all around this area, cher-EEEN!"

"Hehehe. Cheren." Rachel chuckled.

_"We should name one of our kids that."_ Nigel whispered to her, making her giggle.

That's when Fi popped out. _"A report, Master: scans show this chest is made of the same material from these rods. As I failed to mention earlier, I am able to use dowsing. When a person or object's aura is similar, or has made contact with another aura, I am able to use dowsing and detect other persons or objects with the same aura. I can detect where these rods are located."_

"Oh, well, that helps a ton!" Rachel exclaimed. "Let's try it out." Fi jumped back in the sword as Rachel pointed it around the area. "There's one." She stated as her sword started to blink faster to one area. "There's another." She said, pointing at another area. "And there's the last."

"But which ones are which?" Sonic asked.

"They're in the direction of wherever these rods are pointing, vrrpt. For example, the tornado is southwest." The robot said.

"Alright, then. Let's split up." Rachel decided as they divided into three teams of 2 (since there were 6 of them).

"Hold on." Jagar stopped them. "I have these bags of Time Dust. Use them just in case you find any stones." He took out two bags of the dust and handed one to Sonic and the other to Rachel.

"Jagar, just what exactly IS Time Dust, anyway?" Rachel asked.

"I dunno. But if Solaris is really a timebender, we could ask him."

"Okay… let's go, team."

Sonic and Blaze were paired together, and they used their speed to easily run across the quicksand before they sank, running over to a safe ledge where Rachel's sword pointed to. They arrived at a trench with a bottomless chasm, which had a platform with a propeller on the edge of it. They spotted a Time Stone and sprinkled a bit of Time Dust on, making it light. Life was restored to the area, and power came back to the platform.

Both animals stood on as Sonic used his airbending to spin the propeller, making the platform levitate. Blaze blew some flames in the opposite direction they wanted to go, like a rocket, making the platform move forward while Sonic kept it levitated, flying across the chasm. However, they were reaching the limit of the Time Stone's field, but Sonic spotted another one in the wall and quickly pulled out more dust, blowing it over and lighting the stone, then quickly continued spinning the propeller. With more range, they were able to keep the platform moving forward, having to repeat this process and activate other Time Stones as their range ended. When they finally arrived at the wind rod on the other side, Sonic used his Sonic Tornado and blew around it. The correct element caused the rod to light up, making the identical rod on the chest light up as well.

Nigel and Rachel were paired, and the two walked up a crumbled side of a wall and started walking along the path atop the walls to get across the quicksand to an area in the north, reaching a similar trench that went around rather than straight. They spotted some rocks piled in a minecart, along with a Timeshift Stone. Rachel poured some Time Dust onto the stone and lit it up. The minecart proceeded to carry the stone along the track across the trench.

As a result, the energy field was moving with the cart, causing some square platforms to spawn wherever it went. The two quickly followed the cart along the platforms, trying to stay within the stone's range, otherwise the footholds would vanish and they'd fall. They had to quickly climb across vine walls in some areas to keep up with the cart, and when the vines ended on one wall, they had to jump to the vines on the parallel wall to continue. They walked on more of the platforms that appeared in the past state, where Rachel sliced the heads off some Boko Babas that appeared. When they finally reached the fire rod, Nigel blew some flames onto it, making it alight with energy.

Jagar and Dimentia were paired and were using the Marauder's Map to see and cross the paths hidden beneath the quicksand, over to the area on the eastern side. There, they entered a small building, which was flooded with quicksand and giant boxes. The two hopped the boxes across the quicksand and reached a Time Stone in the center. Jagar used his timebending and lit the stone up. Fans switched on within the walls and claws lowered down from the ceiling, grabbing and carrying boxes off.

Jagar and Dimentia hopped on one of the boxes and were carried across a bottomless pit, jumping to a ledge on the other side. There appeared to be a power generator with a small compartment on the bottom. Dimentia formed a small electric sphere in her hands and stuck it in. The generator powered and opened a door beside it, and the two stepped into the next room to find the lightning rod. Dimentia easily powered it with her Space Lightning, causing the rod on the chest to light up.

The six returned to the platform just in time. With all 3 rods activated, the chest lit up with energy and slowly opened. Rachel peeked in and pulled out two identical claws, attached to golden handles by chains. "Uh… what are these?"

"They're called Hookshots, foo-WEEP! They're extendable chains that can grab onto distant wooden objects and pull you to them, zrrpt." The robot answered.

"Well, that might be helpful!"

**Rachel got the _Double-Hookshots_! With these, she can grab latch distant items and pull them to her! She can also pull herself to wooden things!**

"You can use them to get to the cave over there, vweep." He pointed to a ledge above a sand waterfall to the west. "The ocean's just past there, and beyond that, the Sun Temple! Say 'hi' to Solaris for me, VWEEB!"

"Hm hm hm. Vweeb." Dimentia chuckled as the six followed the Marauder's Map and went across the quicksand.

When they arrived at the sandfall, which was between two parallel walls with wooden targets, Rachel used her new items to latch on the first target, pulling herself higher, then latched her way up the others after that. When she arrived at the top, she found another Time Stone and sprinkled some more Time Dust on it. The waterfall was restored, and a vine wall appeared for the others to climb up. Afterwards, they proceeded into the cave. (Play the "Lanayru Sand Sea" Theme from _Skyward Sword_.)

_Act 2_

When they came out on the other side of the small cave, they found their selves on a cliff, overlooking a vast ocean of sand. "So… this is Secco's ocean?" Rachel asked.

"Best ocean I've ever seen." Sonic said jokingly.

But in reality, it wasn't the best ocean they've seen. In fact, it was the worst, even to Sonic's eyes. It was all but vast, empty sand, for miles and miles. This desert had few signs of life already… but this ocean looked the most dead of all. They could imagine, endless oceans of beautiful, sparkling water, seagulls chirping as they soared under sunny skies, and fish swimming freely in the salty sea. But all that remained… was endless, dry dust.

"This used to be a real ocean, with water." Dimentia replied. "One of the most beautiful in Galaxia, with some of the most refreshing water. But after this planet fell into ruin by the Vaporians… the seas dehydrated, and sand flooded the area… much like the rest of this planet."

The kids walked down a path down the cliff, arriving at the shore. Sonic stepped into the sand, but started to sink faster than the other quicksand, so Blaze immediately pulled him out. "Whoa! Hehe… don't wanna go in this ocean, either."

"Hey, there's something over there." Rachel pointed out, noticing a pier with a boat at the end. The kids ran over and found another fallen robot, wearing a pirate's hat, beside a small speedboat resting in the sand. They noticed a Time Stone inside the ship's rudder, so Jagar used timebending to activate it.

The speedboat and the robot powered back to life, and the sand around the life force field turned into pure, clear water. The robo captain hacked and coughed a little as he recovered and viewed his surroundings. "Huh? Holy smokes, I'm alive, bzz-rrpt! Those monsters 'aven't gotten me yet!"

"Um… who are you?" Blaze asked.

"Huh? Whoa! Aliens! Argh, a pleasure to be meetin' your acquaintance here, eh, zrrpt." The captain greeted, tipping his hat. "My name's LD-301N Skipper. Call me Skipper, ay? Now, what brings ye here to this planet?"

"Well, Mr. Skipper… we're looking for the Sun God."

"Solaris, ay? Oh ho ho, sure! His island's just up ahead that way! My boat here can take you in a flash, bzzrt. Solaris is a very important deity to us, zrrpt. When our planet has reached its end, it is said that Solaris will use his magnificent time powers and alight the Timeshift Stones, forever keeping our land prosperous, bzz-rrpt."

The group exchanged sad glances, feeling they should tell him. "We… aren't really so sure about that… Captain Skipper." Rachel told him. "Your planet's… kinda already met its end."

"Ar?" The confused captain then passed by them, over to the energy field's edge. When he stuck his right hand out of the range, it turned to rust, so he instantly pulled it back. "Oh my…" The electric-powered captain looked around, seeing the desolate wasteland in the place where the ocean once flowed.

"Here's a map of the current area." Jagar said, showing him the Marauder's Map, which now viewed an overhead of the current appearance of the planet: a desert.

"So… it's actually happened."

"We're really sorry…" Rachel said, sympathetically.

The captain walked to his boat where the Time Stone rested. "Then… the Time Stones really work. But… Solaris hasn't activated them. Does that mean… his powers over time really don't exist, bzz-rpt?"

"We don't know for sure." Blaze said. "But it isn't completely deserted. There are towns with people in other parts of the desert…"

"Aye… but that not fair well for us." The captain said glumly. "It's just as I feared. All these stones were good for is doing what they do: taking us back to the past. They don't grant us longer life. They only play the same events… over and over again as they did in the past. We're all just trapped in one time… while hundreds of years go on in the rest of the universe… What's the point of goin' on, zrrpt?"

"Hold on! Even if it's the same life over and over… you still gotta enjoy it while it lasts, right?" Sonic smirked.

The captain looked back up, his bright mood slowly returning. "Aye… 'tis true."

"Yeah! So, if you were a captain that loved to sail the seas, you gotta keep going!" Rachel shouted perkily.

"Yes… YES, OF COURSE!" Skipper cheered. "I can't stand around, moping forever… I'll keep sailing these seas until my circuits burn out, aye?"

"That's the spirit!" Rachel smiled.

"Anyways… I'd be honored to take ye to see Solaris. Le's hop in and shove off!"

The gang rode the small speedboat over the vast, sandy ocean, sailing the water within the Time Stone's range. They eventually arrived at an island with a tall, rocky cliffside with a swervy path that led upwards. Before continuing, however, they decided to rest a bit from the long journey. Rachel and Blaze were happily swimming in the refreshing water (created by the Time Stone's range) while Jagar and Sonic just kicked back on the path. And Nigel and Dimentia were sitting on the ledge, dipping their feet in the water.

"So, what's it like, anyway… the immortal life?" the Brit asked.

Dimentia stared at the sparkling water in thought. "It's… not as good as one might think."

"Oh…"

"Always aging and aging as the years go by… never able to get too far from my life source. Having to suffer the enduring pain of watching others closest to me slowly dissolve and decay, letting the toll of the ages take their pay, turning them into dust. Much like this gorgeous vacation paradise of mine… where robot children play, day in and day out, barely any care in the world. I wanted that kind of life to last forever with me. But no matter how much youth I took, nothing ever truly changes. People are doomed to grow up, and doomed to become dust. Just as this planet's become. Because nothing ever lasts forever…"

"Well… no, it doesn't. But it's like Sonic said. You have to enjoy things to the fullest in the time you have. …And it's what I said, too, actually."

"I know." She looked back up. "And… I've been thinking… maybe this second chance that Clockwork gave me… really can help. I could regain the friends I never had. Battle the villains I always wanted to. And…" she turned and smiled at him, "even find love."

"Mm." Both of them smiled and looked back out at the ocean. "Hey… do you think Darkrai ever feels that pain?"

"Hm?"

"He's the only spirit that interacts with humans. More than any other spirit, at least. I wonder how he feels… seeing his mortal friends get old and die."

"I know how he felt during my time as a tyrannical leader. It must be no different."

"Mm… hehe. That Infinity has his eye on you."

"Hm hm hm." She blushed and giggled. "He most certainly does…"

"Yaaawn. Are we ready to go, yet?" Sonic asked. "We're gettin' bored over here."

"Hm hm, okay then." Rachel replied. "Let's go."

The six of them headed up the cliffside path until reaching the top. There was a long bridge over a bottomless chasm, leading between rows of torches into a massive temple with a phoenix symbol above the entrance. The gang slowly approached the Sun Temple while the mariachi band played music on a rock. "And so, the young bald hero and his friends reach the temple of Solaris. What will they find in this ancient dungeon? Will Solaris inform them on what they need to know? Or will they meet an untimely end along the way?" The band leader yawned. "Boy, this scene is really depressing. Let's move on to a much happier scene." (Stop the music.)

**The village from "Peter and the Wolf"**

In a distant, snowy village somewhere else, the many townspeople joyfully danced as a team of hunters carried a wolf tied to a-

"No, not that one. Please." the band leader spoke. "ANYTHING but that one."

**Tatooine Town**

At this time, Mika and Morgan were walking around Tatooine Town, looking for a decent place that sells ship parts. But in a town of thugs, it was hard to find such a thing. "Man, there're all kinds of crazy monsters out here." Morgan said as they walked by several thuggish aliens, such as Sand People sharpening blades, curved-neck aliens dealing drugs, with most of them shooting the girls glares.

"Yeah, and you can tell they added more for this story." Mika replied, noticing a short blue elephant yelling at the Cantina Band.

"D'AW, what ya doin', Man, we gotta gig goin', Man, we got a f^&kin' gig."

"There's gotta be someone out here that sells useful junk." Morgan said.

"Wa-ha hey-hey!" called a strange, short alien with fly wings, an elephant-like nose, a brown hat, and rotten teeth, dressed in a rather messy, repair shop getup. "If it's junk you want, yah, then I got just the place." The two shrugged and decided to follow the alien into an old junk shop. "So, what can I get you kids, hah? Some root beer, a couple o' wheats, eh heh… 'EY, RAINIER! Comoni ako! (Rainier! Get over here!)"

In came a boy with slightly pale, peach skin, dark-violet eyes with blue glasses, and slightly long, messily cut hair, which was onyx black. He was wearing an old tan robe, brown shorts, and brown shoes. "Chochinono passa? (What do you want now?)"

"Mochinono passa! Cassa mes-AH! Cas... (We got customers, little boy! So, get them what they want, I'm busy! Gah, stupid podraces…)" The alien flew out.

The boy, who looked about 13, sighed and walked over to the psychics. "I swear, I don't know how I'm able to put up with that Watto. He didn't give you too much trouble, did he?"

Mika couldn't help but blush when the boy focused his violet eyes on her. He seemed about an inch taller than her… but he looked really handsome. Something about this boy made Mika feel… very sweaty. "Uh… n-no, no, not really. Um… I'm Mika. This is Morgan."

"Nice to meet you! My name's Rainier. The big fly over there is Watto. He's my master."

"Master? So, you're an apprentice!" Mika exclaimed.

"Er, no… he's my slave owner."

"Oh… you're a slave?"

"Eh, kind of. Just because the galaxy's at peace with The Empire and GKND gone, doesn't really change much in these lowly parts. So, what can we get for you?"

"Well, our ships got pummeled by some TIE Fighters, and we're looking for stuff to repair it." Morgan explained simply.

"Oh ho, if that's what you want, then I-a got ALL the perfect Raritanium!" Watto perked, flying back in. "But, uh, we willin' to discuss a price, yah?" he asked, rubbing his fingers together.

"Well, our mom gave me 50 bucks." Morgan replied, pulling some money out of her wallet.

"Bah!" Watto swat it away. "Earth Money? Your Earth Money's no good in these parts, I need something a little more, uh, interesting."

"Ohh…" Mika walked over and waved her left hand by his face. "I'm sure Earth Money will do fine."

"No. It _won't_."

Mika waved again and said, "Earth Money will do fine…"

"NO! It WON'T! Whaddya think you are, some kinda Jedi?" This caught Rainier's attention. "I'm a Toydarian, mind tricks don' work on me, yah? Now gimme somethin' to pay for, or you ain't gettin' nothin'." With that, he flew off to fix some junk.

Rainier then walked over and looked at Mika with curiosity. "Um… what were you trying to do there?"

"Oh… mind tricks." She blushed, glancing away.

He rose a brow. "Are-Are you…Are you a Jedi?"

"Hahahaha!" Watto laughed, flying over. "Silly Rainier! The Jedi are all gone, yah? All killed by that Palpatine and that no-good Anakin kid many years ago, yah? They ain't evah to be seen again…" He left them alone again.

Rainier looked back at Mika and asked, "Are you?"

"Well… we're more Padawans."

"It's just that… I thought all the psychicbenders in Galaxia were dead."

"Well, we're not exactly from Galaxia." Mika replied. "We're from Earth… very far away. But we are psychicbenders."

"Wow… I never met a psychicbender before!" he smiled with interest.

"You actually like psychics?" Morgan asked.

"I like any benders, really. They're such unique people, and I always wanted to know how their powers work. But the ones I'm interested the most in are psychicbenders. How do you guys manage with so much power and not feel lonely?"

"Lonely? What do you mean?" Mika asked.

"Well, I dunno. I heard, because of what the Siths did, people around the universe hated psychicbenders."

"Well, we always had our families." Morgan replied.

"And I had Mewtwo." Mika mentioned. "Plus, we have tons of friends now."

"Mmm… boy, if I wasn't stuck here with this geezer, I'd sure love to come with you. Just what are you up to, anyway?"

"Saving the universe from a Dark Master, pretty much." Morgan answered.

"Ah. Man, I wish I could come with you. I'm pretty good in martial arts, and great with electronics. I could probably help fix your ship AND help you fight."

"Is there any way Watto will let you come with us?" Mika asked.

"HEY-HEY!" Watto called around outside. "Come on, place your bets for the podraces, uhn? I got 40 gold pieces on the little Kateenian boys, so who-sa ready to bet, yah?"

"Well, unless he bet me on a podrace, I doubt I'll be getting out of here pretty easily." Rainier figured.

"Well, you said you're great with technology, right?" Mika asked. "Maybe if you built your own vehicle and entered the race, and you won, you could come with us!"

"Yeah! There's plenty of that 2x4 stuff in our ship!" Morgan said.

"I dunno…"

"Come on, Rainy, it'll be great to have you in our team! You can see all our bending abilities and everything!" Mika practically begged.

"Hmm…"

"Hey, you, kids!" Watto called, flying back in. "A bunch of people just bet me 140 gold pieces, yah? Any o' you kids, eh, want a gamble?"

The 2 psychics and Rainier exchanged smirks. "Actually, I'm gonna enter the race." Rainier spoke.

"Huh?"

"And we bet, that if he wins, he gets to come with us." Mika stated.

"We also want the necessary parts to fix our ship." Morgan followed.

"Ho HO no no no! No slave o' mine is entering any podraces again, eh?"

"Well, someone's afraid of gambling with a bunch of kids." Morgan smirked.

"Come on, Watto. It's not like we're JEDI or nothin'." Mika followed.

"Nnnn… alright then, a bet it is. Is not like Rainier could pull off a miracle with these big boys anyhow. Just get ready to pay up something big and fancy if he doesn't win, hah? Ha HAH ha ha ha hah!" And the Toydarian flew off laughing.

The kids exchanged another smirk and walked off.

**Battleship Halberd**

Meanwhile, Magolor was humming a little tune as he fixed up the Halberd's Reactor with his brother, Marx, by his side, bouncing playfully on his ball still. "Hey, Magolor!" Hoagie greeted, coming in with the rest of Sector V (excluding Nigel).

"He-Hey, Sector V!" Magolor greeted perkily, turning around from his work. "How's it going with you?"

"Well, after the incident with Virginia, we decided to poke around to see who it was that might've poisoned Dedede and Escargoon."

"Hoagie's sort of a detective, you see." Abby said.

"Hm. Interesting." Magolor replied, going back to his work. "So, what'd you guys find out?"

"Well. Our first suspect was Meta Knight, of course. Because of his background with the Nightmare King and his desire to wield the Galaxia Sword."

"Then there's Chad." Abby continued. "Emily told us 'bout how he wanted the cool powers and stuff, we figured he might've been possessed by the Nightmare King like Darth Blinks was."

"Then there's YOU." Hoagie finished, pointing at Magolor.

The copilot rose an eyebrow, stopping his work and turning back at them. "Pfft. I'M a suspect? Really?"

"Yeah! Because YOU'RE a Nightmare, TOO." Wally shouted.

"Heh heh heh." Magolor chuckled. "Come on, guys, me a suspect, really? You might as well accuse my brother, too. We've been with Meta Knight for 300 years, if we wanted to awaken the Nightmare King, we woulda done it by now." He explained, going back to work.

"But that's just it. You started working for Meta Knight AFTER the king was defeated." Hoagie explained. "THAT makes you suspicious."

"Heh heh heh." Magolor chuckled, closing a compartment and brushing his hands off. "Well, you'll find there's plenty of other Nightmares around from that day. And most of them are pretty good now. But I'm not with the Nightmare King. The current one, maybe, but not the first one."

"We'll get back to you on that." Hoagie smirked, leaving with the others.

"Heh heh heh. _I'm_ a suspect. These kids sure can be hilarious, can't they, Little Bro?"

"Haha. Haha. HAHA. Haha!" Marx continued to laugh and bounce playfully on his ball.

* * *

><p><strong>And so, we cross the desert. Just like in <em>Skyward Sword<em>! And Rainier is Mika's newest OC, whom she paired with herself, as you see. And she also made up the Time Dust idea, too, in her _Operation DUSK_ story; you should check that out! It's got nearly all our future kids, like Sheila, Dillon, and Cheren! Ahem, next time, we will enter the Sun Temple. Later.**


	43. Podrace Pummeling

**O-kay, let's hurry up and do this Sun Temple. Play the "Lanayru Mining Facility" Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Podrace Showdown! A New Friend Joins the Crew!<em>**

_Stage 37: Sun Temple_

_Mission: Find the Sun God, Solaris._

The group entered the first room of the temple, where they saw a door across from them, and a pathway on their right, leading to a pit with a wall on the other side with a flame with an eye. When the team walked to it, the eye opened and the flame started moving around the wall. Rachel took out her arrows and attempted to shoot the eye, but when she did, it made an 'X', and part of the path beneath her crumbled down. Nigel and Blaze immediately grabbed and pulled her back up.

"Okay… no arrows." She figured.

"Perhaps this will work." Blaze said, shooting a fireball at the eye, which seemed to have worked, for it went faster. Blaze shot 3 more flames at the eye, going faster each time, but she missed the fourth hit and jumped back before the floor crumbled. The eye kept zooming along the wall, but Blaze was finally able to hit it. The door opened as a result, so the six continued to the next room.

Next, they were in a very long, narrow hall with the next door on the other side, rows of square panels making up the floor. As they proceeded to walk through, the floor panels behind them rose into pillars, up to the ceiling. "Yuh-oh! Run!" Sonic yelled as all the other floor panels started rising to the ceiling, and everyone ran before they were crushed.

"It's locked!" Nigel yelled, seeing the door closed ahead.

"Up there!" Dimentia yelled, noticing a blue switch on the ceiling. They saw the rising panels approaching, so Nigel hurried and stood on the one below the switch. When that panel lifted him upwards, Nigel hurriedly pushed the switch and rolled off before he was crushed. The door opened, so they all ran inside just when the panels came.

The next room had a staircase, with big stairs, up to a locked door. On the opposite side from the staircase was a key. When Rachel went to grab the key, the walls along the ceiling opened, letting in a bunch of angry Scarfies, chomping their mouths as they flew to bite at them. Rachel aimlessly swung her sword at them while the others did the same with their powers. Nigel ran onto the first stair and held his hands open for Rachel to toss the key to him. When he caught it, he tossed it at the wall when Sonic dashed up, the speedy hedgehog running to open the door and hurry in, followed by the others, quickly closing it before the Scarfies came.

Next, they were in a very dark room which Nigel and Blaze lit up with their flames. They looked down and saw a swarm of spiders crawling toward them, trying to shake them off when they tried to climb their legs. Nigel and Blaze just lit their selves up and burned the spiders, Rachel and Sonic spun and shook them off, while Dimentia just shocked them off her and Jagar (shocking Jagar in the process). Nigel and Blaze walked forward and lit up two torches, causing the next door to open.

They continued to a room with what seemed like broken treadmills, leading into empty slots, with sand all over the floor. Rachel stepped in the sand, and quickly stepped out when she sank a bit, so the gang just walked along the walkways and treadmills until they reached a ladder and climbed to a higher ledge.

"What kind of room is this?" Sonic asked, noticing a few fallen robots.

Jagar then noticed a Timeshift Stone near to them. "I guess we're about to find out." With that, he used timebending on the stone and turned it on. (Play the "Lanayru Mining Facility (Past)" Theme.)

Before they knew it, the sandy ruins had transformed into a mechanical factory. The fallen robots were restored, the treadmills started speeding, carrying containers of Wisps, and the many mechanical devices beamed to life. The quicksand that had covered the room had also dissolved, revealing the dark, bottomless pit. The fallen robots beside the group revealed to be Beamos, totem pole-like robots with one eye, that immediately fired lasers at them. Rachel easily did spin attacks and cut parts of the robots down before stabbing their eyes. "O-kay, didn't see that coming." She said. "Fi, what's going on?"

Fi instantly popped out. _"Master, signs indicate that eons ago, the robots have transformed this temple into a factory, either for making weapons or mining for Timeshift Stones. It appears they have kidnapped the Wisps to use their unlimited power source."_

"Guess that explains all the Wisps." Sonic figured.

"Wait, you've seen them before?" Nigel asked.

"Well, yeah. I used their powers to stop one of Eggman's plans not too long ago."

"Really? I can use their powers, too."

"Well, well. That should be a lot more helpful." Sonic smirked.

"Two Wisp wielders are better than one, I suppose." Dimentia figured. "So, let's use 'em to move on."

"Right then! Let's do it!" With that, Sonic sped down and broke one of the Wisp containers on the treadmill, freeing a Spike Wisp and a Drill Wisp. The drill shot into Nigel while Sonic took the spike. "SPIKE!" Sonic yelled, turning into a pink spike ball and rolling along the walls over the pit. When he reached the ledge on the other side, he stepped on a switch that extended a bridge for the others to get across.

They passed a door into the next room, outside of the Time Stone's range, that was almost completely filled with sand. "There's probably a stone buried in here." Jagar said.

"No problem. Just a little Time Dust, and…" Nigel began, taking out the bag of Time Dust and pouring it on him. "DRILL!" Nigel became a yellow drill and burrowed beneath the sand. He drilled his way past a couple Sandworms before finding the Time Stone and striking it. The stone powered to life and drained away the entire sand floor, revealing the long pathway that led downwards. Nigel spotted a lever and went to pull it, making a ladder stretch up for the others to climb down. They continued along the path down as Rachel sliced and killed a few Beamos in their way. At the bottom of the room, they found a pedestal with a small orb, emitting the same glow as a Time Stone.

_"Master, this object appears to be a Timeshift Orb. A smaller version of the Timeshift Stone that is meant to be carried around."_ Fi reported.

"Well, there's gotta be a use for it." Rachel said, picking up the orb and walking to the next room, which seemed completely buried in sand. The range from the Time Orb thankfully kept the sand back, giving them a path to walk through. When they spotted a Time Stone, Jagar switched it on and cleared out the whole room of its sand. It also restored three statue-like face robots, called Armos, which immediately began trying to bounce and crush them.

Sonic used his tornado ability to spin the propellers on their heads, making both mouths on each one open and reveal the blue gem that was their weak spots. Blaze kicked the first one's with her burning high-heels, Rachel stabbed at the second one's, while Dimentia made the inside of the third one's explode.

This opened the door to the next room, which was a little less sand-covered. They spotted another Time Stone high up on a box, so Rachel let Jagar sprinkle some Time Dust on one of her arrows, which she fired and made the stone light up. The huge room had yet another bottomless pit with the only way across seeming to be a platform with a propeller to make it move along a track. They stood on as Sonic used airbending to make the propeller spin so the platform moved along the track. As it did so, they had to avoid some steam that blew out of pipes.

After turning a few corners and avoiding steam, they found a container with two Laser Wisps. Sonic broke them out and absorbed one while Nigel took the other. Nigel grabbed Rachel and Dimentia while Sonic grabbed Blaze and Jagar. As a result, they all became lasers and zoomed over to a cyan diamond, which bounced them through a series of other diamonds around the room before they came to a stop on another ledge.

Next, they were at a treadmill that was moving fast in the opposite way they wanted to go. Sonic easily started boosting along the treadmill, then made a quick turn at the next one going left. He was coming up to a robot on a ledge working a lever, so he jumped and Home Attacked it before flipping the lever, changing the treadmills' direction so the others can let them carry them across.

They arrived at the last room finally. Across from them was a huge door covered in barb wire. Fi instantly popped out and reported, _"Master, I am detecting an evil aura emitting from the other side of this door. There is a 20% chance it is the Sun God we have been searching for."_

"So, there's something else waiting for us." She deduced. "But how can we get inside?"

_"There seems to be a Time Orb within that fallen chest."_ At this, they noticed a broken chest to their left, in front of a hallway of sand, with a Time Orb inside it.

"Well, that's simple enough." Jagar said, going over and using timebending on the orb to activate it.

"Jagar, wait!" (Stop the music.) Rachel was too late to stop him as the orb made a small part of the surrounding area come to life. (Play the "Tricky Treasure" Theme from _Rayman Origins_!)

The Tricky Chest came back to life, spotted the group, and immediately started dashing down the hall behind him, using the Time Orb to make himself a trail. Sonic growled and started dashing the speeding chest, sidestepping to avoid the many electrical barriers that popped up because of the orb.

Sonic spotted and absorbed a Spike Wisp, using his spike form to roll up the wall and chase the chest. The chest jumped off to a ledge beside them, so Sonic switched back to normal and pursued, trying to stay within the orb's range so he didn't drown in sand. He chased the chest along a series of treadmills that he constantly sidestepped and avoided electric barriers. As he chased it along another ledge, he had to avoid Beamos that popped up and fired lasers.

The chest started jumping some platforms, so Sonic Home Attacked some Bladed Spinners that popped up to get across. He then had to carefully jump some treadmills that tried to roll him into more barriers. The chest then jumped back to the path where the chase began, this time running in the opposite way, back to the starting point. Sonic chased the chest and dodged the same electric barriers as last time. When the chest made it back, he screamed at the sight of the other group members in his way. When he looked back and saw Sonic speeding toward him, he closed his eye as the hedgehog Boosted right through him.

The chest was pushed into a wall, coughing the Time Orb out in the process. The orb was coughed out of the chest's range, resulting in the chest falling to pieces again. (End song.)

Sonic made a whistle and shouted, "That was tight! !"

"Hm hm hm, well done, Sonic." Blaze chuckled. "Let us proceed…"

Using the Time Orb to get past the barb wire, they passed the large door into a massive room, where they stood on a high ledge, overlooking a massive sandy pit. As they tried to proceed, the Time Orb suddenly went out. _"Master, I sense we are arriving close to the Sun God's chamber. Some bending abilities such as time will be unavailable."_ Fi spoke.

"I'm guessing that's it." Sonic figured, pointing to a door on the other side of the pit. They jumped to the thankfully-solid sand and slowly walked across. Before they could go any farther, the room immediately started quaking as sand poured in, starting to fill the room higher so that the door was blocked off. Before the kids knew it, a gigantic Sandworm popped out of the sand, chomping its banana peel-like mouth as it came down, the group dodging before it could snack on them, diving into the sand. "And I'm guessing they're not gonna make it very easy." (Play the "Molgera Boss" Theme from _Zelda: Wind Waker_!)

_Boss fight: Molgera_

The team carefully searched around for where the beast might pop up again. Sonic felt the ground beneath him move and immediately jumped before the worm's mouth chomped on him. Molgera dove back beneath the surface and burrowed around before stopping below Rachel. Nigel quickly ran and pushed her away before the worm popped up and ate them. "Uh, we could really use some help now, Fi!" Rachel shouted.

_"Master, subject identified as: Molgera. It is an ancient sand demon that seems to have made its nest within the temple since the planet's decline."_

Rachel barely jumped out of the way before the worm chomped her again. "Anything else? ?"

_"Molgera's weak point appears to be the tongue."_

"Oh, THAT helps!" Rachel then carefully waited for the worm to pop back up. When the ground beneath her started to spiral in a tornado, she immediately ran before being sucked in to the beast's mouth. She spotted its tongue sticking out and launched her Hookshot at it, pulling it over so she can then begin slashing at it. Molgera made a few yelping sounds before sinking beneath the surface.

Molgera remained below ground where it fired Sandworms, the minions jumping above ground to bite at the six, but they fought them back. The last Sandworm was strangely glowing yellow. Nigel, seeing this before, destroyed it and released a Drill Wisp. He absorbed it and became a yellow drill, burrowing beneath the ground and cutting through other Sandworms. Molgera held its mouth open as the bald Brit got closer, allowing Nigel to drill inside and damage its tongue, then drilled out and came above ground again just in time.

Molgera became angry and started jumping in-and-out of the ground, trying to swallow them. When it was coming for Blaze, the fire cat tossed a flame and burned its tongue, pushing the beast back. Molgera popped out of the ground again and, this time, started flying around the room. He spat out dozens of flying Sandworms that came for them, held back mostly by flames and Rachel's arrows. Sonic then decided to Home Attack off the Sandworms up to Molgera's body. The last worm was glowing pink, so when Sonic destroyed it, he absorbed a Spike Wisp.

When Sonic landed on Molgera's body, it started flying around in all directions, trying to shake him off. Sonic became his pink spike ball form so his spikes would stick to it, allowing him to roll along Molgera's body and reach its mouth. When Molgera held its mouth open, and was coming down to eat the others, Sonic quickly Spin Dashed inside, doing severe damage on its tongue and internal parts. Molgera was finally knocked back into the sand after Sonic shot out of its tail. "Yuck! Good thing this thing's made of sand."

Molgera gave one final screech before flying out and up to the high ceiling of the room. There, it twisted and curled itself until it was safely locked inside a cocoon. The sand ceased flowing into the room, and the sand that flooded the room dissolved away. "Good riddance." Blaze said to the monster before the six of them proceeded through the door ahead. (Stop the music.)

**Solaris' Altar**

At long last, the group was back outside. They stood before a long staircase, leading to a giant torch. The area surrounding the long staircase was miles above an enormous, bottomless black chasm, which Rachel and Blaze gulped at. "Sure is high up…" Blaze said, nervously.

"Y-Yeah…" Rachel stuttered. "L-Let's keep going."

The six proceeded up the flight of stairs until they were at a platform with a picture of the sun. Eight curly lines led up to eight strings, connecting to a giant magnifying glass facing flat. Nigel and Blaze lit up the lines simultaneously, allowing the flames to go up the lines and burn the strings, allowing the glass to tilt, so that one side faced the torch and the other faced the sun. The bright, shining desert sun poked through the magnifying glass, creating a beam to the giant torch. The torch alit with a great, big flame in an instant.

The kids looked up as a gigantic, stone-like figure appeared in the sky, glowing with a slight golden light, with the shape of a phoenix behind his back. _"Well done, children…"_ the entity spoke. _"You have done well to find your way to this temple within these ancient ruins."_

"Well, we did have a little help from your little worshippers outside." Rachel reminded.

_"Ah, yes. The fallen ones of the past. Such a sad fate that's become of them. I am the Sun God they speak of. Solaris."_

"Wait a second." Sonic spoke. "You're not the same Solaris I fought back in Soleanna, are you?"

_"No. _I _am the real Solaris. What you fought back in Soleanna was my inferior copy."_

"A clone?" Nigel asked.

_"Yes. One day, one of my flames fell from the heavens and landed on Earth. The King of Soleanna found this flame and used it to clone his own Solaris. This led to disastrous results, for the existence of two Solaris' caused the balance of the dimension to fall apart. The clone overpowered me… but thanks to the young hedgehog here, the clone was subdued. Once I recovered, I used my timebending powers to send Sonic back in time, so he could destroy the flame that would lead to the clone's creation, preventing the clone from ever existing."_

"Oh yeah… I remember now." Sonic smiled.

_"Now, seeing as you're here, The Chronicler must've sent you his call."_

"Yes. He sent it to me." Nigel spoke. "He said you would tell me more about my Fire Element. And, well… I've been wondering… if my flames come from my ancestors of the demon family… does that mean they're evil?"

"I would like to know myself." Blaze followed. "Are my flames a curse?"

_"Hmm… very reasonable questions. True, fire can be easily mistaken for a Dark Element. But it is not, I assure you. Nigel… your family history involving Malladus and the demons says nothing about you or your flame. Your heart is kind and true. Your passion burns strong for your friends. There is nothing evil about it."_ Nigel gave a smile. _"And Blaze… you especially. The gems you carry with you are of my own creation. They are seven scattered pieces of my light. Powerful firebending relics. You see, of all the elements, Fire is the closest one to Light. Just as Shadow is the closest one to Darkness. It is the closest one to the soul. With a good soul, like yours, it can easily be used for light. But a dark soul, like Ganondorf's… his fire is totally bound to the darkness of his heart. This is due to the evil power that resides within him."_

"The Triforce of Power, right?" Rachel asked.

_"More. There is something about Ganondorf that makes him very unlike other mortals. Why his bond with the demons is so great. You see… Ganondorf is the very reincarnation of a demon."_

"He…He is?"

_"Yes. You see, Rachel, there has been more than one incarnation of your ancestor, Link. The first one… existed during the Old Demon Wars. Before Malladus was created by the Supreme God, Arceus, there was another Demon King before him. But his powers were so tremendous, and his heart so evil… that Arceus feared what may happen if he roam free. So, Arceus had him imprisoned within an evil sword that he lay rest within the Underworld Castle. Afterwards, he created Malladus to take his place and rule the Underworld as Demon King. And Malladus knew not of the sword's origins. Only that he was meant to guard it. Until…_

_"When Malladus was on the verge of losing another war, the Yin-Yang demon known as Hannibal Roy Bean came to him. He persuaded Malladus into drawing the massive sword from its pedestal… and he did. Thus, he awakened the original Demon King. He was called… _Satan_."_

The six gaped in horror.

_"However, most people referred to him as 'Demise'. Demise subdued Malladus, and took over as Demon King. But not long passed until the gods of old sealed him beneath the earth. However, his loyal servant Ghirahim sought to awaken him, continuing the Old Demon Wars. 'Twas when the Legendary Hero was born… Link. The Hero of the Sky. With the help of the guiding spirit, Fi, Link awakened the powers within the Master Sword and destroyed the Demon King. Malladus and his men were free to awaken. They trapped Ghirahim within an evil sword, similar to Fi, and hid that sword within the Negaverse. But Demise was not defeated. For he was reborn in the form of a mortal. And that mortal carried on his works and grew his demon army in his path to take the Triforce."_

"Ganon…" Nigel said quietly.

_"Yes. But as Demise was reborn, so was Link. And the new Link, with the help of the princess, Zelda, used the power of light and vanquished the evil Ganon… trapping him within the depths of the Evil Realm."_

_Ganondorf swirled around and around, falling into the endless white limbo that would be his prison. He shouted with pure anger in his voice: "G…GYAAHH! Curse you… ZELDA! Curse you… SAGES! Curse… you… LINK! ! Someday, when this seal is broken… I will come back and exterminate your descendants! AS LONG AS THE TRIFORCE OF POWER IS IN MY HAAND! !"_

_"And he did…"_ Solaris continued. _"In his desperate attempt to destroy the Demon Royal Family… and find the lost pieces of the Triforce. But for many long years, he failed and was put to rest. Over and over again… but he never stayed down."_

"Just like Malladus." Nigel replied.

_"Indeed. Proof of his godlike power. But for these thousands of years, the Triforce pieces have been lost to the ages. …Until now."_

"I have the Triforce of Courage… and Mandy has the Triforce of Wisdom." Rachel spoke. "If Ganon finds these parts-"

_"He could awaken the Triforce, and bring disaster to the land. Just as he did in days of old."_

"Hmph. Well, we'll stop him!" Nigel exclaimed confidently.

_"I know you will. We timebenders… know a lot of this stuff."_

"But wait a second." Jagar spoke. "If you're a timebender, why didn't you fix this ruined land?"

_"It is just as the robot captain guessed. These Timeshift Stones have only the power to revert to previous moments in the past. But it can never truly restore life. It will constantly replay the same events. Over and over again. Like the reset button on a videogame. And furthermore, Time is a very dangerous element. You must know the dangers of manipulation of Time. You are aware of the Time Dust you've been producing?"_

"Yeah, but… I don't know what it is."

_"Much like sand is the scattered fragments of earth, Time Dust is scattered fragments of time. When an earthbender hurls a rock, that rock will likely crumble to dust upon impact. In a similar way, when a timebender bends time, it interferes with the flow of the timeline, scattering small fragments of the timeline into dust."_

"So, when we bend time, we scatter the timeline?" Jagar asked.

_"Yes. But it is no great concern. Minor timebending abilities, such as what you've been using, scatter very little. But abilities such as time-travel can greatly scatter parts of the timeline. Such as changing events in the past. But there is only so much time in the universe, just as there is earth. But the past should never be changed. That is why I had to leave this planet remain the way it is."_

"So, there really is no hope for this land." Blaze said, glumly.

_"I never said that."_ Just then, Solaris made a platform rise from below them, holding an even bigger Timeshift Stone. _"This is the Timeshift Diamond. A Timeshift Stone that is far more powerful than the other ones. It can restore all life to these Ancient Wastelands, and keep their timeline flowing in the present. No replaying same events in the past. But for it to work, requires the charge of a very powerful timebender."_

"But _you're_ powerful timebender… and so is Dialga." Jagar reminded.

_"Even _our_ powers are not so much. If there comes to be a timebender with such incredible power, and bond with their memories… that power can fuel the diamond with such immeasurable energy, and restore this land."_

"The Chaos Emeralds are… their Negatives?" Sonic asked.

"Well, now. Guess we better find someone then." Sonic smirked.

_"Indeed. For now, you must return to your friends. A friend is here to guide you back."_

_"ROOAAR."_ They looked to the tops of one of the walls as a large yellow tiger with black lightning-like stripes and a grey cape jumped and landed before them.

_"This is Raikou. The Thunder Lion. Better hold on tight. He'll get you back in no time. …Haha. Get it? Time?"_

"We'll just see who's faster." Sonic smirked. "Wanna race?"

"You bet!" Blaze smirked. With that, the two animals dashed over the walls and started speeding across the wastelands, followed by the others riding the Thunder Lion.

**Battleship Halberd; bridge**

Fanny and Shaunie were on the Halberd's bridge, barefoot as they stood on opposite sides with battle poses. Fanny looked more confident, while Shaunie was struggling to maintain a still pose. The desert sun was so hot on the 5-year-old's skin, and his feet couldn't handle the ship's scorching metal. "Can't we train inside, Fanny?" the boy whined.

"If yer gonna be stronger, Shaunie, ya have ta learn ta cope with the heat." Fanny stated, the sun taking no toll on the strong firebender's skin. "Okay, test number 1: run up to me and hit me as hard as ya can. We need ta see how strong you can punch first."

"Are you sure it's okay, Fanny?"

"Sure it's okay. Heck, the point of this was to fight me, anyway."

"Mmmm…" Shaunie looked afraid. "If you say so. …Aaaaahhhh!" With a determined look and a battle cry, Shaunie charged at Fanny as fast as he could. It was hard to run on the scorching metal, so Shaunie didn't move too fast. Fanny maintained her pose as her brother came, his right first raised and ready to punch. And once Shaunie made it to Fanny, he THREW his fist with all his force. Fanny felt no pain against her leg, and she didn't budge an inch.

"Come oooon! Is THAT all you can do, Shaunie? ?"

"I punched as hard as I could, Fanny!" Shaunie whined.

"Ugh, well yer gonna need ta punch a lot harder. Now I'm gonna try to attack ya; not too hard, and you try to block and punch me back. Okay?"

"Y-You won't firebend at me, will you?"

"Of course not. Okay, get ready." She raised her fists. Shaunie raised fists, too, but was more nervous. "Go!" Fanny started to throw her fists, fiercely, but lightly. Shaunie did his best to dodge, but she was too fast. He tried to block, but his sister was much stronger. She wasn't hitting as hard as she normally would, but her fists still felt very painful to Shaunie. "Come on, Shaunie! Look at my movement and dodge!"

Fanny threw another punch, but Shaunie managed to duck it, much to his excitement. However, his joy vanished when Fanny swung her foot and kicked him back. He got up as Fanny threw more punches, but Shaunie cried, "Oh, just stop it, Fanny! I just can't do this! I'll never be as strong as you!"

"Uuuugh! Shaunie, you're never gonna be strong if ya DOUBT yerself! If ye wanna be stronger, ya have ta have _fire_ in yer punches."

"But I can't firebend! !"

"I'm not _talkin'_ about bendin'. I mean ya have to have _passion_. Ya need the _eyes_ of a tiger, the _heart_ of a lion… ya need the burnin' aura of a true warrior. Yer wee size doesn't matter, as long as ya've got the courage."

Shaunie sighed in hopelessness. "I'm sorry, Fanny. I just don't have it like you do. I'm always gonna be a spineless wimp."

"Siiiigh. Well, what was the point of askin' me to train ya? ? I mean, ya can't just run AWAY from all yer problems! Wait a minute. …" It suddenly dawned on Fanny. "Running away! That's it! Shaunie, let's try something else!"

"Hm?" Shaunie looked up, still frowning sadly.

"This time, yer going to run away from me!" Fanny smirked, back in her battle pose. "I'm gonna chase you, and you just stay away. OK?"

"Um… okay."

"Right then! On yer mark, get set, run for it!"

"Eyaaah!" Shaunie jumped back when Fanny tried to grab him. The 5-year-old began running about the bridge as his older sister chased. He ran to the front-most end, then had to run past Fanny's, dodge-rolling as she almost grabbed him. Fanny chased him the opposite direction, but when she was drawing close, Shaunie leapt and kicked off Fanny's head, running back toward the front. Fanny chased, but Shaunie suddenly slipped past her and ran the opposite way. Fanny yelled in anger and began to throw fireballs, much to Shaunie's fright. She threw flames at his feet, but Shaunie was quick to jump and dodge. Fanny tossed flames as fast as she could, but was slowly losing strength.

Fanny began to pant in exhaust, and soon, she just couldn't throw any more. Shaunie looked at his slumping, sweating sister, and his face showed determination. "Aaaaaahhh!" Fanny looked up in surprise when Shaunie suddenly charged, and shoved her with full force over the ship's edge. Fanny landed facefirst in the sand, her face buried. Shaunie carefully stood on the ledge, looking down with worry. But when Fanny looked up, she smirked and gave a thumbs-up. "…He he ha!" Shaunie smiled happily.

_"HEEELP!"_ They then turned their attention toward the man in the green jacket, running around frantically as usual. "There's a big race going on downtown! Someone could get hurt! Also, I don't know how I ended up on this planet! HEELP!" And he ran off.

That's when King Dedede and Escargoon drove by in their newly fixed limo. "And we gonn' be in first place!" the king laughed as they headed for town.

Fanny helped herself up and brushed the sand off as Eva walked by. "Ho, boy. This spells trouble." Fanny figured.

"Better go see." Eva replied. Shaunie slid down the ship's side as they all ran after them.

**Tatooine Town**

The many alien citizens of Tatooine Town had all gathered to watch the spectacle that was the podraces. Dozens of racers, including some Brotherhood villains, were gathering onto the track with their vehicles ready as the two child reporters, Nick and Chip (from the actual show, not my assistants), watched from their station above. "Welcome, podracing fans, to the 156th annual podraces." Nick announced. "We have quite the competition today. Racers of many species in many different crafts. And what could be a more perfect day for podracing with the sun breaking through the barely-existent clouds."

"And I don't think those'll be the only thing breaking!" Chip continued. "And here to announce the start of the race, is none other than your planet's recent conqueror: Invader Tak!"

The purple-eyed female Irken as mentioned walked over and spoke into the microphone. "Thank you, thank you. As the most recent and 'rightful' ruler of this planet, it does me great honor to watch over a sport I'm OH so fond of."

Sector V and the other team members were down in the audience at this time. "I thought Numbuh 1 and you guys overthrew Tak?" Hoagie asked to Ava and Kweeb.

"Eh. We kinda decided to let her still be ruler after beating the Tallest." Kweeb replied.

"Wonderful day for a race, eh, Mario?" Peach asked, sitting beside the Italian plumber.

"Oh yeh!"

"Too bad Luigi couldn't be here. He used to love kart-racing."

"Now, let's meet this year's competitors." Tak announced.

"Now just arriving on the track: the supreme King of Dreamland, as well as his loyal snail advisor: King Dedede & Escargoon." Nick introduced, and everyone applauded as the two sped onto the track, smiling and waving their arms.

"Coming right behind them," Chip followed, "the maniacal Princess of the Fire Nation, the siren of blue flames herself… Princess AZUUULA!" The vicious Fire Nation Princess, in her usual black armor, rode in on her black and red motorcycle, throwing blue flames all around as the audience applauded.

"Up next, we have the boy with the attitude, the evil boy genius who wields the Shen Gong Wu: Jack Spicer!" The white-skinned boy genius with blood-red hair sped onto the track, inside a little cart with lasers that looked similar to his Jackbots, raising his thumbs up and cackling away.

"And last, but certainly not least." Chip continued. "The teeny meanies from Planet Kateenia. The troublemaking trio who can swipe literally anything under your nose: the Bitesize BOYS!"

The tiny trio of teenage Kateenians sped onto the track, riding none other than the stolen Bat Wing of Katie's. "Come on, boys, let's show these big shots how it's done!" their leader exclaimed in a squeaky voice, the others agreeing.

"Step right up and place your bets, heehee! Last chance everybody, so who-sa gonna win, hehe!" Watto called out to everyone on the track.

Morgan and Mika watched as he drifted by with worried expressions. "Ohh. Where's Rainier?" Mika asked, shaking impatiently.

"They should be done by now." Morgan said.

"…Wait! There he is!" Mika yelled with delight, pointing as Rainier rode over on what seemed like a 2x4 dragon craft.

_"Oh ho ho!"_ Nick announced. _"Seems we have one last racer. It's Rainier Chariton, in his brand new-"_

**Kids Next Door: W.I.N.G.M.A.N.**

**W**inged **I**mplement **N**egates **G**ravity **M**illing **A**bout **N**onsensically

"This baby should win me the race!" Rainier said, confidently.

"Just be careful, Rainier. These guys look pretty tough." Mika replied.

"Eh heh heh heh! That li'l ol' junk heap ain't gonn' getcha nowhere!" King Dedede laughed.

"Uh, double-negative, meaning I will get somewhere." Rainier smirked.

"Eh heh heh heh… huh?" Dedede stopped laughing and looked confused.

"Eh, come on, le's just get in the race, huh?" Watto said, guiding Rainier over to his starting position while the psychics got in their seats. "Come on, Boy, ya really don't think you gonna win, huh?"

"Heh. 'fraid you gonna lose another servant, bug face?" Rainier smirked.

"Geh… you brats make me sick. Make me wish Irkens were still here, yah?" Watto mumbled, flying off.

"Hahaha! You don't stand a chance against us, huh?" the leader of the Bitesize Boys taunted. "We'll run you down and roast your corpse over a bonfire!"

"Not before I squish you beneath my foot."

"Heh. You're all fools." Azula smirked cockily. "It's obvious that only true royalty and perfection will come in first. Not nose-picking weirdoes like Jack."

"HEY! Harsh words are harsh, Lady." Jack Spicer yelled, picking his nose.

"Quit yappin', both of ya!" Dedede shouted. "I gonn' be winnin' this race. So, get ready to eat mah dream dust!"

Eddy then came over to Rainier and whispered, "Don't worry, Kid. I have total faith in you."

He then ran over to the betting booth with a load of cash he got from other viewers and shouted, "Put it all on the shrimpy aliens in the black bat ship!"

"Okay, I want all racers to get their selves lined up while I explain the rules." Tak called into the mike. "Once my robot, FIR waves the starting flag, you'll all begin to race 3 laps around the track. Use any method you can to win. Take the speed boosts on the ground for extra bursts of speed, and use the ramps to take off and navigate your way over the aerial parts. That is… if your vehicle is meant for air travel.

"Along the track, you'll find mystery blocks that will give you an item of random choice for you to use in the race. The Green Koopa Shells, you can use to fire at other racers, or if you miss, they'll just keep bouncing off the walls until they hit somebody. The Red Shells will automatically home in on the racer in front of you. The Stars will make you invincible for a short time, the Bloopers will blind the visions of other racers, the Blue Koopa Shells will go after the person in 1st place, and… blah blah blah, figure the rest out yourself. The person in 1st place will receive a gold trophy, and whatever precious item they must've bet before the race."

"ON your marks." Nick began as everyone readied their cars. Tak's SIRbot, FIR, stood on the starting line, getting ready to wave her flags.

"Get SET." Chip continued. The racers exchanged fierce glances and glared ahead. The tension was rising inside Rainier, the boy sweating, desperately waiting for the race to commence.

"Oh! Oh! Didn't say go yet!" Tak said rapidly. "Didisaygo? No! Didn'tsaygoyet! Whenisaygo, youmaygo. Ready-No-Okay, GOO! !"

The racers zapped over the starting line in the blink of an eye, leaving a huge cloud of smoke in their path. Rainier coughed and tried to blow the smoke away, trying to start up the W.I.N.G.M.A.N.. "Whoa! WHOOA!" Finally, the vehicle took off and started speeding down the canyon. (Play the "Twinkle Circuit" Theme from _Sonic Adventure_!)

_Sub-game: Podracing_

"_AND they're off!"_ Nick exclaimed.

_"Whoa, looks like Rainier had a bad start there. This new racer's already dead last!"_ Chip followed.

"Heh heh heh!" Watto laughed.

Rainier desperately tried to catch up to the other racers. He was thankfully coming to a mystery block and rammed it. A roulette spun on his craft before stopping at 3 Mushrooms. He smiled and pressed the up-left button, the Mushrooms giving his craft a burst of speed.

Ding Dong Daddy was currently in the lead, ahead of the Bitesize Boys, grabbing a mystery block of his own. It came up 3 Banana Peels, which he took out and began dropping behind him. The Kateenians barely dodged while a couple alien racers slipped on them and crashed. Mad Mod hit a block and grabbed a Red Koopa Shell, firing at some Jawa in front of him, taking them out.

As they were turning a corner in the canyon, Rainier spotted a speed boost between two walls on a hill, immediately going up and crossing it, giving him a burst of speed so he passed Kitten and Fang in their pink limo. They were now going along the side of a steep slope over a bottomless chasm, and Kitten and Fang hit a block and gained 3 Green Koopa Shells. They smirked and fired the shells, Rainier swiftly dodging and allowing the shells to hit Katnappe, Johnny Rancid, and Gizmo, making them plummet in the pit.

Rainier was now coming up to Azula, ramming the princess's motorcycle and passing by, waving good-bye as they were just exiting the steep slope, the princess growling at him. Azula thankfully hit a box and grabbed a Lightning Bolt. The princess smirked as she activated it, causing lightning to zap everyone on the track, shrinking them down. Azula cackled as she sped by Rainier, squishing Knightbrace and Johnny 13 (I just realized, there are 2 villains named Johnny who ride motorcycles! XD) before all the racers re-expanded.

Dedede & Escargoon had just grabbed a Tanuki Tail. The raccoon tail appeared on the back of their limo as they sped closer to Ding Dong Daddy, whacking him with the tail and taking out his car. "Eh heh heh heh heh!"

They were now speeding into another canyon, taking a turn on the large, wide road as Sand People fired at them from above with sniper rifles. The Sand People dealt a few shots on the Bitesize Boys, making their stolen craft swirl and slow down, allowing other racers to pass. They were then coming to a huge, bottomless gorge, shooting up a ramp and activating their vehicles' aerial functions: the W.I.N.G.M.A.N.'s wings, Dedede's limo's glider, Azula's rocket shoes, and so on.

They were flying across the canyon, avoiding rocks and Sand People shooting snipers. After coming out of there barely unscathed, they were speeding up to the starting line, crossing it, and beginning Lap 2.

_"AND the 1st lap is DOWN!" _Nick shouted.

_"Let's see who will survive 'til the end!"_ Chip reported.

As Rainier was coming through the canyon once again, he passed the mariachi band on a rock. "Don't give up, Amigo. Just keep your spirits high… and try to get the others to crash."

Rainier rammed a mystery block and gained a Golden Mushroom. He started boosting continuously, ramming a few other racers to get ahead. Dedede gained a Banana Peel and dropped it, making Rainier unfortunately slip, and for the other racers to get by. They were then going along the slippery slope once again. Rainier grabbed a Blooper and sent it off to blind the other racers with ink.

"Ah, Ah can't see!" Dedede yelled as their limo swerved out of control.

"You aren't even driving." Escargoon replied, blind as well. "Help us out, Waddle Doo."

"I'm on it!" Waddle Doo exclaimed, hopping out and taking the wheel to drive them across. Azula easily wiped the ink from her eyes and hit some Teen Ninjas, pushing them over. When they passed through the wide canyon area again, the Sand People started shoving huge boulders down to crush them. The racers narrowly avoided while one of the boulders crushed Puppet King back into his jack-in-the-box car.

The Six Gum Gang spun their lassos and wrapped them around a boulder, lifting and swinging it around before tossing it in the path of Mad Mod and Control Freak, making them crash. The racers shot up the ramp and started gliding over the gorge again. This time, the Sand People; who were sandbenders, started making parts of the stone pillars collapse, crushing Mumbo Jumbo and a few more aliens. Jack Spicer grabbed a Bullet Bill and used it to easily fly across the chasm, shooting through boulders and even taking out the Six Gums.

"Mwah ha ha! See you at the finish line, losers!" the boy genius taunted, now in second place behind Dedede as they crossed the starting line, beginning Lap 3.

_"Annnd the final lap of the race is here now, folks. It's anybody's game now."_ Reporter Nick called.

_"And so far, Dedede & Escargoon are in the lead!"_ Chip exclaimed.

"Ah HA ha ha! We're gonna win! We're gonna win! We're gonna win!" the two villains cheered gleefully.

"Ah, crap! We're losing!" one of the Bitesize Boys asked as they were now in last place.

"Heh heh! Good thing we bribed those guys into giving us a free Blue Shell!" the other one replied.

"Alright boys, let's teach these fools a lesson." Their leader said, pushing a button and launching the blue spiked shell.

_"The Blue Tortoise Shell is-a Mario Kart's greatest weapon."_ Wario spoke. _"It-a magically finds the lead car in the race, and it takes it out, eh hehe!"_

"…WHOA!" Rainier barely dodged right as the blue shell zoomed by.

As they were going along the steep slope again, the shell zoomed past and took out Jack Spicer and Princess Azula, both villains screaming and falling into the pit. When they were out of the slope area, King Dedede & Escargoon sped even faster as the shell caught up, but had no luck escaping it. They looked up as the blue shell flew above them, spinning around and charging an attack. "WHOOAA!" Their eyes and mouths opened widely as the shell crashed down and exploded, taking out their car.

"AH HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the Bitesize Boys cackled, speeding ahead in the lead.

_"And now it's only Rainier and the Bitesize Boys."_ Nick announced. _"Who will take the crown, and who will take the pound?"_

"The big fat ugly human, that's who!" the Bitesize leader cackled.

"Heh heh. Shyeah. _I'm_ takin' the crown." Rainier smirked.

As they passed through the second trench, the Sand People ran onto the track and used their bending to raise columns of earth, Rainier quickly dodging once more. One of the rising columns, however, took out his right wing, but the boy kept going.

The mariachi band was now playing music on one of the ledges over the bottomless chasm. "You know, the wind is really nice up here."

The two race crafts had just gone up the ramp and started flying over the chasm. Along the way, the Kateenians grabbed a mystery block with a Bob-omb, the three cackling and dropping it to Rainier's craft. Rainier gasped as the Bob-omb made a strange sound before exploding, causing the boy's 2x4 craft to spiral and crash in one of the pillars. As a result of the explosion, the ledge that the mariachi band was on crumbled, and the owls still stood on the ledge as it plummeted to the chasm below.

"CAN'T YOU GUYS FLY? ?" Rainier yelled to them.

"We… never took lessons." The band leader admitted shamefully before they were out of sight. Rainier only gave a puzzled look and shrugged.

"HAHA, YEAH, YEAH!" Watto cheered to the Bitesize Boys.

_"It looks like the Kateenians have this race wrapped up, ladies and aliens."_ Nick announced.

"COME ON, RAINIER!" Mika yelled, she and the operatives continuing to cheer.

Rainier put on a determined look and started his craft up again, getting it out of the wall and taking off.

_"Oh ho! It looks like Rainier's still goin'. Not like he has much a chance now."_ Nick said as Rainier was back on track, tailing right after the little aliens.

"That trophy is MINE! AH HA HA HA HYEEE!" the leader shouted.

Rainier spotted another mystery box and grabbed it, and to his delight, he gained a Star. "OH YEAH!" Rainier blinked the colors of the rainbow as his W.I.N.G.M.A.N. sped even faster.

"WE DID IT, WE DID IT! …HUH? !" Just before the Bitesize Boys could cross the finish line, Rainier shot through and rammed them. "WHOOAA!" (Stop the music.) The Kateenians were forced out of the Bat Wing, flying through the air over the audience.

**In the audience**

"MAN, Violet, is there anything you won't eat?" Abby asked Violet as the catgirl slurped some alien ooze.

"Werecat form gives you benefits. But I wish I had some popcorn." But to her joy, the tiny aliens landed in her green ooze. The Kateenians looked up and gasped in horror as Violet licked her lips, her eyes widened as she grinned with sharp cat teeth.

_"AND THE WINNER IS RAINIER! !" _The 13-year-old blew kisses and waved his arms as tons of excited viewers cheered.

"WOOHOO! RAINIER! !" Mika screamed.

"OH NOOO!" Watto cried in defeat.

_"And this concludes the 156th annual podraces."_ Nick continued. _"And now to go into my night job as the ship parking lot mugger! I'll see you there. But you won't see me, until it's TOOO late!"_

_"Um, and so concludes the race's end, good-bye everybody!"_ Chip finished.

"Alright! You did it, Rainier!" Mika cheered as she and the operatives walked out to greet him.

"Now we can get off this planet!" Hoagie exclaimed.

"Aw, no, NO!" Watto yelled, flying over to them. "You-sa usin' your Jedi powers to see future, and SEE he gonna win! You cheated!"

"Cheated? Oh, no." Morgan shook her head. "We're just Padawans. We're far from learning how to predict the future."

"But we don't need that power to know the 2x4 craft always wins!" Mika declared.

"Which means, I get to come with them." Rainier finished.

"Oh no!" Watto denied. "You-sa not goin' anywhere!"

"But we had a bet, and you lost."

"No. I not losin' to a bunch of bratty kids. You goin' back to that junk heap, and then you-"

_"WAIIT!"_

"Huh?" Watto looked over to see Ed riding the cardboard bus with a bucket over his head.

"I WAS IN THE RACE, TOO!"

"WAAAH!" Before Watto could evade, the cardboard bus ran him right over, crushing him like a fly.

"Huh?" Ed uncovered his head and looked to the squished alien below his bus.

"Eh… okay. You-sa can go now. Ouch." Watto gave in.

"YYES!" Rainier and Mika cheered and high-fived.

The rest of the gang were just coming down from the audience. Violet sucked her fingers and licked off the ooze, her stomach full from the delicious snack she just had. "So, we all ready to go?" Hoagie asked.

"Not yet." Rainier replied. "We have to stop by my house and get something first. Then we can go."

"Oh, okay. Let's go then." Mika decided as they walked off.

Before Eddy could follow them, he found himself surrounded by the many angry aliens he made bets with. "Uh… h-hey, guys." He stuttered fearfully. "Uh, about your money, um…" Before he could say anything more, the aliens started beating him senseless. "No wait! I'll pay you back! G-Go easy on me! MOMMYYYYY!"

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><p><strong>UUUGH… these last two were terrible. But the next one should be WAY better. Next time… we will attack The Brain's space station. Later.<strong>


	44. Siege of Star Station

**HELLO, everybody. Prepare for the LONGEST-ass chapter so far in this story. HUHU 'CEPT FOR THAT UNHOLY THING COMIN' AT THE END OF THIS STORY! ! Anyway… here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Newest Star Wars! Battle on Star Station!<em>**

**Planet Secco; Rainier's House**

"Well… here we are." Rainier said after finally leading the two psychics to an old, junky house in the desert.

"Uh… nice… place." Morgan drew out. Although the house seemed to be littered with piles of trash and old machine parts.

"Yeah, not the most impressive household in the galaxy." Rainier replied. "But I'm used to living in dirt. My parents were earthbenders. Which is funny since I wasn't born one. But that's why I study martial arts. Anyway, the reason I wanted to stop here was to get this." He dug around the junk piles and pulled out an old, short robot.

"A robot?" Mika asked.

"I found this when I was out exploring the Ancient Wastelands one day. This whole planet used to be populated by them before something terrible happened. But no matter how hard I worked on the thing, I couldn't get it running. I always thought, if I could activate him again… we could work to rebuild this planet the way it was."

"The whole planet? That seems a little much." Morgan said.

"I think it's pretty sweet." Mika smiled.

"Hey." They looked as Knuckles came in. "Sonic and the others are back from the Sun Temple. It's time for us to go."

"Right." Morgan nodded. "We need to keep looking for Jirachi so we can stop the Dark Master."

"Well, let's go, Rainy!" Mika exclaimed, waving for him to come. "If you wanna know about us benders, our gang's the perfect place to start. So, come on, we'll introduce you!" With that, she ran ahead of the others.

Rainier smiled and chuckled as he carried the robot and chased the Filipino.

**Outer space; Galaxia**

The two spaceships were flying from the atmosphere in an instant. "Whoa! Now this is pretty neat." Rainier said, his hands and face pressed to the Halberd's cockpit window as he admired the view of Planet Secco.

"Yup. Not everyday you fly a spaceship into… space, huh?" Mika asked.

"It was generous of him to fix our ships." Meta Knight said. "Now let us get back to searching for-" All of a sudden, both ships were hit by laser fire.

"Oh, great. Who's beefing now?" Sonic asked.

_"Guess who's back from the dead, assholes!"_

"I… have a pretty good idea." Morgan replied, never one to forget that voice. (Play Star Wolf's Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

"It's Star Wolf!" Nigel exclaimed, recognizing the five incoming Wolfens.

"Long time, no see, kiddies. Hope ya didn't miss us too much, Baldy." Wolf O'Donnell said from his Wolfen.

"Wolf!" Nigel shouted.

"Nyeh. Is the little angel girl in there? I'm a little hungry for flies. Heh." Leon Powalski continued.

"Leon." Luvbi sighed.

"In case you don't remember, I am Panther. I can see little Ava isn't with you at the moment, so I'll snack on you first. Growl." Panther Caroso growled.

"Ah hain't forgotten you, Baldy. It's time fer y'all ta visit the darkest pit o' Hell! HISSS!" Rattlesnake Jake hissed.

"A-heh-h-and guess who ELSE is joinin' this party!" Boba Fett exclaimed.

"Boba Fett!" Morgan shouted.

"You rang?"

"Grrr. Let's GET 'EM, team!" Nigel exclaimed.

"YEAH!"

In a minute, Sector V got into their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., Luvbi in her Angel Wing, Rachel and Fanny in the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., and Cosmo & Nova in the Nova Cruiser.

_"Starting without us?"_ Ava's voice came from her ship, as she and the others flew into the area.

"Guys!" Nigel smiled.

"Ahh. My dear, sweet Ava. How sad you must've been without your Panther. Growl." Panther said smoothly.

"Um… Ava, was that guy your boyfriend or something?" Kami asked.

"What? ! No! !"

"Oi, now the gang's all 'ere!" Marine cheered.

_"They aren't the only ones."_ At this, they looked to see two more Wolfen ships approaching.

"Cad Bane?" Cosmo asked.

"Aurra?" Ava noticed.

"Wa ha hey! Now OUR gang's all here, too!" Boba cheered.

"Don't push your luck, Boba." Bane replied. "You're on the raw end of this bounty, too."

"But first, let's bake some brat." Aurra finished.

"Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!" Nigel cried, and the space fight began.

_Boss fight: Star Wolf_

The operatives began their assault on the Star Wolf Team right away. Team Alien chased Panther and shot at his ship, but Aurra was chasing right behind them, firing exploding shurikens. When Kami dropped a TNT barrel towards Aurra's ship, the adult Glomourian extended an energy rope, similar to her nun-chucks, grabbed the barrel, and hurled it back at them. This allowed Panther to somersault behind them and start firing his slow, but powerful laser.

As Luvbi chased and fired at Leon once again, the chameleon smirked as he activated the invisibility function on his ship. The angel looked around for him as Leon simply hit the brake, letting her pass so that he could begin firing from behind. "Annoying angel. Who do you think I am?"

Rachel and Fanny hurriedly tried to get away as Rattlesnake Jake chased them in his armor, the girls flying in all directions to keep the demon snake from getting in front, remembering Nigel's story. "Get away!" Rachel yelled.

"Nah-ah! When Death starves, Death comes-a eatin'! HEY!" He was then rammed from the side by the Nova Cruiser.

"Death won't be eating today." Nova replied.

"Plah! Even better." With that, Jake wrapped himself around their ship, trapping them them.

"Er! Let us out!" Cosmo shouted.

Rachel and Fanny stopped, turned, and shot at Jake to try and free them. Jake did let go, however, so he could easily wrap around the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. and begin squeezing it. "Hey, no fair!" Rachel yelled.

"No one said life was fair, ssss!"

Afterwards, Cad Bane proceeded to fire missiles at Cosmo and Nova. "Here's from Castle Irk, fools!"

"Dude, you really need to let stuff go." Cosmo told him.

"See that, Baldy? Your team's gettin' their butts kicked just like last time." Wolf said as Sector V chased him.

"Don't forget what happened after that, Wolf. Take him down, Numbuh 2!" Nigel declared.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" With that, the chubby pilot fired his own bullets that Wolf barrel-rolled and somersaulted behind them. Hoagie then switched on his ship's barrier to absorb Wolf's shots to gain power. However, Wolf launched a bomb at them, which erupted a spherical explosion, blowing the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. back several feet.

As Jake continued squeezing the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., Marine flew by and punched energy balls at the snake, making him release. However, Marine was suddenly shot by Boba Fett. "Wah ha hey! Sounds like I'm cookin' raccoon tonight!"

"Not if we have something to say about!" Mika exclaimed, flying out of the Halberd with Rainier on the W.I.N.G.M.A.N., wearing air helmets.

"Good thing I made this thing to fly in space, too." Rainier said.

"Ah-halright, time to roast a psychic!" Boba exclaimed, proceeding to shoot missiles. Mika stood on the W.I.N.G.M.A.N.'s wing while Rainier drove, using psychic to grab the missiles and toss them back, but Boba dodged.

Team Alien somersault away from Panther and were now flying straight upwards. However, they were suddenly captured by the energy rope from Aurra's ship. "Let's see how you like crashing into an asteroid- HEY!" That's when Panther's ship came back and fired at her, allowing the Heart Star to keep flying.

"Whose side are you on? !" Bane yelled to Panther.

"What's wrong? Having team problems?" Cosmo smirked.

"You'll be the only ones having problems!" With that, Bane fired mini flying spherical pods that came for the Nova Cruiser, shooting lasers that they barrel-rolled, deflecting the shots.

"Sorry, Sweetie, but no one shoots down my girl but me." Panther growled to Aurra.

"Oh, God…" Ava sighed.

"Oh yeah? Well, no one roasts my rod but me!" Aurra countered, firing shurikens at Panther's ship.

"Hey-hey, this ain't no friendly reunion!" Boba shouted. "We supposed to be roastin' these fools like the old days, not roastin' each other- WAH! !" Boba was then hit by Bane.

"I didn't much like your father, and I don't like you."

"Hey, you mess with Boba, you mess with me!" Wolf shouted, completely forgetting Sector V and going for Bane.

"Hm hm hm." Meta Knight chuckled. "I knew we had them outnumbered, but I did not know they would outnumber each other."

"Come on, guys!" Leon shouted, turning visible. "Focus so we can send these guys to Davy Jarg's-" However, he was immediately shot from behind by Luvbi.

"I foundeth thee." She smirked.

"Ugh. I am SO demanding a raise in my bounty-" was all Leon could say before his ship crashed.

"Hey, hey, come on, team, Boba we knows we had our problems in the past, but don't ya think we-"

"Quit yappin' and help me take this ** down! !" Wolf interrupted, continuing to attack Bane.

"This is just sad…" Amy looked disbelieved, watching as the members of Star Wolf started ramming each other.

"Yeah. At least when Sonic and Knuckles fight, they're still able to concentrate on their enemy." Tails replied.

"Or at least, I am." Sonic remarked.

"Wanna go a few rounds right now, spike boy? !" Knuckles yelled.

"Is this really the time, you guys?" Tails asked.

"Some things never change." Sonia shook her head.

"Um, excuse me?" Nova spoke to Star Wolf. "I know you are trying to destroy us, but you are on the same team, correct?"

Bane flew to her and yelled, "Piss off, Pink Girl! I never liked these guys, OR their pathetic excuses for hunters as fathers- Ah!" Bane was immediately rammed by Wolf.

"Say that again, Bug Eyes! !" Wolf yelled.

"Hey, hey, le's keep it cool, Wolf- Hey!" Boba flew in between them, but Wolf and Bane rammed him out of the way.

At this time, the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. and Yin, Yang, and Katie's S.C.A.M.P.E.R. were pushing against Rattlesnake Jake on opposite ends, holding him still as he tried to escape. "Man, this is dumb!" Fanny shouted.

"I know." Yang replied. "They're totally killing each other."

"At least the first two times we did this, they actually put up more of a fight." Kweeb noted, sitting in Kami's lap.

"Even I don't fight with my friends this much." Kami replied.

"Guh! Forget thiss!" Jake yelled, turning and aiming his tail at the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., firing a bomb that blew it off, allowing him to escape. "I'll deal with them myself!" The snake quickly flew over and wrapped around Marine's ship, attempting to crush her.

"Oh, Katie, we forgot to mention!" Mika called, flying by their S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. "We got your ship back from that Kateenian gang back on Secco!"

"Well, why didn't you say so? !" Katie yelled back. "I got something that'll take care of Jake. Let's go!" With that, the three headed back for the Halberd.

Team Alien watched with disbelief as Aurra and Panther continued to shoot each other. "You brainless sack of hairballs!" Aurra yelled.

"You cruel, conniving chica." Panther shot back, smoothly.

"You big bunch of idiots." Ava remarked.

Right away, Katie flew out of the Halberd in her Bat Wing to Rattlesnake Jake. "Hey, Jakey!"

Jake stopped crushing Marine for a moment to look at her.

"Got somethin' for ya!" With that, she produced a hologram of the same giant hawk she did last time.

"B-B-B-BIIIIRRRRDS!" With that, the cowardly snake shot out of the area.

"Snakes. Gets 'em every time." Katie smirked.

"Gah. Forget this." Wolf said, leaving Bane and going over to pick Leon up. "Panther. Boba. Let's go. We'll wipe the floor with them all next time." With that, the four bounty hunters took off after Jake.

"Come on, Aurra. Let's get back to Star Station." With that, the bounty hunting duo left the operatives and took off.

"WAAIT! We're not done beatin' you yet! !" Marine shouted.

"Don't worry, Marine." Nova assured. "We aren't letting THEM escape."

"Precisely." Meta Knight agreed. "We must follow them to their base. Let us move out."

"FINALLY!" Penelope shouted. "The moment to finally meet sweet AMANDA, please!"

"Yeah. So, let's go before this chick loses it." Eva replied, earning another crazy glare from Penelope. The ships returned to the Battleship Halberd as both flagships followed the two hunters.

At the same time, an Arwing, piloted by another driver, flew by and followed the Star Wolf Team. (Stop the music.)

**Star Station**

From one of many windows of Star Station, Danika, Nolan, and Midna watched as a Bowser airship landed in the hangar, dropping off the defeated villains from the Secco podrace. "Ah ha ha ha!" the shadow imp laughed. "It's so amusing how epically villains fail."

"Yeah. Sure it is." Nolan replied, sarcastically.

"On to a different subject…" Danika started, "exactly what kind of creature are you, Midna?"

The impish figure faced her with a quizzical look. "Why, just a fellow shadow like Cheshire here. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you seem a bit… different than other shadows."

"Hmmm…" Midna squinted her eye and gave a mischievous smile, similar to that of Rumpel Stiltskin's. "Well, I assume I may as well be honest. I'm a loyal servant to the spirits."

"Like that Fi girl?" Nolan asked.

"Exactly! I sense a great power emitting from the young goth here. She seems to possess the powers of Light Shadows."

"Light Shadows? What are Light Shadows?" Danika asked.

"Light Shadow is a very special power that only a select few shadowbenders have within them. It's when shadowbenders have very special feelings for other beings, not just for shadows. Shadowbenders can produce a bright light that penetrates darkness."

"But I thought shadows _were_ darkness." Nolan said.

"Mm hm hm hm." Midna smirked at him. "There is a very big difference. Darkness comes from evil, and is blighted by the light. True, Shadow is weakened by Light as well, but at the same time, it is powered by it. It depends on how much light there is to hide behind. During times of day like noon, when the sun shines high, the shadow gets smaller. But when a particular light is shone, known as twilight, the shadow extends. Grows bigger and more powerful."

"Oh yeah. I knew that." Danika remembered.

"Although Shadow is the closest element to Darkness, it can be greatly empowered by light. The same way Fire is closest to Light, but can easily be influenced by Darkness, such as that which Ganon or Lehcar produces. Elements work in strange and mysterious ways, do they not?"

"So, what you're saying is… that I can produce a Light version of Shadow?" Danika asked.

Midna nodded. "But it's not a spirit's place to simply point it out. You'll have to find your light on your own. Well… you'll have to recognize it, anyway. Eee hee hee hee!" With that, she disappeared into Danika's shadow.

She and Nolan looked at each other curiously before looking back out the window.

**Halberd and Blue Typhoon**

_"Brighten the skies of night._

_Shatter these walls of blight._

_Guide me on this radiant path._

_Show me… to the light._

_To the... light…"_

Numbuh Infinity and Peach walked in to hear Dimentia finish singing. "Well, that's an interesting change on that song." Jeremy said.

"What kind of song was it?" Peach asked.

"Well, when we were back in GKND, we always used to sing to Jirachi for him to give us more life force." Dimentia answered. "But what I just sang was supposedly the original version of that song. I've never been entirely sure of its meaning…"

"Maybe it's meant for people who wish to seek a second chance." Peach figured. "People who want to find a path to good, and even meet with someone special. I can think of a few people like that. Maybe even Luigi. He always felt second rate to Mario, now he's on the opposing side."

"Well, I'm sure he'll find his way." Infinity reassured. "Just like Dimentia will."

Meanwhile, Mika was outside a bathroom, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Rainier. "How long are you going to be in there?"

"Relax, I'm just finishing up." He said, just coming out. "So, how do I look?"

Mika studied his new wardrobe with interest: he now wore a dark-blue jacket with a hoodie, a black T-shirt underneath, and a pair of black pants and black rubber shoes. He also looked freshly clean from the bath he had just taken. "Wow… you look a lot better than that other outfit."

"Heh heh, thanks. Those old clothes made me itch like crazy. 'Course, in a desert world, you can't expect bathing to be a common thing."

"Heh heh, bet you're glad to be off that planet!"

_"Everyone, report to the bridge. We are arriving at our destination."_ Meta Knight called.

"Aww. I was hoping I could learn about psychicbending." Rainier said in disappointment.

"Ah, relax. We'll have plenty of time once this is done." Mika winked as they walked to the cockpit.

**Halberd Cockpit**

Dimentia and the other group members arrived to see what was up. "Ah, great timing." Meta Knight said. "We are getting closer." The screen showed an image of Brain's massive space station up ahead, patrolled by several enemy ships.

Dimentia gasped when she spotted the station, a vision of Jirachi trapped in his capsule flashing in her mind. "THERE!" the Zathurian yelled and pointed.

"What?" Gabe asked.

"It's Jirachi. I…I can sense him. They must be holding him in that station!"

"That's where they have Amanda, too, please!" Penelope yelled.

"Some Bang Gas, too, I bet." Chad said quietly.

"WHOA!" a bunch of enemy ships started attacking them.

_"He must be."_ Tails replied through the screen. _"And it looks like they don't want us to get him."_

"We must rescue the Star God." Meta Knight declared. "Everyone, to your ships!"

"Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!" Numbuh 1 announced.

"Amy, can I trust you to pilot the ship?" Tails asked the pink hedgehog. "We'll take it from here!"

"Okay!" she cheered.

The members of Team Sonic & Mario, as well as the KND, immediately dashed for their ships. Eva & Kade took their KNN C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., Sector V took their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., Team Alien and the others took their respective ships (Luvbi allowed Shaunie to ride in her Angel Wing), while every other operative took S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s. Tails took his X-Tornado, with Sonic, Knuckles, Sonia, and Manic riding its wings, and Rouge drove a pink ship (similar to Ava's), with Shadow riding it. (Play the "Halberd Deck" Theme from _Kirby Superstar Ultra_!)

_Stage 38: Star Station_

_Mission: Rescue Jirachi from the space station!_

_Act 1_

The ships launched out of the Halberd and Typhoon and started into the enemy fleet. Sector V in their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. were already attacked by some of the Common Cold's snot ships. The ships fired snot lasers, but Hoagie switched on their shield and absorbed the lasers while shooting the ships down. By the time swarms of ships were surrounding them, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. absorbed enough lasers to unleash the Chicken Souplosion shockwave, taking them all out.

They were then attacked by Stickybeard's Candy Pirates in their flying crow's nests, firing huge pieces of gum and jawbreaker cannonballs. Marine just flew by in her ship and started shooting down the pirates, sticking out of her cockpit and punching them with Light Spheres. She wrapped around of the crow's nests with an energy chain and hurled it into a bigger ship. "Hey, there's a T.A.R.P.O.O.N. part!" Hoagie yelled, noticing the box dropped from the ship.

The X-Tornado barrel-rolled as it dodged lasers from Eggman ships with Sonic and Knuckles gripping tight to the wings. "Ah! Easy!" Knuckles yelled.

"Sorry." Tails apologized. "Ready, Sonic?"

"You bet!" Tails dropped a Ring from the ship for Sonic to grab. The blue hedgehog proceeded to zoom around and Home Attack any Eggman ship he could. When some of the ships tried crashing at the Tornado, Knuckles was easily able to kick them away. Blaze used her Axel Tornado ability to pierce through incoming TIE Fighters. When two TIE Fighters launched energy ropes and grabbed Sonic's legs, the Blue Typhoon shot them away.

"I expect a date after this." Amy told him from the Typhoon's cockpit.

"Don't count on it." Sonic retorted, proceeding to Home Attack other ships.

Hoagie took out another Candy Pirate ship and retrieved a T.A.R.P.O.O.N. part. "Hey, Hoagie, what's this button do again?" Wally asked, about to push the T.A.R.P.O.O.N. button.

"DON'T you DARE." Hoagie ordered. "If I can get enough parts to fire my T.A.R.P.O.O.N., I might be able to break us-" Their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. shook when they took another hit.

_"Going somewhere, children?"_ King Goobot called from his ship as tons of Yokian chicken ships were coming for them. _"I do believe not."_

"Oh yeah?" Hoagie smirked. "Normally chickens cross the road, but it looks like you guys will be crossing the range of my Chicken Souplosion!" The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. absorbed the Yokians' shots and built up enough energy for Hoagie to unleash another shockwave, taking out some ships and retrieving another T.A.R.P.O.O.N. part.

Wearing a space helmet, Penelope was flying around in her glider, now equipped with rockets and missiles, shooting down TIE Fighters. _"Freeze."_ Commanded a Stormtrooper in a TIE Fighter. _"You are in a restricted, uh…space space. Turn back, or-"_

"Not until I find Amanda, please!" With that, the desperate fangirl took out a spray paint can and sprayed all over the Fighter's windshield.

_"Ahhh! I've gone blind! Waaah!" _With that, he crashed into a snot ship.

The Candy Pirates continued to fire at the heroes and launch mini ships from their flagship, the _Sweet Victory_. "Keep firing, mateys!" Stickybeard commanded. "A thousand Jolly Rogers to whomever keeps 'em from entering the base, aye."

The Common Cold immediately zoomed by in his Snot Bomber. _"No way they're getting past me this, ah…ah…AH-CHOO!"_ He sniffled and wiped his nose. _"Past me this time!"_

The Snot Bomber launched more of its mini ships as Sector V continued to shoot them. They absorbed more of their shots and unleashed another Chicken Souplosion. "Okay. Time to show ol' Snotty who's boss." Hoagie announced, going for the Snot Bomber and shooting its engines.

Team Forest took out some Koopa airships in the Nova Cruiser while Emily flew around outside in her ghost form, which allowed her to breathe in airless space. She fired ecto rays at incoming Banzai Bills and protected their ship. "Well, this is easy enough- WHOA!" They quickly dodged when they were shot at from above.

"Hey, hey, guess who's back to play?" Gary the Stormtrooper called, sitting beside Dan in their same ship from before.

"YOU!" Annie yelled.

"Say hello to the two longest lasting Stormtroopers in the whole armada!" Dan called, proceeding to fire at them.

Emily turned intangible and phased the attacks, throwing ecto rays which the Troopers were able to dodge. "Gah!" They were suddenly hit by a nearby S.C.A.M.P.E.R., which appeared a tad smaller than a regular one.

"You aren't getting away that easy!" Tommy yelled from that S.C.A.M.P.E.R., controlled by the Junior Prospectors.

"You kids won't be taking us down today!" Gary yelled.

"Daddy?" Jessica questioned from that S.C.A.M.P.E.R..

"Sweetie?" Gary replied.

"THAT'S YOUR DAD? ! ?" the Prospectors cried.

"SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER? !" Team Forest screamed.

Sector V just finished taking out the Snot Bomber's engines, so the Common Cold started firing large snot balls from his ship's big nose. Hoagie absorbed enough shots for a Chicken Souplosion, unleashing it and doing severe damage to the Common Cold's ship, making it drop a T.A.R.P.O.O.N. part. _"Gah."_ The villain wiped his nose. _"Forget this. I'm going t- Ay-he. Ay-he. AA-CHOO!"_ He sniffled again. _"Ohhh…"_ The ill villain depressedly flew away.

Afterwards, the five operatives went to fire at the _Sweet Victory_. "Arrgh! Ye'll not be havin' me today, laddies! To the galactic depths with them, Dodgeball Wizard!"

The old man in purple immediately began unleashing swarms of dodgeballs at the kids, doing plenty of damage and direct hits against them. "Ugh! We can use some help here, Meta Knight!" Hoagie yelled.

"Kirby! To the Warp Star!" the Star Warrior ordered the pink puff.

"Pie!" Kirby dashed to the hangar and hopped on his Warp Star, shooting out of the battleship straight for the Candy Pirates. The Dodgeball Wizard fired the red rubber balls at Kirby, but he easily sucked them in. In a few seconds, Kirby morphed into Ball Kirby, dropping onto the _Sweet Victory_'s deck and bouncing all about, knocking out Candy Pirates. The Dodgeball Wizard tried to grab him, but Kirby shook away and dealt several bounces against his nose like a dodgeball, the man grunting at each hit before fainting.

"Arrr. To the JAWSMASHERS, me candy-coated crew!" Stickybeard cried. "Don't let them pummel me with popcorn again!"

_"Hate ta break it to ya, Stickybutt."_ Rachel called, zooming toward the _Sweet Victory _in her flying R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R.. "But you're going down!" she smirked.

"Not again! Take that brat out!" The R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. swiftly dodged as the pirates fired giant jawbreakers. She appeared to be coming straight for Stickybeard, the pirate keeping his worried expression. "Oh no…" Stickybeard looked depressed as the leader was about to ram him, but Rachel quickly made a turn away from the ship. "Oh! We're SAVED again, laddies! Break out the gumballs!" Stickybeard cheered, embracing Chewy and Gooey in a hug.

"Piyah!" The pirates stopped celebrating and looked straight up to a twinkle in the sky. While they were distracted, Kirby had gotten back on his Warp Star and flew miles above them so he could fly back and gain enough momentum for a finishing blow.

The pirates gave a depressing sigh, awaiting the incoming impact. "I don't think Brain pays us enough gumdrops for this." was the last thing Stickybeard said before Kirby PIERCED the ship's main cannon, and the whole flagship exploded to pieces. Candy pieces, that is.

The explosion also caused several T.A.R.P.O.O.N. parts to release as well. "Alright! Now we have enough parts for a T.A.R.P.O.O.N.!" Hoagie exclaimed. "Now to break into that space station."

"Wait to go, Kirby!" Rachel congratulated.

"Poyo!"

"Admit it, Rachel, you learned that one trick from me." Nigel smirked at the blonde leader.

"It's easy to pick up a few traits from your boyfriend, Soldier." She smirked back. "Now let's get into that station."

"Crap!" Gary yelled from his ship. "Come on, Dan. Let's get back to base." With that, they headed back for Star Station. (Stop the music.)

**Inside the station**

From one of the windows of the base, Toiletnator watched as the teams of snot-nosed kids wiped out his fellow villains. "So, those Kids Next Door dare to follow us all the way into space, do they?"

His new friend, Dr. Light, walked beside him. "Don't worry, Lou. They'll rue the day they dared to come here."

"EXACTLY!" yelled a short, blue ghost, dressed in a mover's uniform. "For I, the BOX GHOST, will annihilate them with the fury of my cubical containers!"

"Come on, guys!" the Toiletnator cheered. "Let's FLUUUSH them!" With that, the three villains ran off.

Danika and Nolan watched the battle from their window when April ran in. "Guys! They're breaking in. We have to go stop them." The two nodded and followed her down the hall. (Play General Grievous's Theme from _Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith_!)

_Act 2_

The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. launched the T.A.R.P.O.O.N. into one of the walls of the base, blowing a hole open, causing several Koopas and Stormtroopers in the area to be sucked into space. The X-Tornado came by just then for Sonic to grind along the T.A.R.P.O.O.N.'s rope, running into the base and Boosting over more Troopers and robots before getting into the base's large hangar. He boosted through the legs of some Imperial Walkers before finding a barrier generator, pulling down the device's lever and switching off the barrier so that his friends' ships could crash-land inside.

"Kids Next Door, MOVE OUT." Nigel ordered to everyone as they all ran in separate directions.

The Heart Star crashed in just then, and the Kongs immediately leapt out of the barrel seats. "Oooh-OOOH!" Donkey Kong pounded his chest before the apes ran ahead, followed by Team Alien.

"Time to kick butt!" Virginia exclaimed, coming out of a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. with Bartie, Dedede, and Escargoon, running ahead and throwing spanking hands at Nightmare enemies.

"Eh heh heh heh! Now, this is what I'm talkin' about!" Dedede laughed.

"Time to send our own monsters, Sire." Escargoon smirked as Dedede dialed his cell phone, making his own Nightmares spawn up, sending them and his Waddle Dees out to attack.

Rachel dashed down one of the halls, slicing all the Bokoblin and Stormtroopers in her way. More Stormtroopers ran in to shoot her, so she quickly defended with her sword as Sector V came down after her. "I'll handle these guys!" Numbuh 4 said, drawing out a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. and aiming at a window.

"NOOO!" Abby tried to stop him, but the dumb Aussie proceeded to shoot and shatter the window, the kids holding on as the Stormtroopers were sucked into space. A metal door thankfully locked the window tight, keeping anything else from sucking out.

"Okay, that actually works!" Rachel chuckled. A gang of Bokoblin were coming, but Nigel shot fire at another window, sucking the demons into space before a door sealed that window. They kept going toward a squad of Fatblin and Purge Troopers. Rachel ran and shattered another window with her sword, sucking the Fatblin in, the chubby monsters clogging up the window and preventing anything else from going out.

The heavy-armored Purge Troopers didn't get sucked out, so they were left to fight as Rachel tried striking them, one of the soldiers grabbing her as Wally ran to deal damage with a S.L.U.G.G.U.H. and Hoagie with a B.A.J.O.O.K.A..

Meanwhile, Stormtroopers in another hall were trying to shoot the graceful and flexible Mushi Sanban, who happily danced and avoided. Sam and Jessica jumped and caught one's head in a sack while Tommy kicked his shin, knocking him over. Joey twirled dodgeballs in his hands before stylishly flipping and tossing them back, bouncing the balls off several Stormtroopers. A bunch of Paratroopas tried to attack Luvbi, but she just spun a tornado and caught them all inside, spinning them around.

"Pray, a little help would doth wonders, Shaunie." The angel said to the 5-year-old as more Troopers ran in.

Shaunie was hiding behind a trashcan-shaped service droid, and was about to step out, but quickly jumped back behind as robots, curled into balls, rolled in, uncurling and producing barriers as they fired more lasers, the service droid screaming as well. He then watched as Emily flew by in her ghost form, shooting the robots with ecto blasts. "Uh… I-I think I'm good here, thank you…"

Meanwhile, Eva was busy beating up Stormtroopers with her Water Fists, breaking into various rooms in a hall and wiping out enemies. As she kept running through, she accidentally bumped into someone coming out of a door, and looked up to see- "Amanda Bynes? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey." Amanda greeted. "Well, the guys and I heard about this new hotel in space, and we figured, why not check it out?"

"O-kay… well, this place is likely gonna come down in a few moments, so you might wanna get out of here…"

"Oh… okay. Come on, guys!" With that, a bunch of Dancing Lobsters came out of the room and followed Amanda as she walked away.

Eva saw a bunch of Gramma Stuffum's Food Patrol running away from Kade, the anchorman jumping, grabbing, and gobbling the gross foods right down. "I'll never understand how you and Hoagie can handle that stuff." Eva commented.

"We're both more amazing than we seem." Kade smirked.

"Anyway, apparently this Brain set up a little hotel in this base. We need to get these people out of here."

"No problem. Let's go."

After Eva and Kade ran off to fight more enemies, Penelope ran in, stopped, and started sniffing around. "I smell Amanda! She must've just left. DARN IT, please!"

Professor Calamitous then approached the girl, holding some kind of ray gun with a small glass capsule. "Uh, excuse me? Have you seen Amanda anywhere? Earlier, I zapped her with an invention of mine that caused previous personas of hers to scatter, so I made this device for her to capture them and shoot them back in her body."

Penelope gave a wide gasp. "Amanda's lost her sweet personas! ! Give me, please!"

"Ow, hey!" the short man yelled when Penelope pushed him and took the device.

"Don't worry, Amanda! I'LL find and bring you your personas, then possibly have sweet enchiladas, please! And I already know where to start looking. FARE thee well!" With that, the psycho fangirl dashed away.

Eddy and Double D rode on Ed as he ran down the Prospectors' hall, using the dimmer Ed's mouth as a cannon to fire jawbreakers (which they found from the wreckage of Stickybeard's ship) and take out the shielded droids to keep going. They passed by Dani, Nolan, and April standing in another door, and the three villains headed the way they came, ambushing the Junior Prospectors before they could keep going.

"Kids like you oughta leave this line of stuff to the older ones." April said, unleashing a psionic blast at Mushi, only for Joey to jump in its way and be unaffected, the 1-year-old tossing a dodgeball at her. Danika tossed one of her daggers at Tommy, easily sticking him to the wall by his cape, then tried aiming the other one at Mushi, who gracefully began skipping and flipping around again. She danced her way to Tommy and ripped out the dagger binding him to the wall, then danced over to Danika, flipping overhead and aerial-kicking her face.

Mushi and Tommy smiled to each other and kept running, then were stopped when Cheshire appeared on the wall in front of them, the large shadow screeching and scaring the two. They quickly drew out flashlights and shone on her, making the shadow sizzle and retreat to its master.

Nolan took aim at the group of brats and attempted to fire missiles at them. Shaunie pounced from behind the trashcan droid onto Nolan's head, gripping his hands over Nolan's eyes and making the boy spin his chair uncontrollably and fire missiles in random directions, one of them wiping out the trash droid. "Er! Get off!"

April ran to try and grab Shaunie, but the Fulbright child leapt off, kicked off her head, and landed on the floor, making April trip on Nolan, knocking the wheelchair over on its back. "Yeah! You can't stop us!" Tommy exclaimed. "We're the Junior Prospectors, and we kick butt!"

Nolan immediately shot his eyes open in anger. "RrrrrAAAHHHH!" The boy shoved April off of him and pushed a button, making two mechanical tentacle-legs extend from his wheelchair and help himself up. Afterwards, he began rapidly shooting missiles and bullets at the group of young kids. "You don't deserve that name! !"

"But it's OUR naaame!" Tommy whined.

**With Shadow**

Shadow the Hedgehog, followed by Rouge the Bat, dashed down the roadway in a gargantuan hallway that appeared to be some sort of TIE Fighter factory, rows of huge metal claws carrying the fighter ships across the room. Squads of TIE Fighters flew across the chamber and fired lasers at the hedgehog, who easily dodged with Chaos Control and took out a bunch of Stormtroopers by appearing right above and kicking them, taking the men's guns and shooting at the Fighters.

On the opposite end of where Shadow entered the pathway, Rachel, Sector V, and Sector W were running in; on parallel sides, taking out more Troopers and Eggman robots. Lee saw a TIE Fighter coming and immediately swung and wrapped his yo-yo around one of its panels, the ship pulling the boy up, allowing him to get onto the windshield and break in, knocking out the Stormtroopers and jumping out before the ship crashed.

Eventually, the groups of operatives and Team Dark met up with each other on a center platform with an elevator tower, taking out a few Battle Droids. "Things okay on your end?" Rachel asked the black-and-red hedgehog.

"Yes. But no sign of-" Shadow was interrupted when a bolt of lightning shot down and struck the area below them, exploding it.

"Looking for this?" The gang looked up and saw Lehcar EiznekCm, smirking and standing on a TIE Fighter that was carried in a line with the others, holding the yellow Chaos Emerald in her right hand.

"YOU!" Shadow looked in anger, immediately jumping and hopping off some TIE Fighters that flew by, Lehcar using her rocket shoes to fly higher and get away from the hedgehog.

"Find Jirachi." Rachel ordered Sector V. "We'll go after her." The five nodded and ran off as she, Rouge, and Sector W got on an elevator and rode fast upwards, seeing the hedgehog chase Lehcar into a room, and stopped on that floor, hurriedly chasing after them.

**With Violet**

Violet was scampering down one of the other halls on a higher floor, avoiding energy balls from Denta Drones and tackling the possessed kids, ripping their braces off. "REOWWW!" She was immediately forced back by a powerful water jet.

"Awe, what's wrong? Kitty all wet?" Scarlet Vargas taunted, holding some kind of fire hose.

"Scarlet!" Violet gritted her teeth, dodge-rolling another water blast. She took out some kitty shurikens and tossed them at the water hose, but Scarlet drew out her bigger shurikens and used them to knock Violet's back, and the blonde-haired werecat was blown back from the explosions. As she tried to recover, Scarlet sprayed Violet with even more water.

Inside the room where the hose came from, the hose seemed to be sticking into a yellow device with a blue pump attached to a water container, which was halfway inside a bigger glass container of water.

Mario rode Yoshi through a hall of Koopa soldiers, the big-nosed dinosaur catching a green Koopa in his mouth and spitting his shell down the hall, tripping other Koopas. Some Koopa Strikers tried to kick soccer shells at them, but Peach came and bashed the shells away using Toad's mushroom head, hitting the turtles in the head and knocking them out.

They were blown back when Banzai Bills were fired through the walls from outside, the four looking to a fleet of Bowser airships firing cannons. On the flagship, two Koopalings with green spiked shells were crying the commands. "GO! GO! GO! GO! One two three four!"

Peach and Toad got on Yoshi with Mario as the green dino ran faster to escape the crumbling hall, due to the ships' cannons.

Scarlet smirked and continued to spray water into Violet's face, watching as her cousin choked. Scarlet turned her attention to the room with the water pump when she felt a rumbling coming from the wall behind the pump. "OOH-OOOH!" Donkey Kong cried, breaking down the wall and destroying the pump, running through with the other Kongs.

Kami, Ava, and Kweeb stuck their heads through the big hole, eyes widened at the muscular ape. "Wow. That ape alone might be strong enough to take out this whole base." Kami said, impressed.

"Grr!" Scarlet growled, throwing the broken hose to the ground and running off.

Violet then walked over with curiosity and picked up the device used to power the hose. The head of the strange robot turned and spoke. "Rescue… complete. Please… find my rightful owner."

"Rightful owner?" Violet asked.

The Mario gang was able to get away from the exploding hall and arrived where Violet was, the Italian plumber immediately noticing the device. "Oh!" Mario jumped off Yoshi and ran over to grab it.

The little robot turned at Mario's visage, examining the plumber. "Rightful owner detected. I am FLUDD. Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device. I am happy to be of assistance once again."

"Ah-hah." Mario smiled, wrapping the belt attached to FLUDD around his waist, wearing the water pump on his back.

"I missed you, Mario."

Team Alien followed the Kongs down the hall as Donkey easily punched and KOed Stormtroopers. "What's got this guy so riled up?" Ava panted as she ran.

Donkey burst down another door, pounding his chests and giving his usual battle cry as the others looked in the room. There were a bunch of shelves with jars of Wisps, but the center one held a familiar face. _"Guys! 'bout time you made it!"_ Tiny Kong exclaimed in a tiny voice. _"A little help would be nice."_

A bunch of Kremlings came down from the ceiling and tried to hold them back. From all the fighting, Kweeb was flung into the air, landing on Tiny Kong's shelf. The little alien pushed the equally-little monkey's jar to the floor and shattered it, the female Kong returning to normal size. "Whew! Thanks, Kweeb! Time to kick some reptile tail!" With that, the quick and nimble Kong member helped her friends battle the Kremlings.

The Mario group ran back to the crumbling hall where the airships were still firing. Mario gestured Yoshi to run off and hold back other Koopas coming their way while the plumber used FLUDD's hover nozzle to fly out one of the holes and jump off some Banzai Bills to reach the airships. Toad held onto Peach as the princess used her parasol to glide over after Mario.

**With Team Forest**

Team Forest ran down another hall as Cosmo beat Koopatrols with his staff and Annie with her slingshot. They were then ambushed by rows of Chargin' Chucks, with dodgeballs, baseballs, footballs, etc.. "Okay, you guys seriously need to pick a sport." Annie told them.

"I'll handle 'em." Chad said, grabbing any of the sports items they hurled and throwing them back. He started to get overpowered after a while, but Emily thankfully flew around in her ghost form and helped catch the balls, tossing them back and knocking the Chucks out with Chad. "Great work." Chad smiled to her.

"Thanks! Now let's look for that Bang Gas."

Annie suddenly noticed Gary shooting off some Waddle Dees a few feet away before running into an elevator. "Uh, you guys go ahead. I'll catch up." With that, she ran into the elevator beside it.

**With Shadow**

Shadow continued to chase Lehcar down a higher hall, the Negative smirking at the hedgehog as she skidded away. Rachel and Sector W followed closely behind, but stopped and gasped when Ghirahim appeared out of nowhere. The Demon Lord laughed and licked his lips before drawing out his sword. "You guys go. I'll handle this." Rachel told them. The six kids nodded and ran past Ghirahim after Lehcar, leaving Rachel to clash with Ghirahim once again.

**With Mario**

Mario, Peach, and Toad continued to make their way across the flying pirate ships, dodging Rocky Wrenches, flame cannons, and Missile Bills. They then jumped into a cannon and fired their selves to the flagship, flying over some Bullet Bills that fired from below them. Three Whomps tried to fall on them, but they dodged, got on their backs, and Ground Pounded. A pipe appeared on the ship's deck for them to jump down in the captain's cabin. (Stop the music.)

The three fell into a dark room on what appeared to be a dance floor. _"So, you've finally made it."_ Some lights came on, revealing the stereos in the room, and two spotlights shining on the two Koopas from before, who turned around and made a pose.

"Huh? You two?" Peach questioned.

"I'm Lemmy." One of them introduced.

"I'm Larry!" the other one said.

"And I am…" A red-spike-shelled Koopa with a black afro rose from behind a DJ booth, turning and facing them with sunglasses. "NOT Roy!" Roy Koopa introduced, jumping between his two partners. "And we're…"

"THE SUPAH KOOPA DANCERS!"

"Supah Koopa… Dancers?" Peach questioned.

"And what is that 'Not Roy' thing supposed to mean?" Toad asked.

"Uh, don't ask." Roy said. "Anyway, we know you're attacking this base to steal Jirachi, but we're sorry to say he belongs to the Dark Master now, and we're here to stop you."

"Prepare to face the power of Supah Koopa Dancers!" they all exclaimed. "1. 2. 3. GO!" Music started to play from the stereos as they started dancing.

_Boss fight: Supah Koopa Dancers_

"Yeah! Ohn, that's right, shake yo' bootay!" Roy Koopa sang as he, Lemmy, and Larry shook their tails.

"What are they doing?" Princess Peach asked.

"A terrible dance routine." Toad replied.

"Yeah yeah, tha's right, don't fight it!" Larry sang. "Dancing's fun, don't bite it!"

"I thought they were going to be fighting us." Toad said, confused.

"Unless this so-called dancing is supposed to knock us out from how awful it is." Peach thought.

"Hmm…" Mario stood in thought.

The three Koopalings continued to clap and dance as Lemmy sang, "Ready? Okay!"

"Hi, hi, hi, HEY! One two three four!" they all cheered.

"Come on, then. Brush that hair! Wave your arms around like ya just don't care!" Roy sang, brushing his afro back before waving his arms around.

"Oh?" Mario suddenly felt himself mimicking Roy's movements, brushing his hair back and waving his arms.

"Mario?" Peach questioned.

"Yeah, that's right! Shake that tush!" Lemmy sang. "Yee-haw like a cowboy like old George Bush!"

"Huh?" Toad began shaking his butt against his will. "What on Earth? YEE-HAW!"

"What are you doing, you two?" Peach asked.

"Now, swing your feet up-and-down as well! Like some girl under a spell!" Larry sang.

"Oh no!" Peach gasped, forcibly kicking her feet in the air. "They're controlling us with their music."

"Now you get it, Princess?" Toad asked, still shaking his bottom.

"Mama Mia." Mario could only say.

"So, now ya finally get the beat? Jump around and feel the heat!" Roy commanded.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! !" Mario screamed, gripping his bottom and flinging around in the air, what he normally does when he falls in hot lava.

"C'mon, don't let him be alone! Bash your skull and break that bone!" Lemmy commanded.

"What the- Hey!" Toad yelled, suddenly flipping upside-down and banging his mushroom head against the floor.

"Come on, then. OH, who's next? Split and bend just like your flex." Larry ordered.

Peach immediately did the splits and bent back. "Ow!"

"Hey, hey, hey, HI! One two three four!"

"Another bash the floor!" Lemmy sang. Toad forcibly hit his skull against the floor again.

"Now jump around and 'round and 'round. Hit 'im with a good Ground Pound." Roy sang. Mario immediately flipped over Toad and bashed his head with a Ground Pound.

"Swing that golf club!" Larry sang. Peach took out a golf club and smacked it across Mario's head.

"Sorry, Mario."

"Do a head-butt!" Lemmy sang. Toad forcibly jumped up and head-butted Peach.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. YAY! One two three four!"

"Who's the coolest Koopa on this floor? I AM! I AM!" Roy sang.

"You go bash your head in a door!" Peach sang.

"Yeah!" Mario nodded.

Roy immediately slid over and opened the exit door, sticking his head in and slamming the door on himself. "Ow, eek, ow ow."

"Huh?" Peach rose a brow.

"Ehh. Whaddya doing there, Roy? Come and sing! Let's get Peach to hit that thing!" Larry commanded.

Peach took out all her blunt objects under her dress, from her golf club, her tennis racket, her frying pan and umbrella, and used them to bash Mario's crotch.

"Oh yeah? Not so fast! Get in the line of a Bullet Bill, you'll have a real blast!" Toad sang.

Lemmy ran onto the ship's deck and stuck his head in front of a Bill Blaster, allowing it to shoot and cover his head in soot.

"Punch-a in the face!" Mario sang.

"Huh- What the-?" Roy raised his right fist and punched himself.

"Come on, do the breakdance!" Peach happily sang, spinning along the ground, Larry forcibly spinning on his shell.

"Bash your skull like ants!" Toad ordered. Lemmy flipped upside-down and bashed his head against the floor.

"And one! Two! Three! Four! March right on right out the door!" Peach and Toad sang.

Lemmy and Larry stood straight up and saluted, proceeding to walk out the ship's door, stepping into only thin air… er, space. They looked to see no ground beneath their feet, their eyes widened. "Uh-oh. AHHHH!" The two Koopas fell to the depths.

"And now it's just-a you!" Mario sang to Roy.

"Ahh! Stop it! Stop it!" Roy shouted, immediately shutting off the stereos. "Huff, huff. Okay. That didn't go at all as planned. But you haven't won yet! You've actually walked right into our trap! Time to take the REAL prize! Get a load of my Chromedome Blindation!" The Koopaling threw off his wig, and in an instant, the three were blinded by the light from his shiny, hairless bald head.

"OHH!" Peach screamed.

"MAMA MIA!" Mario cried.

When the light vanished, Mario uncovered his eyes and saw that Toad, Peach, and Roy were gone, and it was just him and FLUDD. "Oh? Oh." He looked around confused.

"HELP MEE!"

"Ohh!" Mario immediately ran to the ship's deck, hearing Peach's cry.

"Help!" Mario looked up at Roy Koopa, holding onto Toad and riding on Kammy Koopa's broomstick, and Bowser Jr. in his mini airship, having Peach tied up.

"Mweh heh heh! You've played right into our game, Mario." Kammy laughed.

"Yeah! My dad's gonna be REAL happy now that we've captured Princess Peach!" Junior exclaimed.

"We planned to have this done from the very beginning. But we got a little… tied up. Heh heh." Kammy followed.

"We're takin' Mama Peach with us back to the castle." Junior smirked. "See ya later, Loser! Ah ha ha ha!"

"Mariooo!" Peach gave one last cry before the Koopas took off.

"WHOA-OH!" Mario yelped when TIE Fighters and Yokian ships started attacking the ship Mario was on.

"It appears they have taken them to Koopa Kore." FLUDD said. "I suggest we evacuate now." Mario nodded to his companion before switching on the hover nozzle and flying off before the ship was destroyed.

**Inside the station**

Gary the Stormtrooper watched with grief as he watched the events unfurl from a high window above a hall. Shadow the Hedgehog and other operatives were slaying his fellow Stormtrooper comrades left and right. Memories flashed through his mind of similar brawls: his fellow Stormtroopers were shot, stabbed, blown up, beheaded, sliced in half, and even fell down pits of certain death. Day and day, he continued to watch his allies die before him. He knew this was for the purpose and good cause of war, but… something just didn't feel right about this. He sighed.

"I thought you'd be in here."

"Huh?" The soldier turned and spotted Annie in the doorway. "You?"

"It's sad, isn't it? Watching all your friends die before you."

Gary sighed and leaned against the wall. "You don't know the half of it."

"I kinda do." Annie said, walking closer. "Before Emily came back as a Halfa, I was certain she was dead. She's my best friend."

"Hmm…"

"Why do you serve him, anyway?"

"I…I don't know. The Siths said they wanted to change the universe for the better… but it feels like all we've been doing is killing people and establishing rules over planets. I remember back during the Clone Wars. We used to fight for peace and prosperity and gave our lives to spread freedom throughout Galaxia. But ever since these Siths came into the picture… sigh, it just hasn't been the same. You'd think being the only Stormtrooper that can shoot someone in the knee would have its benefits… but it isn't so great."

"If you don't like it, why don't you just quit? Even if you are clones… you don't have to serve him. You should leave and be the person you wanna be."

"Sigh, it's not so simple. The Brain won't stand for any desertion. He isn't any different than that whack job father of his. He'll grab us around the neck and kill us in a Psycho Choke before you know it."

"But you shouldn't have to do something you don't want to. All Brain does is throw you all out to get yourselves killed so he can get what he wants. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, your daughter's under attack." At this, Gary immediately looked at the hall below to see Danika chasing Jessica.

"Danika, wait!" Gary yelled, breaking through the window and landing in Danika's way. "Don't shoot!"

"Daddy?" Jessica turned in surprise.

Danika and Cheshire stopped and raised eyebrows as Midna came out. "Oh… a Stormtrooper with a daughter? Now, that's interesting."

**Somewhere else**

Team Alien had split up as Ava started slicing up Stormtroopers in another hall. But almost instantly, she was whipped by Aurra Sing's light-nun-chucks. "We never finished our brawl!" she yelled.

"Uh!" Ava twirled and readied her swords. "Isn't there anything I can do to make you let it go? ?"

"Except for seeing you rot in a prison, there's nothing that will-" she lashed her nun-chucks at Ava, but when the younger Glomourian flipped over Aurra's head, a small, glass bottle, with some blue liquid, fell out of Ava's dress, bouncing off Aurra's head and to the floor.

"MY SQUID JUICE! !" they both screamed. They looked at each other in surprise. "_YOUR_ JUICE? ?"

**Star Station Roof**

Team Dark and Sector W had chased Lehcar all the way to the base's roof, the girl stopping by the balcony railing and turning to face them. "Stop right there." Shadow ordered. "We have you surrounded."

Lehcar gave her maniacal grin and closed her eyes, awaiting the response of a certain bucktoothed boy. "Heh. What a bunch of losers." They looked to their left at Harvey McKenzie, smirking and holding the large key in his hand.

"Harvey!" Sonya exclaimed.

"What is that?" Charlotte asked.

"A Keyblade." Harvey stated simply. "A very special one, at that. It has the power to unlock peoples' hearts. Allow me to demonstrate… with THIS!" The manipulated boy instantly dashed over and stabbed the weapon in Paddy's chest. The Fulbright's eyes and mouth widened, the kids frozen with horror as he gasped for breath. Harvey pulled the Keyblade out as a small light emerged from the chest and drifted to the Keyblade, absorbing inside the weapon.

Once the light was absorbed, Paddy fell to the ground unconscious. "Paddy! NOOOO!" Sonya screamed.

"Paddy?" Charlotte walked over and held the boy's head up as tears started to well in their eyes.

"But… he doesn't even look wounded." Sonya said.

Lee walked over and pressed his fingers to Paddy's palm, feeling a heart beat. "He…He's still alive."

"I don't understand…" Charlotte replied.

"Duh." Harvey explained, "I've stolen Paddy's heart and trapped it in this Keyblade. Um, his spiritual heart, I mean. His physical heart has the energy to breathe, but any light, darkness, or ANY feelings have been robbed from him. He's just an emotionless puppet now."

"Grrr!" Sonya became furious and glared at Harvey. "You monster! How could you do this? Paddy was your best friend!"

"I have no friends, Sonya. You would know that better than anyone, Stupid."

"Harvey! Stop being mean! Come back to us!" Angie yelled. "You really think that Dark Master's gonna do you any good?"

"The Dark Master's given me everything. Why would I need you wusses when I have Lord Gnaa?"

"ERRR!" Angie growled, about to attack him.

Lehcar immediately jumped in their way and aimed her sword. Harvey smirked and left her to deal with them as he opened a portal of darkness, stepping through and disappearing. Shadow dashed at Lehcar as the Negative jumped from the balcony to the wide-open roof below. (Play the "Shadow Boss" Theme from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Boss fight: Lehcar EiznekCm_

The black hedgehog started chasing the Evil Princess around the base's roof, both of them using their rocket skis to skid along as Shadow tossed Chaos Spears that Lehcar ducked, doing spin-kicks and launching purple flame waves that Shadow jumped. Lehcar slowed down and tried to kick Shadow as he came by, but Shadow dodged and the two started slide-kicking each other.

Shadow finally punched Lehcar back, but the girl quickly got back up and launched more fire from her feet, boosting past Shadow and flying above him. Lehcar stayed airborne as Shadow continued chasing, charging lightning in her fingertips and blasting the hedgehog, who jumped and dodged. "HAH!" Shadow emitted a red aura and flew faster after Lehcar. The hedgehog warped in front of her and erupted a Chaos Blast, blowing Lehcar back and dropping her sword.

Shadow grabbed the sword and yelled, "CHAOS PUNISHMENT!", warping beside Lehcar, freezing time, and striking her with her own weapon. His Chaos Power ran out, allowing Lehcar to burn him and take her weapon back, continuing to run ahead.

Shadow hurriedly chased the Negative, who started making bigger flames appear along the ground, Shadow having to sidestep. Shadow speedily warped behind the last, biggest one, but was ambushed by Lehcar doing a jump-kick to his face. Shadow was flipped back, but landed on his feet and kept Boosting after her. Shadow charged a Spin Dash and shot over faster, but Lehcar just jumped, so he could get in front. "TRIFORCE POWER!" Lehcar yelled, gaining power from her Triforce Piece and unleashing an even bigger ray of purple fire from her right hand.

When the flames cleared, Shadow revealed to be unharmed, for he became Dark Super Shadow again. He instantly warped beside Lehcar and unleashed another Chaos Blast, doing some heavy damage. Lehcar switched on her rockets and flew all around above the base's roof, Shadow using his own rockets to zoom after her. He got beside her in the air and the two started throwing more kicks at each other. Lehcar kicked him upside the nose, knocking him down, but Shadow curled into a pinball and Home Attacked after her. He shot above her and Home Attacked again, pushing Lehcar to the ground with great force.

Shadow flipped off of her as Lehcar stood up, anyway. She held up her sword in defense as Shadow charged and pushed against it. "You're not seeming to get who's really the enemy." Lehcar said, doing a horizontal slash that Shadow flipped.

"Anyone who stands in _my_ way is my enemy. Especially those who use the Chaos Emeralds for their own selfish gain." Lehcar jumped away when Shadow tossed another Chaos Spear. She ran around and wrapped her arms around Shadow's from behind, flipping him overhead and bashing his skull on the floor. Shadow flipped back up and charged another Spin Dash, missing as she jumped him.

When Shadow uncurled, Lehcar quickly charged a lightning shot and fired, successfully shocking and stunning the hedgehog. Afterwards, she grabbed him, ran, and threw him right over the edge. "Chaos Control!" he called, immediately warping behind her. Lehcar ran and did a jumping slash, but Shadow warped again. He reappeared behind her, grabbed her, and spun into another pinball.

"Whooaa!" Lehcar screamed from the dizziness. The speedy black hedgehog flew high into the air and came down with a hard landing, jumping off the Negative as she lay in a crater in the roof. The yellow Emerald flew out of her pocket over to the hedgehog, who bent down and picked it up.

Lehcar gritted her teeth as she stood back up, holding up her sword and running over to strike him. "Chaos CONTROL!" He held the Emerald up and slowed Lehcar down in time. He then easily ran behind and kicked the back of her head. She was knocked to the ground once more, panting as she turned and looked up at him. "Don't bother. With a Chaos Emerald's power, I control Time & Space. You can't break free."

"Ha ha ha ha." Lehcar chuckled, standing and brushing herself off. "Quite an impressive power you have there."

"Impressive, indeed. Anyway, I'll never let your father have his hands on these gems, _or_ the Triforce. I'll destroy both of you."

"You seem to be forgetting one crucial fact." Lehcar said, sheathing her weapon.

"What's that?"

The half-demon walked a bit closer and said, "Rachel is my opposite. Destroying me would destroy her. As long as both of us are around, the Triforce Pieces will ever remain within us. Shame we can't just kill her in that case, but even if we weren't connected, the Triforce of Courage would be lost, and all of Father's plans would be ruined."

"Hmm…" This intrigued Shadow.

"I'll be seeing you." With that, the devious girl cackled and activated her rocket shoes, flying off to a Koopa airship.

Shadow just watched her fly off as Rouge ran over to him. "Shadow. You okay?" the bat asked.

"I'm fine."

"Well, should we chase him?"

"Hmm… we have a new target, now. Let's go." Shadow ordered, walking back the way they came. Rouge only looked curious as she followed him. (Stop the music.)

**With Ava and Aurra**

All the tension and rage that dwelled within the two girls were gone. They had shared a glass of one of the most relaxing drinks known to Glomourian, and were now sat and leaned against the wall. "Ahhhh…" Ava sighed in relief. "Squished inners from the Great Glomourian Squid… a Glomourian's delicacy…"

"Yeah… I can't believe you kept it all this time." Aurra replied, feeling just as exhausted.

"According to tradition… one friend gives a cup of juice to the other… and that friend holds on to it… until they bring it back and exchange drinks in remembrance of their friendship. To be honest, I forgot where I got it from... but I had to hold on to it, because…"

Aurra rolled over slightly, "You could've at least sent me a private message when you left."

"I tried to… I'm sorry." They were silent for a few seconds. "…For someone 51 years old, your skin's pretty good."

"Hm. I could say the same about you." She smirked. More silence. "…I'm sorry about… this whole thing."

"No big deal…"

At that moment, the Star Station shook, and Ava looked around confused. "You should probably get out of here." Aurra suggested.

"Yeah…" Still feeling dizzy, Ava stood up and hurried down the hall, turning right.

As Aurra watched her, Cad Bane showed up. "What are you doing, Aurra? ? Come on, we have to go!"

"Sigh, okay…" Aurra dizzily got up and hurried after the Duro.

Ava met up with Kami and Kweeb, who rode Kami's shoulder. "There you are! Where ya been, Ave? ?" Kweeb asked.

"…Squid Juice makes ya real dizzy." Ava replied, still dizzy as she followed them.

**Bang Gas chamber**

Chad and Emily had finally made it to the Bang Gas chamber, finding shelves littered with cans of the substance. "There it is… Bang Gas." The blonde boy spoke, eyes fixed on a single can.

"Eh, gotta admit, it's pretty." Emily said, looking at a huge glass container of the purple gas. "Well, go on, Chad. Just one can, and you'll be meta in a minute."

Chad walked over and grabbed a can, and seemed to be ready to spray the stuff all over his body… but his arm shook with hesitation.

"Is… something wrong?"

"I… dunno. I've always wanted to have cool powers and impress Danika… but something about this just doesn't feel right."

"You think it's because there's really nothing wrong with being a regular human?"

"I dunno. But if I don't get powers… I might never know what's it like. I won't get to be like my sisters, I won't get to help people easier. I…"

They suddenly felt the whole base begin to shake. "Well, you better decide quick. Looks like Meta Knight's deciding to take this place down." (Replay Grievous's Theme!)

Chad looked back-and-forth between the gas and the exit, both teens shaking after another tremor. "Hurry up!"

**Halberd Cockpit**

Outside, the Halberd bombarded the Star Station with lasers in their attempt to destroy the place. Amy's face appeared on Meta Knight's screen as she spoke, _"Meta Knight, why are we attacking while our friends are still in there?"_

"We are running out of time. They have already called for reinforcements. I must begin bringing this base down now."

"It's no use, Meta Knight." Blade Knight reported. "That base has some strong defenses. It'll take a star storm to tear it down."

Meta Knight then noticed King Goobot's flagship entering the area. "Or… an equally powerful spaceship!" The knight's mind sparked with an idea. "Quick, get me in contact with the psychics!"

At this time, Morgan, Mika, and Rainier were busy taking down Nightmares and Denta Drones as Morgan's wristwatch started beeping, the girl looking as Meta Knight's face appeared. _"Morgan, listen to me: do you see the flagship outside?"_

The three looked out the window at the massive Yokian flagship miles away. "Uh, yeah?"

_"You and Mika must use your powers and bring the ship on a collision course with the base, and quickly make your way out of there once you do."_

"But that thing's ginormous!" Mika yelled. "We can't pull it!"

_"Yes you can! Size matters not to Kweeb, and certainly matters nothing to psychicbenders! Focus your power and pull it in!"_

"Okay. But you have some crazy mind, Meta Knight." Mika said as they readied and focused their powers. "But then again, who am I to talk." She looked more fierce. "Watch THIS, Rainier."

They two psychics were able to grab the spaceship with their psychic and began to slowly pull it toward the station. King Goobot and his Yokians felt this sudden movement right away. "Ooblar? What's that shaking?"

"Oh, it's not good, Sire!" the henchman panicked. "We seem to be in a Psychic Grab and it's pulling us toward the station."

"Bah. Send the mini ships!"

"…Uh-oh. Incoming!" Rainier yelled as a bunch of TIE Fighters and snot ships started coming and shooting at where they were. They were forced to release Goobot's ship so that they could charge and throw Psycho Spheres at the mini ships, and also grab and throw them at each other.

**With Sector V**

Sector V was currently dashing up the parallel escalators, pushing down all the enemies in their path before reaching the higher floor. "KIDS NEXT DOOR!" The kids stopped when three familiar lame villains got in their way. "Prepare to face the wrath of… THE TOILETNATOR-"

"Dr. Light-"

"-and… THE BOX GHOST! Who are now going to inflict great pain upon your physical forms."

"SCUMMY MUMMIES." Toiletnator called, summoning his toilet paper minions.

"Lightlings." Dr. Light called, summoning robots that brimmed with electricity, with armor identical to Light's.

"Boxes." Box Ghost just summoned a bunch of floating boxes.

"ATTACK!" The 'minions' charged to attack the ops as they easily fought back.

**With Rachel**

Back with Rachel's little battle with Ghirahim, the blonde leader knocked the sword out of his hand and smirked as she kicked him back. A purple flame blew in between them, and Rachel looked and gasped at a smirking Ganondorf. Ghirahim smiled and gave his evil laughter before teleporting away.

Rachel's expression furrowed as she ran in to swing at the Dark Lord, Ganondorf swiftly defending with his sword. At one point, when the swords came in contact and the two started pushing against the other, Mandy gave a battle cry and ran in, performing a jump attack and separating the two.

The two swerved back and held up their weapons, all three pointing at each other. The three's eyes widened when the Triforce marks on the backs of their hands started to glow. Ganondorf's smile widened as he laughed. "Heh heh HA HA heh! Well, well, well… the three Triforce parts, together at last. This is the moment I've been waiting for." He sheathed his sword. "At last, my powers return!"

Ganondorf held his right arm as all three waited for something to happen. Ganondorf's smile faded when nothing appeared to be happening. "Huh? What's wrong?" However, he gasped when he realized the problem. "Gah! Lehcar holds the other half of the Triforce of Power! Without both halves, I can't truly complete the Triforce. Ugh, where is that brat?... OOF!" When Ganon looked away, Rachel ran and struck him, and all three were in a battle once again.

**With the psychics**

Mika and Morgan just got done taking out the enemy ships as Mika spoke, "Finally. Now, let's finish this." The two of them gripped King Goobot's flagship and started pulling it toward them once again.

The alarms of the ship started blaring red as the Yokians panicked. "Gah! Get us out of here, Ooblar! Before we crash!"

"I'm trying, Sire!"

**With Dimentia**

At this time, Dimentia, Gabe, and Jeremy fought their way to a part of the station where Dimentia's sense grew stronger. "There! Jirachi's behind that door!" she yelled, pointing ahead of them.

"Stop them!" a Stormtrooper yelled as two of them ran in front, firing lasers. Dimentia simply warped between the two and gave them a powerful shock, knocking them out. Afterwards, she used her lightning to blow down the door, the three running in to find Jirachi inside the capsule.

"There he is!" Gabe yelled. Dimentia immediately snapped her fingers and exploded the glass, Jirachi falling to the floor as the boys went and bent over him.

_"Ohhh… ohhh…."_ The star child groaned in pain.

"He's still alive." Gabe said, thankful.

"Let's go." Infinity ordered, and with that, they carried the Star God and quickly ran out.

**With the psychics**

The psychics continued to pull all their strength into pulling the flagship, but eventually became tired and released. "Ahhh. That thing's way too heavy." Morgan panted. "There's gotta be something better we can do."

"I'LL do it." At this, they turned their attention toward the strange, long-necked alien with the fake mustache.

"Who're you?" Morgan asked.

The secret Jedi stood in front of the window and used his powerful psychicbending to pull the ship closer. The Yokians started to panic even more as the tip of their vessel was coming closer to the top of the station.

A couple of Stormtroopers, who were playing a game of cards in one of the tiny control towers, immediately looked up and noticed the tremendous ship flying straight toward them. "AAAHHHH! AAAHHHH! OHH GOOOD!" the Troopers shook frantically and aimlessly, unable to think straight.

The tip of the ship rammed and CRUSHED the tower, piercing through the center of the base. Ganondorf was about to strike Rachel once again, but looked up and gasped when the ship's tip pierced through and forced him down below. Rachel and Mandy exchanged a startled glance before dashing down the hall to avoid being crushed by the rest of the ship coming in.

_"Warning. Warning."_ The place started to blink red. _"Incredible damage dealt to the center. Evacuate all personnel. Warning, warning. Who's the *** that drove a ship into the station?"_

"Come on, Jessica, we gotta go!" Gary hurriedly yelled to his daughter, grabbing her arm and running off.

"Wait, Daddy!" the girl yelled, pulling her arm back. "We gotta find my friends!"

"Ohhh, dammit." He felt the area shaking more and tried to think of an option. "Ugh, come on." He wrapped his arms around his daughter as Danika pulled them into a Shadow Veil and slid off.

Annie stood in place, feeling very nervous from all the shaking, unable to think straight. "W-What about me? ?" Danika came back and decided to grab Annie in her Shadow Veil.

"Let's GO!" Nigel yelled to Sector V, leaving the two defeated unconscious villains. The Box Ghost, who only floated there dizzily, recovered and quickly grabbed his friends, turning intangible and flying off.

The Junior Prospectors continued fighting against April and Nolan when the felt the area shake, causing Nolan to fall out of his wheelchair. The young kids ran off while Danika slid by and grabbed the two in her shadow as well.

Eva and Kade had just finished gathering the last of the hotel residents onto a Koopa airship, waving them good-bye as the ship flew off. Penelope showed up right when they left. "Oh, hey, Penelope. Sorry, you just missed Amanda." Eva told her.

"Never mind that." She replied, slipping on her glider and space helmet. "I must part ways with you people on my own quest to locate Amanda's lost personas. Good-bye, children. I will SEE you in Hell." With that, the insane fanatic stood with her back to the edge of the hangar, her expression insane, and saluting before falling back into the vastness of space. Penelope switched on her rocket glider and took off. As she flew further away from the crumbling station, she looked to the camera and said, "Please."

_Side mission unlocked: Find all of Amanda's scattered personas throughout the world._

The rest of the main group was piling into the hangar just in time. "Guys! We've got Jirachi!" Infinity exclaimed.

"Wait! Where's Princess Peach?" Tails asked.

"Hmmm…" Mario held his head down, eyes closed.

"So, she's been kidnapped again." Sonic figured.

"Can't say I'm surprised." Knuckles remarked.

"Knuckles." Tails scolded.

"Doesn't matter, we'll rescue them later." Rachel said. "For now, let's just-" The blonde was suddenly knocked away by Shadow's Spin Dash, the black hedgehog uncurling and facing her with a glare.

"What are you doing, Shadow?" Sonic yelled at the antihero.

"As long as you continue to live…" Shadow spoke to Rachel, "the Triforce is in danger of falling in Ganon's grasps. If I destroy you… the Triforce will be lost forever, and so will your evil opposite. HNGH!" Shadow ran to punch the leader, but Sonic grabbed and pushed him back.

"Shadow? Are you sure this is the right way?" Rouge asked.

"It's the only way. You're either with me or against me."

This made Rouge feel very hesitant.

They felt the whole base shake again as Tails yelled, "We can't stay here much longer, you guys! We have to get out of here now."

"I can't let you hurt anyone, Shadow." Sonic promised. "If you're going to be like this, then it's too dangerous to have you around." With that, Sonic and Shadow ended up in a speed brawl.

The blue hedgehog quickly knocked Shadow away before hopping onto the X-Tornado that was taking off, alongside the rest of the ships. "Let's go, Shadow." Rouge yelled to Rouge, getting in her ship, the black hedgehog jumping on as it took off.

Team Dark took off through hyperspace while the other ships boarded back on their flagships. Everyone watched as Goobot's ship pierced completely into the Star Station, the entire fortress erupting in a massive bright and fiery explosion. The rest of the Koopas and Troopers within the base's halls screamed in terror in their failed attempt to escape the burning flames that consumed them. The fallen forms of the minions, as well as the gooey forms of the Yokians whose containers were destroyed, drifted around the vacuum of space with rest of the debris.

"I'll get you next time, Kids Next DOOR!" King Goobot vowed, now a gooey mess just like his minions. The Battleship Halberd immediately flew by the king, its engines burning and making him a fried egg.

"You look EXQUISITE sunny-side up, Sire!" Ooblar complimented, floating by. (End song.)

**Battleship Halberd**

"YEEAAH!" the many operatives cheered, having returned to their flagship.

"Great job, everyone! That was fantastic!" Meta Knight congratulated.

"Don't thank us." Morgan smiled. "Thank this guy."

"Hello, everyone!" the alien with the mustache greeted.

"Now, perhaps he could introduce himself."

"Ah, ahem. My name is Yarael Poof." With that, he ripped off his fake mustache.

"You're a Jedi!" Mika pointed out.

"How do you know?" Rainier asked.

"He's a lot easier to sense without the mustache."

"Ah, yes." Yarael replied. "This is my special anti-psychic mustache. A special item that, when worn, makes you immune to nearly any psychicbending. Including sense. I'll explain more later. I believe you just retrieved something important."

At this, everyone looked to the sleeping Star God in Infinity's arms. "They've been using that child to power up some sort of machine." Yarael explained. "Good thing you kids were able to rescue him in time. Kid's nearly sucked dry of his power."

"Poor Jirachi's been through so much." Jeremy said. "We better make sure he gets plenty of rest before he wakes up."

"Uwaah. I could sure use a nap, too." Hoagie yawned.

"Yes. Let us all get rest." Meta Knight suggested. "We've been through much today, considering this battle. By the way, has anyone seen Penelope?"

"She left on her own crazy mission." Eva replied. "Good riddance to her."

"Wait! Has anyone seen Jessica?" Sammy asked. Everyone looked around and noticed Jessica had gone missing.

"Hey, Annie's gone, too! !" Emily yelled. "Where did they go?"

"Forget about her. What's wrong with Paddy?" Fanny asked, noticing her unconscious younger brother with worry.

"It was Harvey. He…He used some kinda key thingy, and… took his soul, or something." Sonya answered, remorse on her face.

"He _what_?" Fanny replied, struck by the info.

**Brain's Star Destroyer**

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood villains had all gathered onto a Star Destroyer, meeting up with The Brain. "Hmm. Those fools had us quite outmatched, it seems. I should have anticipated their attack."

"It vas a great loss." Monsieur Mallah replied. "Those fools have stolen the Star God. And we have yet to absorb enough of his energy to power our Dimensional Traveler."

"On the bright side, take a look what Gary brought!" Aurra said, coming in with Bane. She Jessica by the arms while Bane had Annie handcuffed.

"Hey, wait, that's my daughter!" Gary yelled, running in.

"They were with those operatives!" Nolan pointed out.

"Uh! Let me go!" Jessica squirmed. Annie, however, stood in place patiently, not showing worry.

"Ah ha… how interesting. Seems our little failure wasn't all loss." Brain spoke. "Any ally of the Kids Next Door is an enemy to us. It's time we stored you in cold storage."

"Now, wait just a second!" Gary objected. "No daughter of mine is being thrown in cold storage."

"Indeed." Mallah said. "Not zis early. Perhaps we could use her for bait to trap ze rest of zere friends. Little children are so easy to fool."

"Indeed, Monsieur Mallah. Perhaps it is too early. We will have her locked away, for now. And Gary, many thanks for bringing this prisoner to us. We will use her to trap the other younglings. Then have them frozen."

"Daddy? You aren't going to let them freeze me, are you?" Jessica asked with upset eyes.

"Jessica, I-"

"Gary is a loyal worker." Genious replied. "He would not dare betray us for anything. Lock her in the brig. I will send you your paycheck momentarily, my loyal Stormtrooper." The Sith Lord rolled away as the bounty hunters led the children to the dungeon.

"DADDYYY!"

Mr. Boss merely stood behind a doorway, watching this unfold.

**Battleship Halberd**

Everyone was asleep aboard the Halberd now, and all the lights were off. The mysterious, ball-shaped figure with bright yellow eyes entered the Reactor chamber, the darkness hiding his form. _"So, the young Star God himself has been rescued. These kids are proving to be a bigger help than I expected. But perhaps a tad too powerful…"_ He thought to himself for a moment, then shook his head. _"No matter. Soon, the Jeweled Scepter, and its source of light will be in my grasp."_

The figure stepped into a slight shade of light, and revealed himself as Magolor. "Soon, I will control the ultimate Power of the Stars, and the Nightmare King shall be free! Then… the New Nightmare Wars shall commence, and we shall finally have revenge on all! Especially that traitor, Meta Knight. Isn't that right… my brother?"

Marx happily bounced into the room on his ball, cheerful as ever. "Revenge is a dish best served with pudding! Yay, yay!"

"MUA HA HA HA HA! MWAH HA HA HA HA! AHH HA HA HA HA! AHHH HA HA!"

* * *

><p><strong>AAAUUUGH! This was so LONG! ! Ugh, my FINGERS are killing me! Hoo, anyways, yeah, Magolor is the traitor. Anyone who's played Kirby's Return To Dreamland would know that. Same deal with Marx in his game. So, next time… stuff will happen. Also, guess who was in that Arwing. It ISN'T Star Fox. G'night.<strong>


	45. Dream Phantom

**Hel-lo, everybody! Guess where we're finally goin'? Halcandra! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Time to Restore Jirachi! Our Next Stop: Halcandra!<em>**

**Halberd Cockpit**

"After I found out that Order 66 had been issued, I quickly threw on my clearly clever disguise and hid from the evil Sith Lords!" Yarael Poof explained to the group. "I've been working in disguise as their cafeteria worker, gone unnoticed to them for years."

"So, you were an old Jedi Master from the Star Wars?" Morgan asked. "That's so cool!"

"Heh heh, yes, it does seem 'cool'… but I wasn't the most 'appreciated' member on the Jedi Council. It was always, Mace says something, then Yoda says something, and I'm all, 'I thought this was a COUNCIL, so why are you the only two talking?' Then they make me go get pizza." Yarael gave a sigh. "I'm not really one of the greatest Jedi in Galaxia. Although, I will admit, I am quite skilled in the mind-trick department. I can also create doppelgangers of myself to fool even other Jedi. I guess this is how I was able to hide out for so long. Heh heh."

"Well, this is perfect!" Mika smiled. "We can definitely use a Jedi Master to help us fight the Dark Armies!"

"Ay, sadly, I think my time in the battlefield is up. I've always lived in fear knowing I was the last Jedi in Galaxia, and I never found any true courage to fight the Sith Lords."

"Well, even if you can't fight, you could teach us!" Mika said excitedly. "I never learned Psychic Illusion before!"

"Oh, I'd be happy to teach you!" Yarael smiled. "Especially you." He said to Mika. "I don't know what, but there's something about you, young lady. Something important."

"I just hope Paddy's goin' ta be okay." Fanny said worriedly. The boy in question was currently lying in the medical wing.

"He will be fine." Meta Knight assured. "If I have heard correctly, the weapon that Harvey, or might I say, Lord Gnaa, is wielding is the Keyblade of Hearts. It is a powerful weapon that absorbs peoples' hearts inside of it, and can even place them inside other peoples' hearts. Certain people, at any rate. We could recover Paddy's heart if the Keyblade is destroyed. Unfortunately, it can only be destroyed if the Keyblade's holder unlocks his own heart."

"So, in other words, Harvey needs to find the right amount of love and care for his friends enough to willingly unlock his own heart." Rachel summed. "Or else, Paddy and any other heart he collects may be lost forever…"

**Planet Dathomir**

"Welcome to Planet Dathomir." The leader of the mariachi band spoke, the owls standing on the branch of an ancient, filthy, foggy swamp, free of any other signs of life or light. "A forbidden planet, long forgotten by the inhabitants of Galaxia for its terrible scenery, monstrous creatures, and wicked alien witches." He coughed. "Plus, it stinks here, too."

Rumpel Stiltskin and Gruntilda Winkybunion were currently walking through this ruined bog, followed by the coldhearted child that was Yuki Crystal, the boy leaving a trail of ice in his path. Ironically, his bright white ice was the only thing with color and vibrancy within this bleak swamp. "Bleh, this place gives me the creeps. Even with no nervous system, the tingly feeling seeps." Gruntilda rhymed.

"What are we doing here, anyway?" Yuki asked.

"This swamp is home to none other than my mentor." Rumpel replied. "A marvelous witch who worked as my private magical teacher and made me the lovable helper elf you see today. _Lucinda Talzin_."

"Remember this witch, I do indeed. But for nothing more, than her evil deeds." Grunty said.

"Oh ho ho, my dear Gruntilda." Rumpel chuckled. "Mother Talzin wasn't evil. She was only using her magic for what she thought was right." He gave his mischievous grin.

"What she thought was right, so you say. But with awful gifts, she loves to play. The story, I remember, of this girl named Ella. A spell from Talzin made her life quite Hella."

"'Hella'?" Yuki asked. "Lady, you're totally making up words."

"Lucinda was a wonderful teacher for me." Rumpel smiled. "Ahh, and the smell of this swamp brings back so many memories. I'm just dying to see her again."

The elf had led them to a wall in a dark, dead end of the swamp. He tapped his wand on the wall in several places, making tiny green dots appear and lines connect, forming the picture of the head of some woman with long hair, wearing a crown. The image faded as green lines drew from the ground and shaped into a rectangle, making a door that sunk below the ground. The three were permitted entry into a cave that emitted green mist.

They walked and stopped in the center of the cave, where a magic cauldron of green liquid rested. On the opposite side of the cauldron, facing away from them, was a figure dressed in a bright orange robe, wearing a hood with a pointed head, along with long wings on the back of her robe, designed like a fairy's. (Play "Hall of the Zombie King" from _Banjo-Tooie_.)

The figure turned and faced them, revealing to be a woman with pale-white skin, with long black fingernails, black painting around her eyes and mouth, and silver eyes. Rumpel approached the alien witch and smiled with glee. "Mother Talzin…"

"Ahh… my dear Rumpel …" the witch spoke in a echoey voice, stepping around the cauldron to greet the elf. "How long it has been…"

"Long enough, my dear Mistress." Rumpel bowed. "Even after all these years, you're still beautiful as ever."

"Ah, please, call me Lucinda. You flatter me too much…" she smiled, turning away. "But no one can deny I was once so much more beautiful. I was the kindest fairy on all Avalar. My selflessness went without end, granting gifts to the many happy citizens of that world. Such as my gift of eternal love to a newly married couple, or when I gave an unhappy child the simple life of a squirrel. Or, was it a skunk? Even so, the ungrateful citizens were unhappy with my gifts… and so, the fairies had me banished to this wasteland, where I slowly decayed into the unsightly form before you. Why doesn't anyone appreciate my gifts?"

"Oh, don't worry, Lucinda." Rumpel smiled and stood. "I completely saw the good you were trying to do for those ungrateful people."

The witch turned and smiled at her apprentice. "I know you did, Rumpel. That is why I was happy to pass my teachings to you, seeing as I am trapped here. Tell me… are you using your powers well?"

"Oh, I'm using them exquisitely, Lucinda. Just recently, I helped an angry, hotheaded girl learn to love and get along with her annoying brothers. _At the cost of several buildings and houses."_ He mumbled that last part.

"Ah, yes. I have watched that very performance through my magic cauldron. I have taught you well, Rumpel. It's a shame that all you got in return was a black eye from that ungrateful Irish."

"Mmm, yes, Lucy. Children are such horrible creatures when it comes to gratitude. Matter of fact, they are quite awful in general. But thankfully, I have brought you someone… who might fair well with one of your extraordinary gifts." He directed her attention to the icebender in the cave entrance. "This is Yuki Crystal. Poor child, cursed with the powers of ice. He's in such awful control of his powers, he can't help but freeze anything he touches." Yuki only gritted his teeth and growled at the elf.

Mother Talzin approached the boy, reaching an arm to pat his cheek. "You poor, unfortunate child… I've been watching you for some time, yesss…"

"Bleh, get off me!" Yuki yelled, swatting her disgusting hand away.

"Ah, but such temper. There's really no need to be ashamed of your powers. They are a gift. A gift from a marvelous spirit…"

"'kay, don't give me that crap, I heard it enough times in this story."

"Ah-he-hem." Rumpel coughed. "What Yuki means to say is, he isn't really 'ashamed' of his powers… he just lacks the proper control."

"Ah, of course." Talzin replied, pacing around the boy. "And you wish for me to grant you the skills you need to control your icebending, so that you may help people in need."

"Precisely, my dear." Rumpel grinned. "I would have done so myself, but I thought this was a task far more fitting for your magic. Right, Yuki?"

"Uh… I guess. But to heck with helping people! I wanna get better with my powers so I can take revenge on ALL those idiots! Numbuh 362 and everyone else who got me banished!"

"Ah, Boy, but why would you seek revenge?" Lucinda asked warmly. "Somebody with great powers like yours surely knows the only _real_ way to use them is to help people. Do not try to hide your feelings. It is not revenge, but forgiveness you seek from your friends. And helping them with your powers will help you achieve that. For that reason, I will gladly grant you control of your powers. And even make them even more powerful than before."

Yuki looked confusedly at the clearly-misguided space-witch. He then glanced to Rumpel, who smirked as he twirled his hand and gave a nod, gesturing for him to take it. "Uh… fine, whatever." Yuki decided.

"Good… Oh. But I am getting ahead of myself. I would gladly grant you the gift of control, but my powers have been decaying over the ages. I am in desperate need of… my shadow."

"Your shadow?" Yuki asked.

"I am a shadowbender, of course. And a shadowbender is nothing without their loyal shadow. When the fairies threw me onto this planet, Mama Odie imprisoned my shadow within an infernal Genie Lamp. Without my shadow, even my powers are of no use, and I cannot get into sunlight. But if my shadow was recovered, so would my powers."

"But where's the shadow's lamp?"

"If it was Mama Odie that had it imprisoned," Rumpel smirked, "I have a pretty good idea where it might be. And once you're done with Yuki, I have my own little favor I'd like to ask of you. Something that would benefit a… certain Dark Master."

"Nnn, I sense trouble is brewing near." Gruntilda said. "But for such a reason is why I'm here!" And with that, all three witches (including Rumpel Stiltskin) burst into wicked cackles.

**Battleship Halberd**

The Kids Next Door and Team Sonic were currently playing on the decks of their flagships, not wearing helmets but still breathing fine as Eva and Kade did another KNN News Segment. "Good evening, fellow operatives." Eva spoke into the mike and camera. "After we last left off, we met up with a handsome boy named Rainier on Planet Secco, who, after scoring big in a podrace, joined our group. We just finished up totally wrecking an enemy space station and rescued the Star God, Jirachi, whom is currently resting as we are awaiting his recovery. We'll be back with a report very soon."

"And, cut." Kade finished, switching off the camera. "Another wonderful segment!"

"By the way, Kade, how come in some parts of space, we need air helmets to breathe, but in some parts, we don't?"

"Ah! Good question, Eva. You see-"

"DUN NA NA NAH, dun na nah, dun na nah, TO GALAXIA!" Numbuh 4 sang as Kade explained to Eva in the background. "DUN NA NA NAH, dun na nah, dun na nah, off TO Galaxia!"

"Hmm. Fascinating stuff." Eva replied after hearing the explanation.

Mika and Rainier were currently at the Halberd's edge, as Mika conjured a pink Psycho Sphere in her hand, and launched it off to the starry skies. "Whoa!" Rainier gaped, impressed. "How do you make that again?"

"I dunno." Mika answered simply. "You basically imagine a bunch of, well, _Force_ in one place, and you channel enough before you throw it. Oh, but check _this_ out!"

"Whooooaa!" Before he knew it, Rainier was lifted off his feet, hovering around the air, er, space. He was slightly startled at first, but the sensation lightened his mind, feeling absolutely no weight or mass.

He looked down at Mika, who smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Y…Yeah!" Rainier felt filled with wonder. "It's…It's like I've gone to the spirits!... It's so incredible!"

"Hm hm! Well, I'm not surprised! Levitation basically works, well, the same as Peter Pan. If you just imagine it's happening, well, it does. Like so!"

"WHOOOoooa!" Rainier suddenly felt himself flying around the bridge. "WhoooOOOAA!" He soared right over Mika, a good distance away from the ship, doing a few flips and twirls as he flew back. "Heh, heh! Mika! I feel so…so light!"

"Ha ha!"

Eventually, Mika gently landed Rainier beside her on his feet. "You're incredible! So, your master was the clone of a powerful spirit, wasn't he?"

"Sure was!" Mika replied. "Mewtwo was the greatest. Other psychicbenders don't get more powerful than him, no way."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents, though."

"Oh. It's okay. It was painful to watch at first, but you slowly forget about it over time."

"It's something we have in common, really."

"Hm?"

"Well, almost. I'm not entirely sure where my parents are right now. Just that they were sold by the Hutts when I was little."

"You think they're alright?"

"Sure. I mean, they are earthbenders. They can pull through anything. But enough about that! Come on, show me more psychicbending!" he demanded excitedly.

"Hehe, okay! First, close your eyes."

"Um, okay, heh heh!" Rainier closed his eyes, still smiling anxiously.

"Okay… here it goes!" Mika shut eyes, and instantly teleported.

Rainier's eyes were still shut tight, anticipating her surprise. _"Okaaaay! You can open nooow!"_ Rainier's eyes peeped open. The boy looked around confusedly. Mika was gone. He turned and faced all directions. Everyone else was carrying on their usual business, but Mika had disappeared. _"Down here, silly!"_

"Oh… uh? !" Rainier's violet eyes squished toward his nose, and widened with surprise: there stood a teeny-tiny Mika, waving at his enormous eyes with an excited grin. "M…Mika? ?"

_"Hiiiii, Rainieeeerrr!"_

"Y…You're tiny!" Rainier couldn't believe his eyes. "How did you get tiny? ?"

_"It's one of my powers! ! I imagine myself getting REAL small, and then it happens! !"_

"W-Well… that IS impressive… but why would you want to do that? ?"

_"Are you kidding? ? Being tiny is just FILLED with wonders! There's so much to explore!"_ she did a twirl. _"So much you can do! ! Isn't it GREAT? !"_

"Heh heh heh!" Mika's tiny, joy-filled voice touched Rainier's heart. He's never known anyone so happy. So carefree and full of life. Looking at the itsy-bitsy girl, dancing joyfully on his nose, all he could do was smile. It was impossible to feel sad. …But secretly, Rainier _was_ sad deep down. He had a terrible secret, that he _couldn't_ tell Mika. It might just break her joyful, little heart. …Oh, but there was no other way.

A few feet away, Emily and Chad watched the two, and were also touched by Mika's antics. "Awwwe. Aren't those two adorable?" Emily cooed.

"Ha ha. Yeah." Chad chuckled, trying to hide the cheesy feeling he felt from watching Mika.

"By the way… I'm glad you didn't take the Bang Gas." She smiled to the Dickson.

"Hm… cool." He looked away, frowning.

"Why didn't you?"

"…I figured… I could live with being just a regular human."

"Well, that was very noble of you." Chad then blushed hotly when Emily pecked a kiss on his cheek.

"Hehe…" he grinned very sheepishly. …But deep down, he felt very guilty. He couldn't let Emily know… not yet.

"Guys!" Gabe yelled, running outside. "Come on up to the bridge! Jirachi's coming to!"

**Cockpit**

Nigel and Jeremy rocked the little star child in their arms, the spirit groaning as his eyes started to twitch, lots of people gathering to watch. The big screen was on so the Sonic and Mario gangs could see from their ship. In a few seconds, the baby god opened his eyes, seeing Nigel and Infinity's smiling faces. "Oh… N-Nigel? Jeremy?" he gave a light smile.

"Hey, Jirachi. Did you miss us?" Jeremy asked warmly.

_"_Only a whole lot!" he cheered, flying up and twirling around.

"So, how's freedom from the Star Rod?" Nigel asked.

"Just great! I've been having the time of my life without having to worry about-" He stopped flying around and loudly gasped when he noticed the mismatched face of the infamous space clown. "AHHH!" He instantly flew behind Nigel. "Dimentia's back! What's she doing here?"

Dimentia looked away in anger at his reaction. "Patience, Jirachi." Meta Knight spoke. "You are in safe hands. The incident involving Zathura and the Irkens is in the past. Dimentia has changed now."

"She…She has?"

"Yeah, she's totally changed!" Gabe exclaimed, nudging the former galactic leader. "She helped Numbuh 1 and the others save a planet from destruction!"

"Really?"

"Yah!" Rachel smiled, wrapping an arm around Dimentia. "Also, she's really sorry for all that stuff involving GKND. Right now, she just wants to have friends and make up for everything. Right?"

"Oh… well, yeah." Dimentia frowned still.

"Hmm… it's hard to believe." Jirachi said.

"Well, you'll have to believe." Misty Greene replied. "Because Dimentia is your Guardian, and you'll have to stick with her so we can defeat the Dark Master."

"My Guardian?"

"You are a Firstborn, Jirachi." Meta Knight said. "Each Firstborn has a mortal Guardian, and Dimentia is yours. You must let her capture you, in order to save the universe."

"I'm not sure. But if it's for the universe…"

"I have the Spirit Ball right here." Jagar said, holding up the magic Poké Ball.

Dimentia took the sphere and immediately tossed it at Jirachi. The Star God grunted from the impact of the ball hitting his forehead, but nothing else happened. "What? It didn't work."

"That's strange." Eva said. "Celebi and Manaphy were captured, why didn't Jirachi?"

"Hey, hold up." Dedede spoke. "Ain't there somethin' else we had to do, involvin' some kinda Jeweled Scepter?"

"King Dedede is right… for once." Meta Knight replied. "The Spirit Ball will not allow Jirachi inside until his powers have been restored completely. To do that, we must retrieve the Jeweled Scepter and its light power source."

"Then we have to go to Halcandra." Magolor announced. "That's where Groudon said the Scepter would be."

_"That still leaves the matter of this light source." _Blaze said through the monitor.

"We'll worry about that for later." Magolor replied, pressing a few buttons at his station. "For now, let's go for that scepter. Buckle up, kids. Next stop: Halcandra." And before they knew it, both ships took off into lightspeed.

**Ghost Zone Prison**

The inmates of Ghost Zone Prison sat in the cafeteria, eating their gross, gooey lunches undisturbed, until- "RAH-HAH!" Crazy Courtney popped her head up below one of the tables, making the prisoners scream and fall back.

Penelope Taynt peeked her head in from behind one of the doors with her still-crazy expression, sneaking in and approaching behind the freaky child. She tapped Courtney's shoulder, so the crazy child turned to face her. "Hello. My name's Courtney."

Penelope just aimed the persona-catching device; the DNA Revitalizer, at her and said, "You belong with Amanda, please!" And she fired away.

_"RAAH-HAAAH."_ Crazy Courtney was sucked into the device, left to float around the small capsule.

"ONE down!" Penelope shouted, crossing Courtney's name off a list of Amanda's personas. "Now, to go about tracking the others. Good thing I still have Amanda's toenail, please." She then held up a toenail and placed it in what looked like a DNA tracker. "With this, I'll be able to track down the rest of Amanda's personas. Fear NOT, Amanda! I'M-a comin'! Please!" With that, she dashed off, shoving down several prison guards.

**Brain's Star Destroyer**

Danika, Nolan, and April were asleep in a room on the Star Destroyer. Nolan was in his own bed on the left side of the room while the girls slept in bunk beds, with April on top. The handicapped was having trouble going to sleep, tossing and turning from nightmares.

_A vision flashed in his mind of that night, when Koda Shrieves, aka "Figure", grabbed Corey Sanderson, took his knife, and sliced him across the throat._

"AH!" Nolan yelled, shooting awake and sitting up in his bed. He glanced to his left to see the girls were still sound asleep. "What was that all about…" he asked himself, then sighed. "I need a glass of water." He pushed his blanket off and heaved himself onto his wheelchair, rolling down the ship's hall in greyish-blue _Jimmy Neutron_ pajamas.

Nolan stopped on his way to the kitchen when he passed a slightly open door, rolling back to peek inside. Monsieur Mallah's arm was wrapped over Brain as they both lay in a hammock. Nolan smiled as he extracted the mini monitor from his chair and used it to take a picture. "That's gonna be somethin' funny to remember."

Nolan continued and made it to the kitchen, where he sleepily opened the refrigerator, took out a glass of water, and started to drink.

Unbeknownst to him, a dark-cloaked figure in a hood quietly snuck down a hall, peeking to the boy in the kitchen. As Nolan drank the clear liquid, he instantly stopped, hearing the figure's footsteps in the room. He turned to see who it was, and his mouth dropped wide open. (Play "Duel of the Fates" from _Star Wars: The Phantom Menace_!)

The man threw his hood back, exposing his red, spiked head, decorated with black lines. He reached his right hand in his cloak pocket, drawing out a red, double-sided lightsaber, twirling it around. Nolan's fingers slowly released their grip on the water, the glass falling and shattering on the ground. "You? No… it can't be!"

"I must have… revenge."

_Boss fight: Darth Maul_

Nolan hurriedly tried to roll back the way he came, but the demonic Sith Lord grabbed and tossed him to a wall with his psychic. Nolan looked up and quickly rolled away as Darth Maul jumped and did a landing stab, sticking his sword in the floor. Nolan turned back and fired a missile, but Darth Maul pulled his weapon out and flipped back, grabbing a few chairs and a table and tossing them at Nolan, the boy shielding his eyes as the objects missed by a few inches.

He uncovered his eyes to see Darth about to run and strike him, so he extended a grappling hook from his chair and grabbed a blue lightsaber on the counter, switching it on and swinging to defend against Darth Maul's quick strikes. Darth Maul rolled behind and kicked his chair into the wall, then tried to run and stab him again, but Nolan quickly moved away, getting Maul's sword stuck in the wall. Nolan turned and fired a net around him, giving Maul a shock, but the Sith was able to pull his sword out and slice it.

Nolan extracted a metal claw from his chair and put his blue saber in, using the claw to swing the weapon at Darth Maul from a safer distance. Darth Maul still defended his strikes, starting to step backwards as Nolan rolled closer. The Sith Lord started proceeding backward into the hall he came from, swinging his double-saber faster as Nolan's claw swung faster as well. He was able to fling Maul's arms behind his back, but still holding onto his sabers, so Nolan switched on his wheelchair's rocket boosts, drew out two sharp points on the front of his chair, and shot forward, forcing the Sith Lord back and sticking him to the wall by his cloak.

Nolan pulled back as Darth Maul recovered, continuing to swing at Nolan some more while he defended with his claw's saber. Nolan stood, er, sat his ground when Maul started throwing psychic blasts at him, but the last one was able to push his chair back, the great force making Nolan tumble out of it. He looked up and gasped as Maul was about to stab him, covering his eyes, but uncovered when Maul when pushed back by some poison gas.

Nolan felt a pair of hands grab his arms, lift him up, and throw him back in his wheelchair. "Need a hand?" He looked up and gave a wide smile at Wesley Dodds. They both looked to see Darth Maul blowing the gas away and facing them once more, gripping his sabers ready. They both gave a battle ready expression as Dodds declared, "Let's sack some Sith."

Nolan drew out his blue lightsaber and rolled over to Maul, starting to swing at him some more, without the metal claw, as Wesley just threw punches and kicks at him. Maul dodge-rolled away down a corridor to their right, using his Force to blow them back. Maul high-tailed away as the two recovered and chased.

Nolan and Dodds fired their weapons as they chased Maul over a long, thin bridge over a large chasm, the Sith Lord still running and using his sabers to protect. Dodds immediately ran up the walls and dashed along the ceiling, dropping in front of Darth Maul, and grabbed his sabers, trying to pull them away while Maul pulled back. Maul was able to take them back and defend when Nolan tried slicing him from behind, but Dodds was able to punch him across the face a few times, pushing him back over the edge, but Maul landed on a lower bridge and started running.

Dodds and Nolan dropped down there and chased toward a hallway where red barriers were lined up, switching on and off automatically. When the barriers switched off, Dodds ran and caught up to Maul, throwing punches and kicks at him while Maul still swung his sabers. The two were battling around some kind of deep hole, the barriers switching back on, preventing Nolan from joining the fight. The Sith rolled behind the old man, but Wesley turned just in time to spray gas in his face, blinding his vision for a short while as Maul swung around aimlessly.

"I can use some help here, Nolan!" Dodds shouted, still trying to dodge Maul's strikes.

The barriers lowered just in time, so Nolan rolled in to help, but Maul got his vision back and used psychic to blow him into a wall. That's when Dodds gave a battle cry, leapt from over the pit to strike Maul, but the Sith quickly turned and pierced his sabers right through his chest. (End song.)

Nolan looked up and gasped in horror, seeing the red saber through his friend's chest, the Sith then tossing him at a wall. "You… let us down… son." Were Dodds' last words before he passed.

Nolan's face scrunched in anger, screaming with rage as he sped toward the red-skinned Sith, swinging his blue saber even faster. He was able to cut his double-sabers in half and kept swinging until he was able to slice the Sith Lord RIGHT through the middle, horizontally. Darth Maul squeezed out the last of his breath, slipping his hood back on and limping backwards. He made it a few feet away before his body fell to the floor, in half.

Nolan slowly approached the fallen psychic, growing ever more curious as to why he would break in and attack all of a sudden. He carefully grabbed the side of his upper half and rolled him over. Nolan with horror as the hood slipped off, exposing Corey Sanderson's deceased head. He slowly backed up his wheelchair in shock, but that caused him to accidentally roll over the edge, falling into the endless shaft below. "AAAAAHHHHHH!"

**Real world; Nolan's Room**

Nolan immediately shot wide awake. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! !" His loud screaming caused Dani and April to startle awake.

"AHH!" Danika screamed back. "What's wrong, Nolan? !"

Nolan panted heavily, trying to find the right words. "I just had the craziest dream!"

"Don't tell me you were naked in front of the whole Brotherhood, 'cause that stuff gets old." April said.

"No. It was something WAY crazier than that."

"Well, I'd love to hear about it, but I, am, tired. Tell me in the morning." April yawned before rolling over.

Danika stood up and walked over in her pitch-black, shadowy pajamas, sitting beside Nolan on his bed. "You can tell me about it. A dream of yours, you'll be thinking about it for days." She figured.

"…Well… I fought Darth Maul."

"You mean the Sith Lord? ! That's so cool! Did you win?"

"Well… kind of. Wesley Dodds came to help me."

"That old guy you used to be friends with?"

"Y-Yeah. We fought him together, and… Maul killed him. Then I sliced Maul in half, and he…he turned into Corey Sanderson. Also, before the fight began, Maul said… 'I must have revenge.'"

"Hmm… that would make sense. I heard that Darth Maul was one of Palpatine's greatest apprentices. He fought against Obi-wan Kenobi and was killed. But there's a rumor that he was revived by an evil space-witch called Mother Talzin… then all he sought was revenge."

"Then my guess is, I had the dream with him, because we relate in that sense."

"But what did Corey Sanderson have to do with it?"

"I think I know. Before Dodds died… he said I let them down."

"How d'ya figure?"

"Well, for one thing… Mr. Dodds left me a set of his costume. I…I think he wanted me to be his successor. But…"

"But you wound up as Brain's apprentice."

"Y…Yeah. And then Corey. After I joined the Brotherhood… I promised Corey that I would make things right. But that's what I'm doing, really. I'm helping the Brotherhood so I can give metahumans a fair place in the world, instead of being hated. Sigh… but I guess it isn't as simple as I thought it'd be."

Monsieur Mallah secretly listened to the two's conversation from outside the room, then decided to leave down the hall.

"Sigh… I just don't know what to do any more." Nolan sighed in doubt.

"Ah, cheer up, Nolan." April mumbled from her bed. "You're doing just fiiine. You're pretty much the favorite of the last living Sith Lord in the cosmos."

"I guess so…" Nolan replied, depressedly.

Danika then smiled and stood up. "You know what'd make you feel better? Come on, let's go to the kitchen and get some Purple Flurp!" she suggested, playfully pinching his cheek with her toes. "That soda cheers anybody up!"

"Hehehe…" Nolan blushed. If there was anyone that could make him smile, it was Danika. His mind then sparked as he remembered something. "Hold on a second!" He helped himself into his wheelchair again and extracted the mini monitor, skimming it. "Aww…" he moaned with disappointment when he couldn't find the picture of Mallah and Brain.

**Somewhere else in the Destroyer**

Gary was currently patrolling a hall at this time as Mr. Boss approached and stopped him. "Listen, Gary, we need to talk." But he then noticed Monsieur Mallah coming from behind Gary. "Uh, h-hey, Mallah!" the two saluted.

"Gary. Jeffery." Mallah greeted and passed by, uninterested.

The gorilla entered Darth Genious' dark chamber, finding his master gazing at a stone statue of his father. "Ahh… isn't my father's carving just exquisite, Monsieur Mallah? When we take over, I will have these placed all around the world, with me by his side. People will forever gaze upon them and remember the glories of the Sith."

"Exquisite indeed, Master. But ve have a problem."

"Oh, yes. I have already sensed the nightmares clogging Nolan's mind. No doubt the cause of certain meddling Nightmares themselves. We've nothing to worry. My incredible powers of manipulation will keep Nolan on our side. And once we've obtained enough Star Power, they and all the universe's heroes will be ours to defeat."

From the shadows, they were watched by a dark cloaked being wearing some kind of mask with a tube in its mouth. Morpheus left the villains as he phased through the walls of the ship and took off for Nightmare Land.

**Nightmare Land**

There, he was awaited by Darkrai, Customer, and Jar Jar. Morpheus kneeled before the king and spoke. "I've delivered the message, Master. And the same one to Mr. Dodds."

"Good. Our nightmares will get through to them yet. They've never failed before." Darkrai spoke.

"On another subject, Master, I'm a bit more concerned for your daughter. If that traitor attempted to kidnap her…"

"Do not fear. My daughter possesses a strong spirit, just like her grandfather. The Holy Nightmare will be after her… but I know she will prevail."

**Planet Avalar**

Wesley Dodds and Larry Oldman were still resting on Planet Avalar. Sandman just had the same Nightmare as Nolan, immediately shooting awake after Darth Maul stabbed him. "AHH!" he shot his gas gun upwards.

"GAHHHH-GAH-HOYYYY!" Mr. Oldman screamed, jumping out of his seat on their ship. "Dooodds! Don't frighten me like that! My pants get all yelpy when I frighten."

"Uh… sorry, Mate." Mr. Dodds thought for a moment. "Hmm… so, if I'm right… what Morpheus is trying to tell me is… that Nolan truly has taken to the Dark Side." He gave a sigh. "I don't believe it. I was afraid this might happen. That boy got put up with so much crap during his time. …And you can always count on a Sith Lord to make things worse for people like him. …Sigh, I just don't know what to do, Larry."

"Ahhh. Do not give in to despair, yet, Master Dodds." At this, both men turned and noticed the chubby, grey-haired old man that was their leader.

"Master Iroh." Dodds bowed. "What brings you here?"

"This planet was always peaceful for relaxation. The Silver River really heals the old bones. Anyway, you must not worry for Nolan too much. Seeing the two of you, reminds me of me and my nephew. His mind may be troubled, and his heart overtaken by darkness… but one day soon, he will find his ultimate destiny, and see what he truly wants in life."

Iroh's words were able to give Dodds an encouraged smile. Larry, however, didn't seem at all too interested. Just weirded out by that man showing up out of nowhere.

"At any rate, let's fix us some tea!" Iroh perked up. "Some Jasmine Tea will always hit the spot."

**Halcandra's Atmosphere**

The Halberd and Blue Typhoon flew out of hyperspace and were now approaching a red and orange planet that seemed almost entirely made of lava. "Well, we're coming to Halcandra." Magolor reported. "80% boiling magma, packed with tons of lava geysers and constantly crashing meteorites, making this the perfect place if you're either a fire/earthbender."

"When things crash here, they go ker-ploopey." Marx said happily, still bouncing on his ball as he kicked on some sunglasses. "Better cover UP! Ah hahahaha!"

Everyone shielded their eyes as both ships burned bright orange, entering the atmosphere. They flew past the planet's black clouds of volcano smog and ash, hovering a good distance over the lava-filled surface. "The ground is far too unstable to land anywhere." Meta Knight said.

_"I'm detecting strong magnetic readings coming from that volcano ahead."_ Tails reported.

"That's gotta be the Jeweled Scepter." Magolor figured. "We'll need a small team to go out and retrieve it."

"This looks like my kinda place." Nigel smirked.

"Hey, I'm an earthbender! I'm going, too!" Angie shouted.

"Guess that means I am, too." Eva figured.

"And I shall accompany you." Meta Knight offered. "Sword, Blade, Magolor, look after things."

"Oi, be careful, Meta Knight." Blade Knight cautioned.

"That place'll roast you to a golden-blue-brown, eh?" Sword Knight said.

"Kirby, Dimentia, you should come, too." Meta Knight suggested.

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.

"Somehow I feel like I'm getting by butt burned." Dimentia commented.

"Very well, then. The more the merrier. Let's go." The operatives gathered onto the Sector L KNN News bus, driven by Kade, while Kirby and Dimentia squeezed on the Warp Star, and Meta Knight just flew with his wings as they launched to the fiery inferno. (Play "Dangerous Dinner 1" from _Kirby's Return To Dreamland_!)

_Stage 39: Halcandra_

_Mission: Find the Jeweled Scepter!_

_Act 1_

The team flew closer toward the magma surface, already having to quickly dodge geysers of lava that popped out from below. Some fireballs came for Meta Knight, but the Star Warrior swiftly dodged them and bat the last one away with his sword, making it bump the side of the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., but it kept going. Another fireball came for Kirby, but the pink puff inhaled it and spat flames at other fireballs coming for them.

Large flame snakes started popping and diving in-and-out of the lava, so the gang had to make quick turns to avoid them. They started zooming between tall, pointy rocks as bigger lava geysers started to pop up. Kirby flew the Warp Star higher as a geyser nearly burned them, but the lava drops nearly hit Dimentia, missing by a few inches. The two gaped when a huge lava blob, called a Blargg, rose from the lava behind them and chomped its huge mouth, destroying the Warp Star and making them crash on some safe land with several cracks of magma.

"Time to land." Meta Knight said, deciding to land beside them. Kade flew the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. by so Eva, Nigel, and Angie could jump down as well.

Angie already felt her bare feet begin to sizzle on the piping hot rock, so she yelped around before hopping on Nigel's back and wrapping her legs around him. "Carry me."

"Ugh."

The six continued up a hill, avoiding fiery geysers from the ground, and reached the top, overlooking a magma river that flowed downward. Eva used her Ice Breath to freeze a stone platform for the six to get on and start flowing slowly. They flowed to the bottom of the hill and turned a corner to their right. Lots of sharp rocks sat in the way of the river, but Nigel and Angie were able to combine their bending and bend the lava to make them avoid the rocks. The river was coming to a dead end, so the two swung their arms out to make a lava geyser lift them onto the path above the wall.

They walked along a small path before reaching a large pool of lava with several geysers shooting out. Eva froze platforms on the geysers for them to jump across, dodging fireballs as well. They made it to another rocky pathway and sidled along a wall over some lava. A Blargg popped out of the lava, but Eva quickly threw some water on it before it could chomp its huge mouth at them, freezing the monster into solid stone as Angie used earthbending to shatter it.

They made it to a small field where four Lizalfos spotted them, running over and swinging their iron tails. When one of them swung its stone arm at Angie, she easily grabbed and held it back, ripping it off and tossing it back at the Lizalfos. Dimentia fired lightning at another one, but it defended with its stone arm, but Eva was able to run behind and slash it with her Phantom Sword. Meta Knight flew behind and sliced one's tail off, allowing Kirby to inhale it and gain the Hammer ability. He used his hammer to knock out that Lizalfos, then ran to attack the last one, who defended with its arm, only for Nigel to burn it from behind.

With them gone, they walked over to another lava river flowing down a hill into a cave. They stood on some kind of large wheel-shaped stone as Angie used her bending to break it from the wall so it could start rolling. The group carefully balanced on the rolling stone, watching out for spots that caught on fire as it spun in the lava. As it started to roll into the cave, a bunch of Fire Keese flew down from the stalactites on the ceiling to bite them, Eva quickly swatting them away with her sword.

When the stone started to sink, the team quickly jumped onto a platform, where several flaming Stalfos rose up from the magma. "Kirby, eat this." Eva ordered, throwing some water toward Kirby for him to inhale. Kirby's skin became like pure water as he became Water Kirby, the liquefied puffball spewing small waves at the flaming skeletons and turning them to dust. Kirby started to skid along the surface of the magma, leaving a hardened solid trail for the others to follow him.

Kirby led the trail to a cave leading further inside. They looked to their right as magma waves surfed their direction, in which Eva and Kirby quickly used their water to freeze them for Angie to then shatter them. When they got to a wider part of the cave, they looked up as square-fractions of the ceiling started coming down, hurrying before they could get crushed. Boulders started to crumble down from the ceiling, but Meta Knight flew up and protected the group by slicing the stones with his sword.

The group finally reached the dead end of the cave, which had a huge pit of lava. They noticed the lava slowly rising and some platforms leading upward, so they quickly jumped their way up the platforms before the lava came too close. The last platform they jumped to immediately crumbled upon their landing, falling and floating into the magma. "Hold on tight!" Meta Knight ordered as the magma blasted the rest of the way a lot faster, flinging them to the sky. The group landed on another river and flowed quickly downward before it came to a stop on a safe foothold. "Hoo. That was a close call."

"Let's go." Nigel replied. "The volcano's just up ahead."

As they all looked up to the burning mountain ahead of them, they noticed large, flaming meteors hurling down from the sky. "That's not going to be very easy." Eva figured. (Play "Dangerous Dinner 2".)

_Act 2_

They started their adventure up the long hill toward the volcano as meteors rained all around. At one point, they had to jump across tall platforms in the magma, watching out as meteors rained down on some of them. Some meteors crashed the bottoms of other pillars, making the group quickly jump the next ones before they toppled over.

They reached and started walking another rocky pathway as more meteors came down, some of them shifting side-to-side in midair by some kind of magic. The group narrowly avoided these meteors and continued up the hill, running as meteors shot down and started destroying the path. They reached another small field, this time with three Dark Lizalfos. The upgraded monsters ran forward and unleashed poisonous breath at them, intoxicating Nigel, Eva, Dimentia, and Angie. Kirby tried to inhale the poison, but he transformed into Sleep Kirby and was knocked out.

Meta Knight spun his sword to keep the gas away, then started flapping his bat wings to blow it back, poisoning one of the lizards so he can fly over and slash it. The other one tried to smash him with its tail, but he defended with his sword, then spun away to the air as the other Lizalfos jumped and spun its tail, batting the knight away. At this time, the gas wore off on the others, and one of the lizards noticed them and blew more gas. "Oh yeah? Eat this!" Nigel yelled, throwing some fire at the gas and making it explode, blowing that lizard back. Afterwards, Dimentia trapped the last one inside a barrier. The Dark Lizalfos blew some gas to try and melt it, but ended up encasing himself in his own breath, fainting from the stench.

That Lizalfos dropped a Cube Wisp which Nigel absorbed, using his Color Power to freeze the lake of lava ahead of them. They were able to skid along the slippery surface closer to the foot of the volcano. But right when they were about to go up the frozen hill that led up the mountain, more meteors started raining down, destroying the frozen terrain and making the kids have to jump to the foothold on the side. They walked up the small slope until they found a Water Galbo that was glowing with a star around its body. Kirby smiled at the armless/legless dragon and sucked it right in. (Cue "Super Ability" theme!)

Kirby's body became water again, but a stormy cyclone appeared on his head instead of a small wave, along with a star emblem on his forehead. He was Tsunami Kirby. The super-watered puff unleashed a massive wave that surfed up the magma hill, the gang jumping on and surfing with it. They reached a foothold and ran further up the volcano. More meteors were shooting their way, but Kirby made another wave that took them further up, easily dodging the flaming balls.

When they stopped, meteors crashed on the road ahead of them, setting it to flames, but Kirby unleashed a wave that put the flames out in an instant. They hurried inside a cave, where they found another huge lake of lava, Kirby unleashing another tidal wave that carried them across, wiping out some Fire Keeses, too. Ahead of them was a magma river that made several snaky turns down the cave. They all surfed on Kirby's tidal wave with barely any effort down the river, wiping out all the Blarggs that got in their way and tried to chomp them.

They finally reached the end of the cave, where the stairway that led to the crater was protected by a magma waterfall. Kirby charged the last of his power and unleashed a tidal wave that completely flooded the room. Everyone held their breath as the magmafall started freezing into stone. The stone crumbled to pieces as the water started draining away, allowing the others to breathe. Kirby lost the Tsunami Ability and cheered, "Pah!", running up the stairs ahead, followed by the others. (End song.)

They were finally at the volcano's crater, immediately spotting the purple scepter sticking from the ground at the edge of the lava. The scepter was hook-shaped, and had a little light-blue jewel in its hook. "Finally. Let's get that thing and get off this planet." Dimentia said eagerly, walking over and gripping the staff. But the moment her hand came in contact with it, the volcano started trembling. When the tremors stopped, the head of a massive dragon with a snaky neck emerged from the lava, roaring at the alien jester.

"E-yeah. Had a feeling something like that might happen." Eva figured. That's when three more dragon heads popped out, the lead one grabbing the scepter in its mouth and swallowing it.

"It is the guardian dragon of Halcandra. Landia!" Meta Knight exclaimed.

"Aww. Why couldn't he be like the dragons in fairytales?" Angie whined.

"You'll have to go back to Avalar for those kinds." Dimentia replied. (Play Landia's Theme from _Kirby's Return To Dreamland_.)

_Boss fight: Landia_

The quadruplet dragon gave a battle cry before starting to spit fireballs that the group avoided. Nigel and Angie tossed fire and rocks at the heads, but the snaky necks helped them dodge and move around so as to confuse them. Eva was charging up a large ball of water and chucked it to one of the heads, but it did no damage as the head shook the water off. The heads started moving around some more as some of them smashed at the foothold, blowing the kids back a little. When Eva saw one of the heads open its mouth wide to charge fire, she charged another water ball and tossed it inside, making the head shake around and stun.

The other heads started coughing fireballs that Angie and Eva shielded with their elements. Two of them lied their necks across the ground, brushing back-and-forth to try and shove the kids into the lava. Meta Knight jumped and got on one of the heads, jabbing it with his sword and making it screech. The other head that was still up charged another flame, so Eva tossed another water ball into its mouth, hurting it.

The four heads sank beneath the lava and came back out with the rest of their body, starting to fly around the sky. The dragons spat bigger fireballs from the air that Angie protected with her rock barriers. The dragons stopped above the foothold and charged down with a quaking landing, unleashing a fire shockwave. The dragon flew a few feet from the ground and flapped his wings faster to try and blow them off the edge, but they stood their ground. Eva bended her Water Fists and used them to grab Landia's tail, able to swing the dragon around and slam him to the ground on his back. Angie and Nigel bended a ball of lava that Eva froze into solid stone with Ice Breath, allowing Angie to slam the round rock onto Landia's stomach.

The dragon got back up and gave another battle cry, flying back under the lava and splashing large lava drops onto the foothold, setting those parts on fire, only for Eva and Angie to put them out with their bending. The four heads stuck back out and glared at them again. The dragon turned around to use its flaming tail to start sweeping along the foothold to push them over the lava. Angie was able to stick two rocks up and hold the tail still for Eva to bend some water and put it out.

The dragon pulled its tail back in and turned back to face them, starting to cough out more large fireballs and setting parts of the field on fire. Eva bended another water ball and was able to toss it into one of the heads, making it stun. The kids quickly dodged when the heads started slamming the ground some more. They narrowly dodged the slamming heads as Angie noticed one of them charging another blast. The earthbender quickly kicked a rock, as big as their mouths, up and clogged its mouth, causing the charged flame to explode inside it.

The quadruple-headed flew out of the lava and started soaring the skies again, spitting more giant fireballs that the team dodged. Angie flung a few small rocks up and damaged the dragon a little before it came back down. Landia made a spark and separated into four dragons that flew around in separate directions. They flew all about to try and confuse them, spitting out fireballs that Eva and Angie still protected against. Afterwards, the four dragons swooped down and pushed the two girls away, but Meta Knight grabbed a dragon and struck it a few times before jumping off. One of the other dragons tried to gnash at Dimentia, but the former leader swiftly dodged and fired lightning, stunning and making it drop to the lava.

The lead dragon made a spark and called the others back, forming back into one body. The dragon swooped back-and-forth along the ground, nearly blowing Nigel and Kirby into the lava, but Angie made a rock platform to catch them. When Landia swooped back, Angie shot a jagged rock from the ground and jabbed Landia in the stomach, making it fall on its back. Eva bended her Water Fists again and swung them around before landing a powerful punch on Landia's stomach.

The four-headed dragon flew back up and became enraged. It roared once more as its red skin became dark-blue, diving back under the lava. Landia started splashing bigger waves of lava toward them that Eva quickly froze with waterbending, but the waves came so fast, they pushed through the frozen waves and pushed her back, Nigel grabbing her wrist before she fell over the edge. The lead head stuck out of the lava again, the kids looking around for the other heads, then were startled when the other ones started popping from below the ground to try and push them over.

Angie used Seismic Sense, closing her eyes and sensing where the heads were popping up. She felt one below her feet and stomped the ground, causing an Earthquake to bump it. That's when the leading head charged another huge fireball and hurled it, Kirby using Super Inhale to suck it in and spit it back in its mouth, but Landia spat it back faster, so Kirby quickly sucked it in again and fired, doing damage this time.

The heads retreated back below ground and flew up to the sky again. It started spewing blue fireballs, and when Eva and Angie tried to shield from them, the hotter flames pierced their water and earth shields and blew them back. Landia flipped and shot toward the foothold, landing several heavy quakes that made everyone topple over. The dragon separated into four again, each getting around a different corner of the field. The lead dragon coughed out a fireball to another one, and the dragons started passing it from one to the other over the foothold, the group avoiding so as not to get burned. The ball came faster and faster before the lead dragon caught and spat it straight up, the massive ball coming down with a thud and unleashing a blue shockwave that they barely jumped.

The dragons formed back together, swinging their wings and blowing wind and crumbled stones at them. Angie quickly flung the rocks back at their heads while Eva grabbed the tail in her Water Fists. When she swung it around and slammed it on its back, Landia was still able to recover. The massive dragon shot to the other side of the crater, gave a powerful charge, and shot along the lava.

"He's going to destroy this foothold!" Meta Knight exclaimed.

"Not if we can handle it." Eva responded. Angie quickly stomped the ground and made an earth barrier pop up, then Eva splashed some water over the wall and froze it in an instant. When Landia crashed through the barrier, it BUMPED its heads, tripped, and turned over on its back dizzily. Kirby sucked in a small rock on the ground and transformed into Stone Kirby. Kirby flew high above the dragon before becoming a sharp, hard diamond, dropping down and smashing the dragon's stomach with great force.

As a result of the impact, Landia coughed out the Jeweled Scepter, the staff about to land in the lava before Dimentia flew over and caught it. The dragon turned red again and shrunk down, separating into four dragons that were about the kids' height. (End song.)

The kids slowly approached the little fallen dragons when they slowly recovered and stood up to face them. "Awe! They're a lot cuter when they aren't big and scary!" Angie grinned happily.

The dragons and operatives then looked up when they heard the engines of their two ships. _"Great job, guys! You've recovered the Jeweled Scepter!"_ Tails called.

Jirachi then flew down from the Battleship Halberd to check on them. "Are you guys okay?"

"Sure we are." Nigel smiled. "We're one step closer to restoring your power, Jirachi."

The four-parted dragon then looked back-and-forth between the children and the Star God they knew so well. The calmed dragon started to sense that these children were friends with the young star child… although they still weren't too sure about Dimentia. The lead dragon smiled and approached Nigel, rubbing his leg and licking him. "Awe…" he cooed.

"Poyo!" Kirby smiled as another dragon rubbed against him.

"Okay, guys, that's enough." Magolor told them from the Halberd's deck. "We got the Jeweled Scepter, but we still need to find the Light Source. Groudon said Mother Wisp was responsible for it, so let's get over to Planet Wisp and talk to her."

"Dragons cute! Dragons cute!" Marx cheered.

"Good idea, Magolor." Meta Knight replied. "Let us go, kids. Perhaps we can visit and play with Landia later." With that, the six gang members gathered into the ship as they both took off.

After they left, the four dragons couldn't help but give a suspicious glare toward Magolor. There was something about that creature that they just didn't like…

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><p><strong>O-KAY, not the best chapter, but I think that scene with Nolan went well. I mean really, Darth Maul is the coolest! I sort of based that off <em>Star Wars: The Force Unleashed<em> when he randomly appears. Anyhow, next time, we will head to Planet Wisp. Later.**


	46. Another Obvious Doublecross

**Hello, everybody. First off, this chapter might not be so good because I was feeling SUPER lazy doing this. But what can ya expect when you have a thousand point history project. :/ Alright, let's go.**

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><p><strong>Fort Francis<strong>

The green-skinned nerdy fanatic that was Francis Powalski stood in his chambers, watching the latest episode of _Power Rangers Samurai_. "Nerrrr. Those Megazords are a little TOO powerful. Those Nighlok don't even stand a fair chance. If I were those humans, I'd be a little afraid of the Rangers taking over the planet." The chameleon then grinned and blushed. "Either way, that Mia sure is sexy. She can poison me with her horrible cooking anyday."

A Meowbot then walked in and approached the Nerd King. "Master Francis, somebody is outside, here to see you, meow."

"Nerrrr. You're lucky it's commercial break, otherwise I'd reprogram you to be a _Planet Sheen_ fan. That show ruins the good spirit that was _Jimmy Neutron_." The chameleon left down the hall and went out his castle's front doors, looking around Kateenia's surface for who might be visiting. He heard some engines roaring and looked up with delight as Team Star Wolf was coming in for a landing. "Nerrrr! It's Star Wolf! Schweeeet!"

The five ships as the pilots stepped off of them, Francis running over to excitedly greet his cousin. "Cousin Leon! No time, no see!"

"Ugh… hey, Francis." Leon greeted, exasperatingly.

"So, how's it goin' with you and Star Wolf? I heard that you guys were in The Great Galactic Race. Too bad you weren't in it very long, 'cause that would be so cool!"

"E-yah. So, what've you been doing besides not giving your mom grandkids?"

"Oh, I've been fine. I decided to stop collecting Kateenians, but now I've been gettin' quite fascinated with Avaloran creatures. I've been playing a few games based on the topic, some of them made by Rareware, and others like _Spyro_ games, like those Legend Series and-"

"What the Hell is this guy yappin' about?" Boba asked.

Francis gave a wide smile when he noticed the human hunter. "OH MY GOSH! You're Jeremy Bulloch! You're wearing the same costume as when you did Boba Fett on _Star Wars_!"

"Say what? I don't know nobody named Jeremy Bulloch! Mah name's Boba!"

"Nerrrr! And you sound like the guy who did Boba on Robot Chicken Star Wars! This is just too SCHWEEEET! I just HAVE to have your autograph!"

"Wait a second. You mean somebody did a movie about me, where some guy played ol' Boba? …Well, better than that other story ah was in. Sure, Kid. Make it out ta, who…?"

"Francis Powalski."

"'To mah good friend…'" Boba began writing his autograph down on a piece of paper.

"Will you stop it? !" Wolf yelled. "Look, our ships took a beating earlier, and we came here to get some fuel and rest up for a bit. NOT to get involved with your insane TV show fanatics!"

"And while we're here, I wouldn't mind having one of those tasty-looking Kateenians. Growl." Panther growled.

"Save your appetite for the brats, Panther." Wolf ordered. "And save Uno for me, especially. I'll tear him to shreds after what that despicable father of is did to mine!"

"Well, someone's being a grouchy little doggy." A British voice spoke.

"Huh?" Wolf looked up as the Arwing that was previously chasing them landed several feet away.

When the spacecraft landed, the bounty hunters gasped when none other than Monty Uno stepped off. "Well, well, Wolf. Long time, no see. And to you, Boba."

"Y-You're-" Boba began to say.

"OH MY GOSH! !" Francis yelled gleefully. "You're Numbuh ZERO! You're, like, a total Kids Next Door legend! He was in the GKND before Numbuh 1, did you know that? Oh, I MUST have your autograph!"

"HEY, ah remember you." Jake hissed, shooting up to Monty's face. "You were that guy that Dimentia cloned and locked away." Monty seemed unfazed when the demon snake curled around him. "Jus' what're you doin' here?"

"Oh, just thought I'd pay my old friend, Wolfy a visit."

"YAH!" Said "Wolfy" immediately jumped and kicked Monty away. "You are NOT my friend, you lying scum! You killed my father!"

"Hm, beg to differ." Monty replied, standing and brushing off. "If anything, your father died of his own selfish actions."

"Ah wouldn't use that tone of voiccce." Jake hissed, aiming his tail-gun.

"I was there, Monty! That was _your_ light saber that got rammed through my father's chest!"

"Yeah! So, how'd ya like a good ol' light saber rammed right through YO' chest? DOUBLE-slice?" Boba asked, aiming his red and blue light sabers.

"You do realize that neither of those sabers are yours, Boba." Monty replied. "As a matter of fact, that red one you're using was the one Ava lent to me after stealing it from Count Dooku."

"Say what?"

"Also, that blue one belongs to my friend, Khryssa. You have no right having that."

"Well, too bad! Ah won this blue saber fair 'n' square off that psycho freak. Killed 'er good, too. And this red one just appeared outta nowhere, but since you say it belonged to a Sith, ah'm keepin' it!"

"Do what you will. But I don't very much appreciate you two hunting down my son and nieces/nephew."

"Too bad. You got him into this mess yourself by destroying my father. And once I'm done beating you, we'll look for your son and make you watch him _die_. Just as well as those psychic cousins of his. AHH!" With that, Wolf started throwing punches and kicks while Monty defended and countered with fireballs.

"Nerrrr. Does this mean I'm not getting that autograph?" Francis asked.

**Over the atmosphere of Planet Wisp**

The main team entered hyperspace after leaving Halcandra and were now flying to a gorgeous green planet ahead of them. "And lo and behold, folks: Planet Wisp in all its former glory." Magolor reported. "Ever since the defeat of the Tallest, the Wisps and Irkens have been living together in peace. They shut down most of the factories, brought back the clear blue skies, and the landscape is as pretty as ever."

"Starlight shines so bright, colors feels so right!" Marx cheered.

"Oi, not quite today." Blade Knight replied. "It looks loike the Brotherhood's attacking this place, too."

"A bit of irony in that case, eh?" Sword Knight said.

"Heh. No problem." Sonic snickered. "Me and Uno saved this planet before, we'll save it again."

"Come on, guys! Let's kick some butt!" Jirachi exclaimed.

As the ships were headed into Planet Wisp's atmosphere, two certain interdimensional hunters were watching them. "Hm, criminals always return to the scene of the crime, no?" Death's Head said. "What say we give Dimentia a colorful pummeling?"

The Galacta Knight said nothing, only waved his silver sword around and flapped his angel wings, taking off for the planet. Death's Head boosted his rockets and charged after him.

On the surface of Planet Wisp, the colorful little aliens fled and cowered away as their world was being invaded by Stormtroopers and Eggman robots with the Irkens fighting them back. The Ex-invader Zim laughed maniacally as he fired a machinegun around the many soldiers. "YES! FLEE, foolish robo creatures and men in plastic armor, for you are no match for General ZIM! !"

Tak angrily ran up and smacked the ex-invader across the face. "ZIM, you IDIOT! You were shooting our own soldiers!"

Zim looked in the direction he was shooting to see many Irken soldiers gripping their wounded legs, one of them shouting, "My leg!"

"Oh. Uh…, I knew that! They were just... They were WARM-UPS! Yeah!"

"D'oh. Why Mother Wisp put you in charge here, I'll never know!"

The heroes' ships came down from the sky as they launched out in their mini ships and started shooting down Tie Fighters. Nigel, Rachel, Dimentia, and Meta Knight decided to land beside Zim and Tak in the center of the hundreds of Irkens and Wisps in the warzone. "Zim!" Nigel called out.

"Hey! How've you guys been?" Zim shouted over the sounds of his machinegun, taking out robots.

"We're looking for-" Before Dimentia could finish, the gunshots and brawls suddenly stopped as all the Wisps and Irkens turned and stared angrily at her. "Uh…"

"Hey! What's she doing here? !" a Speed Wisp shouted.

"Trying to use our negative energy again, I bet." A Drill Wisp replied.

"Not before I spike HER butt!" a Spike Wisp shouted, and soon, all Wisps gave cries and charged for their most-hated former leader, who held her arms up in defense as Nigel and Rachel got in their way.

"WAIT!" Rachel screamed. "Can ya at LEAST give her a little time to explain herself?"

The many colorful aliens all exchanged glances, and the Speed Wisp replied, "You got 10 seconds!"

"Alright, look." Dimentia started. "I didn't come here as a criminal looking for trouble, and I certainly don't want ANY trouble." But just then, a barrage of plasma shots rained down and exploded all over the ground, scaring the Wisps off.

The kids looked up as Death's Head and Galacta Knight hovered down. "Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom, by the power vested in me, by Dr. Fate, it is with great honor that I place you under arrest for escaping Underworld Prison." The robot spoke. "Sounds good, no?"

"Ugh. Not you two again." Dimentia groaned.

"It is Death's Head and the Galacta Knight." Meta Knight replied. "The interdimensional bounty hunter and the cursed Star Warrior."

"Death's Head?" Rachel asked. "Where've I seen him before…"

"The cursed Star Warrior?" Nigel asked.

"He wields the dark powers of the Negative Galaxia Sword." Meta Knight said as Galacta Knight drew out his silver sword, sparking with lightning.

Sonic ran beside them and said, "I'll look for Mother Wisp. You guys handle 'em for now." With that, the hedgehog ran off, leaving the rest of the gang to deal with the two dimensional beings. (Play Galacta Knight's Theme from _Kirby Superstar Ultra_!)

_Boss fight: Death's Head & Galacta Knight_

Death's Head fired his plasma rifle at the heroes, but they split up before the shot exploded. Galacta Knight charged at Meta Knight and the two were in a fast-paced, airborne sword clash. Rachel leapt behind Death's Head and tried to strike him, but the robot turned and held up his ax in defense, swinging around at Rachel in the air. The blonde flipped back as Death's Head felt some flames pummel him from behind, flying behind the bald Brit, grabbing him by the neck, and tossing him at Rachel.

Meta Knight's sword was knocked away by Galacta Knight, but Dimentia fired lightning from behind the cursed warrior, who held up his sword and absorbed the lightning. The knight then quickly charged forward and struck Dimentia horizontally. He then performed a jump strike, but Dimentia dodge-rolled away, Galacta Knight sending a shockwave from his sword over to a tall tree and blowing it up.

Death's Head drew out his harpoon and the two hurriedly dodged as he fired at them, missing and hitting a building in the distance. He kept trying to shoot at Nigel as the Brit flew around with his jet shoes, but kept missing and destroying more buildings. Rachel then leapt up and grabbed Death's Head's leg, the robot trying to shake her off, but failed as Rachel climbed up, striking his back a little before the robot was finally able to shake free, but Nigel flew into him as a fireball and pushed him to the ground right away.

Meta Knight recovered his sword and flew to clash at Galacta Knight some more, but the pink knight was still able to fight back. Dimentia threw a star burst at Galacta Knight from behind, then quickly flew away as he turned angrily at her, starting to chase the spacebender. Meta Knight chased Galacta while he chased Dimentia, flying past many Irken-made buildings. The Dark Galaxia-wielding knight charged his sword and fired lasers at Dimentia, who dodged and allowed the lasers to destroy the buildings.

One of the walls he destroyed revealed Cleveland Brown in his bathtub, already beginning to slide down once more. "No no no no NO NOOO!" He fell from the high ground and his bathtub shattered. "Ah really begin to question my choices in particular abodes."

Nigel pelted a few flames in Death's Head's face before the robot finally swatted him off and stood back up. He saw Rachel coming from behind and swerved to the side before she could strike down. He held up a shield when Rachel dealt more slashes against him. She suddenly fired her Hookshot and pulled the shield away, then landed a few slashes at him.

Dimentia barely dodged when Galacta Knight came close and swung his sword, but was suddenly pushed to the ground by Meta Knight, the two rolling for a bit before they stopped and faced each other. The two knights flew at each other and started pushing against the others' sword. Galacta Knight finally swung, but Meta Knight flipped back, charged, and swung at him some more.

At this time, Nigel was carrying Rachel as he flew while Death's Head chased them to a park area. The hunter kicked away Rachel's arrows being fired at him before deciding to fly into a portal. The two looked around for him before they were suddenly kicked to the ground when he appeared above them. Death's Head landed a few feet away as the kids quickly recovered, throwing their projectiles at him. Just when he was about to fire another plasma shot, Kirby shot down on his Warp Star and inhaled the plasma, becoming Plasma Kirby and firing powerful electric barriers, pushing the robot back. "Pah." Kirby cheered in victory.

When Death's Head saw Nigel and Rachel running towards him, he quickly recovered and said, "I do not wish to harm you kids. I am only here to bring Dimentia back to prison. She has escaped, no?"

"Yah, but it was sort of planned by Clockwork." Rachel replied.

"Clockwork? You mean the Time Spirit, yes?"

"Yes, and he restored her youth because SHE is Jirachi's Guardian!" Nigel yelled.

Death's Head looked a little confused now. "Is this true-"

"YES! !"

"Hmm… perhaps Kent Nelson has made a mistake, no? Galacta Knight: let us retreat for now, yes? Oh?" Several feet away, part of a building exploded when Galacta Knight shoved Meta Knight through it, forcing him to the ground. Dimentia tried to zap him from the air, but Galacta Knight dodged and started shooting his laser around, tearing down the tops of other buildings and making them crumble, barely crushing the mismatched face leader before she teleported. "Galacta Knight? You are doing more destruction than good, no?"

His non-speaking partner glanced at him before deciding to fly around and shoot at other buildings. He flew up to some Tie Fighters overhead and struck the Stormtrooper pilots inside, making them crash and cause other buildings to crumble. "He is going on a rampage!" Meta Knight shouted.

"It must be part of that curse." Rachel figured. "He's not listening."

"Galacta Knight. Stop now, yes?" Death's Head yelled before flying after the uncontrollable Star Knight, accompanied by Meta Knight and Nigel. He used his lasers to slice more buildings in half as the three tried to hold him back, but only spun and knocked them away.

Rachel and Dimentia looked with terror when they saw the rubble about to crush two Irken kids and their parents. "They're about to get squashed!" Rachel yelled.

Dimentia immediately flew over and made a barrier appear above the Irkens, allowing the rubble to fall beside them. "What? You? !" the Irken father yelled at Dimentia.

"Geeze, can someone NOT greet me like that for once?" Dimentia said, frustrated. She then gasped when she saw a few more citizens about to be crushed, quickly waving her hands and teleporting them to a safer spot away from the rubble. She spotted some Wisps cowering in fear by the ground, about to be struck by Galacta Knight, so Dimentia quickly jumped in his way, thankfully saved when Death's Head landed on him and started to battle.

"Huh? Oh great, not you again!" a Wisp with a curly antenna shouted.

"Ugh." Dimentia groaned, turning to them. "Look, I know I wasn't the greatest person in Galaxia before, but trust me, I'm different now, and my hatred toward adults is GONE!"

"Oh, I wouldn't so sure about that." Dr. Eggman Nega smirked, flying down to them, holding a Darkness Cannon.

"Huh? Who are you?"

"It's time to revive your TRUE colors. Enjoy." With that, the Negative scientist charged the weapon and fired a direct hit on Dimentia. (End song.)

_She was suddenly shown visions of her days back on Zathura, where the adults forced her to perform in the big top circus. She could feel her hatred returning, for the adults that enslaved her, her breakup with Darkrai, the operatives that stood against her, and when Nigel Uno finally dealt her in._

"Ah ha ha ha!" Eggman Nega laughed, flying away when Nigel and Rachel arrived to see her on the ground, panting.

"Dimentia? Are you-" Nigel tried to say.

"Nnrgh!" Dimentia growled, immediately pushing the bald leader away with lightning. Before Rachel could react, Dimentia flipped over her and started throwing magic blasts at every adult Irken in her sights, with vicious, angry eyes, and gritted teeth, glowing some kind of red aura.

"Dimentia! Stop!" Rachel yelled.

"These adults… they DESTROYED ME! You ALL did…" The Zathurian took to the skies and started warping Tie Fighters closer to the ground, making them almost hit other citizens. Nigel flew up to grab the former galactic leader and pulled her to the ground. Death's Head was about to grab her, but was struck from behind by Galacta Knight. Before he could strike again, Meta Knight came and dealt a few more quick slashes. Galacta Knight turned and clashed against Meta Knight some more before he was able to scratch Galacta Knight's mask. The pink knight just waved him off and flapped his angel wings, taking off from the planet.

Dimentia pushed Nigel over to Rachel and started hurting both of them with lightning, making the couple scream in pain. "Oi! What the 'eck is your deal, Dimentia? !" Marine shouted. The chipper raccoon girl spun her right arm around and charged an energy ball, firing and punching Dimentia from behind.

The spacebender stopped firing her lightning as the red aura faded away. "Ohh…" The former leader fell to her knees, holding her head. "What just happened?..." She looked up and studied the many fallen buildings around her. The bright blue sky was becoming gloomy and foggy with smoke as the Irkens and Wisps surrounded her with angry looks in their eyes. Nigel and Rachel already began to look worried for her.

Sonic the Hedgehog has made his way inside a base, where he found the Mother Wisp bounded by several electrical chains around her tentacles, giving her painful shocks. The hedgehog looked around at the four chain generators around the circular room, guarded by Eggman robots. "Oh, you're not gonna get away with this that easy!" And in less than a minute, Sonic dashed around the room and took out all the robots, using his Home Attack to destroy the shackles.

Mother Wisp stopped groaning in pain when the electricity stopped, opening her eyes and looking down at her savior. _"Thank you… Sonic."_

The hedgehog looked up at the spirit and smiled.

By this time, the invading enemy troops had retreated. Dimentia shamefully approached General Zim and Tak on their stand with Nigel and Rachel by her side, the rest of the aliens still looking angrily. Dimentia slowly tilted her head up as Zim spoke. "So… you escaped from Underworld Prison… and you didn't learn a thing, is that it?"

"I hate to say it, but Zim is right. You haven't changed a bit to me." Tak replied.

"Alright, fine. I admit it. I STILL hate adults, and I still hate everyone else for what they did to me! But I…But I've been trying to forget about it!"

"Oh, I don't believe her." The Speed Wisp said. "She hated adults a jillion years ago, and she hates 'em now."

"She's probably just here to turn us all into Nega Wisps and enslave us all again." A Rocket Wisp replied.

"And she even brought those hunters here to destroy our planet!" a Flame Wisp pointed out.

"No! I-"

"STONE HER!" a Stone Wisp yelled.

"Turn her to a beetle!" a Dupli Wisp shouted.

"Uh… make her float around continuously." A Hover Wisp replied, earning disbelieving looks from other Wisps.

"Dude, you are really not a useful power." A Bomb Wisp told him.

"Alright, that's enough." Zim ordered, silencing them. "Dimentia: you are banished from our planet." The operatives gasped.

"But Zim-" Rachel tried to say.

"BANISHED! !" Dimentia was about to say something, but just looked away as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Dimentia, wait-" Infinity called, running over to her beside Gabe and Jirachi, but were too late as Dimentia snapped her fingers and teleported.

"Well… that could've gone better." Rachel sighed.

"Hm. Good old Zim, huh?" Nigel chuckled.

"Yah…" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Why did they make him a general?"

"It was either me or Skoodge." Zim replied.

**Sometime later...**

After a while, the Irkens started to clean up the area and put out most of the fires, so the sky was bright and sunny once more. "Well, at least things have settled around here." Tails said.

"Too bad Eggman Nega had to come and ruin everything." Amy replied.

"Now how is Dimentia supposed to realize herself as a Guardian?" Chad asked. "Now that she's been hit with a Darkness Cannon-"

"_She may have been touched by Darkness…"_ Mother Wisp suddenly came and spoke. _"But the Light is fighting just as hard to keep it back."_

"Ah, yes. Of course, Mother Wisp." Meta Knight said.

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked.

"Tell me, did you notice how Dimentia's rampage suddenly came to a stop after Marine punched her with her light ball?"

"Uh, yeah?" Marine cocked a brow.

"_Of course. She has been hit by a lightbender."_

"A lightbender? ?"

"_That power you wield. It is a power of light. There are only so many lightbenders in the universe. Light is an incredible gift that only few are able to possess."_

"Dimentia was driven back to her Dark Side when the Darkness Cannon made contact." Meta Knight continued. "But after being hit by Marine's Light Sphere, she was given a sliver of hope."

"So, oi'm a lightbender? That is KILLUH, Mate!"

"_Lightbenders possess unique powers that come in many different forms. They are able to fight away the Darkness and give hope and light to anyone with a troubled heart."_

"So, that means… Dimentia is slowly healing." Rachel smiled.

"_But the bender's power only does so much. The True Light… comes from a different source."_

"What kind of source?"

"_The feeling of love and friendship in your heart. That same kind of feeling that gives the Fountain of Dreams, and Galaxia life, so that the stars may shine bright, and give hope to all beings."_

"Oh, GIVE me a VOMIT BAG!" Numbuh 4 shouted. "OW!" Abby just smacked him across the face with her hat.

"So, what you're saying is… Dimentia needs our love and support." Rachel figured.

"And a little forgiveness at that." Nigel glanced over to Zim.

"Hmm… maybe I was a little quick to… have her banished." Zim scratched his head.

"And talk about not changing a bit." Kweeb muttered.

"I know I forgive her." Rachel said.

"Yeah. Me too." Nigel replied.

"Me three!" Kuki cheered.

"…Eh. Me four." Wally shrugged.

"I forgive her, too." Jirachi smiled and nodded.

"Well, it looks like we're all agreed to that." Gabe said.

"But where are we going to find her?" Jirachi asked.

"Oh, I have a good idea." Gabe smirked, noticing Infinity wasn't with them. "And it looks like somebody's way ahead of us."

**Star Haven** (Play "Gate of Time" from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

Dimentia was on the floating, star-shaped island that was the Star Haven, sitting along the pathway that led into the Star Sanctuary. The exiled leader dangled her feet in the reflecting Dream Water as tears dripped into the river, creating small ripples in the river. "Hello there." She looked up to her left and noticed Numbuh Infinity, smiling as he walked over.

"How did you find me?"

"Call it instinct." He said, taking a seat beside her. "You okay?"

"Of course not." She looked away angrily. "You saw it. And they were right. It's just like that Hermit said. I'll always be the hateful child I always was. I always be filled with darkness. So I should live in darkness. The same way Lord Gnaa does."

"Dimentia… you shouldn't let all those people get to you like that. It's true that some people don't forget the past so easily as others… but I know you better, Dimentia." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you didn't mean to do what you did back there. And if you could… you'd probably change it all, wouldn't you."

"…No… I wouldn't."

"W…Why not?"

Dimentia then took his hands in hers and gave a light smile. "Because looking back… if I hadn't've told my lie… I probably never would've got to spend so much time with you."

Jeremy started to blush and gave a goofy smile. "Oh! Uh…"

"And when I think about it… they're all pretty great people, really. Nigel and Rachel… for ages, I've let my anger and desires get the best of me… I really didn't see what I had. What I could've had. I'm no different than every other operative I recruited into GKND."

"Heh, well… one of life's greatest morals."

"Especially you. You… were the only one that trusted me the most. You believed in me when no one else did. It was always so… great having you as my second-in-command."

"It was always great having you as my leader." Jeremy replied as their faces started to inch closer and closer.

"Always getting to see those three golden eyes everyday… 'course, you have two eyes that are black in this form, hehe."

"Just as I got to see your lovely mis-colored face and eyes… which coincidentally are yellow and black."

"And what a cute Jamaican accent…"

"That galactic angelic voice…" Before either could say anything more, Dimentia and Jeremy embraced in a long and loving kiss. Their arms wrapped lightly around the other as the stars seemed to sparkle ever brighter in the crystal-clear water.

"Ahem." They immediately stopped and turned back to see Nigel Uno watching them. "I'm not interrupting something… am I?" he smirked.

"Uh, hehe." They blushed. "Er, we were just, uh-"

"It's alright. Come on, Dimentia. We have a little surprise for you down on Planet Wisp…"

The two lovers exchanged curious glances and followed him in the COOL-BUS.

**Planet Wisp**

The thousands of Irkens and Wisps gathered around as Nigel walked Infinity and Dimentia to the stage where Zim waited. "Dimentia…" the Ex-invader began. "On behalf of Planet Wisp… we're sorry for not believing in you."

"We understand that what you did was… merely against your control." Tak followed. "And… since we are trying to start an era of peace and forgiveness on this planet… we figure that should apply to all creatures."

"And even our most-hated enemies in the past can always become our closest friend in the future." Rachel smiled.

"Even the widdlest Tweedy Bird can become mates with the slickest Sylvester, and so can we, eh?" Marine said.

"Yah! Heck, I even fell in love with a punk boy who never brushed his teeth." Kami replied.

"Plus, I became friends with this jerk." Emily nudged Chad.

"That's no different with you, Freak." Chad said playfully.

"And while it is important to follow duties," Death's Head began, "it is also important… to do what is right. That's the way the universe works, no?"

The little star child, Jirachi then drifted over and wrapped his little arms around his former captor. "Dimentia… we all forgive you."

"Pie…" Kirby smiled.

Dimentia has never felt more happy than she was right now. It seemed totally clear to her now that all her dark deeds of the past have been erased. She never would have suspected that those who were once her greatest enemies would become great friends. She gave a joyous smile and hugged the little Star God back.

Nigel instantly began to notice a light coming from Dimentia's chest. Dimentia looked down and noticed as well, gasping and stepping back for everyone else to see. "What's happening?" someone asked.

A bright ball of light emerged from the Zathurian's chest and hovered in the air. The Jeweled Scepter that was in Eva's hands at the time started to levitate over, absorbing the light in its jewel. The staff suddenly started to glow with a mystical light.

"_With the True Light awakened within the Heart of the Guardian… the Jeweled Scepter regains its power."_ Mother Wisp spoke.

"The Light Source… was in Dimentia's heart." Amy figured out. "And she needed the love and forgiveness from her friends to awaken it."

"_A very clever hiding spot, if I do say so myself."_ Mother Wisp said proudly.

"It's so beautiful." Kuki said with tears of joy.

"Ugh.. oh, MAN! That is the DUMBEST thing I have EVER seen in a story!" Wally shouted.

"Ah, pipe down, Numbuh 4." Rachel said. "We have some unfinished business."

Dimentia took the Jeweled Scepter in her hand and held it up as Jirachi floated in the air. The star child smiled and closed his eyes, opening the true eye on his stomach. The big, blue eye connected with the Jeweled Scepter as Jirachi started to glow with an equal mystical light. Jirachi reopened his eyes when the connection stopped. His true powers had been restored.

"And now for the coup de grace." Jagar said, walking over and handing Dimentia the Spirit Ball.

The alien Guardian tossed the ball up-and-down in her hands as Jirachi patiently awaited his capture. _"I now pronounce you… Dimentia: Guardian of the Stars."_ Mother Wisp spoke. _"May your powers of space and stars bring light to all beings."_

Dimentia was excitedly ready to toss the ball and earn another Firstborn for her new friends. And doing so would complete another part of the quest. And just when she was about to toss it… (End song.)

"WAAH!" Lasers fired down at everyone from above.

"_Ah, a most touching moment, I'm sure."_

"IT'S BRAIN!" Wallabee shouted, pointing up to the Star Destroyer coming their way.

The Sith Lord sat in the ship's control bay beside Mallah and Nolan. "But it seems our plan worked like a charm. With the Firstborn and the Guardian truly awakened, I can finally begin work on my master plan. AHH!" The villains suddenly screamed when their ship was attacked. The heroes looked over and noticed the Halberd firing lasers at the Star Destroyer.

"Hey, hey!" Magolor cheered, floating above the Halberd's deck as the ship came closer, with Marx bouncing on his ball in joy. "Don't count me outta this party!"

"YES! Well done, Magolor!" Meta Knight exclaimed, cheering with everyone else.

"Haw haw, YEAH!" Dedede cheered, dancing with Escargoon. "Those bad guys got beat, AND we finally got us a Firstborn!"

"Now…" Meta Knight continued. "Let us return back to Earth so that our friends may be the next-"

"Oh, I don't THINK so!" Magolor interrupted, lowering to the ground.

"Wh-What? What do you-"

"Finally…" Magolor started with absolute joy, approaching the Jeweled Scepter in Dimentia's hands. "It's… MIIIINE!" The Nightmare pulled down his mask, erupting a massive and deafening Fear Scream that made everyone shield their ears. In all the confusion, Magolor ran by and swiped the scepter from Dimentia. The creature hovered high above them as he waved the staff around. "The power to control all stars… IS IN MY HAND!"

"Oh… OHHHH!"

"JIRACHI!" Gabe and Jeremy yelled when Magolor began controlling him.

"Oh… YEEAAHH!" Magolor glowed with light as the Jeweled Scepter gave him power. "Oh… oh, INCREDIBLE!" In a few seconds, Magolor's body transformed into one with a red and blue nightmarish aura, with white gloves that emitted a pink glow, orange eyes, a white mask that hid his mouth, purple horns, and a golden crown on his head.

"Yay! Yay! Do me, Big Brother! Do me!" Marx cheered.

"Oh, I wouldn't forget you, Little Brother!" With that, Magolor aimed and fired a ray at Marx, giving him more power as well.

"Mmm… Ohh, YAAAAAYYYY!" Marx now had wider eyes, and was flying with yellow, mirror-like wings.

"YESS!" Magolor exclaimed. "Now we are ALL POWERFUL! !"

"Magolor! I do not understand." Meta Knight said.

"Yeah! We need that scepter!" Numbuh 4 shouted.

"Aw, what's with all the confused looks? Fine. Let me explain everything:"

"_During the Old Nightmare Wars, the first Nightmare King knew that Kirby and his foolish friends would be coming soon, so he created Marx and I to finish the job should anything go wrong. It wasn't too long after that did Darkrai the First meet with an untimely end, and Nightmare Land was destroyed. We escaped the destruction, and landed on Planet Popstar, where we met Meta Knight. Meta Knight told us his story of how he always wanted to be the greatest Star Warrior, and get the Galaxia Sword. I knew that, if we could find the Galaxia Sword, we could get closer to obtaining the Power of the Stars, so we helped him fix his ship, and began our grand adventure through the stars!"_

"THAT… was nearly 300 years ago." Magolor continued. "Then one day:"

"_A great black hole appeared in the sky. We knew it was none other than Zathura. We watched from a distance as a great leviathan formed from the depths of the darkness. And just when the black hole would consume everything, a baldheaded boy shined in the darkness, wielding none other than the Galaxia Sword. Unfortunately, that same bald boy released Jirachi from his bind to the Star Rod, preventing _anyone_ from misusing his power again. That's why… we came to Planet Earth. Because if we could track down the boy who wielded the Galaxia Sword… we would be ever so close to reviving Jirachi's power."_

"Finally… you've done it." The many team members only held their mouths open agape after hearing his explanation. "Thanks to you snot-nosed kids, I can control the stars and revive my master, and the NEW Nightmare Wars shall commence! Thank you, Kids Next Door. It's an awful shame I'll have to DESTROY you now!"

"…Oh, MAN! Why is it that EVERY guy we help ends up DOUBLE-CROSSING us? !" Wally shouted.

"Tell me about it…" Eddy mumbled.

"And for being such a big help… your planet gets to be the FIRST to witness my power!" The kids gasped when an enormous star-shaped portal with the image of Planet Earth appeared in the sky. "Be prepared, Planet Earth! Welcome your new overlord! GAH!" The Nightmare was suddenly hit by fire blasts from the sky.

"Look! It's Landia!" Angie shouted joyfully, jumping and pointing to the four small dragons flying down.

"Grrr! I won't be stopped that easy! Farewell, kiddies! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Magolor used his magic to make the Halberd levitate and shoot into the portal, him and Marx flying after it.

"Nnnn… NOO!" Before Jirachi was taken in, he released the Golden Light Wisp, which flew straight into Nigel's body. The bald Brit felt the power surge through him as the golden cape appeared on his back, and the Galaxia Sword erupted into life.

"I…I do not believe it. The Galaxia Sword… before my very eyes." Meta Knight stared in amazement.

"All right! NOW we'll show him!" Nigel cheered.

"Hey, Kirby, eat this!" Dedede ordered, tossing the Warp Star.

Kirby immediately sucked his power source in, transforming right into Super Kirby, wielding his Star Rod. _"Piyah!"_

"Hey. Looks like these guys wanna give us a lift." Yang said, noticing the Landia dragons waiting for someone to get on them.

"OH YEAH!" Kami exclaimed, jumping onto one of them. "I always wanted to ride a dragon!"

"I second that!" Yin smiled, jumping on the lead dragon.

"And me!" Marine cheered, getting on another one.

"Heck, why not?" Katie shrugged, getting on the last one.

"Hang on! I have to after them, too. What should I ride?" Dimentia asked.

"Bzzzt-zz-ZZZZ!" Dimentia then looked up as the large mosquito, Moskito, shot down from the sky and gestured for her to get on.

"…Eh. Good enough." She shrugged, getting on Moskito's back.

"Everybody else, to the Blue Typhoon." Tails yelled as the rest of them boarded back onto their other flagship.

"Let us go, everyone." Meta Knight declared, flapping his wings, ready to take off into the portal.

"Save butt for me to kick, too, yes?" Death's Head said, readying his gun.

"Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!" And at Nigel's battle cry, he, Dimentia, Meta Knight, Kirby, the dragon-riders, and Death's Head took off into the portal with the Blue Typhoon right behind.

"_I will not give up so easily."_ The Brain said as the Star Destroyer flew in after them.

"_Hyperspace… I'm gonna be sick."_ Nolan said, and the portal closed once they entered.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO! Oh boy, that took a while! Sort of… I actually wanted to put the Light Source in a stage, but I'm sorta glad I didn't. : So, next time will be our final battle against Magolor, and the Galactic Quest will be complete! Laters!**


	47. The Battle Between Dimensions

**Hey, everybody! After that cheesy chapter, who's ready to kick Magolor's ass? ! Play "Another Dimension" from _Kirby's Return To Dreamland_. Let's do it! !**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Vs. Magolor! The Battle Between Dimensions!<em>**

Magolor and Marx soared through the dizziness of hyperspace on their way to Planet Earth, the now super-powered Nightmare holding the Jeweled Scepter and Jirachi in his hands. The rest of the heroes, however, were hot on their tail, with Nigel and Dimentia the closest behind them, with Dimentia riding Moskito. "You won't get away, Magolor!" Nigel shouted.

"Think you're tough, eh? Just TRY and catch us!"

"Let's play chase! Let's play chase! GET 'EM!" Marx cheered.

The two villains flew way ahead as Magolor waved his scepter. The wizard conjured up dimensional Nightmares, called Doomers, and sent them after the heroes. Nigel and Meta Knight sliced the monsters with their swords while Kirby batted them away with his Star Rod. Magolor also conjured dimensional barriers that were decorated with stars to try and keep them back. Dimentia countered with her own powers and opened rips in the barriers, the gang narrowly swerving around them to get through. Death's Head shot toward the Nightmare traitor and attempted to punch him, but Magolor defended with his scepter and trapped the robot in a Space Block. Death's Head was able to punch himself free, but then had to defend against more Nightmares.

"This is awesome! !" Kami exclaimed as the four girls rode on the Landia dragons through the hyperspace.

"Oi, dragons are a beaut, eh?" Marine said.

"Just keep after those Nightmares." Katie told them.

_"Aw, so sorry, dears. But if anyone is taking the Firstborn from this dimension, it will be me."_ The Brain spoke from his ship as TIE Fighters launched out.

"You wanna play, too?" Yin asked. "Let's take them all out!" With that, the dragon-riders turned around and started shooting the TIE Fighters. Afterwards, they flew over Brain's ship and shot fireballs at the top part. The Star Destroyer then released snot ships and flying crow's nests to shoot them with booger and candy cannons. Kami somersaulted behind three of the ships and took them out from behind. Katie looked to the ones behind her and tossed Fear Spheres back, destroying them.

The Brotherhood villains suddenly felt their ship get attacked from behind by the Blue Typhoon. "This hyperspace isn't big enough for both our ships." Tails smirked cockily as they flew right past them.

"Very well. Let's see what you think of this." The Brain rolled himself to his ship's control panel, extending two mechanical tentacles from his canister into two slots. His eyes and dome glowed as he transferred his Force Energy into the ship. All cannons activated and fired tons of lasers at the Sonic crew's ship.

"Yuh-oh. Let's just keep chasing Magolor." Kami suggested as the dragon-riders decided to fly away from the enemy ship.

"Er, they're tougher than I thought. Shields up." Tails ordered, switching on the Typhoon's barrier.

Moskito carried Dimentia and flew faster toward Magolor, firing spit wads straight ahead, but Magolor spun his staff and batted them away. He flew further away and conjured gargantuan diamond-like, spiky meteors, sending them at the kids. Nigel tried to cut through them, but the huge stars pushed him away, but he was rescued by Meta Knight right away as he grabbed his wrist and flew them closer toward Magolor.

The Nightmare wizard conjured up more dimension barriers that formed a maze, which Dimentia and Kirby carefully navigated through. Doomers ambushed then from behind walls in the maze and spat Fear Spheres at them, but Moskito sucked the creatures in and spat them at larger ones guarding the end of the maze, allowing them to make it out. Magolor sent more meteor diamonds at Death's Head, but the robot hunter charged his plasma rifle and fired, successfully shattering the asteroids into dozens of smaller Star Bits.

Magolor saw the dragon-riders coming for him, so he created more dimension blocks that tried to crush the four girls. They narrowly squeezed into open spots of the crushing barriers and were able to get through, then narrowly flew around more diamond meteors. Marine charged her Light Fist and punched a smaller asteroid over and hit Magolor's right eye, the raccoon cheering as they were all catching up to him and Marx.

"Magolor! Your road ends here." Meta Knight vowed.

"Oh yeah? Well, let's see what you say when I turn your own ship against you!" The Nightmare wizard then opened a huge portal and called out the Battleship Halberd, which had now been painted black.

"If you wanna beat us, you have to beat your own ship. Yay!" Marx cheered.

"Any ship under the control of evil is no ship of mine." Meta Knight declared, seriousness burning in his eyes. "I will destroy you both!"

"So be it. Let's dance!"

_Boss fight: Battleship Halberd_

The nightmarified battleship started off by tossing its four wings like boomerangs, the group dodging as Kirby flung stars at them from his Star Rod, hitting the ship's mask. The two main cannons on the ship's deck fired cannonballs, but Moskito sucked them in and spat them right back. The long, metal arm extended from the cannon and grabbed Moskito's foot, swinging him and Dimentia around before bashing them against an asteroid. The hand then came for Nigel, but he sliced and destroyed it with his sword. Afterwards, Kirby flung some stars at the cannons and blew them up as well.

"You're fools if you think you stand a chance against me!" Magolor shouted.

"So are you, if you think you're getting out of this dimension in one piece." Katie smirked, tossing Fear Spheres at the Nightmare. She and Marine flew closer to the Halberd's left wings as Landia spat flames and took them out. Kami and Yin went for the wings on the right, but Marx suddenly got in their way and started launching mini arrows at them from his wings. Marine flew to their aid and punched Light Spheres at the younger Nightmare, but Marx warped and charged at the raccoon from behind.

Kami and Yin took this time to shoot at the Halberd's right wings and destroyed them. The Halberd then opened its mask and unleashed a huge, whirling tornado, the kids trying to fight the strong wind, but failed as the tornado caught and blew them all away. Death's Head, however, fought against the winds and flew inside where it came from, destroying the inside of the mask.

The others recovered just then as Meta Knight flew through where the mask exploded, getting inside of the ship and slicing up its internal structure. He made his way to the Halberd's brig where he found Sword and Blade tied up. The knight cut their ropes and asked, "Are you okay?"

"We're just fine, Meta Knight." Blade replied.

"We gotta take out the Reactor." Sword said.

"Indeed. Let's get you out of here, first." With that, he grabbed Blade's hand while Sword grabbed his other hand as Meta Knight flew them out of there, carrying them to the Blue Typhoon.

"Well, he rescued them." Nigel said. "Now, let's try taking out the Reactor."

"I can do that." Dimentia replied. "Hi-ho, Moskito!"

"Bzzz-zzzt!" Moskito cheered, charging and flying straight into the open hole in the Halberd. Many laser turrets on the inside tried to shoot them, but Moskito swiftly dodged them all while Dimentia snapped her fingers and blew them up. Eventually, the two reached the Halberd's core where they saw the colorful, diamond-shaped Reactor.

The Reactor's protective barrier prevented both Moskito's and Dimentia's shots from getting through. A cannon opened on the floor beneath them, and they quickly dodged when flames spouted up. A small laser turret then lowered itself and took aim at the two. Dimentia thought of something and flew close to the Reactor, so when the laser fired, they dodged and made it hit and destroy the barrier. Afterwards, Dimentia charged her Space Lightning and unleashed it full force on the blinking core, overpowering and exploding it in seconds. Moskito immediately started to fly them out of there when the whole ship began exploding.

The others watched as Dimentia came shooting out of there, followed by tons of black smoke as the ship erupted in flames, eventually losing altitude and coming down, falling below the hyperspace tunnel. "Grrr. Now I'm angry!" Magolor shouted, flying ahead with Marx.

"Hey! Come back!" Nigel called as they all charged after them. (Cue "Super Ability" Theme from _Return To Dreamland_!)

The kids flew faster after Magolor as he carried the young star child away. Magolor conjured more Fear Spheres and tossed them forward, but they were easily knocked away by Nigel, Meta Knight, and Kirby's weapons. Afterwards, Magolor charged more power from his Jeweled Scepter, creating bigger Fear Spheres and launching them faster. The dragon-riders tried to evade, but Marine was suddenly hit by one, falling off Landia and screaming into the abyss.

"AAHH!" Yin screamed when a sphere hit and sent her falling.

"SISTER!" Yang screamed, immediately running and jumping off the Typhoon toward his twin, falling through the tunnel after her.

Kami swiftly and barely dodged the spheres coming for her, but that's when Marx appeared in front and licked her whole face with his huge, long tongue. "Ew, get off!" she shouted, trying to shake him off, but was instantly hit with a sphere that sent her falling.

"KAMI!" Ava and Kweeb shouted, jumping in the Heart Star with the Kong Family and shooting down after her. Katie flew faster as Marx chased her, but the crazy Nightmare caught her head in his mouth and started sucking, eventually letting go for Magolor to hit and send her falling.

"MUAHAHAHAHA! Huh? !" Magolor's laughing stopped when the Star Destroyer started attacking from the side.

"You will not destroy us so easy." The Brain warned.

However, Marx warped in front of them and started launching more mini arrows at the roof of the ship, doing a bit of damage. Afterwards, the little Nightmare charged a beam in his mouth and fired a powerful laser straight through the ship, making it erupt into explosions.

"Curses… this isn't the end." With that, The Brain used his psychic to teleport him, Nolan, Mallah, and everyone else aboard the ship off just before it exploded completely, with Marx giving his maniacal laughter.

"Well done, Brother!" Magolor congratulated. "And now for the rest of them." The older Nightmare charged an enormous energy ball in his Jeweled Scepter. "EAT THIS!" He fired straight at the Blue Typhoon, blowing the ship to pieces in seconds.

"WAAAAHHHH!" All of the team members that were onboard fell from the ship and through the hyperspace tunnel in many different directions.

"GUYS!" Nigel screamed.

"They have fallen out of hyperspace." Meta Knight pointed out. "They could land anywhere!"

"Well, we're still here." Dimentia replied. "So let's focus on-"

"WHOOAA!" The rest of them were suddenly hit as well, falling down to some kind of blue planet.

"MUAHAHA!" Magolor laughed.

"You did it, Big Brother!" Marx danced.

"Indeed I did, Little Brother! Now it's time to FINISH the job. Let's go!" With that, he shot down after the heroes.

"Finish them, finish them, now!" Marx followed after his brother. (End song.)

After crashing, the remaining 5 heroes found their selves on a floating flat asteroid, looking around the otherworldly hyperspace. "Where are we?" Nigel asked.

They looked above as some kind of gigantic, blue fish-like creature with tentacles passed right over them. "Definitely nowhere within reality, yes?" Death's Head said.

"It looks like the Dimensional Core." Meta Knight replied. "The very center of hyperspace, where everything seems unreal and twisted."

"And guess who's here with us." Dimentia said, pointing to Magolor and Marx over on some large, circular platform. Magolor appeared to be using Jirachi's true eye to unleash some kind of energy beam straight up to the tunnel's ceiling, controlling him with the Jeweled Scepter, while Marx just flew happily around the battlefield.

"Let's go stop them!" Nigel exclaimed.

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.

The five jumped their way over more floating asteroids that made a pathway over to the battlefield. There, they got a closer view of Magolor unleashing the energy from Jirachi's eye, the star child protected in a barrier. Magolor stopped gazing at the sight and turned around to face them. "Be prepared, heroes. For it is here that the reawakening of the former Nightmares will commence. From this Dimensional Core, we will spread fear to ALL planets throughout the universe. Then the Nightmare King will rise from the grave and conquer all! MUAHAHAHA!"

"Hm. Like we'd ever let you get away with that." Nigel smirked, aiming his sword.

"Hmm… such bold kids… yet so conceited. For it is here, in this Realm Between Dimensions, that will be your grave. Be prepared, children, as you face the full force of my dimensional bending!"

"You're in for it now!" Marx exclaimed. "Ah ha ha ha!" (Play "Vs. Magolor" from _Kirby's Return To Dreamland_!)

_Boss fight: Magolor & Marx_

The Nightmare wizard conjured some Fear Spheres and shot them at the 5 heroes, but they quickly split up. Nigel tried to run and strike him, but Magolor started teleporting all over the place before stopping behind him and making a row of portals appear, sticking out some spikes that pushed Nigel away. Marx repeated his brother's tactics and warped all around, confusing Kirby, then stopping above the puff and dropping a bomb on him from his mouth, blowing Kirby back.

Magolor charged a circle of Fear Spheres and threw them around the field, but Nigel batted one away and laid a few blows against Magolor before Magolor teleported a few feet away, shooting three more spheres at Nigel's back. Marx flew to the ground and started swooping back-and-forth, knocking Kirby around, before Death's Head grabbed the Nightmare child and sliced him a couple times with his ax. He then tossed Marx away, allowing Kirby to hit him a few times with his Star Rod.

Marx warped behind the robot and wrapped his tongue around his head, throwing him over the edge, but he grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up. Meta Knight quickly ran and struck Marx a couple times before the Nightmare warped and unleashed another swarm of mini arrows, Meta Knight quickly twirling his sword to protect. Marx then puffed up and unleashed a mega laser from his mouth, blowing the Star Warrior away.

Magolor charged his Jeweled Scepter and released an even bigger laser at Nigel, but he used his Galaxia Sword to hold it back like he did before. Dimentia then made a Space Block appear around Magolor and blew him up, doing him some damage before he flew to the air and started conjuring spiraling flames that he sent after the two to blow them up, but the flames were easy to dodge. Kirby tossed more stars at Marx and dealt a few hits, but Marx warped about before flying to the sky. The younger brother dropped seeds around Kirby, Meta Knight, and Death's Head, which suddenly grew into tall cacti, the spiked plants exploding and sending out spikes, successfully damaging them.

Kirby looked around for where Marx went off to, unaware of the forming portal below him. Marx instantly popped out and sent the little puff flying. Death's Head immediately ran over and started dealing punches and kicks against Marx's form. The little Nightmare soared right over them as he unleashed a swarm of boomerangs, knocking Kirby and Meta Knight around. Afterwards, Marx warped beside Death's Head and charged another mega laser, spewing it out and pushing against the robot, but Death's Head used his great strength to push against it, just as he was nearly falling over the ledge.

Meta Knight quickly dashed up behind Marx and struck him, making him give a big yelp with a wide-open mouth. "How about a little star cereal?" the knight asked.

"Piyah!" Kirby cried, unleashing a Star Storm at the child's open mouth, making him fat and stuffed.

"And some plasma milk to wash it down, yes?" With that, Death's Head charged his plasma rifle and fired away.

"AAAHHHH!" Marx's eyes and mouth widened as the plasma shot in his mouth, sending him flying miles away from the battleground, the Nightmare exploding in the distance.

"NOOO!" Magolor screamed. "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! You sons of bitches, I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL! !" The Jeweled Scepter glowed with energy once again as Magolor started to transform. His body was now a dark red, the color for the Fear Element, and his mask and horns were a pitch-black. "MAGOLOR EX!" The wizard exclaimed. "Dimension Twister!" He stabbed his staff in the ground. "DARK VOID!" The area started to rumble as a massive, star-shaped black hole opened before them.

The five tried to get away, but the strong force of the Dark Void sucked Nigel inside, the Sector V leader getting pelted with tons of explosions before it shot him out. Dimentia, Kirby, and Death's Head shot him a couple more times before he made more portals appear beneath them that stuck up spikes, blowing them away. Afterwards, he charged another laser and fired it into a portal, which vanished, the team looking around and quickly dodging as the portal reappeared above them, firing the laser.

Death's Head charged his cannon and fired a few more shots that Magolor guarded with his scepter. Nigel suddenly flew above him and struck him on the head, followed by a dose of Space Lightning from Dimentia to his back, finishing with his right hip sliced by Meta Knight.

"Grrr! You're tougher than I thought. But let's see you pierce this… STAR SHIELD!" With that, Magolor conjured a star-shaped shield with 5 points around it. Kirby charged up another Star Storm in his rod and launched it, destroying one of the points. "CURSES! Enough of that wretched wand." Magolor said as he threw out a shockwave, stunning the crew for a few seconds and cancelling Kirby's Star Rod form.

"Piyo!" he cried.

"Now… COME, my minions!" Magolor then summoned a Plasma Wisp, Bronto Burt, and a fish. Kirby immediately noticed the glowing Plasma Wisp and sucked it in, becoming his Plasma Storm form once again. Magolor made a swarm of Fear Spheres spiral around him before he launched them around the field, but Kirby unleashed some electricity into the air, making the plasma lightning strike at Magolor and take out another shield point.

The Nightmare used another shockwave to rob him of his Super Plasma before creating another black hole, this time sucking Death's Head and dealing quite a bit of damage with the many explosions. After coughing the robot out, Magolor summoned a Simirror, a Sir Kibble, and a Water Galbo. Kirby noticed the Galbo glowing and sucked it in to become Tsunami Kirby. When Magolor started unleashing more spiraling flames, Kirby conjured up a massive tidal wave and wiped the minions and the flames out, destroying another part of the shield.

Magolor took the ability away shortly before vanishing. The group ran about as portals opened beneath their feet and released more Fear Spheres, but Meta Knight and Nigel were quick to slice the spheres and keep them from exploding. Magolor came out of the last portal and tossed four more spheres at them before summoning a Bio Spark, a Chilly, and a golden frying pan. Just like before, Kirby sucked in the gold frying pan and became 5-Star Chef, so when Magolor started conjuring swarms of Fear Spheres from portals, Kirby was able to catch ALL of them, including Magolor, in an oven, baking them at a burning temperature before the oven exploded, taking out another point on the Star Shield.

"GAH! My Star Shield can't withstand another attack!"

"Then you're in for it now!" Nigel exclaimed. "Kirby, eat this!"

Nigel tossed the Galaxia Sword straight at the puff as he sucked it in, becoming Ultra Sword Kirby. The Star Warrior charged the now-massive sword and struck the final part of Magolor's shield. "Oooog…"

"Now, Kirby: finish him off!" Meta Knight commanded. The pink puff did as told and twirled the blade around before giving a powerful strike down at Magolor.

"NOO!" The wizard would not be defeated so easily, so he held up his scepter in defense and used all his strength to keep the sword back. However, Kirby was assisted by Meta Knight adding pressure with his sword, as well Dimentia and Death's Head firing lightning and plasma. And despite Magolor's attempts to keep them back- "D'OH!" (End song.) The Nightmare was struck.

Kirby sliced him across all directions of his body before finally batting Magolor into the beam that came out of Jirachi. Kirby then gave the sword back to Nigel. "AAAHHHH!" Magolor erupted into shock as his body disrupted the flow of energy, brightening the entire dimension. "NOOOO!..."

Slowly, all of the brightness cleared, and everyone had a clear view of the now-free Jirachi, the Jeweled Scepter floating in front of him. "Wow… we did it!" Nigel said, happy and relieved.

"Poyo…" Kirby sighed in relief.

"Now let's get the Firstborn and go look for our friends."

_"Hahahaha…"_

The kids flinched with surprise. Their relief was gone.

_"…PSYCHE!"_ (Play "Vs. Magolor Soul"!)

Jirachi was suddenly surrounded by a dark-purple aura, the Star God giving a scream as his true eye opened, swallowing his entire body in blue flames as it was swallowed by a new hideous form of Magolor: he was now completely grey and blue, his horns faced down and now had three spiked rings along each of them. The crown on his head was grey and had its own horns, he had blue flaming wings, and had little white eyes above his wide-open mouth, which contained the true eye of Jirachi.

The hideous incarnation gripped the Jeweled Scepter in both hands as he spoke. _"I am… the Magolor Soul. With the ultimate powers of this scepter and Jirachi, I will RULE all the known universes! ! I will be the supreme Emperor of Nightmares and all children will KNEEL before me!"_

The gang stepped back in fright at the demon at first before Nigel gave his battle-ready expression. "That's not gonna happen, Buddy!" The others followed after him and prepared for battle.

_"MUAHAHAHAHA!"_

_Boss fight: Magolor Soul_

_"DIMENSION TWISTER!"_ The Nightmare demon started off by twisting the entire area into a vortex, conjuring a black hole that sucked everyone in. The 5 heroes were pelted from all directions by lasers before the void shot them out, barely able to stand up and covered in bruises. Meta Knight was able to stand up and flew to strike at Magolor's eye a couple times before Magolor started warping all over the place.

Magolor charged another mega laser in the scepter and fired it into a portal. The gang hurriedly ran around as portals spawned above and below them, firing lasers all around. After they stopped, Death's Head immediately shot his plasma rifle at the eyeball monster, Magolor countering by forging blue Fear Spheres and hurling several of them at the robot and knocking him around. Kirby sucked some of the spheres in and spat them back, hurting the eyeball a little.

Magolor then made a bunch of portals appear above them, but they quickly ran to the side before they stuck bigger thorns out. Portals then appeared around them and stuck thorns out, but they were able to squeeze in between them. Magolor then flew into his own portal and vanished, another one appearing above Meta Knight, who jumped away as Magolor shot down. A portal then appeared beside Death's Head, but rather than dodge, he held his ax ready and quickly swung it at the eye when Magolor came out.

The disembodied soul screamed in great pain after the heavy damage done by the ax. _"OHH! That's IT! It's time to DESTROY YOU!"_ Magolor screamed as he gained more power from the scepter. _"TIME TO USE THE ELEMENTS AGAINST YOU! TIDAL WAVE!"_ The five were blown back when Magolor conjured a massive tidal wave, similar to Tsunami Kirby's. _"ICE HAMMER!"_ He created a huge hammer made of ice and slammed the ground, totally freezing the battlefield and sending icicles at them. _"I AM THE MASTER OF ALL ELEMENTS!"_

"He's gone mad with power!" Meta Knight exclaimed.

"Yes, but if I know anything about this, he won't be able to control it for long." Dimentia replied.

"'Tis only a matter of time before he is destroyed completely, yes?" Death's Head figured.

_"ART ATTACK!"_ Magolor used his scepter to draw a picture of Bowser's symbol, the glowing picture expanding into massive dark matter and heavily damaging them. He repeated the process and this time drew an Eggman logo. They noticed that parts of the picture with gaps, such as the eyes, were safe spots, so they squeezed into there to avoid being damaged. He then drew up a Triforce mark, but they were easily able to squeeze into the central triangle.

Magolor warped behind them and fired another mega laser that Nigel and Death's Head were both able to hold back together. After the beam vanished, Meta Knight immediately flew and dealt several more blows against his eye while Dimentia zapped him. The soul teleported away and started juggling bigger Fear Spheres, flinging them at the group, but Kirby just used Super Inhale to suck them all in, spitting them back and heavily damaging the Nightmare before Death's Head went to cut his eye a few times with his ax.

He warped far above the field and shouted, _"NO MORE! The time has come for this dimension to bow down to me. STARTING with your beloved Planet Earth!"_

In the distance of hyperspace, another enormous vortex appeared that showed the image of the KND's homeworld. The hyperspace started to quake once more as Magolor channeled the energy into Jirachi's true eye. Nigel flew up to try and strike him, but was pushed away by an invisible barrier protecting him. "Oh no!" Dimentia screamed worriedly.

_"MUAHAHAHAHA!"_ But to Magolor's dismay, a Speed Wisp and a Drill Wisp shot down and struck the Nightmare, cancelling off his power. _"GUAAH!"_

"Not so fast." Numbuh Infinity objected as one of each Wisp carried him down.

"Jeremy!" Dimentia smiled.

"Numbuh One! Take them!"

"All right." Nigel nodded, raising his sword skyward as the Wisps flew in, just like during his galactic adventure.

_"SPEED!"_

_"DRILL!"_

_"LASER!"_

_"ROCKET!"_

_"SPIKE!"_

_"FLAME!"_

_"SHRINK!"_

_"CLOAK!"_

_"CUBE!"_

_"HOVER!"_

_"BOMB!"_

_"DUPLICATE!"_

_"STONE!"_

"Dimentia!"

"What?" the Zathurian gasped when Nigel tossed her the sword.

"I'll let you have the honors."

Dimentia smirked and nodded to him as she slowly approached the frightened Magolor. With one final surge of energy from her Space Lightning, the Galaxia Sword flashed brightly with the many colors as she rose it sky-high. Dimentia struck down, then sideways, diagonal-right, upwards, diagonal-left, then pulled it back and yelled, "FINAL COLOR STRIKE!" And as she readied the final blow. Magolor quickly held up the scepter in defense, but the Galaxia Sword sliced it in half and pierced perfectly through the Magolor Soul's eye. (End song.)

_"This…This can't be happening! ! GAAAAAHHHH! OH, I'm melting, I'm melting!"_ The distorted demon shook around as his eye bled, all of the Fear Energy vanishing as the Nightmare started to shrink. Eventually, he reverted back to his original, harmless form, drifting around the lonely space as the sun's rays shone on him from beyond the realm. Magolor weakly opened his eyes as the broken Jeweled Scepter floated in front of him. And as he slowly reached his arm out to grab it, the gem shattered into pieces. _"Ohh… the colors… they shine so bright… so bright… the light… ohhh…"_ With his last breath, Magolor shut his eyes and passed into his eternal rest as his body slowly drifted toward, and vanished into the light.

"Hmm… hard to believe someone so innocent-looking… could become so mad with power." Meta Knight said.

"Well, it's all over now. But where's Jirachi?" Dimentia asked.

"Ohhh…" To their relief, the Star God was peacefully floating above them, no doubt weakened from the battle. Dimentia gave a joyous smile and slowly hovered up and held him in her arms. Jirachi tiredly opened his eyes and smiled at his Guardian. "Thank you…"

Dimentia lowered them back down for the others to have a look at the barely-injured child. "He's okay."

She then turned to Jeremy when he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You did great… Sir." And with that, the two embraced into a kiss once again.

"Good." Nigel nodded with a smirk. "Now where were we?"

Dimentia released and let Jirachi float a few feet away as she pulled out the Spirit Ball. She tossed the sphere at Jirachi, turning him into light as he was finally sucked into the ball. Dimentia walked over and held the beeping orb in her hands as she quietly sang to it. _"O Great, Mighty Star. Hear that which I plead. Show me what I want most. Show me… what I need. Brighten the skies of night. Shatter these walls of blight. Guide me on this radiant path. Show me… to the light. To the... light…"_

The Spirit Ball hovered in the air and erupted into light, the top part glowing yellow while the bottom was white. It lowered back into Dimentia's hands as she raised it in victory.

**Dimentia captured a _FIRSTBORN_! Only 5 more to go!**

The group's victorious smiles, however, were suddenly stopped when the area began shaking again. "What? What is happening?" Meta Knight asked.

"Seems we have been here too long." Death's Head observed. "The dimension is breaking apart, no? We shall be scattered around much like the others were. Oh boy."

In just a few seconds, the entire realm shattered like glass, and the six heroes reached their arms out to each other as they were all separated.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahhh… and so ends the Galactic Saga. Next up will be the Freedom Saga, where everyone is now SEPARATED! 'Cause we had WAY too many people in the main group, this had to happen. :P Next time, we'll start the Freedom Saga. Later.<strong>


	48. Separated

**Hello, everybody! It's time to begin the Freedom Saga of the story! Probably one of my favorites because, well, lots of stuff is going to happen, and, everything starts to heat up, sort of. I mean, like, we're almost halfway through the story since we're looking for the 4th Firstborn. Alright, let's start.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Great Divide! All of our Heroes Separated!<em>**

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

"You've seen nothing… you hear me_?"_ The GUN Commander, Brett Gunkan, in his mutated, two-headed form, spoke grimly as he gripped the neck of a GUN soldier with his monstrous claw. "If you tell ANYONE what you saw here-"

_"It'll be your head."_ The tree-stump head threatened.

"Y…Yessir." The soldier spoke through chokes.

There was a loud bang at the door. _"'ey, Bretty, it's Boba! What's goin' on, let me in!"_

The Commander threw the trooper against the wall as he reverted back to human form, sitting in his rotatable chair as he pressed the button and let the hunter in. "Where've you been, Boba?"

"Hey, Brett!" Boba greeted perkily, walking in. "Ol' Boba was up in space with his old bounty hunter friends. We wanted to nab that Mo'gan, but we 'ad a little trouble. I'm not sure where her siblin's are at, but we DID catch this other freak that's related to them!"

"Hm… well, that's a start. We've been letting them slide too long, Boba! It can only be a matter of time before those monsters have the means to put this entire planet under their control. We have to destroy all of them. NOW. Starting with those psychicbenders!"

"Okay, okay, don't get your head tied in a nut, Gunny. Ol' Boba wants them psychos gone as much as you. We'll stop them! Mah friends are even workin' on a new battle-armor suit that'll REALLY waste 'em!"

"I should hope so. I've sent a message to all my soldiers. Ever since those freaks killed Rourke, I've put everyone on high alert and stuck wanted posters everywhere. If _anyone_ is caught bending or doing something unnatural, they are ordered to be captured immediately, _dead or alive!"_

"Oh hoho, great thinkin' there! Ain't no way those freaks can hide, now. We'll be through with all of 'em before ya know it! Catch ya later, Bretty!" The bounty hunter waved and ran off.

The soldier that was choked then stood up and scratched his still-aching neck. "Er, but Sir: aren't Boba's friends aliens, too… Sir?"

"They are, Soldier. But their efforts are useful in tracking down and stopping those monsters. All troops are ordered to let them assist. But they'll be joining the rest of the monsters soon enough. Now, go, Soldier. And remember our talk."

"Yessir." The troop saluted and ran off.

"Ugh… this job's a real pain." Brett sighed, resting his head on his hand. "But when this is over… hopefully, I'll have a cure."

Down in the prison compounds of the base, Rattlesnake Jake dragged the beaten and tattered body of Mr. Uno to a cell and tossed him in, Leon shutting the bars afterward. The adult operative stood up and said to them jokingly, "I say, Wolf, I know I had a terrible story, but is jail really the right way to respond? Or did I do something terrible in a past life, perhaps?"

"You just sstill yer tongue for now, Monty." Jake hissed through the bars. "'Cause the moment your son is taken out, I'll be dining on your head."

"You do realize it's all a trap? By the time they've captured enough of us benders/metahumans, they'll throw _you_ away as well."

"Can it, Baldy." Wolf told him. "No one locks Star Wolf away so easily. All I know is, as long as it means disposing of you, I'm in for it."

"Nyeh. And when Wolf spots his prey, he won't let it get away. Heh." Leon laughed.

"Come on, team. Let's get looking for those Quads that Boba's so obsessed about." Wolf commanded and started walking off. Jake spared one last hiss to Monty as the rest of Star Wolf followed him.

As the five bounty hunters took off in their ships, a thin, robed figure stared after them with sharp black eyes.

**Final Brain**

The Brotherhood villains returned to the base after the intense dimensional battle. Lehcar and Scarlet were in their room, happily watching an episode of _SpongeBob_, and laughing when a bunch of people started trampling on Plankton. It was then that Ganondorf angrily kicked the door down and stepped in. "Oh, Father!" Lehcar smiled nervously as she stood up from her bed. "If you're wondering where I was, we sort of traveled to Planet Kateenia and decided to do a little stomping! It didn't go very well, but I WAS able to turn that black hedgehog against his- OOF." Ganon just smacked her across the face and knocked her into a wall.

"You fool." He hatefully grabbed her by the shoulder and lifted her back on her feet. "The two parts of the Triforce were right there… but you were nowhere in sight."

"I-I didn't know they would both be there, F-Father, I-I would have if I did, I-"

Ganondorf grabbed her by the neck and said, "Tell me, what good you are as my daughter if you can't even stay put?"

"A…ack…ack…"

_"GANONDORF!"_ Lord Gnaa suddenly came, still in Harvey's little body, and touched the tip of the Keyblade to Ganon's neck. _"That's enough. Even YOU can make me mad."_

"Ehhh…" The desert man just threw Lehcar against the wall beside Scarlet. He decided to exit the room, followed by his 'master' as Lehcar gasped for breath.

"Wow… talk about an abusive father." Scarlet said.

"My apologizes, Lord Gnaa. But a father must deal discipline." Ganon stated after leaving the room, approaching Monsieur Mallah and Brain.

_"No matter. It truly is a joyous occasion." _Gnaa smiled._ "Thanks to Eggman Nega's plan, my darkness has increased. By the time the next Firstborn is found, I may no longer need this vessel."_

"But our enemies have captured another Firstborn." Brain reported.

"And according to ze data ve collected, going out of zat hyperspace has caused everyone to scatter across ze world. Zey are separated, Sire." Mallah replied.

_"A defeat is often the gateway to many victories."_ Gnaa assured. _"My minions are on the verge of conquering this planet, with the unknown help of those worthless GUN Troopers. The Darkness will RISE before long. According to Vaati's predictions, the fools will likely search for the Firstborn, Mew next. A time could not be more perfect… to retrieve my queen."_

"I'm sure that will go swimmingly." Mallah replied, sarcastically. "On another subject, ve have discovered two people outside of ze base, likely fallen from that hyperspace."

"Send them in." Brain ordered.

General Immortus stepped in, with Dedede and Escargoon by his side. "Hey… those two were the ones that saved those tiny fools from Bowser's clutches." Ganon recognized.

"I found these two roaming outside." Immortus said. "They say they have top secret information we'd want to hear."

"You bet we do." Escargoon smirked, his and Dedede's eyes red and hypnotized.

"That li'l goth girl that was with them KNDoofuses has a very special powuh." Dedede explained. "A power to bring back one of the most fearsome entities in the universe, which could surely serve the Dark Master in more than a few ways."

_"I am intrigued."_ Gnaa replied. _"Surely, you are speaking of the original Nightmare King."_

"Oh, not him." Escargoon smirked. "We were thinking of someone far worse than that."

"Ah'm sure ol' Ghirahim told y'all about the Yellow Fear all over Vaporia."

"Yes… so?" Ganon asked.

Dedede chuckled, "Eh heh heh heh! That li'l ol' power source that was inside King Vapus weren't the only one. There's a far greater power source, trapped far beneath the surface of the planet itself. It's the most powerful Nightmare ever constructed by Darkrai I, an entity of Yellow Fear that drains the hearts of millions with its gruesomeness."

"Monsieur Mallah… do they speak of…?" Brain inquired.

"I believe zey do, Master." Mallah replied, his eyes serious. "_Parallax._"

"The Cloud of Fear…"

_"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"_ Lord Gnaa laughed with malice.

**The Fancy Cuisine**

"And dung beetles dine in salad!" Melody sang to the customers of the restaurant.

"Squirrel pee in the chowder." Thad followed.

"And barf bags sell better than others!" they both sang. The many customers either threw-up or fainted to their disgusting song, and the waiter merely cried in the corner as all this happened.

As Melody began the next verse, Penelope Taynt ran in with her DNA Revitalizer and fired at the female singer, sucking her right into the device. "TWO DOWN, please." After that, she ran off.

Thad stopped playing, and his face and tone looked more depressed than ever. "Melody?..." No response. "Melody?"…" still silence. "Oh… I guess there's only one thing to do, now." With that, he put his small, wooden guitar away and pulled out a metal, electric one, as three teenage boys; with rockstar appearances, joined him on stage with guitars and a drum set. "ONE! TWO! THREE! HIT IT!"

_I'm HUMMIN' along_

_My head is riiingin'_

_I just can't stop singin' now_

_'Cause it MAKES me happeeeh!_

And the Fancy Cuisine was more lively than ever.

**Barren region; somewhere in Europe**

After the battle in hyperspace, the Sector W team had wound up in a rocky field with little grass, and grey, depressing clouds fogging the sky. Angie was the first to regain consciousness, rolling onto her stomach as she shook her head awake. As she awakened, she moved her left foot aside and noticed something go behind a little pebble. She gently gripped the pebble with her fingers and picked it up. There was a very teeny, tiny creature, about ant-size, with pointy ears, a green dress made of small leaves, a red pointed hat, and a feather tail.

Angie gave a bright smile creature and said, "Awwwe! Don't be shy!"

_"Ohh…"_ the being smiled and spoke with a squeaky voice Angie could barely hear. _"Tell me: are you an earthbender?"_

"Yeah! How did you know?"

_"I could tell by how you wore no shoes on your feet, and your clothes were green. I saw you and your friends fall from the sky moments ago and rushed over. What is your name?"_

"I'm Angie! Who are you?"

_"Nice to meet you, Angie! My name's Chiri. I come from the Minish Tribe."_

"The Minish Tribe?"

_"The Minish are a race of us very tiny beings. We're creatures of the earth. We're a tribe that secretly cares for the Earth, too small for most humans to see. In fact, we can only be seen by children with good hearts. Like you, apparently."_

"Wait: I've seen a few of you before! You snuck into my room one night when I was five and gave me my Captain Planet Rainbow Monkey!"

_"We like to grant gifts to good little boys and girls. We're like mini Santa Clauses. We're also very good friends with the Kids Next Door. We secretly deliver items, such as 2x4 wood, candy, soda, and even guide hamsters to your treehouses. We've been doing so for generations."_

"Cool!"

_"So, Angie, could I ask where the five of you fell from?"_

"Oh, well, we were flying through hyperspace, trying to fight this freaky Nightmare guy, but he blew up our ship and we fell, and I guess we ended up here. There were a lot more of us, but I don't see them anywhere." She looked around.

_"Hm. But quite a fascinating tale."_ Chiri smiled. _"It reminds me of the prophecy that's told in my village."_

"By any chance, does this prophecy relate to the Dark Master?" Angie asked, putting hands on her hips.

_"Yes, actually."_ Chiri nodded. _"It says that one day, when the Dark Master returns, he will need a troubled heart to serve as his vessel for his mission to find the Eight Protective Gods. Five young children will fall from the sky, and one of them will be the tiny-footed earthbender who will bring light to the Dark One's vessel and free him from his dark grasp."_

"You think MY feet are tiny? I have a feeling they're a lot bigger than _your_ people. But that prophecy sure sounds an awful lot like us."

_"But it also says that first, the earthbender must speak with the mighty Earth God, who stands high and tall, watching over us. The Earth God it's talking about is Regigigas."_

"Hey, I've heard of him somewhere!"

_"Well, he _is_ the one who chooses the earthbenders."_

"Can you take us to your village, Chiri?"

_"I'd be happy to, Angie."_ She nodded.

"Okay!" Angie cheered. She held her pinky finger beside the creature and allowed Chiri to climb on her nail. She stood up and said, "Let me just wake the others up." With that, she stomped the ground and made a quake that startled everybody awake.

"Gyuh, no more pickle-cream!" Lee exclaimed. "…Huh?"

"Hey, everybody!" Angie called. "This is my new friend, Chiri."

The others ran over and observed the Minish in Angie's pinky nail. "Awww. She's cute!" Sonya smiled.

Chiri then noticed the unconscious Paddy Fulbright. _"Um… that boy didn't wake up."_

"Oh…" Sonya frowned, going over to lift him up. "Paddy's heart was taken by Har-"

"-Lord Gnaa!" Angie shouted. "Harvey wouldn't do it, okay? It's Lord Gnaa that's controlling him!"

"Yeah, but he's still a- Ow!" Angie stomped and flung a rock at Lee's cheek.

_"Well, your faith in him is strong."_ Chiri observed. _"But don't worry. I'm sure we can recover your friend's heart. Let's hurry to my village first. I think you'll like what you see."_ The tiny Minish pointed the direction in which to walk as they followed that path, with Sonya and Charlotte carrying Paddy the whole way.

**Somewhere in Africa**

_"AaaaaaaaaaaAAA_AAHHHHH- OOG!" The blue hedgehog fell thousands of miles from the sky and crashed headfirst in the ground. His big, spiked head got stuck in a ditch, trying to pull himself out and finally succeeding. "Ow…" He found himself in a desert-ish area, looking around for the rest of his crew. "Tails? Knuckles?" He ran around a bit. "BLAZE? AMY?" He ran a bit more. "SONIA! MANIC!"

"Oh, so now you're worried?"

"Oh?" Sonic looked and noticed his siblings glaring at him by a bush. "Hehe. Well, at least I'm not completely alone out here." He grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, good for you, Bro." Manic replied. "But now that we have some free time, maybe you can tell us why you never bothered to look for us after we were separated?"

"Er-" Sonic's smile vanished as he tried to think of something. "I…I-I don't know. It just… never really was a big deal to me for some reason. I dunno."

"How reassuring." Sonia replied, disbelieved.

Sonic sighed. "Look, guys, can't we talk about this maybe AFTER we find the rest of our friends?"

"Shyeah." Manic folded his arms. "You'd probably love to get it on with Amy. Or that Blaze chick even…"

"Ugh. Let's just go…" With that, the blue hedgehog walked ahead with his brother and sister following behind, spiteful looks on their faces.

**Unknown area**

The Junior Prospectors had fallen into a barren canyon area, waking up and recovering from the fall. "Ow… my head hurts." Tommy groaned.

"I think I lost my Rainbow Monkey lunch in Zero-G…" Mushi held her aching stomach, her skin green with illness. The 5-year-old's cheeks puffed as she threw up behind her.

"Duuuh… my head hurrrts." Big the Cat landed several feet away, the bulky animal leaving a crater as he woke up.

"WHEN DID _YOU_ GET HERE? !" all the Prospectors screamed.

"Duuuh… I was looking for Froggy and I got loooost…" Big looked down and spotted something flat stuck to his stomach. Big pulled off and straightened the flattened object, seeing it was Mario, placing the plumber on the ground. Mario noticed FLUDD on the ground beside them and went to put him back on. "Where's Froggy?..." Big asked.

"Up your bum, mayhap?" Luvbi replied, wittingly.

"I guess I better go find him again." And so, the dimwitted cat walked away.

Shaunie suddenly heard some mumbling and peeked from behind a boulder to see a squad of Koopa Troopas, dragging Jessica into a small fortress surrounded by lava. "Look! It's Jessica!"

The others peeked beside him as this happened, and Mario instantly noticed a familiar pink-dressed girl on the fort's roof. "Mama Mia! Princess Peach!"

"Well, that's convenient." Tommy replied.

"Verily." Luvbi said. "Mayhap we canst rescue yon Jessica whilst Mario saves his fair princess. Soundeth good, yea?" (Play "Not Roy" on YouTube.)

_Stage 41: Roy's Fortress_

_Mission: Save Peach and Jessica._

The red plumber started his venture into the fortress, first jumping across giant gears over a lava river. Mario used FLUDD to hover across some lava and reach a platform with three Drybones. The Koopa skeletons tossed bones that Mario spun-punched and hit back, knocking the Drybones' heads into the lava, where their bodies followed them. Once they were gone, more giant gears came down from the ceiling and made a staircase to a higher ledge.

The plumber jumped the gears to that ledge, then quickly jumped his way up a staircase as a bunch of Thwomps came down to crush him. He escaped the Thwomps, but found a dead end at the top of the stairs. He noticed another pathway above the Thwomps and Wall Jumped atop the crushing stones, walking across them to reach the hallway.

He arrived at another river of lava, having to grab onto a metal fence that led over it to climb across. As he did so, some fireballs came at him from a distant room, so he kicked off the fence and dodged them, then used FLUDD's hover to float back and grab the fence. He made it to the path on the other side and continued, but gasped and quickly rolled to the side as a row of giant drills shot down from the ceiling and nearly pierced him. When they rose back to the ceiling, Mario sprayed water in front of him and slid along the slippery floor on his belly, making it to a ledge to hide under when the drills pierced down again.

He reached the end of the drilled path, but the rest of the hall had a bottomless chasm. The plumber saw one of those moving block paths he used to ride across in previous adventures and decided to jump on, letting it carry him across the pit. He kept himself on as the blocks moved up, down, left and right, dodging as buzz-saws rolled off from the ceiling and tried to slice him. More fireballs came out of a door at the end of the hall and homed in, but Mario shot water out of FLUDD and put them out.

The block path moved down into the chasm after it reached the red door, the plumber hopping off and entering a room to find none other than Roy Koopa, the afro-wigged Koopalings turning and smirking at him through his sunglasses. "And despite what this song is telling you, this is, in fact, my castle. Well, actually it's a fortress, but, you get the point. But I see you're back from space sooner than I expected. Come here to save your princess I bet."

Mario only glared at the turtle.

"Anyways, if I were you, I'd get my blue overalls offa this planet. It's not safe for you here anymore. The planet's military force is leading the Anti-inhuman Revolution, and I assume your little fireball powers qualify as something they're against."

"Hmm?" Mario cocked a brow at him.

"What's that? You're asking why we aren't leaving this planet because of that? Well, because we got the most powerful people on our side. Lord Gnaa, Ganondorf, and especially Lord Bowser. Your little jump tricks won't stand a chance. And I'm afraid the princess is staying with us, too. So, why don't you get your little jumpy self outta here, and take yo' little friends, and we can avoid anymore trouble, hu- OAF!" The ceiling above Roy suddenly crumbled and crushed the Koopaling, with Tommy and Mushi above the rubble.

"Oww… I didn't think I was heavy enough to fall through." Tommy groaned.

The rest of the Prospectors smiled at them from the hole in the ceiling, jumping down beside them with Jessica. "Hoo. Thanks for rescuing me, guys." Jessica smiled, holding Sammy's hand. "They captured Annie, too, but I'm not sure where she is. But I think they said they were holding Peach up there." She pointed to a door on the other side of the room, which they entered and found a small staircase leading to a light.

They proceeded up and found their selves on the roof of the fortress, and Mario smiled when he saw his princess standing by the edge across from them. The plumber approached the pink-wearing princess, but was disappointed when it turned out to be a cardboard cutout, falling over. "Oh?"

"It's a fake." Tommy observed.

The kids heard some muffling and looked to see a shaking bag on their left. Shaunie walked over and pulled it open, allowing Toad to gasp for air. "Oh, thank heavens. Thanks, guys. But I think the princess is in another castle."

"Aw, come on! THAT crud again?" Tommy whined.

"He he he."

"Uh-oh. I know that laugh." Toad frowned. (Cue Mr. L's Theme.)

The black-and-green plumber in a mask dropped down from a higher tower. "So, fell for the old _Mario 3-D Land_ trick, eh?"

"Luigi!" Mario exclaimed.

"No, you fool! I told you, it's Mr. L. You oughta remember that by now. But you didn't really think we'd put your princess in such easy reach, eh?"

"You better give her back or else!" Tommy demanded as they all glared.

"Hmm. A group of bratty kids against the Green Thunder. If my presence didn't surprise you enough, maybe this will." With that, the green plumber pushed a button on a remote and instantly caught the 6 kids (minus Shaunie, who was by Toad) inside a cage. A couple airships lowered metal claws to grab the cage and start carrying it away.

"GUYS!" Shaunie yelled.

"Whoa-oh!" Mario gasped.

"Heh heh heh. And it looks like you bratty kids fell into another one of our brilliant traps." Mr. L laughed as he Super Jumped atop the cage.

"Uck! Thou greasy, greasy man!" Luvbi shouted at him.

"It's too bad we don't have any Minish Dust to capture you easier. But oh well. We can bring you to the base and minimize you later."

"Hey! You forgot to capture me!" Shaunie yelled.

"Ha ha ha! Capturing you would be a waste of space. I still question why Bowser wanted those Stormtroopers sent after you. You're too cowardly to even squish an ant. What has Bowser got to worry about a whiny little brat like you?"

"HEY! I am NOT whiny!"

"AHHH HA HA HA HAAAA!" Mr. L and some Koopas on the airships burst into laughter. One of them tossed a small firecracker down, making the boy yelp and jump into Mario's arms, only for the firecracker to give a tiny explosion. "Something like that would be threatening to Minish, but you should have nothing to fear. Thus proves your cowardice. Catch you later, Red Wonder! Next time, lose a little weight!"

_"Shauniiiieeee!"_ Luvbi cried in the distance.

Mario, Toad, and Shaunie looked worriedly in their direction. (End song.)

**Nugget River**

Nigel Uno groaned as he awoke from the crash, weakly opening his eyes and finding the mariachi band standing over him. "AHH!" he yelped, jumping to his feet.

"Relax, Amigo! It is just us. Checking if you were dead… which you were not."

"Yeah, thanks." He shot them a glare before looking around, finding himself in a grassy area by a clear river. "Where is everyone?"

"Hey! Numbuh 1!" The sector leader looked behind and saw Abby and the rest of Sector V running toward him.

"Guys!" Nigel smiled and ran to them as well.

"Numbuh 1. What happened to Magolor?" Abby asked.

"Oh. He's dead. And Dimentia captured Jirachi."

"What happened to Marx?" Kuki asked.

"He died, too."

"Aww." She frowned.

"Where are we?"

"We're back in Cleveland, I think." Numbuh 4 answered. "I recognize this river. It's when I ended up in that cruddy Western place with the gold nuggets."

"We think we were separated from the others after falling out of hyperspace." Hoagie explained. "But since we were headed for Earth, most of everyone else should've landed somewhere else on the planet… I think."

"And that's not all, Numbuh One." Numbuh 5 continued. "Numbuh 5 was actually downtown earlier… the military's sticking wanted posters of your Quadruplet cousins all over the place!"

"And they've put everyone on high alert for any benders or metahumans." Hoagie followed. "Our friends could be in real trouble."

"Hmmm… sounds like GUN is getting desperate." Nigel figured. "Alright: we have to look for the rest of our friends and start looking for the next Firstborn."

"But how do we know where to go?" Kuki asked.

"Maybe we can visit mah uncle." Abby suggested. "He's probably back in his voodoo parlor by now. He could probably use his magic to detect the others or somethin'."

"Sounds good to me." Nigel agreed. "Let's go."

**Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium**

While everyone else had gone on their galactic adventure, Facilier and Grim, however, stayed behind. Facilier went back to work in his voodoo emporium while Grim went back to the Underworld. The witch-doctor was currently in his shop, humming a merry tune as he dusted off artifacts on his shelves. "I wonder how Abby and the others are doin' up in space?" the man asked himself. His shadow gave a shrug. "Oh well. Hopefully they ain't gotten into too much trouble." He went back to dusting off items, sparing a glance to the black genie lamp in the dark corner of one of his shelves. He then heard a knock at the door and yelled, "Sorry. Shop don't open 'til seven."

_"Oh, but surely you can let a friend in early."_ A sweet-sounding voice said.

Facilier furrowed his eyes and walked over to open the door, glaring down at the grinning Rumpel. "Well, Ah would, Rumpel, but you ain't mah friend."

"Oh, come now, Harvey, can't we put all those high-school days behind us? I just wanna little look around."

"Hmm." He grumbled and shut the door, but Rumpel stuck his foot in and held it open, walking in anyway.

"I must admit, it's a nice shop you got here, Harvey." Rumpel said, wiping his finger on a few dusty items. "Almost as good as my magical deals."

"It's BETTER than yo' magical deals. 'Cause all your magic is good for is mischief 'n' mayhem."

"Well, I only learned from the best, Harvey."

"You and I both know that Lucinda wasn't the best. She was cruel and conceited. The biggest criminal on Avalar."

"She was only misunderstood."

"She got what she deserved!" Facilier turned and shouted. "And the only reason you learned from her was so you can be the big bully you always were. Good thing those spirits saw the bad in you and suspended yo' timebending powers."

"Oh, but is it really cruel to try and help a poor old woman?" Rumpel asked, walking closer to him by the table. "Her shadow has been unjustly taken away. Wouldn't that just upset you if someone took away that lonely little shadow of yours?" At this, Facilier's shadow shot up and hissed in his face. "Don't get angry at me, it's called breath mints. Don't you get shadowy versions of those?"

"Look, Rumpel, I'm sorry about yo' teacher, but she was far too dangerous to keep around. Her shadow's gone and they ain't no chance of finding it."

"Oh ho, I beg to differ, Harvey! Surely you must have a… few spare genie lamps lying around here." He grinned maniacally.

Facilier's eyes widened as he spared a quick glance to the black lamp on his shelf. "Er, sadly, Ah do not."

"Oh, I think you do, Harvey." Rumpel glared. "Oh, Yuki?"

The spike-haired icebender walked in, leaving his usual trail of ice as he blew Ice Breath at the right wall of the emporium, Facilier gasping as it froze completely solid. "Now gimme the Genie Lamp or I'll have Yuki turn you to a Facilier-cicle."

Facilier grabbed the lamp from behind the shelf and held it away from Rumpel. "Forget it, Rumpel! No way y'all are getting this lamp. Mother Talzin can stay and rot on Dathomir for all Ah care."

"Oh, Harvey. Ever since we went to Hogwarts, you've acted so much like the bratty children Lucinda and I so endlessly despise. By the time she's freed, she'll have taught all you children some respect. Yuki, you may freeze him now."

The witch-doctor quickly countered with spells from his cane as Yuki stepped closer and tossed ice balls. Shadow slithered around and grabbed him from behind, but ended up freezing solid. Facilier tried to whack Yuki with his cane, but he simply grabbed the cane, slowly freezing it into ice, the voodoo man's mouth and eyes widening as he froze completely solid himself. Afterwards, Rumpel leisurely walked over and pulled the black lamp out of his cold, frozen fingers.

"Well, that couldn't have gone any easier." Rumpel smiled as they started to walk out. "Let's get this back to Talzin, Yuki. Once she's powered, you'll have all the coldness you can muster."

**Somewhere in space**

Death's Head was knocked out in the depths of space after being forcibly sucked from that shattered dimension. He awoke suddenly and shook his head, observing the lonely space around him before calling Kent Nelson, the spirit doctor appearing on a hologram. _"Ah, there you are, Death's Head. I've been awaiting a call from you."_

"I must thank you for the wild goose chase, no? Yes, no. Almost ruined everything, yes?"

_"Yes, yes, I'm aware of the tale now. But we've got bigger problems. Ever since Galacta Knight left Planet Wisp, he's been going on a rampage! That Dark Galaxia Sword constantly gives him the urge to fight, and he must be stopped!"_

"No worries, yes? Galacta Knight will be found in time." The robot assured before ending transmission. "But perhaps Meta Knight will like a swing at things. Best to find him, no? No, yes." With that, the robot flew off.

**Somewhere outside Langley Falls**

Morgan awoke and found herself by a road in another barren desert. She held her head as she awakened to study her surroundings. She heard the rumbling of a car and turned around, seeing a familiar blue Camaro driving from down the road. She smiled widely, and was happier than she'd ever been on this journey. "Guys! !"

Noah parked her Camaro as Morgan's brother and sisters jumped out to embrace her in hugs. "Morgan! ! You're okay!" Athena exclaimed.

"Ha, how did you guys find me out here? ?" she asked excitedly.

"We heard about some crazy revolution thing the military was doing." Buddy replied.

"Mewtwo let us go to find you. But we had no idea where you were, until suddenly, we just got the… _sensation…_ that you were out here." Sophie explained. "Our psychic must be getting good."

"Hah, I'm just really happy to see you again." She couldn't let go of her excitement. "Where did I end up, anyway?"

"Oh, that's easy." Buddy nodded. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"Well, that much is true." Morgan looked at him disbelieved. "But where's everyone else?"

"We were gonna ask _you_ that. Or are you slumping on psychic training?" Buddy smirked.

This earned him a smack from Morgan, making Noah giggle. "We aren't actually sure where we are," Noah said, "but there is a town nearby. We'll drive down and find out from there."

"I still wonder how a 10-year-old can drive." Sophie noted.

"Don't question it, and let's just roll." Noah told them as she started the car and started driving down the road.

They could only keep going until they reached a gas station, when the car suddenly ran out of gas. "Well, that was short-lived." Athena said.

"Alright, Athena and Buddy, you two get the gas." Morgan ordered. "The rest of us'll go in and see if this place has anything good to eat."

She, Sophie, Beckah, and Noah went into the mini gas station store and started browsing around. Morgan approached the guy at the counter and asked, "Hey, you gotta any of those white-powdered donuts? _My brother'd probably like those._ And maybe some Skittles?"

"Oh, yes!" the man smiled. "Let me just look around here…" While the man crouched and dug beneath his shelf, Morgan gasped when she noticed the wanted poster of her and her family, which read, _Wanted: Psychicbending Siblings, dead or alive. Beware of possible horns and scales._

_"Oh, seriously?"_ Morgan said to herself after reading that bottom part.

The man came back up with the donuts. "Well, here they are. Now let me just grab those Skittles-" He was about to turn around and grab the candy behind him.

"NO, WAIT!" Morgan stopped him before he turned and noticed the poster. "Uh… maybe we'll just go with M&Ms." He was about to turn and grab the M&Ms. "NO, WAIT! Uh, we'll take Licorice." He was about to turn again. "NO, WAIT! Uh… got any of those creamy cupcake things?"

"Oh, sure, but they're buried pretty deep down here. May take a while."

"Oh, that's okay." While the man began digging below his shelf again, Noah quietly sidled along the counter behind him with a black sharpie, making little drawings on The Quads' pictures so that they look like different, sillier people. She quickly sidled away when the man stood back up.

"Oh, here they are!" he perked, showing Morgan the cupcakes with cream inside.

"Great! Um, I think we'll take that Licorice, too."

"Sure." When the man turned to grab the candy, he gasped when he saw the wanted poster. "AHA!" Morgan flinched when the man shot around and pointed, but then noticed he was indicating behind her, where there was another group of siblings with the exact same looks as the silly picture.

The gang piled in the car and drove away from the station, leaving the other family to get arrested by police. "O-kay, that may actually come back to bite us later." Buddy guessed.

"Look, we'll bail them out later." Morgan told him. "But it looks like Boba finally had those GUN Troopers stick posters of us everywhere. We need to start looking for the next Firstborn fast."

"But where are we supposed to go?" Athena asked.

"Wherever's convenient. Preferably where there are no military troops."

"I… don't think we'll have much luck at that." Buddy already knew.

**Nighttime; African Citadel**

"Ohhh…" Rachel groggily awakened inside an old, damp room. The Supreme Leader stood up and looked around, spotting Fanny and Patton sleeping in a corner, their arms wrapped around the other. The two commanders slowly awakened and noticed their position, immediately pushing the other off. "Hehehe." Rachel giggled. She put her leader-face back on as the three of them walked over to a prison cell door. They peeked through the bars and found several Bulblin troops patrolling outside.

"We're in some kind of demon jail." Patton pointed out.

"Wow, I'm surprised it didn't take ya another 10 minutes to figure that out." Fanny remarked.

"It won't take me more than 10 seconds to kick your butt, Fulbright."

"Ugh. Is this really the time, you two? Honestly, you'll start a war if you keep fighting like this." Rachel stated. "And I prefer to deal with this war first. Or at least get out of this cell. Which I will have us out of here in a couple of…" Rachel felt around behind her back for her sword, but could find nothing, to her dismay. "Uh-oh."

Fanny threw her hands out in attempt to burn the wooden cell, but realized she was handcuffed. She tried to shoot fire, but the handcuffs prevented her. "Ugh! What the heck are these? !"

"I think they're chi-blocking cuffs." Patton observed. "Cancel out bending."

_"Er-herm, attention!"_ an Irish voice announced through the PA. _"Everyone in the prison wing, report to the cafeteria for unicorn blood and bull hide!"_

The demons excitedly made muffled cheers and exited the hallway. Once they cleared out, Rachel looked to the left to see General Bulblin walk over with part of his left horn cut off, the chubby demon stopping in front of their cell and facing them. "Hey! You're that demon from the horse battle!" Rachel recognized.

"Shhh." The Bulblin hushed her before looking around for anymore guards. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a raggedy piece of paper. "Here." He handed her the paper, which Rachel unfolded to see it was the Marauder's Map. The demon then took out a key which he used to unlock their cell. He also slipped a key inside, which Patton picked up and used to unlock Fanny's cuffs, the girl rubbing her wrists. "But I wouldn't really firebend too recklessly." Bulblin mentioned.

"What? What is this?" Rachel asked, surprised.

"Listen, you're in a demon fortress in Nigeria, and they took your items and hid them throughout this place. Ganondorf is aiming to attack the Sky Realm of Skypia. There's an area with a sandstorm a few miles northwest of here. Use that map to find your way through the storm and you'll reach the Sky Pillar, the only pathway to the realm. But you'll need an airbender to help your way up. I think your blue hedgehog friend landed around this area, too. Now, I have to go. Be careful you aren't spotted." With that, the general proceeded down the hall.

"Wait!" Rachel called. "Why are you helping us?"

Bulblin turned to her and answered, "I never liked Ganondorf. In fact, my true loyalties lie with Link. And I can sense his spirit in you." On that note, he continued and left them.

"O-kay. Nice to know we have someone on our side." Patton whispered as Rachel slid the door open.

"Come on, guys, let's get my stuff back and find a way out of here." Rachel whispered. "I wanna see what this Sky Pillar is about…" (Play "Eldin Eruption" from _Skyward Sword_.)

_Stage 42: African Citadel_

_Mission: Retrieve Rachel's items and sneak out of the fortress._

The trio quietly snuck down the rest of the hallway and made it to an outside path. It was nighttime, so the fortress was lit up with torches, and the African sky was very clear and lit up with stars. They saw a couple Moblin patrolling the path, but found a few empty barrels beside them, putting them over their selves and using them to hide as they stepped a bit closer while the first Moblin was turned. When the monster turned back, Rachel gave a worried look when he snuffed her barrel. The Moblin shrugged it off and walked past them.

The three moved further away from the guard, closer to the second one. The kids stopped when the Moblin immediately turned, hearing their footsteps, walking over and sniffing the barrels. They were relieved when the Moblin couldn't detect them and walked by, allowing them to enter the small room at the end of the bridge. They pulled off their barrel disguises and placed them beside other barrels, then proceeded to the second outside bridge to the left of them.

Across the chasm beside the bridge were Bulblin archers keeping watch, but they seemed to be barely awake. The three crouched behind some crates until the guards dozed off, then quickly ran to the next set of crates before they woke up. When they dozed off again, that was the kids' chance to make it to the room ahead. They passed the small room to a small field, hiding behind more crates as Bulblin patrolled the area, guarding a chest in the center. Rachel studied the Marauder's Map which pointed out her Hero's Bow inside the chest.

"They have my bow in there." She whispered.

"But how are we gonna get it?" Patton asked.

Fanny then noticed a long fuse beside her leading over to a pile of powder kegs. "Stand back." She smirked, using her firebending to light the fuse, watching it slowly burn over to the bombs. They were nearly deafened when the bombs erupted in a loud explosion, blowing all the Bulblins away.

"That's not stealthy!" Rachel whisper-shouted.

"What? I didn't do well in that training program, Lass."

When the smoke cleared, they saw that the chest was okay, Rachel walking over to open it and grab her bow. "Well, at least we got the arrows."

Patton heard some demon shouting back the way they came. "Great, so let's move."

They quickly passed into the next area, where they only stood on a ledge before another chasm with a tall searchlight tower on the other side. Rachel and Fanny noticed the dynamite pile beside the tower, exchanging smirks as they had an idea. "Fanny?"

"Sure thing, Lass." The redhead said before lighting the tip of one of Rachel's arrows on fire, allowing her to shoot it over and blow up the bottom of the tower. The Bokoblin working the searchlight screamed as it fell over, making a bridge for the three of them to cross. Once across, there was another pathway to their left, guarded by more Bokoblin, facing away, but Rachel aimed her bow and shot them, knocking them out in one hit.

They crossed that bridge and entered the fortress' interior, which was awfully dark, so Fanny held a flame in her hand to light it up enough so Rachel could see the Marauder's Map and see the safe paths in the hall. They had to crouch behind some crates as Bokoblin were patrolling down there as well, wielding torches. Rachel watched their movement on the map and carefully led her friends down further when they walked away. They turned a corner and spotted two Stalfos at the end of the hall guarding a chest, which Rachel studied her map and saw it was the Hookshots.

They quietly crawled closer to the skeletons, staying out of sight from them, wondering how to get past. Patton then tapped their shoulders and pointed upward, indicating a bunch of bats hanging from the ceiling. The Drill Sergeant pulled his right shoe off and tossed it to the bats above the Stalfos, making them all awaken and swarm around the place, the Stalfos desperately trying to shake them off. In the commotion, Rachel immediately ran to grab her Hookshots as Patton slipped his shoe back on, and the three of them headed out the door behind the chest.

They were once again on an outside balcony, overlooking the savannah. They spotted some floating plants with propeller petals, called Peahats, leading up and around to a higher part of the fort. Rachel used her Hookshots to pull herself up to them while Patton held onto Fanny while she used her G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull them up, making their way up the Peahats until they reached a larger balcony full of searchlights.

The three hid into barrels again and started to sneak through, stopping where they were when the searchlights passed over them. The three made it over the balcony and pulled off their disguises when they reached a snaky pathway where the searchlights didn't follow. They made it over to some ladders and climbed down to the bottom of the base, reaching a small alley on the ground.

They snuck around the corner and hid behind more crates from Bokoblin in a small yard. Once again they crawled behind the crates and hid from sight from the Bokoblin. They made it to a ladder and climbed onto a wall. They spotted a chest on another wall across from them and Rachel used her Hookshot to pull herself over while Fanny used the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull her and Patton over. Rachel opened the chest and picked up a strange yellow boomerang. "A Boomerang? Well, it could be useful."

They went down a ladder to another prison yard, which had several towers with Bokoblins using searchlights to guard the area. Rachel used her Boomerang to throw it and hit and stun the demon guards, allowing them to get past without being noticed. They made it to a flight of parallel-sided stairs, going up until they reached the highest point in the base, which had the gates that led out of there, as well as the Master Sword stuck in the center.

Rachel immediately ran to grab her sword, but a Bokoblin on a tower saw this and blew his Monster Horn, summoning tons of Bulblin, Stalfos, and Moblin. Rachel did a spin attack to slice away the first few demons, and Patton and Fanny joined in as she started taking out the rest of them. They easily wiped them all out, leaving only the Bokoblin on the tower, which Rachel pulled down with her Hookshot and stabbed him.

Rachel victoriously twirled her sword before sheathing it as Fi came out. _"Master, forgive me for not being around to assist you earlier. It is great to be with you again."_

"You too, Fi." Rachel smiled. "Now, let's get out of here." The spirit jumped back in the sword as the operatives pushed the gates open, walking down the long, steep stairs out of the fortress and walking into the desert.

From a wooden branch on a corner of the fortress, the evil bird Ying-Ying sat while his diminutive master, Hannibal Bean, watched them from afar. "Well, lookee at that, Ying-Ying. Sounds like the brats already know where to go. But Ah think Ganon will be on their tail soon enough. Perhaps we should see how mah dear great grandchildren are fairing." With that, the grey bird flapped his wings and took off for the sky. (End song.)

**Coastside area**

The Kong Family and Team Alien crash-landed on a beach after flying out of hyperspace, with the Heart Star sticking into the ground. Ava sat up and shook her head awake to see the minor wreckage while everyone else woke up as well. Donkey was face-first inside a crater in the ground, that he made upon impact, the big ape pulling his head up to see where they were. He felt a couple mini punches on his chest and heard some muffling as his body was hoisted up by Kami from beneath him, the battered-up Drilovsky girl gasping for breath.

"Would you get off of me… please?" she weakly asked, pushing him over on his back by herself. She sat up and turned around to see the flattened form of Tiny Kong, getting up and allowing the pigtailed ape to stand.

"Couldn't I wait to be squished flat until I actually turn tiny?"

Diddy and Dixie were in a more unusual position, with their butts stuck in craters that they made. The chimps stood up and noticed Kweeb stuck face-first in Dixie's butt cheek, the pink-loving monkey pulling him off as he took a big breath. "Why is it that Tiny and Lanky are the only ones with a decent amount of clothing?" he gasped.

"Sorry." Dixie said as she placed him gently on the ground.

"Well, that was quite the ordeal." Ava said, standing and brushing herself off. "But at least we came out of that unscathed."

"I didn't even get to ride the dragons very long." Kami whined.

"Ah, go ride Donkey Kong through the Jungle Japes later." Kweeb retorted, brushing off. "We need to find out where everyone else went."

At that instant, a Flying Krock zoomed over them in the sky, taking land a few miles away. "Hey, the crocs are here!" Dixie pointed.

"Whaddyou thinks up?" Kami asked.

"One way to find out." Ava said, drawing her swords. "Let's follow 'em." (Play "Bramble Blast" from _Donkey Kong Country 2_.)

_Stage 43: Peaceful Coast_

_Mission: Get to where the Flying Krock landed!_

The aliens and Kongs started into the forest, finding a river and beginning to walk down the opposite direction it flowed. The jungle had a calm atmosphere to it, as the air was filled with strange, soothing mist, and it made the sky look pink. If they weren't trying to rush through this jungle, they would probably stop to admire the scenery.

Archer Tikis landed from the sky and began to launch arrows at them, but the group dodged the small arrows as Donkey rolled over to slam two of the drums, while Ava tossed her swords to slice the others. The Kongs noticed a group of Kasplats hauling a Rambi box into the cave where a small waterfall poured into the river. The Kongs furiously chased the Kremlings, leaving Team Alien behind.

"Well, something ticked their fur." Ava remarked.

"Let's just head this way." Kami said, noticing a path to their left.

They followed the trail to a more expansive area of the jungle, where bubbles emerged from swamps below, and more mist filled the air. They had to jump some small, flat-topped trees that swayed back-and-forth. Some were too far apart, so they bounced across the dragonfly Flutters that were floating in between. They reached a small platform where four Krooks leaped up from the swamp below and tossed hooks at them. Kami jumped over the first one's and kicked off its face, pushing him back below. Kweeb swiftly dodged another Krook's gigantic hooks and ran over to shoot lasers at its feet, making him fall back. The third Krook and Ava tossed their weapons at the same time, and while Ava took a hit, so did Krook, and both weapons returned to their holders like boomerangs. Afterward, Kami grabbed Ava's arms and swung her into the fourth Krook, and Team Alien kept going.

The ledge ahead was too far to jump, so Ava tossed her swords into the cliff below it, one at a lower level, the other at a higher level. They were able to jump to the lower sword and bounce up to the higher to reach the cliff, then Ava called her swords back. But the path ahead appeared blocked by a bushel of brambles. Ava swung her swords at the brambles, but they appeared much too thick. "Man, what're these brambles made out of?"

"We'll have to go through them." Kweeb said as he switched his Tri-gun to 'Shrink'. "Buckle up, girls." With that, he zapped the yellow ray at them and shrunk them both to his size.

With their miniscule heights, they were able to cross through a path within the brambles, careful not to touch any of the prickly thorns. They had to jump up some wooden platforms which had conveniently been left for them. They reached a small, thorny chasm with two safe footholds to get across, but a Krook; which was apparently their size, too, was on the other side, throwing hooks. Ava tried to throw her swords at it, but the hooks easily bounced them back. All the Glomourian could do was hop across the small platforms and jump the hooks as they came. She managed to reach the Krook's opening and pushing it back into the thorns, and Ava's friends soon joined her.

They now stood at the base of a wide, windy tunnel, likely formed from the mist. "You think that wind's strong enough to grab us?" Kami asked.

"No, but I _can_ twirl my swords like a helicopter." Ava mentioned. "I learned to do it after me and Nigel's quest. But I can only carry one person at a time; and Kweeb's usually tiny."

"Oh, no problem!" Kweeb perked, zapping himself with the shrink ray and zapping to an even smaller size. He now looked as big to them as he normally did.

"Well, I suddenly feel more confident when I'm like this." Kami smirked at the little alien.

_"Don't get your hopes up!"_ Kweeb squeaked as Ava lifted him on her shoulder.

Kami wrapped around Ava's waist as the Glomourian rapidly twirled her swords above her head, lifting them like a propeller. She floated into the misty tunnel, and was light enough for the mist to push her upward. They listed left and right and up and down to avoid any bramble walls in their path. They finally floated into a vast, wider region of the brambles, in which the swamps loomed below where bubbles floated up from. The bubbles were much bigger from the kids' perspectives.

The mist was fading and they started to sink, so they decided to take land on a low ledge on their left, where a small plant appeared to be blowing the bubbles into the atmosphere. They decided to bounce their way up the stairway of bubbles and reach one of the larger bubbles. From there, Ava was able to twirl her swords and propel them higher enough to float down to another low platform on the right side. They had to jump a few gaps in the path ahead, in which Lockjaws hopped out of the water to snack on them, but they easily avoided. They found another plant blowing bubbles into a misty tunnel ahead, so they bounced the pathway of bubbles as Ava twirled her swords and flew them into the tunnel.

The tunnel was pretty straightforward this time, but they had to swerve and dodge Zingers that flew their way. They finally took land on a ledge at the brambles' exit, so they hopped out of the prickly realm as Kweeb restored them all to normal. They appeared in a straight, narrow path between walls, where suddenly, Rambi the Rhino came bursting through, along with the Kongs. The aliens hopped onto Rambi's back as the rhino charged across the path. The rhino jumped some Zingers to reach some platforms over a small chasm, and once across, he charged into a giant wooden tunnel that led downward; and looked like the fallen remains of a gigantic tree.

Groups of Kuff 'n' Klouts charged at them, but Rambi managed to avoid the twin Kremlings, jumping over any gaps in the floor. At one point, the gap was much to expansive, so Rambi was forced to charge and speed around the swirling walls and ceiling as the path looped. He stopped when the floor was normal again and had no other path to follow, so he had to jump the Tiki Buzzes to get across the chasm. He reached a safe platform on the left side, where a Red Zinger flew between them and the opposite platform. Rambi had to jump onto the Zinger when it came, and carefully stay bouncing over it until they reached the ledge, where they jumped off.

Next, they had to jump into a Barrel Cannon that was available to them, allowing the series of cannons to automatically shoot them out of the tunnel until they were above a thin river between two walls of a tall cave. The cannons began to move up-and-down in the air, forcing the group to time it right and fire when they faced the next cannon. The cave made a right turn into a wide region of the dank cave, where the cannons soon landed them on a ledge on the left side. In the process, they passed over a 'No Rambi' sign, and the rhino suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke and turned into a red Kami balloon.

"Hey! It's a balloon of me!" Kami exclaimed.

Ava smirked as she touched the tip of her sword at the balloon, and popped it. "Cool, now you have an extra life."

"Aw, man." Kami whined, wanting to take the balloon.

On that ledge, a Kannon was shooting barrels over to an opposite ledge, and when Kami was about to attack the Kremling, Ava stopped her and shook her head 'no'. The Glomourian carried Kweeb and demonstrated by using the barrels to hop across to the other side. It was more difficult, seeing as the barrels weren't coming FROM the destination, but Kami repeated the action and jumped across as well.

They found another floating Barrel Cannon, stationed over another thin river between walls, and hopped inside, immediately blasting across the river as Lockjaws leapt up to try and snack them. The next cannon pointed rightward, out of the cave, and into a larger forest of brambles. The barrel moved up-and-down, but they easily shot to the next one. They appeared inside a huge, wide tunnel of brambles, the path leading downward as they shot down more Barrel Cannons, avoiding the Zingers in their path.

They took land on a safe wooden ledge, overlooking an even wider bramble canyon with many Barrel Cannons. They hopped inside the first cannon, and as they went, the variety of cannons formed a confusing maze, as each only pointed to 4 or less cannons at a time. They spent about a good 3 minutes trying to find the right path, until they finally found an order of cannons that led upward. They reached the topmost cannon as it flung them to other automatic cannons, which led up a straight tunnel out of the bramble maze. The final cannon shot them high into the misty sky, seeing the Flying Krock not far in the distance as they landed in the jungle.

Three Gray Krushas stood in their path, and when Ava ran to stab the first one, her swords couldn't penetrate, and the Kremling grabbed and hurled her back forcefully. Kami ran to throw fast kicks at the next one, but it easily grabbed her feet and tossed her back. Kweeb decided to use his shrink ray on one, but even that did nothing as the Krusha ran and kicked him back. With the three operatives down, the Krushas slowly stomped forward to finish them. _"Oooh-oooooh!"_ Fortunately, the four Kong Family members came down from the bramble cannons and CRUSHED all three Kremlings upon their landing.

"Well, that coulda gone better." Kami noted as they stood and brushed off.

"Let's just get the Krock." Dixie said rushedly as they hurried along. (End song.)

They finally arrived at another beach area, and watched as Chunky Kong furiously battled the assaulting Kremlings. His victory didn't last as two Krunchas tackled him from behind and had him tied in seconds. Kaptain Kruckers walked up and proceeded to drag the tied-up Chunky Kong into the Flying Krock. "D'arr, that be takin' care of him, then."

"Hey!" Ava yelled as they ran toward the Kremlings.

"Aye? ! Not them meddling apes again! Get 'em, ye worthless cronies!" the K. Rool brother ordered before running onto the ship and taking off. Diddy and Dixie easily knocked out the Krunchas before they could attack, giving a high-five.

"Come on!" Ava yelled as she ran back through the jungle, the others following. They made it back to the Heart Star and hopped inside, as Ava started the ship up and flew after the Kremling Kaptain. (Play Kaptain K. Rool's Theme from _Donkey Kong Country 2_.)

_Boss fight: Kaptain K. Rool_

The croc ship fired back as the alien ship chased it over the sea, but they easily dodged. Ava hit the boost and shot over, piercing through the Krock's wall and allowing the group to step off and face Kruckers. They watched as the Kremling Kaptain shot Chunky with cannonballs from his blunderbuss, kicking the ape in a corner. "Well, if it ain't be the rotten alien kids and their monkey friends again, eh? Ye'll regret the day ye tangled with the Kremling Krew!" The pirate fired another cannonball, which DK caught in his hands and tossed it back.

Kruckers simply bashed the ball away with his gun like a baseball, making it ricochet all around the room, the team quickly ducking before it could bash them. They dodge-rolled when K. Rool switched the rocket on in his gun and shot over to them. When the cannonball came for Kami, she stood up and started kicking it around like a soccerball before flipping and kicking it right at Kruckers' head. The pirate shook his head from the dizzy and quickly held his weapon in defense when Ava ran and slashed at him, the alien dodging when he fired more cannonballs.

Kweeb ran and shot one of K. Rool's toes, making him yelp, then tried to shoot the little alien on the floor, Kweeb cockily running around and dodging the massive shots. The cannonballs rolled along the floor after making contact with it, and Donkey picked one up and spun around before hurling it at the Kaptain. K. Rool just batted it away again and made it ricochet, but Dixie caught it in her ponytail and tossed it to Diddy, who started twirling it like a basketball on his finger. The chimp passed it to Donkey, who started bouncing it around before tossing it above K. Rool's head. While the croc fired another one and destroyed it, Kami tossed an Orange Grenade and blew him up, the Kremling covered in soot as he fainted.

The Kongs gave a victorious grin, but Kruckers recovered in an instant before sucking Donkey in with his gun's vacuum, firing the ape at the Heart Star and pushing the ship out. "Quick! Activate the autopilot!" Ava yelled.

"OOOH." Donkey shook his head awake and noticed the button in the cockpit, quickly switching it on so the ship kept chasing the Flying Krock. Ava sighed in relief, but was startled when Kruckers started firing spiked cannonballs. The Glomourian swiftly dodged and ducked the weapon, flipping all about the room with K. Rool missing at each shot.

Kami ran and jumped on the Kremling's head, blinding him while Diddy and Dixie ran to try and whack him from behind, but Kruckers grabbed and threw the Drilovsky off before bashing the apes with his blunderbuss. Tiny suddenly tossed an Orange Grenade at him, but Kruckers batted the bomb away, then tried to vacuum Tiny in, but Kami recovered and kicked the bomb over to Ava, who kicked it in Kruckers' vacuum's suculation current, sucking it in and blowing the pirate up.

Kruckers shook the soot off him before firing bouncing spiked balls at them. The operatives quickly sidestepped to avoid the bouncing balls, then rolled away when Kruckers shot over with his rocket. Tiny shrunk, and Kruckers saw her and Kweeb dashing over to him, so he shot more bouncing spikes which the tiny creatures were easily able to squeeze in-between. The tiny kids then crawled up K. Rool's clothes and started biting parts of his scaly body, the Kremling hopping all around and firing cannonballs aimlessly.

Diddy grabbed one as the pirate shook the two out of his clothes, and just as he was trying to suck the shrimps in, Diddy tossed the ball into his gun and blew him up once more. The two scampered away as Kruckers started shooting homing spiked balls this time. Ava ran and swiftly slid past the homing bullets, swinging more slashes that K. Rool fought against. She held his gun back with one sword and tried to swing the other one under the gun to stab him, but Kruckers was able to push the first back and fling it into a wall. He tried to bash her with the blunderbuss, but Kami ran and kicked his shin, then moved away as Diddy charged and pushed him into a wall.

Kruckers grabbed the chimp by the tail and tossed him out of the hole left by the Heart Star, then shot away with his rocket before Dixie could push him out. The girl ape dodged as K. Rool performed spin attacks with his weapon, Ava pulling her sword out of the wall and running to strike his blunderbuss, making the croc wobble off balance and allowing her to strike at his chest, pushing him back and knocking him out.

She twirled the swords in victory, but to her dismay, the Kremling recovered once again. He switched his gun to an ice setting and fired ice blasts at them, missing the operatives but freezing Tiny Kong. He pressed another button and laughed as he became invisible, the group keeping their guard up as they searched around for him. The frozen Tiny was suddenly sucked into the invisible vacuum, which Kruckers spun around before aiming to fire at Dixie, missing the older sister and sending Tiny flying out of the ship, but was thankfully rescued by Diddy on his jetpacks.

Kruckers became visible again and Kami immediately tossed an Orange Grenade, which K. Rool batted away and ricocheted off the walls again, only to come right back in his mouth and blow up. He angrily shook the soot off and switched the weapon to another setting, releasing red gas around the room. The kids inhaled the gas and suddenly began moving in slow motion. Ava tossed a sword, which came at Kruckers very slowly as he fired more spiked balls at Kami, but she very slowly ducked and missed them just in time. She then began a slow slide-kick when Kruckers shot over with the rocket, and was actually able to kick him off his feet. He recovered and looked to see Ava's sword slowly spinning over to him, but the gas wore off right away, allowing the sword to shoot by faster and scratch his back.

Kruckers back-flipped away from Kami as the Drilovsky ran to attack him, but he instantly fired a purple gas around the room, a gas that would make them do the opposite of what they wanted. When Kami tried to punch him, she ended up punching herself, and when Kweeb fired his stun blast at him, it came back and stunned himself. He then started to suck Dixie in with his vacuum, the ponytailed ape trying to run away, but the effects of the gas made her run toward it, allowing Kruckers to catch her and shoot her out of the ship as well.

Since the gas made her reversible, Kami figured, if she punched at herself, she would punch him. She stood up and threw her fist at herself, then smiled when it went for K. Rool instead. The Kaptain growled at the girl as she started kicking his legs and punching his snout. The gas finally wore off, allowing her to jump, spin, and kick him across his cheek, knocking him out once more.

K. Rool was still undefeated as he recovered again. "Man, don't you ever give up?" Kami asked.

"Arr, ya can't keep a good pirate down, Lassie."

"Then it looks like we need an extra punch." Ava said as she stood up and ran to cut Chunky's ropes.

"Nnooo!" Kruckers cried.

The muscular Kong cheered as he jumped behind K. Rool, charging his powerful Primate Punch and punching him with great force in the chest, sending the croc straight through the windshield and falling down below. The kids smirked in victory, but were disappointed once more when Kruckers activated his gun's rocket and started flying in front of them. "Oh, come on!" Kami shouted.

"D'arr, yeh won't have much luck hittin' me out here!"

"Guess again, Kremling Dude!" Suddenly, Funky Kong came surfing by them on his flying surfboard.

"Alright, Funky!" Dixie cheered.

"Not so fast!" Kruckers objected as he drew out two more blunderbusses in both hands, shooting the surfing Kong.

"Whooa!" Funky screamed as the shots hit, blowing him back in the ship and knocking him out.

"I'll handle this." Kami offered as she jumped on the surfboard and started flying after K. Rool herself.

The Drilovsky swiftly dodged as the pirate started firing more cannonballs, doing a barrel-roll and hitting one of them back, knocking the blunderbuss out of his right hand. He then fired homing balls out of the left blunderbuss which Kami turned and flew away from. She U-turned and flew back toward K. Rool as the cannonballs stayed hot on her tail, and the pirate's eyes widened when she reached him and instantly shot down, letting the balls crash into him, knocking away his other blunderbuss.

"Give up yet?" Kami smirked as she flew up and faced him.

"Arrr! Ye may best me, Lassie, but the Kremling Krew shall live on! Me brother has big plans, and yer gonna be helpin' 'im."

"Shyah right. I'm sticking with my aliens."

"Ahh. So it is yeh think. But Kroctus wants his apprentice, and I'll be just the kind brother to deliver her to him." With that, he drew out, charged the Darkness Cannon, and fired directly at Kami, knocking the human out.

"KAMI!" Ava screamed as Kami fell off the surfboard.

"HAR HAR HAR!"

Ava immediately tossed one of her swords and stuck it through Kami's shirt collar, calling the sword back and bringing Kami up with it. Afterwards, she tossed and spun the other sword at Kruckers, slicing the blunderbuss, which he rode as a rocket, in half. The pirate watched with dismay as the rocket engine fell to the sea. He looked up and gulped before he was sent falling himself. "WAAARRRGH!"

Kaptain Kruckers splashed in the sea and swam to the surface. The terrified Kremling then noticed four sharks circling around him, holding up a sign that said 'Not Again' before sinking beneath the sea, the four sharks coming after him.

"Well, that should finish him off." Ava figured as the Kongs got back in the ship, looking worriedly at Kami's unconscious form on the floor. "Poor Kami. What's gonna happen now?..." (End song.)

_Kami awoke and found herself surrounded by darkness. "Huh? What's happening?" she asked, frantically looking around. "Ava? Kweeb?"_

_"Aww, wook at wittle Kami calling out for her wittle fwiends."_

_"Huh?" she turned and saw, much to her misery, Olivia Johnson. "Oh great. That's just what I need, a dream with _you_ in it."_

_"And you think I enjoy being here? Talking to a miserable excuse for a _human_. This entire time, all you've hung out with is aliens and animals, the only type of people your kind can cope with."_

_"Well, apparently you missed my other conversation with King Whatshisface. I have plenty of other human friends besides them. And besides, Ava and Kweeb are the best friends I could've asked for."_

_"That's because all you can ask for is freaks and inhumans. Any _normal_ person would know they're no good. Preferably someone like me. But… no. You'd rather hang around with a bunch of freaks. It's too bad, Kami. We could've been friends."_

_"Friends with you? ? You're more mutated than any alien could ever be."_

_"At least I know how to live with humans, and eat human food. Whilst you can't help but dine on that ever-so luscious squidburger. Before ya know it, the military's gonna mistake you for one and lock you up, too."_

_"That's not true! I can be friends with them and STILL be human!"_

_"Keep telling yourself that, Kami Dear. Ah HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"_

"Oh, Kami?" Kweeb called, standing on her sleeping face and knocking the spot between her eyes as they opened. "Wake up."

"I'm awake!" she yelled, angrily smacking the tiny alien off. "And get your puny self off me."

"Yep, she's awake." Kweeb said as Ava picked him up.

"You okay? Are you hurt?" Ava asked her.

"Duh. What, you aliens go into panic every time someone gets shot by a harmless gun?"

"Er… well, guns aren't often harmless, so…"

"Well, I'm fine. Don't get your antennas in a tangle."

"O-kay…" Ava replied, feeling unsure. "Well, we rescued Chunky Kong."

"Whatever."

"Uh-huh." Dixie looked disbelieved. "Then all that leaves is Lanky. I say we fly back to DK Isles and see if Cranky knows something."

"We can probably ride this ship there and use it to get past any more Kremlings on our way." Ava suggested as she stepped toward the controls.

"Sounds good to me!" Kweeb cheered, jumping off her hands and kicking back in one of the rotatable chairs. "More room to relax!"

"Tell me about it." Kami replied sassily, jumping in that same seat and crushing Kweeb under her butt, while her feet rested on the control counter.

_"OHH. Irk… K-Kami? You're crushing me."_ Kweeb grunted, reaching his arm out from under her.

"Shouldn'ta been in my seat."

Ava gave a light giggle. "Okay, Kami, you can get up now."

"Nuh-uh. I ain't lettin' that shrimp hog this seat."

_"Oh. Still can't breathe."_

"Kami, seriously, he's suffocating, so you should probably get off."

"Not my fault that he's so tiny. You shoulda got him a dollhouse or something."

_"Ack! Kam-i…"_

"Kami, get off of him!"

"In a minute, I gotta let loose." And with that, Kami released a "POOOOT".

_"MMMM! ! !"_ Kweeb was trying more desperately to get away.

"Ooh-oh." Donkey quickly ran over and lifted Kami off the seat, allowing Kweeb to take a breath.

"Hey, put me down!" Kami yelled, bashing DK's head and making him drop her.

"What is with you? !" Ava shouted as DK grumpily scratched his head.

"What's with me? ! I didn't come on this trip just for a bunch of aliens to tell me what to do!"

"Well, if I didn't 'tell you what to do', Kweeb woulda died under yo' big stanky butt."

"Well, if he was as big as a regular human, maybe I wouldn't've sat on him."

"Well, he's not a human, and frankly I'm glad he isn't, if he were acting like one that you are right now."

"Well, apparently you're glad he's tiny 'cause you probably wanna dine on him, 'cause that's what you aliens do is dine on small living creatures like that squid."

"Actually, I'm a little surprised that you didn't take him to a science lab by now to be dissected, seeing as that's what you humans do in movies."

"You're not so cool either, Big-ears. I'm surprised you didn't use those swords to cut off my brains by now and drink them with a bendy straw."

"Maybe I should, and replace it with the one you clearly lost moments ago."

"And maybe I should take Kweeb to my school's science classroom for dissection, and see what gives his mind the idea that being small is so great."

"Alright, girls, maybe we should head back to shore and-" Kweeb tried to say.

"Shut that li'l mouth of yours before I stick you to some tape!" Kami yelled.

"HEY, don't talk to him like that! It's not his fault you suddenly turned all pissy." Ava retorted.

"I didn't even ask to be teamed with a bunch of aliens in the first place! Let alone hairy apes. You know what, take me back, I want off this garbage truck."

"Fine!"

**Cleveland Beach**

In a few moments, the ship flew to Cleveland Beach as Kami angrily stomped off. "There! Enjoy living with 'real people that befit you' rather than a couple monsters." Ava shouted.

"I will! Enjoy dining on living squids and eating bug cereal."

"We will! Good-bye!"

"FARE-WELL!" Kami just watched as they took off in the Flying Krock, leaving her to angrily walk away.

"Well, the bad news is, Kami's a jerk." Ava said, going back to the ship's controls. "The good news is, we saved another Kong. So, let's get back to DK Island and talk to this Cranky guy." And as they flew, Kweeb only looked back in Kami's direction with an upset look.

* * *

><p><strong>Oi me god, meh butt hurts. So, yes, the main focus of this part of the quest is basically fighting for 'mutant freedom', hence why it's called the Freedom Saga. And the main antagonist will be Commander Gunkan. But the name 'Freedom Saga' actually has another meaning to it, which we won't find out 'til the end (try and guess until then ;) ). And yes, the next Firstborn will be Mew, who is a Psychic Spirit, but I think the only elements we'll be focusing on is mostly Air and Earth, and it won't be so much about 'getting the Firstborn', rather than just the main focus of this part (we still get it, it's just not much to do with this). So, next time, we will see how the rest of the separated crew is doing, and we'll continue. By the way, credit to Drake Bell for that awesome song. ;) Later.<strong>


	49. Krazy Krocs and Wicked Witches

**I wonder what Nolan will think of this Anti-metahuman thing? Well, let's find out. ;)**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Lucinda's Awaken. Across the Winding Skies.<em>**

**News Station**

"Evil monsters invading your homes? Freaks and metahumans attacking your private businesses?" The anchorwoman spoke as the TV showed pictures of Bulblins breaking into a store and the Toiletnator sticking his head out of a toilet in someone's bathroom. "Well, have no fear! Because everyone's favorite military is on the case!"

"That's right, Karen." The anchorman spoke. "For our Guardian Units of Nations, or G.U.N. for short, is currently hard at work putting those metahumans in their rightful place."

"Led by your caring and fearless Commander, Brett Gunkan." An image was shown of the strict, tyrannical commander himself.

"Uh-oh. We've already got a report on a chase down at Miracle City, Mexico. Let's check it out."

**Miracle City**

_"Yes, Ted, the GUN Troopers are currently on the trail of a strange, tiger-dressed child carrying some blue-haired girl with red goggles, about the same age, using some kind of extendable chain arms."_ The screen showed a vision of the Mexican city as the anti-hero, El Tigre, swung from building-to-building, holding onto his friend, Frida, as several Cop Cars and GUN Beetles chased them.

"WOOHOO! THIS IS AWESOME!" the tiger boy cheered.

_"Yes, the tiger-mutant child is progressing at rather high speeds, but our GUN Troopers seem to have them cornered."_

The children swung into an alleyway and crashed face-first into a wall. They fell to the ground and recovered, turning to see they were surrounded from all directions. "Freeze. Do not attempt to escape or we'll chop off your arm." A soldier ordered as some of them drew out darksabers.

"Pfft, good luck!" Frida retorted cockily. "Manny's arm is extendable. It'll just grow back! Watch!" With that, she grabbed his left arm and used his claws to cut off his right arm.

"EEEYOOOWWWW!"

"Whoops." Frida blushed, giving an embarrassed look.

"Get 'em!" The GUN Troopers immediately started beating the children.

Manny's father, White Pantera, dressed in his white suit and red panther mask, ran by and shouted, "MANNY!"

"Hey, you, FREEZE!" Some GUNs aimed at him.

The hero looked down at his shoes and said, "Feets: don't fail me now!" The speedy man dashed away at high speed as the military gave chase.

"Eyewitness reports have also reported their _own_ inhuman sightings." The anchorman continued. "We now go live to Brad Punchbeef live in Jamaica. Brad?"

**Outside Sector J**

The scene switched to the buff news reporter, Brad Punchbeef, standing on the beach outside of Sector J's treehouse. "Well, Ted, I am standing out here outside this totally unsuspicious treehouse, where a group of snot-nosed kids claimed they saw some aliens."

The reporter held his microphone by Numbuh 1-Love as he spoke. "It's true, Mon. Dere was dis raccoon sheila earlier, and dese other two aliens: a girl with big ears, and a really little one, Mon, and dey were hangin' around wit' de Arctic Base Nurse."

"People everywhere are ordered to report any type of sightings." Ted spoke. "Those who do may have a big reward waiting for them."

**Peach Creek Cul-de-sac**

The scene switched to the Peach Creek Cul-de-sac, where Eddy was talking with a GUN Trooper. "So, yeah, we fell in this forest with a bunch of these ghosts, and there was this teenager that could turn into a ghost. She yells, 'I'M GOING GHOST', and poof, there she goes. Alright, now pay up!" The soldier reached in his pocket and took out a quarter, dropping it in Eddy's open hands as the greedy boy's eyes widened with excitement.

"Hey, look, Eddy!" Ed called, using his incredible strength to hold up two houses. "I can pick up two houses at the same time!"

"Hey, no child could have that much strength!" a soldier yelled. "Get 'im!" The soldiers immediately started beating Ed up.

Double D ducked as small bits of debris flew at him from the beating, with one of them ripping his hat off and exposing what's underneath. "Hey, that's not natural!" another soldier shouted. "Get 'im!" the sock-head Ed boy ran away as well. Eddy quickly activated his helicopter hair and flew away as soldiers spotted and chased him.

**Jungle area**

The scene switched to another reporter standing by Dora the Explorer, along with several more GUN Troopers. "Ted, we've just encountered this strange little Spanish girl walking around in the woods with no adult supervision, but rather a _talking monkey_?"

"Yo y Botas íbamos a salir y explorar, hablando con muchos animales que hablan fresco y hablando a un público invisible!" the girl bragged happily.

"…Uh-huh." A GUN said, totally confused. "Alright, just kill it." The other soldier did as told and broke the monkey's neck.

**Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends**

The TV then showed Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, tons of troops surrounding the home as they led the poor imaginary friends inside GUN trucks. "WAAAH! WAAAH!" the purple beast, Eduardo cried a storm of tears.

"Um, I'm sorry, but, is this really civilized?" Wilt asked, having to crouch as he entered a truck.

"I say! Stop this at once!" Mr. Herriman demanded, hopping into a truck. "I demand to be taken to court to settle this matter."

"Augh! Hey, why are you taking me? I'm not imaginary!" Mac yelled.

"Please, NO ONE has block heads like that." A soldier replied.

"WHEEEEE!" Cheese joyfully screamed, running frantically outside as soldiers tried to chase him.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, COPPERS!" the blue blob, Bloo cried, cockily running from the troops. When he turned his head back and smirked at them, he ran into some other troops, who grabbed and shocked him with a Taser, knocking him out and dragging him to a truck.

**Chip Skylark's Concert**

The scene switched to a concert held by the teen singer, Chip Skylark, thousands of women (and Timmy's Dad) cheering away as the boy danced and sang. "Shiny teeth that SPARKLES! Just like the stars in spaaace!" He showed off his sparkling white teeth. "Shiny teeth that SPARKLES, just like a Christmas Tree."

A bunch of soldiers in GUN jeeps swerved into the area as one yelled, "No human can have teeth that shiny! ARREST HIM!" The thousands of people ran and screamed as the troops fired bullets all over the area, destroying the stage as Chip Skylark ran for it.

**Quahog City Hall**

"The military is also receiving quite the bit of support. Namely from public figures." Ted said as the screen showed Mayor Adam West, the mayor of Quahog, at City Hall for a town meeting.

"I still remember many months ago, those two freaks connected by the shoulder, running around here as if they belong with us." Adam West spoke with a spiteful tone. "Same goes for that other inhuman group, who called themselves 'Prospectors'. As Mayor of Quahog, it will be an honor to put away any type of metahuman scum that I can."

"But Mayor West, isn't it true that you were born as part-cat, which allowed you to star in the hit series, 'Catman'?" a journalist asked.

Adam West's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to plan his next move. "…Adam West AWAYYY!" The mayor took off flying for the sky.

**Final Brain**

_"If you see someone doing something unnatural, a girl hanging out with aliens, a girl with raccoon or cat ears, or someone who looks plain weird, call 1-800-I-just-saw-someone-do-something-freaky-or-unnatural-so-I'm-calling-this-number-to-report-what-I-saw-"_

"ERR!" Nolan angrily fired a missile and destroyed the TV in front of their couch, panting heavily. "I am so ANGRY! !"

"Yes, I could tell by your 'destruction of the TV'." April replied.

"They're arresting innocent people! Just because they think they're monsters! GOD, that really pisses me off!"

"Hm, well seeing as how Brain wants you to be angry anyway, this is a good thing." Midna remarked, floating near the ceiling.

Danika placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Come on, Nolan, maybe we need a little break from TV. Let's go for a wal-" She stopped herself, remembering Nolan's handicap. "Jump ro-… Kickba-… uhh-"

"Yeah, thanks, Danika, I get the point." The boy sighed. "Let's just… go with a walk downtown, I guess." With that, Midna retreated into Danika's shadow as the three of them left down the hall.

Watching them leave from a dark side of the hall was Lord Gnaa, standing with Brain, Ganon, and Bane & Aurra. _"Hm, those soldiers are already proving to be quite useful."_

"Indeed, Nolan is starting to look like a real Sith." Brain said. "He will be just the way I once was back in the day."

"But we still want the military destroyed, do we not?" Bane asked.

_"Yes, we do. But at the moment, I have a mission for you two."_ The Negatar pulled out his Darkness Cannon and handed it to the Duro. _"Find Morgan and shoot her with this cannon again. It seems the message did not entirely reach her last time. But with the added powers of my Keyblade to this one, our plans can surely progress."_

"As you command, My Lord." The two bowed. "But those Ed boys aren't the only ones who want pay around here." With that, the two hunters left for their ships.

"By the way, Lord Gnaa, you still haven't told us what you planned to do with such a weapon." Brain said, indicating his Keyblade.

_"This Keyblade will play a vital role in our plans. In fact, Rumpel should have called by now."_ A communicator in his pocket then rang. _"Ah. Speak of the Elfin devil."_ He pulled it out as Rumpel's face appeared.

_"Hey, hey, Lord Gnaa, it's the Rump Man! Listen, I got everything set up for our little 'project'. Meet me at the Cauldron Keep on Planet Avalar. I'll send you some coordinates. See you then!"_ The screen switched off.

_"Hm. Excellent. I'll see you gents later. If what he has planned is efficient, the Darkness will rise before long."_ The Dark Master then waved his hand and opened a dark portal before him, proceeding to step inside.

"Hmmm… well, I do believe I'll tend to my own projects." Ganon decided, leaving Brain to himself.

"…So… Brett is still angered from my childhood prank." The Sith said to himself. "But his methods are proving to be quite useful. I believe I should pay him a visit."

**Outside Sector K**

_When Virginia Sims awoke from her crash, all she saw was darkness. Drifting through a nightmarish void with no one or nothing in sight, only a grey, big-nosed face that gave a wicked cackle before chomping her in its mouth._

"HUFF!" She suddenly awoke from her nightmare, finding that she and Bartie landed on a street in some neighborhood.

"Ohh…" Bartie groaned as he awakened. "Hey, Ginny. What happened?"

"Oh, Bartie… I think we fell out of that hyperspace… and ended up here."

"And _here_ is…" The two looked up and saw a familiar treehouse. "We're at your sector." The Communications Officer stood and helped his friend up.

They then heard a car engine and turned to see some soldiers in a GUN buggy driving up to them. "Afternoon, kids. You haven't seen any inhuman scum around this area, have you? We got a tip that said there was one around here…"

Virginia was a tad stunned by this. They couldn't be talking about her, could they? "Ummm…, none that I know of. Sorry."

"Okay. Just call us if you see anything." With that, troopers drove off.

"O-kay… that was weird."

"Yah. Anyway, your team's probably worried about you by now. And I should probably get up to Moonbase." Bartie suggested as they started walking in.

"Wait, Bartie." She stopped them. "Can I… go with you? To be honest… my team never really cared about me that much. They sort of think I'm a freak. No surprise, huh?"

"That's crazy, Ginny!" Bartie chuckled as they entered the treehouse, walking up to the living room. "Why would your team… huh?" They stopped when they noticed the Sector K Team huddled around as their leader talked in a phone.

"Hello?" Numbuh 21; Richard Toms, spoke. "Yes, we know one of those 'freaks' you're talking about. Her name's Virginia Sims. She hasn't been here in a while, but she has…" The other operatives turned and noticed the two standing in the doorway. Numbuh 24 tapped Richard's shoulder, the blonde leader turning and seeing them as well. "Oh… uh, hi, Ginny! You're back!"

"Were you trying to turn me in to the military? !" the goth shouted.

"N-no! No! We were just, uh, GET HER!" The operatives whipped out weapons and shot at them, but Virginia rolled away and fired spanking hands at her traitorous friends. She blew Shadow Breath at the team and blinded their sight as Bartie walked over and knocked them all out with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R..

Afterwards, the two tossed their unconscious bodies in a closet and locked them up. "I'll think up a punishment for them later." Bartie said hatefully, brushing his hands off. "Let's take a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and head for Moonbase."

The two did so moments later and took off from the treehouse, heading out of the atmosphere. They switched on the mini TV, which showed the news broadcast about the Anti-inhuman Revolution. "So, that's what's happening." Bartie observed. "They're arresting metahumans and giving people rewards for turning them in."

"Those no-good jerks." Ginny said angrily.

"Don't worry, Virginia. We'll head up to Moonbase and see if we can straighten this out with the other operatives."

"I hope so…" But Virginia couldn't get the nightmare out of her head. She had a bad feeling about what was to come.

**Desert region in Africa**

The three Hedgehog siblings continued their venture across the desert, still wondering where to head next. "SONIC!"

The three shot their attention to the right. "Blaze?"

The purple feline princess was trapped in a tight hole in the ground, with only her head and fingers sticking out. "As much as I dislike seeking help from others… please help me."

"Hehehe." Sonic snickered. "At least you don't have to worry about your fear of heights."

"Sonic…" she gritted her teeth.

"Okay, just hang on." The three hedgehogs went and gripped her fingers to try to pull her out. They pulled as hard as they could, but she seemed tightly glued to the hole.

"STOP IT! You're going to pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming!"

"Alright, let me try something." With that, Sonic stepped back and spun into a pinball, shooting and digging beneath the ground and popping up beneath Blaze, pushing her out of the hole. The hedgehog landed on his feet as he held Blaze above him in both hands.

"Thank you, Sonic… now put me down."

"Right. Sorry." He did so and set her down.

"Well, looks like we weren't the only ones getting out of trouble." Rachel spoke as she and her friends arrived, catching the animals' attention.

"All right!" Sonic cheered. "Finding everyone else should be a piece of cake now!"

"I don't suppose you would know where to head next?" Blaze asked.

Rachel looked at her Marauder's Map and looked left, already seeing the sandstorm in the distance. "E-yep. We have to head that way. There's some place called the Sky Pillar in the middle of that storm. I'll also need an airbender to help me get up there."

"Sky Pillar, huh?" Sonic queried. "Sounds interesting. Alright: I can get us up there. Let's go!" The seven then began their journey toward the sandstorm.

**Roxas, Philippines**

Violet and the Interesting Twins had crashed into a dank alleyway. Violet was the first to awaken, as she asked, "Where are we?"

They heard footsteps and looked toward the street. Violet's brown eyes widened with joy, seeing who it was. "Bruce! !"

"Violet!" the Sector Z Leader was grabbed in the werecat's hug.

She licked his nose lightly and asked with a wide smile, "How did you find us? ? Where are we?"

"You're in Roxas; a city in the Philippines. I wanted to look for you, and I was about to go ask Sector R for help. …But then I saw something fall from the sky, and… heh heh. Talk about lucky!"

"You mean Sector R is here?" Yin asked. "That was Matthew's old sector…"

"Why did you decide to look for us now?" Violet asked.

"Well, because…" Bruce put on a more serious look as he pulled out a newspaper, showing it to them. "Take a look. It says the G.U.N. has started the 'Anti-inhuman Revolution'. They and all their supporters are tracking down any bender, alien, or metahuman they can find. And yet, they are _also_ receiving help from Star Wolf. If anyone sees those cat parts on you, we'll be in big trouble…"

"Well, what am I supposed to do? It's not like I can just hide them…"

"You two wait here." Yang told them. "We'll go look for something to help you hide."

"Shopping!" Yin cheered. "Let's go, Yang!"

The Twins came back many moments later as Bruce and Vi hid behind a dumpster. "Well, we have something." Yang said, handing Vi a bandana and some khaki cargo shorts. Violet wrapped the bandana around her hair and cat ears and put the shorts on over her jeans and tail.

"It's not much, but it works." Yin said.

The four were able to safely walk down the street with Violet's cat features gone unnoticed by the townspeople. "God, I am so angry right now." The werecat mumbled hatefully.

"Cheer up, Vi." Bruce smiled. "If we're lucky, Sector R will let us in and you won't have to wear that disguise."

"It's not about the disguise. I'm angry that metahumans have to hide like this at all. People shouldn't be afraid to show who they are just because they're different. One of the things I HATED about that Rourke guy was how he concealed himself like that. It's not about who you are on the outside, it's what on the INSIDE that counts."

"Well, I'm sorry we have to do this, Violet, but it just isn't safe at the moment. But hey, one of our goals was to change this world for the better, wasn't it? By the end of this, people won't have to worry about feeling different and get to be who they are."

Violet still looked aggravated. "Sigh… I hope you're right."

From the darkness of another alley, another female figure glared at them with sharp green eyes. "Oh, but they'll see the monster in you either way…"

**Somewhere else in the Philippines; Mika's neighborhood** (Play the "Prologue" Theme from _Beauty and the Beast_.)

In the neighborhood of another town in the Philippines, Rainier awakened and gripped his aching head as viewed his surroundings. He saw Mika unconscious close by and walked over to shake her awake. "Miky? Miky? Wake up."

"HAH." Mika shot awake and punched him in the nose, making him wobble back. "Rainier! I'm sorry!"

"Ow… it's okay." He grunted, holding his nose. "Nice fist. Any idea where we are?"

Mika studied the area, already feeling she's been here before. "Hey… we're in the Philippines. This is Lavender Town. …And there's my house!" she exclaimed, pointing at the abandoned house they had landed in front of.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah! Come on, let's go in!" The girl excitedly dragged him to the front door. They stopped and slowly slid the door open, peeking into the dark, quiet house. "Hello?..." The place still had the same furniture and other things since the last time Mika was here, but they were almost completely covered in dust.

"Hm. Place hasn't been well looked-after." Rainier noted, wiping some dust off with his finger.

"I haven't been here in 6 years. Everything's still the way we left it… except for the dust." Rainier followed her upstairs, where she led him into an old bedroom. "And here's my room!" She went beside her bed and stared at a picture of her 3-year-old self, sitting on her father's shoulders with her mom standing by him, all smiling happily.

"Your parents?" She nodded. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. But sometimes, I wonder what it would've been like if we didn't go on that cruise. They wouldn't have died, sure… but I also wouldn't've met Mewtwo. Or you." She gave a light smile. "Hm, we were always so happy together. It was almost perfect. And they always used to sing me this lullaby every time I went to bed. It went like this. Ahem:

_Batang maliit, malayang espiritu,_

_Pakawalan mo ang iyong puso._

_Huwag kang mawalan ng pag-asa sa kadiliman,_

_Pakawalan mo ang iyong puso._

It means something like, 'Let your heart roam free', or something."

"Hehe." he chuckled. Rainier then noticed another picture, of 3-year-old Mika smiling and hugging a blue doglike creature, with red eyes and a black mask. "What's that?"

Mika turned and noticed it. "Oh. That's Riolu. He's this weird ninja thingy that used to always come by our house and play with me." She lightly giggled. "My parents always said I was one of the most playful spirits in the world, and that's why he picked me to be his playmate."

"That's because you are."

"AHH!" they both screamed and turned behind them, seeing the Ghost of Time himself. "C-Clockwork! Uh… what are you-" Mika tried to ask.

"Excuse my intrusion. But I bring important information. The 4th Firstborn is very nearby. The quest is almost halfway complete. But greater darkness covers the future as a result. It's time we reveal the next Guardian." With that, he tossed a white Spirit Ball into Mika's hands.

"M…Me?"

"Head for the Isle of Aura just off the coast of here. There, you will find your path. Time Out." He opened a portal and vanished.

"…Huh. Guy don't say much, does he?" Rainier asked.

"Hm hm. Yeah, he's a weird guy. But he knows a lot. Come on, let's find us a boat."

As the two were exiting the house, a mysterious being watched them with bright blue eyes. "Mew…" (End song.)

**Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium**

"HELLOOO?" Numbuh 5 called, peeking into her uncle's office. "UNCLE FACILIER?"

They quietly stepped inside and viewed around the dark, cold, and frozen voodoo shop. "Look, there he is!" Kuki pointed, the team hurrying over to the frozen-solid witch-doctor, his face horror-stricken.

"Whoa. What happened to him?" Wally asked.

"We can ask him ourselves." Nigel decided as he held a flame in his hand, slowly thawing the Shadow Man out.

The ice slowly melted and faded away, and the voodoo man immediately gasped for breath. "Oh man… thank you, kids…" he panted, holding his chest.

"Uncle Facilier, what happened?" Abby asked.

"It was Rumpel. He came into mah shop with this scary-lookin' kid dressed in all black. He had these weird ice powers that he used to freeze me solid. And then they took something dangerous! A Genie Lamp that contained a horrible monster!"

"Wait. You mean that same Genie Lamp you showed us the very first time we came here?" Abby asked.

"That one you said had the genie we 'didn't want'?" Wallabee remembered.

"Yes. It warn't no ordinary genie. It was the Shadow of Lucinda."

"Lucinda? Who's that?" Kuki asked.

"She's a witch, man. A bad, baaad witch. Space-witch, to be more precise. She used to be a wicked fairy that lived on Planet Avalar, using her incredible magic to enchant people with evil spells and curses. One day, the Fairy Council of Galaxia finally had her banished, and she went into exile on Planet Dathomir. Ooh, but get this: she was Rumpel Stiltskin's teacher!"

"! !" The five gave wide gasps. "So, THAT'S why he's so clever." Wally figured.

"Cleverer than you, probably." Abby remarked.

"HEY! !"

"Mm-hm." Facilier nodded. "But there was a reason her magic was so great. She was a shadowbender, and like any shadowbender, her power came from the bond between her and her shadow. But her shadow wasn't like any other, oh no. Her shadow… is the one of _Maleficent's_."

"Maleficent?" Nigel asked.

"Maleficent was another evil fairy on Avalar, who was also a shadowbender. And when she died, she was sent to Underworld Court where they decided she'd blend in with the other Shadow Demons down there. But when they turned her into one, her dark powers allowed her to escape the Underworld and run to find her own host. And so, she found Mother Talzin, aka Lucinda. She gave Lucinda her magical powers, which she used to grant all the 'wonderful' gifts to the people. But really, they were horrible curses. She was blinded by her own black magic, blinded from seeing all the horrible things her spells have been doin'. When she was finally banished, they ripped the shadow from her. Ya see, not only does a shadow give the bender power, but if someone don't got a shadow, they can't EVUH get in the sunlight. Otherwise, they'd turn ta dust. That's why Lucinda fled ta Dathomir, where they IS no sun. As for the shadow, it was sealed inside a Genie Lamp. The lamp was then entrusted to Mama Odie to guard."

"But why did you have it?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"Ohh… here's the part I ain't proud to admit. After goin' ta Hogwarts for 7 years, an bein' Mama Odie's favorite student, Ah finally earned enough trust from her to give the lamp to me. She told me the story and how the shadow must _never_ be freed. So Ah hid it in mah voodoo shop." Facilier sighed depressedly and slouched back in his chair. "Mama Odie trusted me with that lamp, and I let Rumpel take it right out of my hand. Ah feel so ashamed…" His shadow patted his master on the shoulders in comfort.

"It's okay, Uncle Facilier." Abby smiled. "We'll get the lamp back AND stop Mother Talzin."

"But no doubt Rumpel wants to use Lucinda's magic to assist in Gnaa's plans." Nigel figured.

"We don't even know where to find them." Hoagie said.

"Ahem." At this, they all turned to the doorway, seeing the icebending duo known as the Ice Climbers. "Not to intrude, but…" Popo began.

"We have an idea where Rumpel might be." Nana finished.

**Ashland, West Virginia**

Kami continued her journey back to her hometown, having already cut through a forest and just about to enter a neighborhood. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed a group of GUN Troopers ride over to her on motorbikes, circling around her before stopping. "Kami Drilovsky?" one of them asked in a gruff voice.

"Yeah? Can I help you guys?"

"We received a source that claimed you were seen hanging around some aliens. Is this true?"

"Shyah, but I ditched those weirdoes. I'm heading home now."

"Even so, we'd like to take you to headquarters for questioning."

"No thanks." She replied snarkily, deciding to walk past the soldier.

The man grabbed her arm and said sternly, _"We insist."_

"Hey, get off me!" she yelled, smacking his hand off and running away. The soldiers flexibly flipped off their bikes and chased her, one of them leaping in front and dealing mini punches to both her arms, making them suddenly limp and unmovable. Another one ran and punched at her legs, stunning them and making her trip.

"That should keep her steady." The soldier said. "Let's take her back to Gunkan and-" He was stopped when a golden crown suddenly flew over and bashed his head, the soldier falling unconscious as the crown flew back like a boomerang to a green hand with white fingernails. Before the rest of them could react, a bunch of Tikis jumped out from bushes and started gnawing on the men's heads, screaming as they ran around frantically. The attack from the troopers caused Kami to slowly fall into sleep, and just as everything started to fade from her vision, she heard heavy breathing, and saw a fat, shadowed figure with a crown walking towards her.

**Hideout Helm; K. Rool's Throne**

Kami started to awake from the ambush, finding herself lying on a table in some mechanical base. On the wall beside her were pictures of the faces of 5 of the Kong members, excluding Dixie, and to her left was a rotatable chair turned away from her as some caped figure with a crown folded his fingers. "So, you're awake at last." King K. Rool spoke, turning his throne to face her, his pet Klaptrap resting in his lap. The Klaptrap hopped off as Kroctus stood and approached the table. "I must admit, Kami, you are a fascinating creature. Defeating both of my brothers."

"Oh, great." She said, unhappy. "_You_ again?"

"You should be more grateful to the one who just saved your bum. Those soldiers that attacked you were chi-blockers. GUN troops trained to attack the body's weak spots and henceforth cancel out their strength. A useful tactic when dealing against benders. Their bending abilities would be stopped temporarily. But when used against normal people like you, it can disable their arms or legs when hit in the right spot. Your feeling has returned to you now. But while the Darkness Cannon has manipulated your mind, it hasn't changed your tongue, it seems."

"The what?"

"The weapon that hit you. It has let you see your inner darkness. That so-called 'dream' you had was really a vision of your inner darkness in the form of someone you hate. Meant to bend and twist your mind so that you have the feelings you tried to keep away. And it worked, it seems."

"What are you talking about? I don't let anything anyone says ever get to me, especially Olivia."

"Hmm. That's what they _all_ say." Kroctus started, pacing around the table as he rubbed his fingers against it. "But nobody can truly take any insults without being the slightest bit offended. Deep down in your heart, you really felt that you were inhuman for hanging around a bunch of creatures of different species, and even thought those species' ways were strange. But you had a friendship with those creatures and never let such feelings get in the way." He shot his face closer to hers as he continued. "Until now. That's the beauty of Gnaa's powers." He pulled away. "Gnaa possesses the amazing ability to take even the teensiest bit of darkness in a heart, and manipulate it until it completely overfills the heart. Your friendships with them have been severed thanks to your inner feelings! MWEH HEH HEH HAR!"

Kami just looked away in anger and folded her arms.

"Oh… it's alright, Child." The Kremling assured, placing a hand on her shoulder as she looked back at him. "It's something we have in common, really. Your hatred isn't entirely for them because they are different. No, your hatred lies with something that's caused many battles within the animal kingdom for generations: _diversity_."

"What?" Kami looked baffled as Kroctus turned away, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Ever since my brothers and I were just little crocs growing up in a swamp, I have always wondered… why are cheetahs so fast and turtles so slow? Why do some fish live in salt water but others thrive in swamps? Why do they even only swim while birds can fly? Why are Ava's people as tall as humans, but Kweeb's people are so _teeny-tiny_? The answer…" he spun back around, "is diversity. And it has caused many struggles within our kingdom. Rabbits and turtles, cats and dogs, big fish and smaller fish, even many wars in the HUMAN world happened because people looked different. In fact, do you know why Lord Gnaa hates you so much?"

"Why?"

"It's because you're HUMAN, Kami!" he answered immediately, slamming his hands on the table. "A normal human. Not granted with amazing powers of elements. For years, he was tormented… because many regular types like yourself have taunted and shunned him, giving him his divine hatred for you people. He even ordered the death of one of Brain's former apprentices because he murdered someone who was 'different'. Diversity is a wretched thing, Kami. You and I can both see that. Which is why…" he stepped away from the table again, toward the other side of the room, "I brought you here today. To show you the true purpose of these Tikis."

"The things that needed the bananas?"

"Yes. They serve a much higher purpose than as simple toys for a little demon child. They are actually sacred relics. Designed by spirits of old to keep balance between such diversity. Turned to evil by Malladus Uno. And their ultimate source?" He pressed a button on the wall, opening a door on a window beside him that showed a room designed like the inside of a barrel. That room projected a hologram of a tower with a scary Tiki face, surrounded by lava. "Behold… _Leptys._ The ancient core of ALL animal spirits. Including those of human and alien species."

Kami rose a brow in curiosity.

"Legend has it that this tower contains the powers of _all_ the animal kingdom. Whoever were to possess it would possess the abilities of all creatures. Already, the Tikis are in my control. But there is just one key I lack: the Firstborn, Mew." The projection switched off the tower and showed the white catlike creature floating inside a bubble. "Mew is the Ancestral Spirit. One of every animal spirit is required to make the power work at its fullest. According to legend, Mew contains the spirits and DNA of all animal beings. With his power, I can truly awaken the Leptys. Then, all I'll need to control it is…" he spun back around and faced his desired apprentice, "_you._"

"Me?" Her eyes widened.

"Yesss… another thing we have in common, Kami, is how we both cope with many different species so well. I am the King of many different animals. And you can befriend beings from out of this world, and even devour such foods like squidburgers like it's nothing."

"I'm not the only human that has alien friends, you know."

"I know…" K. Rool said, beginning to pace around her table again. "But for you, it seems different, Kami. An intriguing creature who can surely control the Leptys by my side. Once the Leptys is in our control, diversity will be a thing of the past! We will be able to spread the power to everyone else, so that everyone can have the features of each of the animals! No one will ever be different, or be hated for being different, and true equality will reign throughout the cosmos for generations to come. And… _we'll_ be the center of it all." He spun around again and faced her. "Whaddya say?"

"Hold up, hold up. You're saying you want to make a world where EVERYONE has fish gills, wings, feathers, cheetah spots, tiger stripes, scales, ALL that stuff…"

"Think about it, Kami. It's the perfect plan! No one will EVER have to feel insignificant compared to anyone else. Doesn't that sound glamorous?"

"You… are… a crazy loon. There's no WAY a world like that can work out! That's the dumbest plan I heard in years!"

"Well, it's better than the Panther King's plan! 'Ooh, I'm gonna kidnap a red squirrel and use him as a leg for my table so I don't spill my milk.' Would you rather have that or listen to my awesome plan?" He turned back around. "But fine. Do whatever you like. Stay living in a world where aliens are hunted for being different. Where you're marked a criminal for associating with them, and made fun of by snooty schoolgirls because of it." Kami felt the hateful thoughts coming back, giving her an upset look. "If you sided with me, Kami… no one would have to worry about that. _Again_."

All of a sudden, the door to the throne room shot open. "What? Who's there?" Kroctus asked, whipping around. A bunch of shurikens immediately flew into the room, releasing smoke and fogging the whole place.

"Huh? WHOOA!" Kami screamed when a pair of arms wrapped around her and dragged her off.

Kroctus was finally able to blow the smoke away, seeing Kami gone. The Kremling King picked up one of the shurikens on the floor and sniffed it, his face becoming red with anger as he recognized the smell. "Hurrrr. TREASON! !"

**Gallagher Elementary**

Ever since the attack ordered by Bowser and his troops, and every student in Gallagher has been abducted, the school was quiet and empty, with only the sounds of wind blowing through the halls, and tumbleweeds bouncing around the school. The only soul who remained in these empty halls was a man who made tumbleweeds and tossed them all around the building.

The gymnasium had been left in almost total darkness, with the window curtains shut and the only light coming from the dimness of the ceiling lights. Within that darkness, Mother Talzin quietly paced around the chamber, her high-heel shoes making little clacks in the floor that echoed throughout the room, as she patiently awaited her young Elfin apprentice and the icebender.

She heard the doors suddenly creak open and turned to see them. "Ohhh… my dear, sweet Rumpel. You've returned to me…" Lucinda spoke tearily in her mother-like voice.

"I always keep my word, Dear Mother. And lo and behold, I have brought you what is yours…" Rumpel held up the lamp.

Lucinda gasped with joy. "My shadow's lamp! Quick, Rumpel! Rub it!"

"With pleasure." The elf smirked, proceeding to rub the dusty lamp.

The room flashed as black smog flowed out of the lamp, an eerie purple light lighting the gym. A pitch-black tornado spun out of the artifact, emerging a purple, paper-thin, snakelike womanly figure, with a golden crown and pink long hair. Talzin smiled at the spirit as the shadow grinned back, flying all around the room rapidly before crashing down beside Lucinda.

The three looked behind the space-witch as her shadow grew longer and longer, halfway up the gym walls before looking back down at her master, giving a Cheshire Cat-like grin. "Oh, my precious shadow…" Talzin teared as the shadow lowered down so the two could hug. "How awful it must have been for you… trapped within that lamp. I could not imagine a fate so awful."

"Yeah, yeah, but when you're done getting all huggy with your shadow, I think you owe me something." Yuki reminded.

"Ah, so anxious. Very well. Come, Maleficent." Lucinda reached into her sleeve and pulled out an old, bent-up fairy wand with a little star at the tip of it. "After many long years, our very first gift!"

_"Yes, Master…"_ the shadow hissed.

Lucinda began to wave her wand as she spoke, "Ogre's finger and ear of troll. I give to you the Gift of Control. Let the powers of ice run through your veins. May you be able to use them with no disdain!" The star of the wand brimmed with magic as she raised it and prepared to cast. "Avada-KAZAM!" She cast the spell at Yuki, making him spark as the power surged through his body.

His black clothes were replaced with icy-blue ones, his shirt decorated with mini snowflake pictures, with one big snowflake in the center. Spikes were aligned down the sides of his pants, like icicles, and a ice-blue cape appeared on his back as he held an ice sword in his right hand, smirking as he swung it around. "Aw yeah! This is WAY better!"

Talzin smiled. "And that's not all. You're able to change the form of your weapon." Yuki tried this and smiled when his sword changed to a mace, an ax, a spear, a hammer, then back to sword. "Your new powers will surely give you the strength to help many, and win the respect of those who bullied you."

_"You're only half-right, Lady."_ Rumpel smirked through gritted teeth. "But now that we're done, let's start talking about a different matter. I'm sure you're aware of the _Heartless_, are you not, Lucinda?"

"Ah, the Heartless. I remember them well. My shadow was quite strong in controlling them during her time. Such poor, unfortunate dears."

"Poor and unfortunate indeed, Lucinda! But as such, it is known to us that you have the power to bring them back. And we need such power, Lucinda. For if the Heartless were to return, they would be free to roam the world and not have to spend eons trapped in darkness."

"Right you are as always, Rumpel. Nothing would do the job better than my magic."

"Precisely! Afterwards, we can discuss my ultimate plan to free you from your curse." He smirked.

"YAH!" Before they could react, the Ice Climbers swung into the room on their rope, and KICKED Rumpel to the wall, flipping away from the villains as they shot glares.

"Naw way that's gonna happen." Facilier declared as he and Sector V ran in, aiming weapons.

"So, you must be Mother Talzin." Nigel figured.

"But who are you?" Kuki asked Yuki (hey, they rhymes!).

The icebender smirked as Rumpel answered for him. "This is Yuki Crystal. But you may refer to him as Numbuh 1-Ice, former Weapons Specialist of Sector IC, banished by the command of your Supreme Leader."

"What?" Nigel asked, surprised.

"Thanks to my selfless gift-giving, Yuki now has the power to teach bratty kids like yourselves some respect." Lucinda explained.

"Yuki, DESTROY THEM!" Rumpel ordered.

The boy flung his arms upward, sending two rows of icicles sticking out of the ground, the kids separating before they were struck. "We'll deal with Yuki!" the Climbers said in unison.

"Then Ah'll take Rumpel. You kids take Talzin, but be careful." Facilier ordered.

Everyone nodded and went after their respective opponents. The five operatives quickly surrounded the witch and aimed weapons. "Alright, hands in the air, Lucinda, and we'll let you keep your wings." Nigel ordered

"Such rude little children. You can't expect to have an old lady cornered that easy." With that, Talzin became a puff of green smoke and drifted several feet away before reemerging.

"E-yah!" Nigel cried, running to jump and kick her face, but Mother became a glowing green ball and flew circles around him, laughing as his eyes followed her, then reappearing further away from them.

"Ugh! Let's just shoot 'er already! RAAAHHH!" Numbuh 4 cried, unleashing a storm of gumballs from his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A., which Talzin protected against with a green barrier. The witch conjured green spells in her hands as she launched them at the kids, who ran around and kept trying to shoot her.

Yuki and the Ice Climbers launched ice rays at each other from their hands to keep the others' back, but Yuki stomped the ground and sent another icicle shockwave at them, splitting them up. "Come on, Yuki! What's the big idea?" Popo asked.

"I thought we were your friend!" Nana yelled.

"Heh, stupid twins. I never liked you, remember?" Yuki snarked, changing his sword into a ball-n-chain and swinging it at them. Popo caught the chain in both hands and used it to swing Yuki away. Yuki recovered, but tripped over some mini icebergs the twins sent.

Back with Talzin, the witch disabled her shield, allowing Nigel to fire his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. around her legs and make her trip. The witch cast a spell to release her binds and moved away as Hoagie was coming down on her with an aerial punch. The boy missed and ran to grab her again, but her shadow grabbed and threw him into Abby. She spotted Nigel throwing fireballs at her, but yelled, "CRUCIO!", aiming her wand and making the leader groan in pain as he fell to his knees. "GAH!" she yelped when an ice blast suddenly froze her hand; and her wand, glaring at a smirking Kuki Sanban.

"RAAAH!" She heard another cry and looked up at Numbuh 4, swinging down on a gym rope and kicking her face, knocking her across the room. He landed on his feet and started to run, but the witch phased her free arm through the ground, making it a shadow as it extended and grabbed the Aussie by the leg. She used her stretchy arm and swung him around, bashing him against the walls before hurling him into Nana, which distracted Popo's attention and allowed Yuki to push him with an ice blast.

The witch saw Kuki running toward her, quickly breaking her wand hand free of the ice before yelling, "IMPERIO!" She used her magic to make Kuki dance around in the air like a puppet. Abby was about to shoot her with an ice cream gun, but Mother tossed Kuki and knocked her away.

Rumpel and Facilier were still in their magical duel, in which the two used their magic to grab gym equipment and throw them at each other, or just tossed other spells. "Avis!" Facilier called, launching birds from his cane at Rumpel.

"Serpensortia!" Rumpel countered by unleashing snakes from his wand to eat the birds. "Locomotor Mortis!" He cast another spell that tied the taller man's legs. "Ahem, I'd like to keep doing this, but Mother, we really have to go."

"Very well then." Talzin agreed, blowing the kids away with her magic before conjuring a portal that showed a picture of a mountain with a mechanical tower. Just as she was about to step inside, she suffered an immediate shock when she touched it, blowing her back. "Nno!" the witch cried. "The banishment seal on me is still intact. I… _cannot_ return to Avalar."

Rumpel cast a stunning spell on Facilier and ran over to her. "But I can! Lend me your magic, Mother, so that I may further my plans."

Lucinda smiled at the Elfin. "You are a good boy, Rumpel. That is why, I give to you, the greatest of my gifts…" The witch stood up and touched her wand to Rumpel's, letting the energy flow into his. "My magic."

"Hey, Lady." Talzin looked down beside her to see Wally, who aimed and punched his S.L.U.G.G.U.H. at her face to make her wobble backwards. The Ice Climbers held their rope out and tripped her once more, and as she tried to stand up, the twins fired icicles to the ceiling, cutting ropes that hung the pull-up rings and making them fall and catch the skinny witch.

"Way to go, yo!" the couple cheered, giving a high-five.

"Well, aren't you a sweet pair." Talzin smiled, slipping her arms out of the rings. "I still have enough magic in my reserves for another gift. Letter M and Number 8. Never shall you two separate. May you ever share this wonderful bind. Of being together all the time! Hocus-POLOKUS!"

"WAAAH!" the children screamed when the spell hit them.

"AW NO!" Facilier screamed.

The kids shook their heads after the blast and stared at each other. When they got up and tried to walk away, they couldn't get inches away from the other before they were forcibly pulled back. The operatives gasped horribly. The wicked witch burst into a maniacal cackle, but stopped and gasped when she felt the energy draining out of her. "Huuuff… no… my magic…"

"You're running out of energy. Get out of here!" Rumpel ordered.

"Oh no you don't!" Nigel yelled as he and Sector V ran for the witch.

"LUMOS HEREM!" Lucinda used the last of her magic to unleash a blinding ray of sunlight, the kids shielding their eyes. Rumpel and Yuki hurried into the portal and vanished before the light disappeared, with Talzin nowhere in sight.

"Crud. She's gone." Wally grumbled.

"But now that her shadow's free, she'll probably come back." Facilier figured. "She's free to walk in sunlight now. But good thing her power's still limited."

"Too bad we couldn't save them." Kuki said sadly, looking at the Ice Climbers, who were still trying to get further away from each other, but couldn't.

"Aw, that's okay." Popo smiled.

"We're pretty much together all the time." Nana followed.

"Like the Interesting Twins." Abby remarked. "Speakin' of which, we gotta go look for the others. Any idea where to go next?"

"Well… there _is_ the Firstborn Spirit, Mew. But he lives all the way near Europe." Facilier answered. "But I ain't sure of his Guardian."

"Well, we have a lead, at least." Nigel said. "Kids Next Door, let's go."

**Africa; outside Sky Pillar**

The operatives and animals shielded their eyes as they slowly trekked through the wild sandstorm, following Rachel as she studied the Marauder's Map closely. The map showed locations of flags within the storm that served as their path, hoping to find where they needed to go soon. At long last, the storm was clearing from their path as they had finally reached the center. Their mouths widened at the sight of a tremendous tower in the center of a pit. The tower stretched all the way to the heavens and seemed to have various platforms and contraptions around it.

"Hey… I remember this place." Sonic spoke. "It was in a dream of mine."

Fi came out and reported, _"Master, you stand at the foot of Sky Pillar. It is a sacred tower that leads to the realm far above the clouds, to the great land of Skypia, where the original airbenders reside and live under the care of Rayquaza."_

"The Sky Pillar… just like King Bulblin said." Rachel remembered.

"Then Ganondorf's troops are up here?" Patton asked.

"Then I guess we better see what they're up to." Sonic figured. "The rest of you stay here. Rachel, hold on tight."

"Oh, thank God…" Blaze sighed, relieved she didn't have to go up such a high place.

"Ditching us again, Bro?" Manic inquired.

_"And we'll settle this later."_ Sonic gritted as Rachel wrapped her arms and legs around him. "Ready to go for a ride?" Rachel gulped at the height of the Sky Pillar, but nodded anyway. Sonic immediately began dashing up the tall pillar. (Play "Sky Babylon Act 1" from _Sonic Rush Adventure_.)

_Stage 44: Sky Pillar_

_Mission: Find the Sky Spirit, Rayquaza._

_Act 1_

Sonic dashed up the steep slope that led to the tower, rapidly running around a spiral pathway before having to Home Attack off a line of Peahats. At the end of the row, Rachel grabbed onto a zipline, with her legs still wrapped around Sonic, as the zipline sped them up higher. Sonic carried them further up a spiral pathway, having to Home Attack some Bokoblin in their way. At the end of the path was a row of floating platforms, which Sonic Boosted along before the platforms fell.

He stopped at a floating island and had to Home Attack across Bladed Spinners to another floating island, then Boosted over more falling platforms leading upward and continued up the tower. He stopped at a dead end which had two close walls that led upward, and also had a few flaming spots. Sonic Wall Jumped their way up the walls and was able to stay between the fires as they reached the top, then kept carrying Rachel up the path. They stopped at another dead end with seemingly no way to go, but Rachel pointed up another stairway of Peahats.

They were too high for Sonic to Home Attack, so he held onto Rachel as she used her Hookshots to latch onto them and make their way up and around the tower. She then latched onto a pole on a ledge on the side of the tower to pull them up, then Sonic used Tornado to make a whirlwind spiral around the pole and propel them up higher. At the top, they were blown into a hall inside the tower, then had to climb up several ladders and pathways.

They went back outside through another hall and found a series of poles that led higher. Sonic used his tornado to blow them up the first one, which blew them to the next, then the next, until they stopped at another ledge. They spotted a floating ball with a magic diamond inside and grabbed on, letting it carry them up. They carefully dodged any Bladed Spinners or Bulblin Archers shooting at them, reaching the next pathway as Sonic continued dashing.

They made it to another path of floating platforms and ran along before they collapsed, reaching a rail at the end and started grinding. They rode the rails further up the tower, having to jump gaps in the way to stay on. They made it back on the path as Sonic kept running, going up a ramp and carrying Rachel as he ran up the side of the tower. They hit a spring which hit them to a ledge with another floating ball, grabbing on and floating further up the tower. Lots of flames shot at them from the walls, so they carefully swerved and dodged. The ball flew up faster and faster until it stopped and popped at the next path.

They continued around the tower until they were finally at the very top, very close to the clouds. The top of the tower seemed overflowing with humongous tornados, Sonic holding onto Rachel as she was nearly sucked away, the girl keeping her arms wrapped around him. In the center of the tower was nothing more than an Evil Crystal, glowing its usual dark aura as it controlled the dangerous winds. Sonic fought through the winds and got them closer to the gem, allowing Rachel to swing her sword and vanquish the dark crystal, immediately ceasing the tornados.

Afterwards, a fan that was below the crystal activated and spun another tornado that blew through a hole in the clouds. The two jumped in and were instantly blown to the realm above. (Play "Sky Sanctuary Modern" from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Act 2: Skypia_

The wind rushed at incredible speeds as they zipped by all the clouds, the light growing brighter. Finally, all the dark clouds lay below them, as the bright blue sky, and the vast ocean of white clouds lay in their wake. They were in the wonderful Sky Realm of Skypia. Hundreds of thousands of Sky Islands filled the heavens, and the Nimbis; angel-like beings with heart-shaped wings and whitish-yellow skin, soared across the clouds, alongside huge, horse-sized birds with colors of the rainbow.

Sonic the Hedgehog felt the rush of excitement, smiled widely, while Rachel could only look in fear, being thousands of feet in the sky. "WAAAAAH!" Sonic paid her fear no mind and dashed down the long, steep slope that lay before them. The slope make a tight curve along the bottom, leading to a ramp, and the hedgehog WHOOSHED up that ramp and landed on the first of many Sky Islands. Sonic began to rush by the small town as the many Nimbi citizens waved at him. Sonic ran a wide left turn and ran down some steps, to what looked like a small pier. Sonic decided to hop onto one of the huge birds parked there; a blue one, as they began to ride him across the heavens.

Rachel held tight to the bird, for one slip would guarantee her demise. But Sonic kept his head up, for the rushing winds just made him more excited. However, Kargaroks began to fly at the two with Bulblin Archers riding them. Rachel finally sat up and started to shoot arrows back, but as the monsters whooshed by, their bird had to make a sudden dive down, and Rachel gripped tight. The bird flapped back up as Rachel felt the rush, her smile returning as she flung arrows at any more monsters.

They finally took land on another Sky Island, as Sonic lifted Rachel in his arms and sped along a pathway between some temples. They hopped several high ledges using springs before Sonic dashed across a very thin pathway, in which the road crumbled as he went. That path led to a small platform, and Sonic did a quick turn right and crossed another crumbling bridge, reaching a larger Sky Island that was bustling with Nimbi citizens. The angels were forced to run, er, fly, when Moblins took land and began to terrorize them. Rachel angrily hopped out of Sonic's arms and ran at the first Moblin, clashing its spear before flipping overhead and dealing a Parry Attack. Two Moblins defended with spears when Sonic tried to Home Attack, but the hedgehog easily zipped behind and knocked them out.

Two Moblins charged at Rachel with spears aimed, but she smirked and flipped above to make the two stab each other. Sonic grabbed Rachel and kept running as he carried her, allowing her to slice any Moblins they ran by. At the end of the road, three Fatblins stood guard before a pathway. Sonic ran and kicked off the first's shield, while he flung Rachel overhead so she could stab the Fatblin until it was down. The next Fatblin charged at Sonic and stabbed its spear, but the hedgehog ducked, spun in a pinball, and shot up the Fatblin's face, making him face upward, then the hedgehog proceeded to Spin Dash his side and push him over the chasm. Meanwhile, Rachel was struggling to keep back the spear of the third Fatblin, using her sword, but Fi leapt out of Rachel's sword and startled the monster, allowing her to easily get behind and slice it to death. Rachel smiled in gratitude, and Fi smiled back.

The spirit returned to the sword as Sonic grabbed Rachel and dashed across another crumbling pathway. This led to a lone, small platform with another large bird was perched. The two hopped on the bird and flew further across the expansive realm, to an enormous, bustling Sky Island in the distance. There were giant, winged worms, called Skytails, flying at them from the opposite side, but they easily flew past the monsters, forcing them to about-face and chase them. The worms were about to gnash at their bird's behind, but Rachel and Sonic smirked and made the bird brake, tricking the Skytails to flying ahead, allowing them to ram their weak tails.

The two leapt off the bird and landed firmly on the Sky Island's ledge. Sonic grabbed Rachel and jumped up the steps as more Nimbi citizens waved. Sonic noticed the Red Ring above the fountain in the center, so Sonic jumped into the spout of white water and flung upward, grabbing the ring. There was nowhere to go, but there was a set of tall stairs leading up along the right of the island. They jumped up the stairs and reached a set of three rails, grinding across the island's ground and jumping off at the left side. There, they bounced up some flat, bouncy clouds and reached another rail, which they rode to another collapsible path.

After dashing across, a spring on a small platform flung them over to a gigantic Sky Whale, and before their eyes, a fleet of Sky Whales lay in their wake. Sonic began to run and jump across the many heavenly, white whales. Since they were flying the opposite way he was running, Sonic was careful not to slip and fall off. At the final whale, there was a small platform with another spring, which Sonic bounced off to land them on another island. (End song.)

The minute they set foot on this island, they immediately noticed something odd. "Hey… they are humans!" Rachel exclaimed. Indeed, the inhabitants of this island had peach-colored skin, but no wings.

"And hey!" Sonic spoke, stomping the ground a few times. "This is solid earth! All the other islands we ran across were made of cloud."

Fi jumped out of Rachel's sword to confirm this. _"Master Rachel, I have some information you may like to hear: we stand now on Skyloft. Formerly a town on the earth before the gods of old moved it to the heavens. This land beneath your feet was where the first incarnation of your ancestor, Link, was born and raised."_

"So, this… was Link's hometown?" Rachel asked, viewing the island with amazement. "Did the spirits create you here, too, Fi?"

_"They did… Master. This island is where I met Link… and served him until his journey ended."_

The three began to explore the Sky Island, glancing at the human and Nimbi citizens socializing with each other. "You know, we've actually been to Skypia once, but only so much." Rachel remembered. "I was glad we left because I was so afraid of heights. But… this place is incredible." They stood upon a ledge and overlooked a tremendous, dome-shaped cloud in the distance. "Like… this place is just _barely_ touching the Spirit World. I couldn't imagine anything terrible about this place…"

Sonic whistled, arms behind his head, "Ah'll say. Sure reminds me a whole lot of home."

"Whatchu mean?"

"I never mentioned this, but we were actually raised on a Sky Island. Knuckles was, too; but he still lives on his. Heheheh. But I learned that I love the _ground_ better. But as long as we didn't have to worry about oceans…"

_"Yes. This realm appears to have a powerful sense of magical atmosphere."_ Fi observed. _"Seeing Skyloft again has awakened so many memories. I wonder if…"_

"Wonder if… what?" Rachel inquired.

Fi thought for a moment. _"…Jump… Master."_

"What?" she asked, promptly. "What do you mean 'jump', I'll fall right through the clouds."

_"Have faith, Master. Jump, and give a great whistle."_

"Yeah, Rachel." Sonic smirked, lifting her again. "Have faith." And with that, the blue hedgehog stepped back, ran, and leaped over the edge.

"WAAAAHHHHH!"

"AWW YEEAH! !" Sonic cried out, sticking his thumb and index in his mouth and giving a whistle.

A hawk cry came from the distance, and the two were suddenly rescued by a crimson-colored bird, as large as the other ones, and Rachel gave a bright smile as the bird carried them, the wind rushing through their hair once more. "Whoa-ho! Hello, Birdy!" Rachel exclaimed.

Fi flew up beside them and said, _"Master, the winged creatures you have encountered are known as Loftwing. They are what the humans who live upon Skypia use to soar the peaceful sky. It was their main means of transportation, similar to the horses of the earth. Ordinarily, the Loftwing has a strong bond with its master. And the Loftwing knows which rider is best for them."_

"Hehe. Good for me."

"So, not so afraid of heights now, are ya?" Sonic winked.

"Well… kind of. But not so much as before, I guess."

_"Soaring on the back of a Loftwing can ease any mind. When I look at you upon it, I am reminded so much of Link."_

"Hehe… if only I could be just as good as the original Link, huh?" Rachel chuckled.

_"Negative. You are equally as good, Master. If not better…"_

Rachel smiled. "Aw, thanks, Fi. Anyway, where's this Sky Spirit? We're supposed to be looking for it, right?"

_"I am sensing Rayquaza's presence within that massive thunderhead ahead."_ She indicated the humongous, dome ball of clouds ahead.

"Thunderhead ahead." Sonic repeated. "Well, that's easy to spot."

"Alright, Birdy, let's go." Rachel ordered. The bird gave another screech, flying closer to the massive thundercloud, further away from the Sky Islands.

The sky started to become a lot less sunny as they flew into the thunderhead. Lightning flashed as rain poured down rapidly. "Oh great. Water." Sonic frowned.

"Quit bein' a baby, and let's find that spirit. What does he look like anyway?"

"Uh… Rachel?" Sonic pointed down to a spot in the clouds that seemed to be glowing. In a few seconds, a huge, long, green snakelike dragon flew from the cloudy sea. It had hard, shiny skin, a few yellow stripes along his body, orange eyes, and several points along his body. The two nearly fell off their Loftwing as the dragon shot above them.

The dragon flew back down and twisted around to face them, giving an enormous roar as his eyes brimmed with dark energy. The two noticed the Evil Crystal wedged in his head as he started flying around. "He's possessed!" Rachel shouted.

"Not for long. Let's help him out." (Play the "Levias Battle" Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

_Boss fight: Rayquaza_

The curvy snake evaded the kids as the Loftwing chased him, the deity firing several mini lasers from his points. The Loftwing barrel-rolled and evaded the lasers as they flew close, allowing Rachel to strike at some of the points. Rayquaza flew beneath the clouds and shot back up, pushing the red bird away. He then shot right back down and rammed them again, then continued to fly away. Rayquaza launched more lasers at them, but they kept avoiding as Rachel struck the points, making the snake wince in pain. It flew faster away from them, so Sonic jumped, grabbed onto its tail, and climbed on its back. The wind nearly blew the hedgehog off, but he stood firm and dashed along its body, charging a Spin Dash and shooting at the Evil Crystal.

The force of the impact made Sonic fly off, but Rachel caught him on the Loftwing, then flew closer to the now-stunned Rayquaza. Rachel jumped on its head and dealt several strikes against the crystal, the beast screeching as it shook her off, landing her back on the Loftwing. The monster continued to throw lasers from his points, but they avoided as Rachel sliced them. Rayquaza performed a Spiral Strike and shook the Loftwing away, flying beneath the clouds and shooting back up, but the Loftwing quickly stopped and avoided the attack, then dodged again when he shot back down.

Rayquaza flew back at their level and faced them, charging energy in his mouth and unleashing a Hyper Beam, landing a painful blow against the bird and pushing them back. Rachel fell off its back and was caught in Rayquaza's right hand, looking terrified as the dragon held her close by its dark, glaring eye. She pulled out her bow and shot an arrow in his eye, making him screech and throw her back. Rachel grabbed onto one of his points and ran up his body, dealing more strikes against the Evil Crystal.

Rayquaza shook her off as Rachel landed back on the Loftwing, and the dragon deity soared beneath the clouds. They were expecting him to shoot up like a rocket, but instead, Rayquaza spiraled around and around single spots, causing a series of tornados to sprout up from below. The Loftwing was captured in the whirlwinds, unable to pull away as they blew around. Rayquaza was able to shoot up and RAM the two, and Rachel was sent falling to the clouds. "AAAAAHH!"

"RACHEL!" Sonic cried, shooting down on the Loftwing to rescue her.

Rayquaza shot down, charging another Hyper Beam, but this allowed Rachel to latch onto his head with her Hookshot. She was pulled straight up, proceeding to lay the final strikes upon the Evil Crystal. Finally, she raised her sword high, and STABBED down, piercing the dark gem and destroying it. (End song.)

The spirit gave one final cry as Rachel fell off its head, landing back onto the Loftwing. She and Sonic watched as Rayquaza slowly fell beneath the clouds, defeated.

The two carefully peeked over the Loftwing after the spirit vanished. The rain started to clear up as the sun poked through the thunder clouds above. Before they knew it, they were caught inside a whirling tornado that came from just below them, propelling them upwards before it vanished and sent them falling. The Loftwing caught Sonic on its back while Rachel fell beneath the clouds. But she came back up a few seconds later, riding Rayquaza's head, smiling joyfully as she held onto his two points. (Play Fado's Theme from _Zelda: Wind Waker_.)

The snaky spirit took a breath through his nose and spoke. _"Ahhh… much nice to have that hideous lump removed from my head. I'd rather have a little girl."_

Rachel giggled.

_"I am Rayquaza. Great Spirit of the Skies. It's been generations since the last time I saw you."_

"We never met before. You must mean my ancestor, Link."

_"Correct you are. But his spirit resides strongly in you, as you must know. Truly, you are the same Link, finally reborn again after many eons. Your Mark of Courage says all. I am sure you're aware of the Ganondorf problem by now."_

"Gee, you think?"

_"Ah ho ho. Do not worry, Dear. You will surely defeat him, just as Link has. He was quite strong, strong in the ways of the elements. He could not literally bend them of course, oh no. Such power resides only in the Avatar and Negatar. But he was strong with their spiritual side. Like the wind, for example. His mind was calm and narrow, and his fears rarely got the best of him."_

"I can't say I have such a mind." Rachel chuckled.

_"Yes, you do have your differences. But nevertheless, Ganon is still afraid of you. His dark heart fills him with fear, and he uses such fear to control his minions. Does this sound familiar?"_

"Y-Yeah. It… sounds like my cousin."

_"Fear has greatly taken over her heart just the same. But she is a bright girl, and the Triforce of Wisdom marks this, and binds your fates. The two of you must combine your strengths and best Ganon together. She must learn to see the light, and you must help her. But she is not the only one. There are, of course, _three_ parts of the Sacred Triangle. A third one must join you. The other holder of the Triforce of Power. The one who Ganon has controlled to this day."_

"You mean… Lehcar?"

_"Yes. Lehcar has inherited Ganon's Triforce, and his power. For that reason, he fears his own daughter. So, he uses fear to control her, against her own will at times. Thus proving her as your opposite. But you must be able to reach her as well, if she is able to obtain the true powers of the Triforce of Power. When all three powers join together, they can combine their strength and finish off the Evil King once and for all."_

"So, try to get the people who hate me the most join me against someone else who hates me?" she summarized. "Yeah, that'll go well."

"You know, there's something I don't get about you spirits." Sonic spoke up. "I wonder why you spirits just don't handle these things yourself. Aren't you, like, all-powerful or something?"

Rayquaza gave a chuckle. _"_Us_ spirits? Hn-no-o. No, we spirits barely have any _real_ power. The true power… resides in you mortals."_

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

_"The only beings with true power are mortals. We spirits give you our bending powers and we live forever, sure. But we lack true experience. The way you mortals struggle and fight to stay alive, or even to help others, the way you create friendships that grow and prosper. We spirits could never know such things. All we're good for is sitting around in our respective realms, making sure everything's stable. We aren't allowed to be involved in mortal affairs unless drastic measures are required. In fact, Darkrai II is stronger than us in some ways. He is the only spirit that befriends mortals. He knows the feeling of friendship as well."_

"Well, I'm sure you spirits are just as powerful. I mean, protecting the balance is a pretty big job, isn't it?" Rachel smiled.

_"It is… but mortals handle that well on their own, too. But I won't deny our eternity makes us more knowledgeable than you. Nevertheless… you mortals wield the true heart. Your passions for each other make you strong. So was the plan of our Supreme God. It was his design that mortals would bend elements, and become stronger with them. 'Twas even his design that the gods could never use the Triforce. To give mortals hope. Otherwise, the Kids Next Door of the old days would never have been able to drive back Malladus, and disaster would have befallen. Of course, this has backfired in more than several ways, such as with Ganondorf."_

"Shyah, no kidding."

_"But nevertheless… the world has been saved from dark times these past generations thanks to mortals. And peace continues to reign. And when I think about it… being a spirit has its upsides. Kyogre continues to swim in the cooling oceans… Groudon gets to bathe within the warmth of the earth. And I…"_ he shut his eyes in peace, _"I get to fly these magnificent skies. Feeling the wind on my skin. Always a peaceful thing… just what the airbenders live for."_

"Can't quite say that for all of them." Sonic noted.

_"Hmm… I am aware of your quarrel, young hedgehog. But you mustn't worry. An airbender knows how to not worry on such problems. True, it is important to be wary at times, and family is important… but you must not let fear overcloud your mind. You must keep faith and hope for the best… just as you have with your siblings."_

"So, you're saying… I wasn't worried about them because I knew they'd be okay. Heh, and they were." Sonic smiled.

"That reminds me. Why did Ganondorf send his minions to attack you?" Rachel asked.

_"Hmm… as peaceful as Air is meant to be… every element has its dark side. Ganondorf was born in the Gerudo Tribe, a desert tribe of thieves. I am shamed to admit, at times, I do become angered. Like when Kyogre and Groudon have their quarrels. In my anger, the winds blow roughly across the world, creating storms. But I take most of my anger out around the barren desert. But my anger resulted in the destruction of the Gerudo Tribe. The only place where Ganondorf felt at home. It is partially my fault he has become so consumed in anger. He likely wanted revenge on me, so he implanted an Evil Crystal on my head."_

"Then we have to stop him, definitely. But we actually need to look for the Firstborn, too. Any ideas where we could find one?"

_"I already know your path. You must head for The Tree of Beginning. You'll find more besides a Firstborn there. But first… allow me to give you something."_

"Huh?"

_"Slowly, you are awakening Link's spirit within your veins. That Crimson Loftwing, in fact, was originally his. Currently, it is not among the living. It has come here from the Spirit World to help you, because it senses your spirit. To further awaken yourself as the New Hero, I will teach you the ancient move Link has mastered in his time wielding the Master Sword. Raise your weapon skyward, and strike."_

Rachel did so and aimed her sword straight upward. A mystic light suddenly filled the blade in seconds, up to the point before it sparked. Rachel swung forward, sending out a spiraling wave. "Coool!"

_"That was a Skyward Strike. A powerful technique, equal to that of the lightbenders. Now, you are ready to proceed."_

"I don't suppose you have any mystical lions or something to take us back?"

_"Mystical lions? No-o. I believe I will carry you back myself. I need the exercise. My head's still aching from that wretched crystal. Ahhh… but to gaze upon this magnificent sky… it's enough to give me peace. You must keep faith that the dark times of this world will pass. Just as they always have…"_

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><p><strong>Argh, another one I worked ages for. : So, yeah, this chapter kind of goes further on a couple of the villains' plans. And I was kinda lazy during the boss, so I may come back and edit it. Anyway, next time, we'll… check on the rest of the scattered crew, I guess. I hope to reach the Tree soon, actually. :/ Later.**


	50. Prisoners of War

**Hi, everybody. Ayargh, more stuff happens. By the way, I made a slight edit to Mika's scene in the last chapter, where she sings this lullaby, so that'll clear up any confusion later on. And here we go.**

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><p><strong><em>Prisoners of War. Arriving at the Sacred Tree.<em>**

**The Flying Krock**

Kami shook wildly inside the bag she had been forced in, yelling muffled shouts as she tried to break free. Finally, the bag was pulled open from outside, and Kami instantly popped out, gasping for breath as she readied to attack her captors. It was none other than the Chaotix Crew. "HANG ON, hang on." Vector raised his hands in defense. "We're on your side."

"Huh?" Kami asked, seeing she was back on the Flying Krock, with Ava, Kweeb, and the Kongs. "You two-"

"You didn't think we'd let you go that easily, did you?" Kweeb raised a brow.

"After coming this far, I certainly wasn't gonna do that." Ava noted. "But after we did, Kweeb was the first to remind us of the Darkness Cannons. We knew you didn't mean what you said; entirely, but decided to drop you off until we came up with a plan. That's when we ran into the Chaotix. They told us this was part of K. Rool's plan to kidnap you and… tell you about his plan… I guess. So we flew close enough to Hideout Helm to let the Chaotix go in and rescue you."

"Once we snuck in," Espio continued, "I used my shurikens to project a smoke screen and fog the room so K. Rool wouldn't notice us, and allow us to steal you away from him and take you back to this ship."

"Huh… I noticed a lot of people try to kidnap me lately." Kami noticed.

"Oh, really?" Vector asked. "Well, ya put up more of a fight than Princess Peach."

"But we still don't know why the Chaotix are here." Ava said afterward.

"Oh. Well, it's all quite simple, really." Vector grinned sheepishly. "We were never with K. Rool from the start. We used to be with the Kremling Krew long ago, before we decided to leave and start our own—and rather successful, detective agency."

"K. Rool came to us one day and wanted us to help with his plan involving the Eight Firstborn." Espio followed. "We decided to join him, but only work as spies so we could stop him from the inside, somehow. We saw you three snooping around the _Kremlicht_, and figured you must be spies as well. But we couldn't let you slide without K. Rool suspecting anything from us, so we activated traps and informed him about you."

"But you really kicked our butts." Charmy commented.

"Anyway, after we heard you defeated both of Kroctus's brothers, we figured that was the best time to turn traitor." Vector finished. "Now, we wanna help you fight K. Rool, and help your friend heal from that Dark Cannon thingy."

"Well, thanks for the save, but I'm perfectly fine." Kami insisted, walking toward the ship's controls. "Now if you don't mind, I wanna go home and get away from this freakshow."

"Oh no you're not." Ava refuted, pointing one of her swords. "You're coming with us so we can get rid of that Darkness Cannon curse."

"Look, I don't need any help, so why don't you just move aside and-"

"Either you come with us peacefully," Kweeb started, aiming his ray gun at her, "or I can make you the size of a Kateenian hamster and just CARRY you with us. Your choice." He smirked.

"Grrr." She glared at the Kateenian.

"Ooo-kay then." Dixie decided. "Now, as I suggested earlier, we should go see Cranky Kong."

"Who is Cranky, anyway?" Kweeb asked.

"He's pretty much our elder. 'Cranky', as the name implies, but he's a wise old man. He'll know how to help."

"He also likes to whack Donkey with his cane." Tiny noted.

"Well, that's what Kami needs, a good old cane whack!" Kweeb joked, making the gesture of whacking with a cane. "That'll knock her back to her senses."

"Whatever." Kami grunted, deciding to slouch back in the same chair again. "Just get me some chips or somethin' if you're bringing me on this ride."

"I'll get nachos!" Charmy cheered, flying off.

"This is gonna be a pleasant ride…" Kweeb sighed in sarcasm.

**Planet Avalar**

The rest of Team Sonic had crashed onto Planet Avalar. Knuckles was currently exploring the fields of Avalar, as he tried to find a way off the planet. "…Huh?" His attention was directed overhead, seeing a strange mechanical pod pass over and crash several feet away. "Is…Is that-" The echidna dashed over and found the chubby scientist himself, fallen on the ground. "Eggman!"

The madman looked up and smiled brightly. "Well, if it isn't my good friend, Knuckles! So nice to see you, my crimson-haired friend!"

"Eggman. What are you doing out here?"

"Hnn." He frowned. "It was Eggman Nega. After I came up with that brilliant plan to shoot Dimentia with the Darkness Cannon, he attacked and ditched me on this planet. Just so he could get the glory from Lord Gnaa himself."

"Hmph. Well, it serves you right."

"Hurr. It's all my fault, I know. Joining with that Dark Master." He wept. "I never really wanted to, but Lord Gnaa saved me, and I felt I owed him a debt of gratitude. So I joined his team, but now I want out! You simply must help me, Knuckles." He begged.

"Geez, calm down, Eggman. We'll help you out." Knuckles smiled.

"Oh, you simply are a dear, Knuckles!" Eggman grinned. "But I MUST first get back to my robots. If you would be so kind as to lend me your Chaos Emerald, I could get back to my base and teach that traitorous Negative a lesson."

In mere moments, Knuckles returned to the rest of his gang and explained the situation. "You wanna WHAT? !" Tails yelled.

"We need to give Eggman that Chaos Emerald. He might be able to help us track down the Firstborn."

"Oh, for God's sake, Knuckles, how many times are you going to fall for this?" Amy rolled her eyes.

"Yea'! This is loike... eh… how many times has this happened, mates?" Marine asked.

"Let's count." Tails said. "There was the time we first met, when Eggman tried to steal the Master Emerald."

"When we went to Chris's world, and Eggman told you it was Sonic's plan to get us trapped there." Amy followed. "And also when he said he wanted to help us get home, so you would give him the Chaos Emeralds."

"When the Master Emerald shattered, and Eggman told you Sonic was after their pieces?" Tails spoke once more.

"And during the Metarex incident on that desert planet, Eggman tried to pull off the same trick he's doing now." Amy remembered. "And he's STILL able to trick you with it!"

"Ugh." Knuckles sighed in annoyance. "Okay, I know I messed up before, but this time, I'm sure he's telling the truth. We have to give him the Emerald."

"Knuckles, you can't keep FALLING for this stuff." Amy scolded. "I admire you for having faith in people, but we AREN'T giving Eggman the Emerald."

"Grrr. Well, I think we should give Eggman a chance and GIVE him the Emerald." The stubborn echidna refuted, stepping closer to Tails, who held the Emerald. "And since Sonic isn't here, there's no one to stop me!"

Marine ran in his way and yelled, "Well, OI'M gonna stop you!"

"Heh. Like a little girl's gonna stop me?"

"Ah'll show you 'o's the li'l sheila! AHH!" The two quickly engaged in a clash of quick punches. Knuckles jumped back and started punching chunks of rock from the ground at her, but Marine ducked and punched Light Spheres at him.

"Hey, stop it, Knuckles!" Tails yelled, dropping the Emerald as he and Amy joined the fight.

This lasted for several minutes, before the four friends finally became tired.

"Hoo… man, I'm beat." Knuckles panted.

"Hurrr…" Marine panted, sitting along the hill. "Oi, I need me some water." She reached in her pocket to grab a bottle. "Good I thing I still 'ave some from- DAAAH!" Before she knew it, she was clutched in a huge metal hand.

"MARINE! !" Tails yelled.

The metal hand came from a huge, robotic gargoyle, which Orbot and Cubot controlled from the cockpit. "I say! The doctor's plan worked perfectly! Not only have we the lightbender, but we've snagged the Chaos Emerald, too!" Orbot raised the glowing gem in his hand.

"IT'S OUR LUCKY DAY!" Cubot cried.

"OH ho ho ho!" they looked up as Eggman flew alongside them, with his usual maniacal grin.

"What? What is this?" Knuckles asked, surprised.

"Many thanks for tiring everyone else out, Knuckles, so I can use my eggstravagant Egg Gargoyle to capture this seafaring pest!"

"EGGMAN! ! YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Like I haven't done THAT before. But I would've loved to leave you fools to wallow together on this planet, but unfortunately, Gnaa doesn't like lightbenders, so he wanted me to take this brat somewhere else. Marine only caused ONE minor setback with Dimentia, but this is just to make sure it doesn't happen again. Now if you'll excuse me, we need to find some Firstborn. OHH HO ho ho hooo!" And the scientist and his robots were off flying into the sky.

"Grrr. DAMN IT! I can't BELIEVE Eggman tricked me AGAIN!" Knuckles screamed, boiling with rage.

"Calm down, Knuckles." Amy told him. "We've got to find a way off this planet to save Marine."

"Too bad Shadow isn't here." Tails said. "Where did he go, anyway?"

**Somewhere in space**

The black hedgehog was still flying around space at this time, standing on the wing of Rouge's ship. "Hmm… so… the rest of them vanished into hyperspace." Shadow observed.

"Looks like it." Rouge replied. "On their way to Planet Earth to stop Magolor. They're probably there looking for the next Firstborn. And according to my report, GUN just started the 'Anti-inhuman Revolution'. They're trying to track down all detected metahumans, aliens, and benders."

"So, GUN's finally lost it, you mean." Shadow figured.

"They'll probably be after us, too, seeing as _we're_ alien." Rouge knew. "And yet OUR world's GUN actually WELCOMED us. But there's something I've been meaning to ask. Shadow: what is it really a good idea to attack Rachel like that? I mean, sure she's connected to that fiery girl, but…"

"Hmph. What happens to any of them isn't my concern. As long as Lord Gnaa and ALL of his accomplices don't succeed."

"Hmm. Whatever you say." Rouge shrugged, beginning to think to herself. _He's probably still affected by the Darkness Cannon. But when I think about it, he's always been like this. Hm. And Amy says _Sonic_ is the mysterious one. Either way, I don't want to spend forever in THIS boring place._ "By the way… while we were attacking that space station, I did a little snooping. I overheard the minions saying that Gnaa is really into that Morgan chick for some reason."

"Hmm. She's probably vital to whatever it is Gnaa's planning. The question is… what."

"Maybe Eggman would know." Rouge figured. "He's never one to be outta the loop. Let's go to his base and see what's up…"

**Cauldron Keep**

Rumpel and Yuki had returned to Planet Avalar, to the mountain base known as Cauldron Keep. A toxic-green mountain that towered high over Avalar, surrounded by storm clouds that spiraled around the mechanical tower on the mountain's peak. The tower bore some kind of massive laser cannon.

Within the base's dark interior, the elf and icebender watched as Gruntilda whipped off a large curtain that covered the laser, and the huge weapon started to alight with beeping lights. The skull-headed witch inhaled the smell of dust through her bony nose. "Finally, after more than 8 long years. B.O.B. is back to give many the fears!"

"Looking spectacular as always, Grunty." Rumpel smiled.

"What does this thing do, anyway?" Yuki asked.

"Big-O-Blaster this is called. Leaves all who witness it appalled. Life force from _any_ matter it can suck. Those caught in its path will be royally… well, you get the picture."

"BUT, Dear Grunty and me have reprogrammed it for a more… 'special' task. Which we can begin as soon as Lord Gnaa…" Rumpel stopped when he noticed the dark portal appear, and the Dark Master stepped out. "Wa-ha-hey! Right on time!" Rumpel fist-pumped. "Grunty, Yuki, introducing Lord Gnaa, Dark Master of the Negaverse. And Gnaa, this is Gruntilda, my old and still-beautiful friend from Hogwarts. And Yuki, icebender from the North Pole, part of a magnificently evil plan I'm working on, tell you about it later."

_"Still your excitement, Elf. What is this?"_ The lord cruelly asked.

"Ah-he-hem: introducing: the Big-O-Blaster. The ultimate weapon that will be the end of all humanity." Rumpel explained as he led the possessed boy around the machine. "This marvelous device will spread darkness to all." He opened a slot on the machine that looked big enough for Gnaa's Keyblade. "That spectacular key of yours will fit here. When the laser drains the energy from living organisms, it'll go right in here, and instead rob the poor souls of their hearts." He then stepped before another slot, revealing a small hole big enough for his wand. "But with the added powers of Lucinda's magic, or should I say, _Maleficent_, original controller of the Heartless… the darkness of hearts will overflow the hearts, and magnificently transform them all into _Heartless_!"

Gnaa smiled evilly. This elf may just be on to something.

"Now if you would just stick it in." Rumpel instructed, as Gnaa forced his Keyblade into its slot. "And NOW…" Rumpel proceeded to stick the wand in the slot as he began to utter the spell and transfer the dark magic from Lucinda's wand. _"Ifalas zaraz i is zarak. Ifalas zaraz i is zarak. Ancient darkness, eaters of light. Smite this world with all your blight! Spread your darkness and hatred to all. Let the followers of all light fall!"_

The Big-O-Blaster started to spark with life, the spell taking effect and filling the cannon with power. _"Hmmm. I'm impressed with what you have done, Rumpel. You have proven your loyalty, it seems."_

"Hmm… what can I say, My Lord? I am the ultimate master when it comes with thinking up evil plans." He gave his usual wide smirk.

"My, my, my, what's this I see?" Grunty asked, studying the cannon's terminal. "A heart already inside this key?"

_"Hmm. A perfect test subject. Can we extract the hearts now, Rumpel?"_

"Oh ho ho, indeed! The hearts will come out of that faucet over there." He pointed at a huge tank with a dial that indicated how full it was, with a large faucet aiming at a square tub.

_"Hmm… very well. Commence download."_

"Commencing download." Grunty repeated, pressing a button and making the compartment holding the Keyblade electrify. They watched as a small spark traveled its way through the pipe connecting to the tanker, and when it reached the tanker, the dial pointed at the "1". Gruntilda pushed another button, which caused the inside of the faucet to glow pink, releasing a single heart that slowly fell toward the tub. When it landed, it poofed into darkness, creating a strange shadowy creature, with glowing yellow-white eyes and antennas, and was about the size of a cat.

**Planet Earth**

As the Sector W team was on their way to a circular mountain range, Charlotte noticed Paddy's unconscious form glowing all of a sudden, and gasped when it vanished into thin air. "You guys!" she called. "Paddy's gone!"

"What? What happened?" Sonya gasped.

**Cauldron Keep**

Gnaa laughed maniacally at the sight of the creature. _"Aha! Finally! My very first Heartless!"_ He laughed some more as he approached the creature, scratching its head as if it were a pet. _"The first of many. Hmm… but it is rather small. And judging by whose it is, I assume it won't be very obedient."_

"They serve NO ONE, stoopid boy! They'll use the darkness to make you their toy!" Grunty shouted.

_"_I am _the darkness. My position as the Negatar gives me the power to control them. But the heart that spawned this Heartless… belonged to Paddy Fulbright. He was a lighthearted spirit, meaning his Heartless will not be so easily bent. But…"_ he turned back and glared at the Shadow, _"we'll fix that before long. Now let's put this to the _real _test. Prepare to fire the cannon."_

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Rumpel hopped around and raised his hand. "Let's attack the Elfin Forest!"

"B.O.B. is taking aim." Grunty said, the terminal locking onto the forest. "So will end the Elfins' game."

_"Lock on target."_ Gnaa began as the machine erupted to life, shaking the entire mountain as the cannon charged. _"Ready… FIRE! !"_ A toxic-green laser FIRED from the cannon, going miles across the planet's surface to reach its destination.

**Elfin Forest**

Little Elfin children pranced about the forest as Wesley Dodds and Mr. Oldman were passing through. "Ahh, the Elfin Forest. Even if you hate children, Larry, you gotta admire this whole fairytale world. It's really peaceful."

"Hnn… can we go now? The unfamiliar atmosphere of this planet is giving me hives."

"Larry, it's pretty much the same as Earth atmosphere, can't you-" He stopped when he noticed a green light coming from the sky. "…OH CRAP! !"

"GAH!" The old men immediately bolted when the green ray STRUCK the center of the forest. They ran hurriedly from the expanding energy field before they were swallowed inside. The explosion blew them the rest of the way out of the forest, but they were still okay. They stood up as Sandman's mouth dropped: the the Elfin Forest, once so beautiful and vibrant, became a ruined wasteland of death and decay. Larry just couldn't take it anymore, and he fainted.

**Cauldron Keep**

_"NYAH HA HA HA HA HA HA!"_ Gnaa laughed when the tank's dial showed to fill with more hearts. _"This weapon is INGENIOUS! You are BRILLIANT, Rumpel!"_

"My cleverness only gets better, Gnaaby. And that's not even the best part. Once the tank gets full with hearts, this glorious invention will be able to spread Heartless wherever we please!"

"But dust of ages this thing has. Many charges it will need in-between blasts." Grunty informed.

"Seriously, I still question if some of these words actually rhyme." Yuki commented.

_"No matter. We will have enough energy LONG before I'll be able to leave this vessel. Er, it may take a few moments longer…, but as long as this machine brews, the heroes will never stand a chance! They will _never_ find all the Firstborn in time!"_ Gnaa's laugh echoed across the eerie mountains, as did the two witches'.

**Sector R Treehouse**

Bruce, Violet, and the Twins found the Sector R Treehouse set up on a beach house. "Let's hope these guys are with us." Yang said as he picked a booger and stuck it in a slot in the mailbox. The scanner confirmed their DNA as KND operatives, lowering a staircase that allowed them inside. They made their way to the living room where the Sector R Team was already waiting. They were almost all girls, except for one boy, who was playing a videogame with a pigtailed girl with orange hair.

"Hey, fellow Kids Next Door! Wassup?" the Sector R leader, Flordeluna "Luna" Martinez greeted them. She was dressed like a Delightful Girl, except she had brown eyes rather than hypnotized blue eyes.

"Numbuh 6.13." Bruce greeted as they saluted.

"Come on, you don't have to use formalities with me." Luna smiled, playfully punching the Sector Z leader. Since Sector Z was rescued, Luna and Bruce have met and spent time together on some occasions. The Sector R leader had a slight crush on the boy, and he had feelings that were barely visible, except that he was dating Violet.

"Keep it low, Sister." Violet told her.

"So, how's the search for the Firstborn we've been hearing about?" Sam, a choco-skinned girl, asked.

"It's been better." Yang answered.

"We went through this hyperspace and got separated from our friends." Yin followed. "We wound up here, and the place was packed with military troops."

"Yeah. GUN's started this Anti-inhuman Revolution thingy." Sam replied. "Pretty stupid if you ask me."

"By the way, you can take off that disguise." Ria Roxas, a blonde girl that looked like Numbuh 3, told Violet. "We all know about you, Violet, and we won't turn you in."

"Hehe… I guess so." Violet chuckled, remembering everyone in the KND knew about her since Operation: A.N.C.E.S.T.O.R.. She removed her bandana and khaki shorts.

"Well, thanks for letting us in." Bruce smiled.

"No problem." Flynn, the boy at the couch, replied. "Most of the KND's siding with those GUN Troopers, but we don't really like what they're doing. It's because of people like them that our old leader was driven away."

"Oh yeah… Matthew…" Yin looked down sadly.

"You know him?"

"My sister has a crush on him." Yang answered, making Yin blush. "In fact, they recently went on a date."

"What's he been doing lately?" the pigtailed girl, Jacquiline asked.

"Well… he met this group of other poisonbenders and started The Terrible Toxic Four. Then they started causing trouble." Yin explained.

"He what?"

"I-It's okay though! He's just… a little lost." Yin tried to reason.

"Yeah. Matt was always like that." Flynn remembered. "Always so emo."

"But we know he's a nice guy deep down." Raissa, a blonde pigtailed girl, smiled.

"He'd know that, too, if he knew his powers weren't good for evil." Luna said.

"Well, he is beginning to learn that." Yin informed. "But he's still a little lost. He'd probably come back to KND if he didn't think his old friends hated him."

"We don't hate him!" Flynn shouted. "I mean, he stinks UP the place a little, but he was still our leader. And our bud."

"I like being leader, but I still wish he'd come back." Luna followed.

"If only this anti-metahuman thing wasn't started." Sam said. "Matt probably wouldn't feel so ashamed and he'd come back."

"Hmm… that reminds me: anyone ever hear of this group called the X-Men?" Bruce asked.

"Oh yeah, I have." Flynn said. "They were this old group of metahumans; and some benders, who fought for Mutant Freedom, by showing everyone how good their powers can be. Too bad people aren't more like them…"

"Exactly!" Violet exclaimed, leaping onto the TV. Violet spoke passionately as the two playing operatives stopped their game. "This world has been falling apart because us metahumans are afraid to show who they are. Because of people like Commander Gunkan. I know that you guys aren't metahumans, but if we all stand together, and show them the good we bring, we can put a stop to this oppression and END GUN's ways, and let metahumans everywhere be free!" But at that instant, two large shurikens stuck through the wall on her left and right sides. "WAAAH!" The shurikens exploded and blew her toward her friends.

When the smoke cleared, everyone turned and saw Scarlet Vargas standing in the resulted hole. She was also disguised, but she pulled off her bandana and shorts, exposing her black cat parts as she extended long claws. "Can't count on YOU for that, monster. HNN!" the werecat dashed at her cousin and started swinging her claws, Violet ducking to avoid being sliced as she spun-kicked Scarlet's legs and knocked her over.

"Kids Next Door, battle stations!" Luna ordered as they all drew weapons and prepared to shoot her, but suddenly-

"HUH?" Their weapons were pulled away by a web-like substance, looking to see a couple Skulltulas by the hole, and seeing several flying demons outside.

"Nice to see you, kids." The tiny, filthy bean greeted as he rode in on his bird.

"Hannibal-" Yang started.

"Roy Bean!" Yin exclaimed.

"Ah should thank you for beatin' that dragon for me and allowin' Ying-Ying to steal the yo-yos." Bean grinned evilly. "Now that Ah'm free, it'd be mah pleasure to slow you in yer progress. Demons: waste these suckers." More holes were blown in the wall as squads of Moogers and Like-Likes charged in, with the Moogers wielding laser blasters.

"Can't they cut us a break for once?" Bruce asked as they ran to attack the demons. Flynn and Jacquiline punched two Like-Likes, but the blobs sucked them in and spat them at the wall. Nicole and Raissa tossed a rope around a Mooger's legs and tripped him, while Luna held onto the legs of a flying Mooger, slipping its pants down and exposing its heart-decorated underpants, making him blush.

**Roxas Beach; a few yards away from the treehouse**

Emily Matthews had finally waken up on the same beach. A few feet away, she saw Zuri shake his head awake from the crash, the Pokémon smiling at his owner, and she smiled back. "Hey, Zuri! Where do you think everyone else went?"

"Zuri." The creature shrugged. His ears suddenly perked up, however, at a slight sound coming from behind a nearby boulder. Emily quietly peeked behind the boulder, and gasped in shock and shame: Chad was shaking a can of Bang Gas, about to spray it on himself.

"CHAD! !"

"AHHH!" the boy screamed, nearly dropping the can, quickly hiding it behind his back and grinning nervously.

"Is that Bang Gas? !"

"What? N-n-no, no!" he lied, backing away as the girl stepped closer. "It's not Bang Gas, it's just, uh-" Emily simply switched to her ghost form and phased underground, popping up behind Chad and swiping the can.

"AHA! Chad, I thought you said-"

"I lied, okay? I knew it would make you upset if I took the gas, so I hid it from you until I would finally have a chance to use it."

"But I thought you said you could LIVE with being a regular human!"

"Yeah, well, I can't, so gimme that gas!" He demanded, trying to take it away from her.

"Er, no! You're not… getting…" Emily grunted, trying to hold it away from him as he reached. They heard an explosion suddenly and looked across the beach to see smoke rising out of a treehouse. They exchanged glances before Emily grabbed Chad and Zuri, flying them to the treehouse.

**Back in Sector R**

Violet hurriedly ran and dodged as Scarlet tossed more shurikens, blowing walls up all over the treehouse. The brown-furred cat dashed over to tackle her Italian cousin, scratching her cheek and making Scarlet growl, flipping over Violet and kicking her at a wall. She extended her claws and said, "It's time I end you-", but was suddenly tackled by Bruce, holding her hands behind her back.

Scar simply kicked the former Delightful over her and stood up, while he recovered and took out his carrot nun-chucks. He spun them around, but stopped when Scarlet swung her claws and sliced them to pieces, also slicing parts of his clothing off. "Gulp."

"Come on, guys!" Flynn shouted as he shot and killed a Like-Like from inside. "Show these demons who's-" Before he could finish, another part of the wall exploded and ceiling exploded as GUN Troopers piled in, dropping down ropes from helicopters.

The military men took aim at the demons and werecats as the chief spoke, "All freaks FREEZE! You are under arrest. Put your hands, tentacles, or whatever you use to hold things in the air and get on your knees or whatever!"

"Oh, Ah'm afraid you've got it backwards." Bean smirked. "WASTE them!" The Moogers and soldiers started shooting each other while Like-Likes slithered over and ate the soldiers, but they used darksabers to cut their selves free.

Emily, Chad, and Zuri arrived just in time to see all this. "Who are these guys? !" Em shouted. During her distraction, Chad immediately snatched the spray can. "What the-"

"Now I'll show you JUST what this is good for." Chad declared as he prepared to spray himself.

"CHAD, NO!"

Emily was too late as Chad began spraying all over his body. "HNNRGH!" Chad grunted when he already felt the transformation coming on. His skin turned a dark green, with several tiny warts as he grew into a more muscular form. His shoes were torn, his ears grew pointy, and his eyes turned blood-red. _"AUUGH!"_ Chad faced Emily and roared, unleashing tons of saliva from his newly-grown fangs.

"Ch…Chad…" Emily was horrified. This new form was…

"Oh my God, that's disGUSTING!" a soldier yelled. "ARREST HIM!"

_"AUUCK!"_ Chad screamed when the troops began pelting him with mini darts that gave him shocks, then tossed an electric net over him.

"WAIT, STOP!" Emily pleaded, floating in their way with Zuri. "He's not dangerous!"

"Arrest them, too!"

"Oh crud." The troops shot Emily with ecto ray guns and caught Zuri inside a little net.

When Scar and Violet pushed the other away, chains suddenly wrapped their hands from GUN troops from behind, pulling the girls back. "Hey, get back with them!" Bruce demanded as he and the operatives ran to help them, but a soldier jumped in their way.

"You kids get yourselves outta here and let the professionals- AHH!" Ying-Ying landed on the man's head and started pecking his eyes out before flying around the room.

"Heh heh heh!" Bean laughed. "The taste of eye-jelly really sweetens the buds, don't it?" The bird nodded before Yang tossed a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. and successfully knocked it to the ground, making Hannibal bounce along the floor in front of Sector R. He looked up as the seven operatives towered over him imposingly.

"We got you now, Bean Boy!" Luna smirked, raising her foot above the tiny demon.

"Why, what ever shall a helpless li'l bean like me do? YING-YING!"

The grey bird suddenly flew back, holding a bucket of Minish Dust in its beak. The dust spilled all over the kids, shrinking them to Hannibal's height in an instant. "Heh heh heh! The bigger they are, the more humiliatin' they fall. Scoop 'em up!"

_"Ahhh!"_ the tiny kids screamed when a Mooger scooped them in a dust pan, dumping them in a hamster cage as another Mooger carried them off. Hannibal jumped back on his bird and rode off, leaving the rest of the demons to deal with the GUN Troopers.

"Come on! We have to save Violet!" Bruce yelled as the soldiers piled the metahumans on their copters.

"But what about Sector R?" Yin asked.

Bruce looked hesitantly between the GUN Copters, already flying off with Violet, and the Moogers carrying Luna and Sector R away. "Crud…" was all he could say. He couldn't decide which girl to save.

**Base of the Sky Pillar**

The Crimson Loftwing dropped Rachel and Sonic back on earth before flying leaving to the sky. The two spotted Blaze unconscious a few feet away, and went to assist the catgirl. Sonic held her head up as Blaze began to groan and open her eyes.

"Eh heh ha ha ha ha heh heh!" They looked up and gasped at the massive purple bird, Helmaroc King, holding Patton and Fanny in its talons while Ghirahim rode on the head, smirking at the three while he had Sonia and Manic tied up and unconscious.

"GHIRAHIM!" Rachel yelled.

"…HUH?" Ghirahim gasped when a green portal suddenly opened in front of them, and none other than the Demon Train flew out, its face giving a roar. Helmaroc King screeched and flapped upward, barely dodging, but the chimney scratched the bird along the bottom, making him drop the two operatives. Fanny screamed on the way down, but silenced when some glowing white strings wrapped around and broke their fall. "HNNRR. Keep your precious humans." Ghirahim snarled. "I'll just take the hedgehogs with me. I'll be seeing you, Heroin, eh heh ha ha heh heh!"

"Sonia! Manic!" Sonic cried.

"It's too late, Sonic. We'll have to rescue them later." Rachel told him.

"But I must wonder, who our mysterious rescuers are." Blaze said as the Demon Train stopped on the ground for a landing, gently dropping Fanny and Patton.

"Well… never thought I'd be saving you kids." A familiar voice spoke. (Play Cole's Theme from _Zelda: Spirit Tracks_.)

It was none other than the son of Malladus himself. "Grandfather!" Rachel furrowed.

"And ME!" his minion, Cole exclaimed, floating by his side.

"Grandpa? Oh, great." Fanny sighed.

"Hmph. Still got that gruff attitude, do you?"

"Such is to be expected from ungrateful brats. And I mean, really 'ungrateful'. Didn't we just saves your arses?" Grandfather asked.

"What do you want, Gramps?" Rachel asked.

"What, can't old Pappy pay his grandson's girlfriend a visit? In fact, this isn't the only time we saved you kids today. Cole?"

"Ahem: everyone in the prison wing, report to the cafeteria for unicorn blood and bull hide!" Cole grinned, showing his sharp teeth.

"That was you? !" Fanny exclaimed.

"Indeed it was!" Cole grinned. "For we bring sensational news! First: it turns out, you and Nigel really _aren't_ cousins after all."

"Huh?"

"Not blood-cousins, at any rate." Grandfather explained. "For my wife's sister was actually, eh… kidnapped from her _real_ family… and was not entirely part of the family."

"And as such, you and Nigel are not related." Cole finished.

"Hmm… I'm actually relieved to hear that… but don't tell me you drove all the way out here to tell us that." Fanny replied.

"Well, if Nigel has kids one day, and _you_ have kids, those kids will be able to date." Grandfather mentioned.

"Is that _all_ you wanted to tell us?" Rachel asked.

"No, no, we have something else, too. We heard everything about Ganondorf and yadda-yadda, and we're here to help you kids."

"Yeah, uh, no offense, but we're not comfortable teaming up with people who tried to kill us before." Patton replied.

"Look, kids, you're against Ganondorf, _we're_ against Ganondorf. He's been after the Uno Family for generations, and he must be stopped. If you don't go with us, you may never save those hedgehogs of yours."

"Then I say we go with them." Sonic decided.

Rachel sighed. "Sonic, you can't be THAT quick of decisions, can you?"

"I say, do you even know where to go next?" Cole asked.

"Guess he got us there." Fanny figured.

"We're supposed to be heading for The Tree of Beginning." Rachel replied. "Which… I really have no clue where it is."

"The Tree of Beginning is a sacred place." Grandfather spoke. "It is rested within a mountain range, just on the border of Europe and Asia. Our Demon Train can take us there in a flash! And since we're all the way in Africa, it's probably a good idea."

Rachel sighed again. "Okay. We'll ride. But no tricks! I got my sword." She threatened, aiming the sheathed sword at his neck.

"Yes, yes, real scary. Let's just get on." With that, the five kids gathered onto the train and took seats as the demons floated back in the control room. (End song.)

"Now, how about a little music?" Grandfather smiled, putting a record in a slot and switching on the stereo. An old-timey song started to play to play, as Grandfather sang along. "Heeeey look, everybooodyyyy, there's a rainbow in the skyyyyy! Sooo let's go grab a cup o' coffeeee, and LET'S grab another piece of piiiee!" The kids were annoyed for the whole, long journey.

**The Isle of Aura**

Mika and Rainier arrived at the Isle of Aura, a strange island of many steep, misty white mountains, and a sleepy pink sky. "Well… this is the place." Mika said simply.

"Heh, great job mind-tricking the boat guy so he'd lend us a boat." Rainier laughed.

"I'm a natural." she smiled proudly.

The two started their venture up a thin, steep, snaky stairway. The only sounds were their footsteps on the stairs, and calm winds breezing across the peaks.

"Why did that ghost want us to come here?" Rainier asked.

"I don't know, but I always wanted to go here since I was little. I always wondered what was up here."

They reached the top of the stairs, just below the peaks of a few mountains. Standing at the very tip of the peak before them was a strange, blue foxlike creature, balancing on only one foot. It had black arms and legs, with single spikes on the back of its hands, wore a black mask, and had what looked like a whitish-yellow sleeveless shirt, with another spike on its chest. Its eyes were closed and his hands were folded as he appeared to be meditating.

_Name: Lucario_

_Race: Spirit_

_Occupation: Spirit Guardian of Aura_

_Ability: Aurabending_

Its closed eyes started to glow, seeing only the auras of everything around him. He looked down and sensed Mika and Rainier, who had a pink and red aura respectively. He attention focused more on Rainier it seemed. The fox's red eyes came open as he zipped down the mountain, and Mika gasped when he tackled Rainier several feet away from her, then tossed him further. The boy spat some dirt out as he stood back up and faced the ninja creature, who made a battle-ready stance. (Play "Team Galactic Battle" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_.)

_Boss fight: Lucario_

Lucario charged at the boy again, but Rainier quickly grabbed his fist when he punched, throwing Lucario behind him. Lucario landed on his feet and ran to throw more punches, but Rainier dodged and punched him just below his chest spike. Lucario then gripped and pushed him straight into a wall, flipping away before charging and throwing an Aura Sphere. Rainier dodged the sphere and let it explode, but Lucario charged and threw another one, but Rainier kicked it back at the ninja, pushing him into a wall.

Lucario recovered to see Rainier coming for him, the boy jumping overhead to aerial-punch him, but Lucario countered with his own fists before scratching him against the chest with his left spike. Rainier fell to the ground and looked up as Lucario was coming down with a slam-down, rolling sideways and avoiding it by a few inches. Lucario was about to kick down at him, but Rainier grabbed his foot and swung and bashed his head against the wall. While he was still holding on, Lucario spun and flung him into another wall, Rainier recovering and dodging another slam-down attack.

Lucario ran at him again, swinging his left leg while Rainier did the same, both legs holding the other back with equal force before the two started throwing punches again. Lucario jumped back and threw another Aura Sphere, Rainier dodging as Lucario started to run. The boy chased him around the short mountains as Lucario kicked small rocks on the ground at him, which Rainier dodged and still kept up. Lucario swiftly pounced his way up a cliff before shooting down, aiming his leg at Rainier as he was about to kick him, but the 13-year-old spun along the ground, stuck his foot up, and was able to kick him right between the legs, making the fox give a loud grunt.

Lucario was flung away on his back, but stood up once again to face Rainier. He was about to run and strike him again until Mika suddenly jumped in his way, drawing her lightsaber. "Stay back." She ordered. (End song.)

"Oh?... You…" He spoke telepathically.

"Wh-huh?..."

"It's been 6 years… Mika?"

_Riolu excitedly chased 6-year-old Mika around the park, tackling the joyful girl as she giggled happily._

"…Riolu?"

"That used to be me. I'm evolved now. My name is… Lucario."

"Lucario?" Rainier asked. "Well, what's the big idea attacking me?"

"Hmm… my apologies." Lucario looked away. "I never liked humans that much. The way they treat us different creatures. It drives me mad. I come to meditate here… but it's hard to escape."

"Well, not all humans are bad." Mika told him. "Just people like GUN. Rainier's actually a pretty sweet guy."

"How come you didn't attack her? I mean, she's human." Rainier pointed out.

"Yes… but she is a psychicbender. Just like me. I have the power to sense peoples' auras. I am the Aura Spirit. Good creatures often emit blue auras, while dark ones emit red auras. I also have the power to sense benders' auras. Mika's was pink. A very rare aura for a psychicbender."

"Wh…What does that mean?" Mika asked.

"It means you are free-spirited. You've never let the darkness overcome your heart. Not many psychicbenders have such traits. The only other one… is Mew."

"Mew?"

"Mew is the Firstborn Spirit of Ancestors. A psychic being who cleverly hides from humanity. He has the power to transform into any creature, and blends in with all the others, right under humans' noses. And as such, almost every human that has ever looked for Mew… could never find him."

"Almost?"

"Some humans almost came close, but all they could find was a fossil. They used that fossil to create the half-spirit you know so well: Mewtwo."

"But basically, Mew hides using the power of Illusion." Rainier summarized.

"Just like that Yarael guy." Mika remembered.

"Yes, and it is Mew's greatest strength. If you hope to find him, you will need to learn the power of Aura Sensing." Lucario explained.

"But where would we start looking for Mew?"

"Mew's home lies within The Tree of Beginning. I can lead you there… then I can teach you the power of Aura Sense."

"Bzzz-zz-zzzt!" came the cry of Moskito, zooming down from the sky and landing beside them, gesturing for them to get on.

"Coool!" Mika excitedly hopped onto Moskito's back.

"Um… this doesn't look safe…" Rainier said worriedly, having to hold onto Moskito's foot.

"Follow me…" Lucario closed his eyes and dashed down the mountains, and began scampering across the seas at fast speeds while the kids flew and followed.

"WhoOOOOAAAaaa_aaaaaa!"_ Rainier's screams echoed the whole way.

_Stage 45: The Great Ascend_

_Mission: Follow Lucario to The Tree of Beginning._

_Addendum: Music I wanted to use is from Pokémon Movie 1, but I dunno what it's called. :3_

Mika's hair blew behind her as the wind brushed past their faces. Rainier frightfully held Moskito's shoe for dear life, looking down past his dangling feet as the ocean loomed hundreds of feet below. Lucario was dashing across the ocean at high speed as they flew after him, but Rainier had no idea why they were flying so much higher. Mika didn't seem to mind the altitude at all. She sat calm and tight on Moskito's back, letting the strong winds cool her face.

"Whoooaaa can't you slow down? ?" Rainier exclaimed.

"Come on, Rainy, don't you listen to Sonic? ?" Mika asked excitedly. "Don't blink, don't think, just FLY!"

"I thought it was ruuuuun!" he screamed as they flew faster.

"Whoa-oh! Watch out!" Mika yelled as GUN Beetles flew down from above the clouds and began to shoot them. Moskito swerved and dodged the robots as it spat at them and took them out. The Beetles were followed by Laser Hawks, moving up-and-down to avoid Moskito's shots, but Mika simply tossed Psycho Spheres to take them out herself. With that, Moskito decided to fly downward closer to Lucario, the wind rushing faster as they hovered a few meters over the ocean.

"Whoo-oo-oa!" Rainier screamed when gushes of water suddenly sprung from the ocean, forcing them to zip left-and-right to avoid.

"Sorry! The seas are pretty wild around this area!" Mika yelled, still grinning excitedly.

"Nnnn!" a water gush just barely scraped Rainier's pants. "How are you enjoying this? !"

"How WOULDN'T I enjoy this? ! Hold on, there's more coming!"

Artificial Chaos creatures flew out of the sea and lashed their extendable arms, but Moskito swiftly dodged and took them out. They took a few hits when trying to avoid them and dodge geysers at the same time, but they still kept flying. Rainier fixed his glasses on aggravatingly, and his violet eyes widened in fear as a shadow loomed over them. "Um… Mika? YOU BETTER FLY UP! !" A gigantic wave sprouted from the deep and threatened to wash them away.

"No way! ! We can take it! Heeeeeere we go!"

"AAAHH-!" Mika formed a pink barrier around them as they SHOT into the wave. The waters zipped past them as they flew straight through, eventually springing above the surface and high into the sky.

"Yaaaaaa-haaaaaa!" Mika cheered, feeling the excited rush grow stronger.

"WhooooOOOOAAAA!" Rainier held Moskito's shoe even tighter.

Lucario was still running straight ahead across the sea as Bowser airships hovered down from the clouds. They launched Missile Bills at them which Moskito sucked in and spat at incoming Paratroopas.

**The Tree of Beginning**

"Mmm… ohhh…" Annie Wilconson moaned from the sudden explosion. Her head was foggy… but she could vaguely remember.

_"AAAHHH!" Annie yelped as the Star Destroyer began to come down. The Brain had teleported his associates, but not her. But when all hope seemed lost, she was wrapped in a cape, and whisked away._

"Huh!" her eyes shot open, as small rays of sun shone on her face. As her mind slowly came to, she instantly found Vaati's face looming over hers. "AHH!" she screamed, shooting up and backing away.

"Gee, take it easy. It's just me."

Annie still panted as she backed against something strange and bright green. She felt around the strange substance, and turned around with horror. "GYUUUUH!" A giant caterpillar hissed at her. She scrambled to her feet and dashed away, bumping into a giant ladybug. "AAAAAH! !" The ladybug flapped away, and Annie filled with more horror.

"Annie-"

"AAAH!" Annie whipped out her slingshot and shot Vaati's eye.

"OW! ! !" he rubbed it angrily. "Dang, girl! That's what I get for saving your butt?"

"Where the heck am I? ! Why is everything so big?"

"It's not big, you're just tiny."

"What? ?"

"Take a look." Annie looked up, and her mouth dropped with wonder. They stood under towering, colorful flowers. Giant butterflies flapped overhead, enormous Pokémon frolicked, but hanging high, HIGH above their heads, it was no sky, but a glittering crystal-filled ceiling.

"Welcome to The Tree of Beginning." Vaati spoke as Annie's green eyes were bright with amazement. "Come on, I'll take you-" he was about to take her hand, but she forced it back.

"I still haven't forgotten how you betrayed us like that."

"What can I say? I'm one of those neutral people." Vaati said simply.

"Neutral?" Annie folded her arms. "I kinda thought airbenders were supposed to be good guys."

"No one ever said that. Air can be deadly at times, like all elements. But Air is the Element of Freedom. The idea of it is we're supposed to have free spirits, not generally caring about anything else. That's why, on some days I feel like helping, others I wanna betray yo' ass."

"And so you fight for both sides, huh." Annie looked around again. "Tree of Beginning, huh? Sooo… why am I small?"

"I shrunk you."

"You did?"

"Yes. I'm a Minish sorcerer. I'm able to switch between sizes at will, and I can take other people with me. Right now, you're in my home."

"You mean… you were born here?"

"Yes. When I was younger, I was an apprentice to this wizard. He's the one who created this magic hat."

"The one you said granted wishes?"

"Mm-hm. But I was tired of our ways of living down here, so I betrayed him and stole the hat. Afterwards, I found good work as one of Ganon's henchmen."

"Wait, you said you switch between sizes. …What does-"

"The Minish are a race of _tiny_ beings. Here's a picture of the tree itself."

The picture that Vaati presented was of a humongous circle of mountains that made a wall around a colossal tree in the center. "'Course, you should've seen it from outside. Much bigger."

"It… almost looks like a KND treehouse."

"Doesn't it? The Minish are actually friends of the KND. They've secretly helped them for generations, as very tiny supporters who bring them any sort of food or supply they need. Come on, I'll show you around. In fact, I think several of your other friends are here, too."

**Outside the Tree of Beginning**

The group aboard the Demon Train could clearly see the top of the tree as they finally arrived. "Well, there it is, folks: The Tree of Beginning." Grandfather pointed out.

"While it may seem like just a tree rested on top of a mountain, it is actually a gigantic tree surrounded by a wide mountain range." Cole explained.

"Whoa. Just what is The Tree of Beginning, anyway?" Rachel asked.

"It was the very first tree grown after the Earth was forged." Grandfather answered. "It is said that this tree housed most of the very first organisms. Animal organisms, at any rate. It is home to two spirits: the Earth God, Regigigas, and the Ancestral God, Mew. The Firstborn."

"But while it is a tree, it is not entirely made of wood. In fact, a majority of it is rock-hard earth." Cole explained.

"It is also the origin of where the snot-nosed children of the old days got their silly ideas for stupid treehouses." Grandfather followed. "And while it was Celebi that helped to make those trees grow and flourish, trees are a part of the earth. Mew and the Earth God, and their tiny worshippers, are responsible as well."

Once the train drew close enough to the mountain range, it came to a stop and allowed the five heroes to step off. "Well, off you go." Grandfather said. "I would gladly accompany you kids, but unfortunately they don't let demons in. Plus the people that live there don't open up too well to adults. So I'm afraid only snot-nosed little kids like you will be able to handle things from here."

"Careful not to fall under any earthquakes! Nyee hee hee hee hee!" Cole laughed as the train doors closed, and the train passed through a portal.

"Well, that was short-lived." Rachel said.

"I'm actually quite glad." Fanny replied.

"Rachel! Guys!" The happy voice of Sonya's called as Sector W hurried to them.

"Sector W! Boy, are we glad to see you!" Rachel smiled.

"Everyone: this is Chiri!" Angie happily introduced her new Minish friend, holding her in her pinky as the five stared closely. "She's a Minish, and she's taking us to her village inside that tree over there!"

"Wait a second… where's Paddy?" Fanny asked.

"Um, Paddy… just disappeared." Charlotte answered, shifting her foot nervously.

"He WHAT? !" Fanny yelled.

"We don't know how it happened! We were just walking… and suddenly poof, he's gone!"

"But what could've happened?" Rachel asked.

"RACHEL, LOOK OUT!" Sonic screamed, pulling Rachel out of the way when a sword spun out of nowhere, scraping along the ground before flying back like a boomerang.

"What the heck? !" (Play "Freaky Monkey Five" Theme from _Ape Escape 2_!)

The sword flew back to the hand of an old man with a short beard, black hair tied in a bun, and wearing a black robe, spinning closer to the group with sword in hand as he slashed a "P" along the ground. "I am Master Piandao. White Lotus Master of Swordsmanship."

"Oh great. Another one of you guys again?" Rachel sighed.

"Smart talk for one who has only known the way of the sword for so very long. But you lack the skills of a true master."

"Uh, hate to disagree, but I had this sword for a pretty decent amount of time. And I'm pretty good at it."

"Yeah! You shoulda seen the way she kicked Ghirahim's butt!" Angie exclaimed, giving air-punches.

"That may be so, but it was only the beginning of the quest. With the 4th Firstborn within your reach, you reach the halfway mark of your incredible journey. Battles later on will not be that easy. You must continue to hone your skills with the sword, and prepare for the battles at hand. Otherwise, you may never hope to destroy Ganon or save your brother."

"Don't underestimate Rachel." Fanny told him. "Lass is pretty strong."

"You bet!" Rachel declared, aiming her sword and readying it for battle. "I'll kick your butt with this sword tied around my back!"

"Interesting jester, but you must be resourceful." Piandao said, making several battle movements with his sword. "For just as the imagination is limitless, so too are the possibilities of the sword. As are the possibilities one could accomplish with a sword. It is a powerful weapon on its own, but with the Master Sword, you hold the most terrific power of all. I will see if your skill with the sword is with you. Enguarde!" (Replay theme!)

_Boss fight: Piandao_

"Remember, you cannot take back a stroke of the pen, or a stroke of the sword. Keep your wits about you, and be on your guard."

"No need to worry about that."

The two swordsmen charged at and began clashing their blades. Rachel did a Parry Attack and rolled behind him, but when she struck, Piandao spun out of the way and struck back, attacking her. He jumped high away in the air and tossed his sword like a boomerang again, Rachel dodging as the sword flew back. He shot over to slice her horizontally, but Rachel ducked and laid multiple blows upon him, pushing him back.

Piandao jumped and performed a vertical aerial spin, shooting over to Rachel and damaging her. "Careful, or you'll get your arms cut off." He taunted. When he performed the strike again, Rachel dodged right this time, then quickly ran and struck while his back was turned. When she kept striking, Piandao swiftly jumped on her blade, then flipped and kicked her back. After she recovered, she saw him charging another attack as he said, "Soul Surge: time your strikes and swing your sword."

He zoomed over to Rachel and prepared to strike her, and when she tried to strike back, he was able to strike past her while her guard was down, then quickly turned and kicked dirt at her. "You're getting ink on your face." He taunted once more. She wiped the dirt off and ran to clash with his sword some more, and was able to land a few more strikes. He jumped back and prepared another Soul Surge, but this time, Rachel watched for when he was gonna strike, quickly striking his sword back when he did so. He struck a second time, a third, and kept going faster each time, but Rachel still struck back. Their swords finally came in contact and pushed against each other, but Rachel was able to push him back and perform a Spin Attack, dealing heavy damage.

"You're good for someone who's more overworked than the average child. But let's see you try this." He then slipped over to several small rocks on the ground, and spun his sword to flick the stones at her. Rachel flipped and dodged them and spotted a slightly bigger rock, sticking her sword beneath it, flicking it up, then batting it over and knocking Piandao's sword back, allowing her to lay more strikes. "Yes. Observe your surroundings. Make them fight for you."

Rachel attempted a jump attack, but Piandao stuck at her from the ground, only for Rachel to swing back and flip behind him, successfully laying another spin strike. "HEYAH!" Piandao spun like a tornado over to Rachel, who saw multiple air slashes, but flipped back to dodge. When he stopped, she ran and dealt a few more blows before he jumped further away. He tossed his sword in the air and caught it before shooting over and swinging a storm of blows in multiple directions, Rachel trying to defend, but failed and took some hits on the last round, then was blown back by a spin attack.

When Piandao ran to strike her again, Rachel instantly jumped and did an aerial Parry Attack, knocking him away. She protected against a couple more swings before he tried a stab, but Rachel jumped on his blade, swerved below it, and kicked him back. Piandao charged for another Soul Surge, so Rachel did what she did last time and awaited his swings. He started with a quick one, another quick, a slow one, a slower one, and three more quick slashes until the swords started pushing against the other again. Piandao put more strength into his and made Rachel back up some, but the Supreme Leader still pulled through and pushed him away.

Rachel rose her sword skyward and allowed the energy to fill, the sword glowing with energy for a Skyward Strike. When she ran to attack, Piandao quickly slashed, but Rachel rolled behind, flipped back overhead, and finally knocked him on his back with the Skyward Strike, the sword falling out of his hand. As a final touch, she took her sword and sliced an "R" in the man's clothing, smirking as she twirled her sword and sheathed it away.

"Impressive performance. The way of the sword is with you strongly." Was the last he said before fainting.

"Heh. Old men are so slow." Rachel taunted. (End song.)

The White Lotus Master stood up a few moments later, holding his right arm. "Hmm… a short time with the Master Sword has learned you much, it seems."

"Well, I've always been a smart leader. Besides… I have my own spiritual guider." She smiled as Fi popped out.

"Yes… the Master Sword is a great weapon. It chooses its master most worthy. It did not choose you because you are Link's descendant. No, it chose you because of your brilliance, and courageous heart."

"Okay, enough with the flattery already." Rachel blushed.

The man walked over and kicked his sword in the air, letting it fall perfectly into its sheath. "Keep practicing your skills with the sword. And soon, you will have the strength to defeat the darkness, and save your brother. Now, if you'll excuse me… I need to get a new robe." With that, the swordsman bowed and walked away.

"That man had some WEIRD grammar." Fanny commented.

Afterwards, Fi spoke, _"Master, I regret to inform you that I have not yet determined the origins of this 'White Lotus' these men refer to. But there is a slight possibility that Master Piandao was the last of them."_

"It's alright, Fi. I feel like we'll be finding out soon enough. What's our next move?"

_"Our next plan of action must now be to locate the Firstborn, Mew. I calculate a 90% chance Mew resides within this Tree of Beginning. Whereabouts of the Guardian, however, remain unknown."_

_"Well, let's go."_ Chiri told them. _"You'll need my help to get in the tree, actually. Just follow my lead, and we'll find Mew in no time."_ The kids proceeded toward the tree.

**Final Brain**

Nolan, April, and Danika were currently exploring outside the Brotherhood Base, seeing the Stormtroopers and other villains' minions hard at work constructing some type of… city? They noticed the Sith Lord several feet away, who watched as Troopers pulled up a large statue of Palpatine, and decided to approach him. "Ahh… such a beautiful sight? My father's figure. The first of many statues that we will place around the world."

"What are you building out here, anyway?" Nolan asked.

"Why, the capitol of our grand empire, of course. Once the bustling town of Saudi Arabia… until we conquered it. I had to set up base somewhere. But soon, this land will be flowing with evil. And magnificent towns like this will be set up everywhere. We even set up one for Bowser, on the remains of a deceased villain's lair."

Mallah approached his master and spoke, "Master, ze Koopas have informed us that ze Junior Prospectors have been taken to Neo Bowser City."

"Excellent. I do believe we should go there. Come, Nolan. Our enemies may be there soon, too." With that, the Sith Lord and his ape strolled away.

Nolan looked at the Palpatine statue's face. Seeing its hateful, angry glare gave Nolan the chills. If Brain planned to stick these statues everywhere… he may have second thoughts. He shuddered as Danika pushed his chair along.

* * *

><p><strong>Hoo, well, this wasn't as long as the other chapters, but it still took a while. By the way, I just noticed something: in <em>Zelda: Wind Waker<em>, Link had to save his sister, Aryll, from Ganondorf. And now, Rachel, Link's descendant, has to save her brother! Only he's possessed, and not captured really, by a different person. So next time, we'll STILL have a lot of stuff happening. We'll have a scene with The Quads, the Team Alien group will meet Cranky, we'll head into The Tree of Beginning where we'll battle another spirit (guess who it is; not Mew), lots of things, really! Oh, and we'll also see the captured metahumans get taken to Gunkan! So, I'll see you then!**


	51. A Betrayal We Never Saw Coming

**Er-HERRM. Hm, didn't get as much encouragement on the last one as I'd thought. Oh well, let's see how this one goes. Heck, we have a song. :/ Let's go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mika Heartbroken: A Betrayal She Never Expected.<em>**

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Amanda Bynes calmly walked onto the stage of a dark, gray room, facing the camera as she spoke with a serious tone. "Good evening. My name is Amanda. You may know me as the actress that was recently arrested for drunk driving. There is a tragedy sweeping our nation not many may be aware of. The problem is, not many know what to do…", the TV behind her showed a picture of Jedi Knights wielding lightsabers, "when psychicbenders attack! Caught on camera are _actual_ video clips of attacks from these _actual_ psychicbenders just as they _actually_ happened. Let's watch."

The TV showed thousands of aliens gathered at the Geonosian stadium, cheering away at something the camera would not point out. "You see these many alien citizens, happily watching and raving over a baseball game. They probably have peanuts and cracker jacks. When out of nowhere: the psychicbenders attack!" The screen showed Jedi jumping from over the stadium walls, the audience running and screaming as the Jedi ran in the field and started slicing robots. "Fortunately, there weren't _so_ many casualties… until THIS happened." The camera closed up on the Jedi, Mace Windu, dashing to the armored bounty hunter, Jango Fett, and right when he reached him, the psychic sliced his head clean off his body.

"It pains me to see such horrible scum doing such things. So let's watch it again in slow motion." The clip rewound and played once more, this time in slow mo. "Watch as the vicious Jedi Knight rushes over, the harmless bounty hunter too slow to defend himself with his gun, and even too stupid to shoot Mace while he was grabbing his lightsaber off the ground. The psychicbender runs in, swats the gun away from him. Then… off with his head."

"Sniff, sniff." The screen switched to Boba sitting on the floor in a room, rocking back-and-forth in a fetal position as he spoke in a weepy tone. "A-Ah just w-wanted to see t-the monster fi- I-I mean, the baseball game… b-but then, out of nowhere… the psychicbenders attacked!"

Amanda turned to the camera and said, "What a sad, pathetic grown man."

"Hey, Ah heard that!"

"If you witness some of these attacks from actual psychicbenders, please dial this hotline: 1-800-I-just-saw-some-psychicbenders-attack/kill-some-person-so-I'm-calling-this-number-to-report-what-I-saw-" At that instant, Penelope ran up on stage, fired the ray at Amanda, and caught her inside the DNA Revitalizer. She then took out a pen and crossed "When… Attack Amanda" off her list. "THREE down!" She dashed off the stage, but came back right away and stuck her crazy face in the camera. "Please."

Commander Gunkan kept his fingers on his chin in thought as he and Boba finished watching the video on Gunkan's computer. "Whaddya think, Brett?" the hunter said cheerily, playfully smacking the commander's back. "I figured using an actress from an old sketch show oughta spread the message to younger viewers."

"Hmm… Well, psychicbenders were always the most vicious of these monsters. You aren't the only one who knows that."

"Exactly! And this video will be just enough to show 'em."

"Alright." Brett decided, standing up from his chair. "We'll send out the clip. But I'd like to know where that family of freaks is right now."

A soldier suddenly barged in and saluted. "Sir: the latest shipment of mutants has just arrived. Would you like to see them, Sir?"

"Very well, Private. Let's go."

Down in the base's prison wing, the inhuman prisoners held miserable expressions on their face as the soldiers led them into cells, closing the doors and locking them in. The Foster's Gang was locked in one cell. "PLEASE don't lock me in prison, Señor Soldier Man!" Eduardo cried. "I no hurt anyone. I LOVE the humans. Like Señor Mac!" He grabbed the 8-year-old human in his arms and began to hug and squeeze him. "See? I love you, Señor Mac! You mi best amigo!" Mac tried desperately to shake free, his skin turning blue from the crushing.

In the next cell, they locked up Frida and the Riveras, taking away Manny's belt so he couldn't transform. "Okay, okay, you caught me. But can you at least let Frida go?" Manny asked. "I'm the one that dragged her into it."

"Eh, how very noble of you." The gruff soldier replied. "But any human associating with mutant affairs is enemy as well."

"Er, let me go!" Violet demanded, trying to shake free as two GUNs held her and Scarlet by the arms. They were thrown into another cell, and afterwards had steel containers placed over their hands to prevent them from using their claws. An electric beam connected the holders to cuff them as well.

"Why are you throwing _me_ in here?" Scarlet asked. "Violet's the only real monster in this place."

"Oh, again with that?" Violet replied.

"CAN IT!" The soldiers saluted when Commander Gunkan and Boba entered the hall. "As far as I can see, you're ALL guilty."

"Hey, you're the bounty hunter." Violet recognized.

"Haha, that's right!" Boba laughed. "Looks like someone finally put YOU down, Kitty Face!"

"Um, Sir? We still have a couple more." A soldier reported as others led in Emily Matthews, handcuffed and wearing an ecto collar to keep her in human form. Along with her, the hideous Hulk-like form of Chad Dickson, who kept angrily trying to shake free from a net, only to get zapped by his shock collar. "And this one's a new breed. We saw him inhale the Bang Gas just moments ago, Sir."

"E-yugh. It's disgusting. But… a new breed? I bet it could be useful. Take him down to the research lab. We're gonna run a few tests."

"Wait! You can't take him!" Emily pleaded.

"We-hell. Looks like we got a little metahuman _looove_." Boba chuckled, making Emily blush in embarrassment.

"I don't care who's in love with who. Er, wait, is it 'who' or 'whom'—never mind. All I know is, as long as there's metahuman, no one is safe." Brett decided.

"Hey, Boba." Wolf greeted as he approached his best friend. "We just interrogated this family, apparently falsely arrested because they looked like The Quads. They told us that the _real_ Quads were seen heading to Langley Falls."

"Aw, dang it! Uh, y'all guys go on ahead without me, Wolf. I wanna finish work on mah new battle armor."

"Very well. Once the others are done bringing in the army's supplies, we'll ship off." Wolf said before walking away.

Another soldier then came and reported, "By the way, Sir, one of our spies claimed that this other psychicbender, with this weird fox thing were headed for the Tree of Beginning. In search of some being called Mew."

"Mew? ! Ready my craft, Soldier." The troop saluted and ran off. "And you: tell the men in the lab to begin the experiments I instructed them on Chad." he told the other soldier, who saluted and left. "I'll be back, Boba. I'm going on a little hunt." The rest of them walked out and left the mutants in their cells.

"AUUGH!" Scarlet cried, using her steel cuffs to pin Violet against the wall by her neck. "This is YOUR fault! If it wasn't for you, Aunt Victoria would still be here, and none of us would've ever become hideous mutants and locked in here."

"You have… no one to blame… but yourself." Violet choked.

"UGH." Scarlet just pulled her hands away and stepped to the other side of the cell. "If only I could kill you right now without having to sit in this cell with your rotting corpse. My one and perfect chance to stab you with my claws and present your head to Ganondorf and I can't do it."

"Peh." Violet spat out some saliva as she stood back up. "You wouldn't do it either way."

"And why not?"

"Because we're family. With my mother gone, we're all we have in the world. You can hate me all you want, but you still love me like the cousins we are."

"Oh, don't make me laugh." Scarlet shot a glare. "You're the worst person in my life. If not for these cuffs or this cell, I would take my claws, reach inside your chest, yank your heart right out, feed it to the Bulblins, rip out your eyes and feed 'em to rats, let the crows dine on your sockets as you just lie there and rot, and allow the dogs to suck on your bones once I finish carving the skin off them. I'd be surprised if Bruce still even wants you…"

"Okay, gross. Second of all, Bruce cares about me. And I'm sure there's someone that cares about _you_, too. Both of us have lots of friends, and sooner or later, they're gonna come and save us…"

Down in the storage chamber of the base, the Star Wolf Team tiredly carried heavy crates of supplies and stacked them upon the many others. "Hoo. Is that all of them?" Leon panted.

"Almost." Jake replied, dragging in a single box and placing it in front of all the others, not on a stack. "There we go."

"Finally. Now let's get us a decent meal. I could go for some psychicbender brains right about now. Growl." Panther growled. The bounty hunters left the storage room, the doors shutting and leaving it in the dark.

Once they were gone, a pair of eyes peeked out of the hole in the box that Jake brought, glancing left and right, patiently awaiting the perfect moment to strike.

**Bowser's Castle**

Mr. L held the caged Sector R Team up in his hand, followed by Bowser Jr. as he merrily entered the chamber where every other miniaturized child was held, watched by Lord Bowser. "Mmm, here you are, Lord Bowser: another capture of pintsize wimps just for you, brought to you by Hannibal."

"Gwah hah ha! This makes me so giddy, I can't stand it!"

"Then why don't you sit?" inquired Mr. L.

"Mmmrr. Don't push it."

"What should we do with 'em, Dad?" Junior asked. "We think some other people might be comin' to rescue 'em."

"Hmm… then we'll relocate them to the Neo Bowser City, too, trap them if they come. Set 'em down for now and go get the airships ready, Mr. L. While I go have a little chat." The Koopa King smiled as he stepped over to a human-sized birdcage, holding the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom herself, who was angrily turned away. "Hey-hey, Peach! Come on, don't look so glum. At least you aren't sharing the fate of these other chums. Can't you smile for old Papa Bowser just once?"

"As if I'd ever!" Peach yelled, turning at him. "You've kidnapped me _again_, and are using these poor peoples' fear to keep an even _worse_ person healthy. If you wanna make me smile, let all these people go."

"Grar har har! Aw, you know I can't do that, Peach! Especially when Gnaa is this close to his freedom. By the end of this, I'll finally have Mario destroyed for good. And we can finally get married and rule over the Mushroom Kingdom together! Gwee heh ha hah!"

"Hey, Dad. The poisonbenders are here." Junior called as he walked in with The Terrible Toxic Four.

"Ah, perfect timing. You guys help carry these pests to the airships, and get some supplies. Oh, and keep that poisonbending of yours at a 0 while in this castle! One little puff of gas near my torches will make this whole castle crumble. Now get going."

"Hmph." Matt huffed, grabbing the caged team and starting to carry them off. _"Dumbass."_

The shrunken Sector R then realized who was carrying them. _"Hey, it's Matt!"_ Flynn squeaked. The rest of them also called for his name in their little high-pitched voices, the toxic leader hearing this and stopping to hold them up by his face.

"G…Guys?"

_"Where've you been, Man? We've been worried about you."_ Sam yelled.

_"We've been looking forever!"_ Ria shouted.

"You have?"

"Hey, Dad!" Bowser Jr. approached his father. "Speaking of kidnapping, you oughta give a few pointers to King K. Rool. I heard he just kidnapped Kami and lost her again!"

Jeremiah instantly heard this and gasped. "Oh yeah?" Bowser asked.

"Yeah, it mighta been the Kongs. They're probably headed for DK Island."

"Er, guys? I gotta go." Jeremiah said to his friends before running off.

A nearby screen on Bowser's wall then started to beep, showing an Eggman symbol connecting a call to a Bowser symbol. "Oh, it's Eggman! I wonder if he's got what I want yet?" Bowser said as he answered, showing Eggman onscreen.

_"OH ho ho ho! Good news, Bowser! I disguised my robots as GUN drones and they've located the Forest Spirit! She's currently at the Tree of Beginning. I'll capture her for you and take her to Neo Bowser City."_

_"We also caught that raccoon sheila!"_ Bokkun appeared and shouted.

"What?" Elijah gasped.

"Great work, Eggman! We'll meet you there, too!" Bowser replied, ending transmission.

"Umm… where's Katie?" Leo asked, approaching the Koopa.

"That Nightmare girl? I dunno. Probably hangin' out with that Mandy chick or somethin'. In that case, Ganon's probably after them."

"LATER, GUYS!" Leo yelled, running off.

"YOU KNOW, I THINK SCARLET GOT CAPTURED BY GUN." Elijah yelled.

_"Screw her!"_ Leo called.

"Okay, well… later, Matt." Elijah said, waving him 'bye' as he ran off.

"Uh-huh… guess I better go, too." Matt said before carrying his former team away.

"Boy, those guys were in a hurry." Bowser Jr. said.

"Whatever gets them outta here the faster. Powers like those are way too dangerous to have around this place…"

**Planet Dathomir, Lucinda's Cave**

Lucinda Talzin had returned to her lonely cave within the depths of the swamp, her shadow pouring strange items into her magic cauldron as she stirred with her wand. "Gallon of Obedience…" her shadow poured the ingredients in. "Pint of Knowledge… a Pinch of Willpower…" She grabbed a box of the last ingredient herself, proceeding to pour it in. "And just… a hint… of… _lust_…" She began to cackle maniacally as smoke erupted from the cauldron.

"Hello, Lucy!" Rumpel smiled as he and Yuki walked into the cave. "Hope we aren't interrupting anything."

"Oh, Rumpel and Yuki. Come, come right in. I have just whipped another potion. Let's see if this is strong enough to break the seal…" She took a cup and filled it with some potion, holding it over the black Genie Lamp and dumping it on. "Yes, YEEES…" She exclaimed as the lamp began to glow. "NO!" A barrier popped up around the lamp and blew the liquid off, blowing the witch and her shadow back.

"Ooohh…" Rumpel squinted and looked away.

The witch recovered and saw that the lamp was still intact. "Oh, it's no use…" she moaned sadly as her shadow patted her shoulder. "Nothing will break this curse."

"Uh… what curse?" Yuki asked.

"The Curse of the Genie, of course. My poor shadow must remain bound to the lamp, as must I in that sense. If I cannot be free, I will never be able to grant the marvelous gifts I used to. Granting that one to the Ice Climbers took too much out of me. I'll barely be able to last. Oh, if only I were free…"

"Ahem, about that, Lucy." Rumpel spoke up, approaching the witch with a spellbook. "I've been looking into that. I think I may have a way to find a cure. This is a book I found of different magical deals. Check this page out…" the elf smirked as Talzin took the book and began to read.

"…'How to take away someone's bending and use it as your own'?"

"We already got most of the requirements! All we really need is a good old-fashioned timebender." He spared a wicked glance to Yuki. _"And I've already picked out the perfect one…"_

Yuki shot him a suspicious look. "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing, my dear child." Lucinda responded in her motherly tone. "Oh, Rumpel, could you go out and pick some frog warts for me? I wish to speak to Yuki…"

"Whatever you say. Mmmmadam." Rumpel bowed, stepping backwards out of the cave.

"Yuki… let's go for a walk, shall we?"

The ugly fairy and the icebender went for a walk around the poison swamp, in a part where strange sacks with limbs sticking out hung from cages. "Yuki… I noticed how… grumpy you've seemed since we first met. What's on your mind, Boy?"

Yuki grumbled a little and glanced away. "I've been living in a icy wasteland for months in exile. All because of these dumb ice powers. I couldn't control them and froze everything I touched. Including the Supreme Leader's stupid little brother. And no one helped me. Not even my own best friend."

"Oh, Yuki. You and I have so much in common. I remember when I was just a happy fairy living in Avalar. Using my magnificent powers of selflessness to grant the people gifts. Things went so lovely. I granted many marvelous gifts. Such as that of eternal love, never separating a married couple, giving people a simpler life as an animal… but then there was _her_."

"Who?"

"Ella of Frell, whom I granted the most marvelous of my gifts, and was the only one to receive such a spell: Imperioloso."

"Huh?"

"It's an enhanced form of the Imperio Curse, which allows the caster to control people. That enhanced version gave her total obedience. I created the perfect child. But perfect or not, she was still an ungrateful brat. Just like everyone else was. After they found a way to break my spell, they turned to the spirits and the Star Fairies. I was brought before the Fairy Council Court, where I stood trial for my 'crimes'. I was found guilty, and was sentenced into exile. That _accursed_ Fairy King, Jorgen von Strangle, stripped me of my shadow and locked her in a lamp, cancelling out my magic. I begged him to let me keep _some_ magic… and he did. But at a price. I was never allowed to use my magic to grant gifts again. I made… the _Unbreakable Vow_."

"The Unbreakable Vow?"

"I vowed I would never grant another gift. And I granted one to those kids. It's an incredible thing that I stand here right now. But being exiled has its upsides. Over time… I started my very own clan. The Nightsisters. An entire tribe of witches. You see them before you now." She directed his attention to the sacks of dead limbs. "One day, something terrible happened. We were attacked, and all the Nightsisters have been wiped out. They were the only family I had in this world. But I mustn't despair. _No one_ ever truly leaves your life. Their spirits live on within me. Maybe they are why I continue to live…"

"Ummm."

"The point is, Yuki, you and I were both banished for our incredible powers. And like me, you know what fools the people who have cast us aside have been. When I look at you, I see my own flesh and blood. In the form of a boy of course. It is only fair that your inner darkness be unleashed. Your cold-blooded hatred for Jagar King and all the Kids Next Door rages inside your heart, waiting to be released in the form of all your fury."

"Well… it's not like I came all the way out here with anything else to do. But just, what happens if you break… the 'Unbreakable Vow'?"

_"…You die."_

**Langley Falls**

The Quads and Noah kept riding in the latter's blue Camaro, finally exiting the desert and coming into a town, passing a sign that read _Langley Falls. Terrorist free since_…, but the rest of it was blown up. "So, Langley Falls, huh?" Buddy said to himself. "I used to watch a show about this place, actually. Something about an alien."

"Let's just hope they don't have too many wanted posters of us here." Athena said.

"Ummm… what's that?" Beckah asked, noticing a crowd of people gather by a window on a building. Noah parked by that place for a closer look, peeking through the crowd and seeing it was the same video Gunkan was watching moments ago. It was just now getting to the part where Boba was sitting in the room and weeping.

"Pfft. Wow, Boba. You are pathetic." Sophie chuckled.

"Pathetic or not, that guy seems to be getting desperate on stopping us. Or any psychicbender, really." Morgan figured.

"We-he-hell, those psychicbenders are in for it now, it looks like!" a familiar voice exclaimed from the crowd. They looked and spotted a familiar long-necked alien in a robe and false mustache. "I'd sure hate to be a psychicbender right now. Yep! Thank God I am in no way a psychicbender whatsoever-"

"Yarael!"

"AHHH!" Yarael Poof screamed when Morgan suddenly pulled him away from the crowd. "Oh-ho hey look, it's you kids again! I was wondering where you landed!"

"What are you doing? !" Morgan whisper-shouted through gritted teeth. "You want anyone to see an alien walking around here? !"

"'scuse me, pardon me, hot actress comin' through." A short, fat lady with a blue dress and blonde hair interrupted, cutting by them. 'Course, anyone who could notice the oddly-colored skin and no nose would know it was Roger Smith the Alien. "Gotta go audition, see anything you like, feel free to point it out."

"…Okay, point taken. But how are you able to hide so well?"

"Turns out, this mustache is good for two purposes: it hides my identity as a Jedi AND as a different species! Yep. I can totally blend in as part of the group!"

"Okay, that's great, now let's go and find the rest of our friends." Athena told him.

"Nope, actually, I think I may hang out around here for a while until this blows over."

"Ugh. Come on, Yarael, you're a Jedi Knight, you can't stay cowering in fear forever." Sophie tried to tell him.

"Hey, Mr. Yackatori, clean up on Aisle 7." a store manager ordered from his shop.

"Right away, Sir, for no one mops up the floor with those messes better than me, your fellow human employee! Uh, look kids, it just isn't safe enough for psychicbenders right now, so I can't come with you. Now I gotta go, but be careful you don't get caught." The Jedi said, going into the store. "And if you do, put those mind tricks of yours I taught ya to good use. Good-bye!" He left.

"Sigh… what a coward." Sophie sighed.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Beckah asked. "Hide out like sissies until one of our friends show up?"

"No thanks." Morgan said. "I'd rather kiss Voldemort."

"Obviously- Ow!" Morgan smacked Buddy.

"Anyway, we just have to go without being recognized. And if we are, we'll try to use mind tricks. So… where should we go now?"

"I know, I know!" Noah jumped. "Let's go see a movie! I think _The Hunger Games_ is still showing. I never got a chance to see that yet."

"Sounds good to me." Buddy agreed.

Minutes later, they found the Langley Falls theater and proceeded to head inside. But as they went in, they were secretly watched by a strange man and woman, dressed in business-like uniforms and wearing sunglasses. Under their holographic disguises, however, was Bane and Aurra. "So… a movie, is it?" Bane observed.

"I'm actually curious as to what passes for entertainment among these people. Let's go in and watch 'em from there." Aurra decided.

The family plus Noah approached the list of shows on the wall and saw _The Hunger Games_ was in Theater 13 to the right. "Alright, they still have it." Morgan observed. "Let's get some tickets and-" But as she turned toward the ticket counter, she noticed a wanted poster of the six of them. "Umm…"

"Great. What now?" Buddy asked.

"It's okay. Let's just head on in. I have a plan." The five shrugged and decided to head down the hall toward the theater. Before Morgan followed them, she turned back at the wanted poster, squinted her eyes, and nodded her head, using psychic to make the top of the picture come off and just hang there, so that you could only see the back.

They were about to head into the movie until a guard stopped them. "Hold on, kids. No movie without a ticket."

Morgan just waved her hand by his face and said, "You will let us pass."

"I will… let you… pass."

Morgan gave her siblings a smile and thumbs-up before walking past him. The others were about to follow until the guard stopped them again. "Hold on, kids. No movie without a ticket."

Morgan sighed, tapped the man on the shoulder, and said, "You will let the _six_ of us pass."

"I will… let the… _six_ of you… pass." The guard stepped aside and let them all go in, with Noah blowing a raspberry while his back was turned. The man was then approached by the disguised Bane and Aurra, holding his hand out and asking, "Ticket?"

"Oh. We, uh…" Bane just decided to punch the man unconscious, allowing him and Aurra to follow The Quads in.

As the six of them were looking for a good seat, Noah asked Buddy, "Hey, Buddy, um… wanna just sit in our own seats, close to the screen?"

"Umm, okay." Buddy shrugged. His sisters just smiled and shook their heads in disbelief, going up to sit in a higher row. With them away, Buddy and Noah took their seats closer to the screen. As they waited for the previews to end, the blue-clothed girl sighed as she leaned against his shoulder, making him blush. "Uh, hehe. This was a really good book."

"I know! I wonder what the movie's like? Too bad we don't have any popcorn."

Buddy then looked up in a row above them, seeing a lonely bucket of popcorn in a holder. "Hold on a second." Making sure no one else was looking, he used his psychic to lift the bucket and guide it over, placing it in the holder between them.

"Oooh!"

Buddy also noticed a cup of Pepsi, using psychic to bring it to them as well. "And with that, we can enjoy the movie."

Noah gave a grossed look, however, when she picked a half-eaten corndog from the popcorn. "Er… sort of. Hehe." He chuckled.

**Flying Krock**

Team Alien continued to fly over the seas as Ava piloted the Flying Krock. She kept an annoyed look on her visage as Kami kicked back in the other seat, munching on Pringles and flicking some crumbs at Ava's head. "Will. You. Stop that?"

"Pfft. Whatever." She mumbled, then started flicking crumbs over at Kweeb on the control desk, in which they were much larger at his size.

"Don't flick them at Kweeb, either!"

"Why, or he won't taste good enough for you to eat later?"

"Hey, for the last time-" Ava started, turning to her.

"Hey, watch out!" Dixie yelled, quickly grabbing the steering wheel before they crashed in the ocean, causing several barrels in the back to fall over on Vector. "Phew. Probably should let me drive."

Ava got up to let Dixie have her seat as she went over to Kami and pointed her sword at her face. "That's it, Kami. I don't care if you were hit with a Darkness Cannon. You're rude, you're crude, the way you chew your food, snappy attitude, and being a plain jerk. And when we get there, I hope Cranky knocks some serious sense into you, because you've certainly lost it."

"At least I didn't join King Fatso anyway, unlike you, Ms. Betray-my-friends-for-a-bunch-of-crazy-world-conquering-adults."

"I did that to save my planet, Genius! At least I know how to-"

"Come on, girls, maybe we talk about this when we get-" Kweeb tried to say.

"Please, I bet people like you just _love_ seein' catfights." Kami interrupted.

"Er, that's only on some occasions, but you two are-" All three of them began arguing with each other in minutes.

"SILENCE!" Espio shouted at them. "Perhaps peace and quiet is what we need at the moment. Until we reach DK Isles, I just want to have a nice, safe, gentle, conflict-free, cru-"

_"HAAAAAAAA!"_ Dixie immediately stomped the ship's brake when a flaming force emerged from the ocean. The flames vanished, revealing none other than Dogadon, red and fuming with rage. He glared at the hijacked ship and saw the ones who bested him before. _"ROOOOAAAR!"_

"AAAAHH! It's Dogadon!" Diddy screamed.

"AAAH-aaaah!" Chunky cried.

"Didn't he learn his lesson the first time?" Ava asked, grabbing her swords.

"These guys usually need two lectures." Dixie replied.

"Alright then. Let's go." Ava, Kweeb, and the Kongs climbed to the roof of the craft while Dixie still piloted. (Play the "Forest Boss" theme from _Donkey Kong 64_.)

_Boss fight: Dogadon_

_"ROOOOAAAR!"_ Dogadon furiously blasted fireballs that the team quickly dodged, but lost their footing when the dragon slammed the roof and shook the craft. Dixie maneuvered the Krock away as Donkey Kong whipped out his Coconut Shooter and blasted the dragon's head. Dogadon took the shots and flew beneath the ship, shooting up and pushing the ship to the sky. He stopped after a few meters, flipped around, and began pushing the ship to the ocean at high speeds.

"Hnnnngh!" Dixie struggled to drive the ship away from his grasp. "Kami, press that button and drop a bomb on him!"

"You ain't the boss of me."

"Grrrrr!" Dixie swung her ponytail and managed to press the button herself. A hatch opened beneath the ship that released a bomb and blew the dragon away, and the ship flew back right-side-up as Dogadon fell into the sea. As usual, the dragon recovered, flying at their level and unleashing a storm of fireballs, making Dixie tilt the ship rightward and slide away. Dogadon flew around them in circles and unleashed fireballs, but Ava blocked with her swords before hurling them directly at the dragon's head, only for him to duck. He inhaled a bigger breath of fire, but Ava summoned her swords back and pierced the dragon in the neck from behind, causing him to blast his flames skyward. They exploded a rained smaller flames down, which the roof team evaded before flying above the dragon. Dixie glanced at Kami, still kicked back in uninterest, so she sighed and pressed the button herself.

Another bomb dropped and sent the Dogadon falling to the sea. Ava called her swords back in the meantime, but Dogadon recovered again and shook the water off of him, creating a huge cloud of steam. The team struggled to see in the fog as Dogadon threw fireballs from random, unseen directions. They dodged okay at first until a fireball exploded close to Kweeb, sending him flying. "WHOOOoooaa!"

"Kweeb!" Ava cried.

The little alien found himself saved in Charmy's hands, smiling at the bee. Charmy flew back to the Krock and handed Kweeb to Ava before expanding a huge bubble of air that blew the steam away. Dogadon was nowhere to be found, until he suddenly whipped across them and flung Charmy away. He aimed to blast the others again, but felt something on his face, as Espio was invisible and climbing around, sticking shurikens in the dragon's body.

Furious, Dogadon shook him away and flew further ahead of the Krock. With another surge of flame breath, Dogadon released an enormous wall of fire, sending it directly at the ship. The crew panicked, but Vector started chugging down two bottles of hotsauce. The crocodile ran to the front of the ship and unleashed his own breath of fire. His grew larger than the Flying Krock and blocked the part of the flame wall coming at them. The rest of the flames passed by, but their ship was kept safe. The flames vanished, and Dogadon was disappointed to see the crew okay. He tried to catch his breath, but the Krock flew above him and dropped another bomb, sending him to the sea.

Everyone nervously peeked over the roof to see the bubbling water below. Dogadon shot up once again and started furiously beating the Krock, bashing it from all directions as the crew struggled to stay on. Finally, the dragon gripped the Krock and started flying headfirst into the sun. (Play the "Forest Boss" Theme sped-up.)

"Hrrrrrr. Wha-a-a-at's he-e-e-e doi-i-i-i-ing?" Ava rumbled.

"He's flyi-i-i-i-ing into the su-u-u-u-un." replied Tiny.

"But he-e-e-e-e wouldn't survi-i-i-ive in spa-a-a-ace." Kweeb followed, gripping tight to Ava's dress.

"Neithe-e-e-e-er would we-e-e-e-e."

Ava held the metal roof as tight as her fingers would as she crawled to the ship's windshield. "Kami-i-i-i-i. Get out he-e-e-ere. We need you for thi-i-i-is."

"I ain't need y'all."

"Kami-i-i-i. Stop being a pe-e-e-est and get out here no-o-o-o-ow." Kweeb yelled.

"Why ain'tchu become window splat by now?"

"Kami, ju-u-u-ust get out he-e-e-ere." Ava told her.

"Nnnnope."

"Will you just QUIT being stubborn and get out there-" Dixie began.

"No." Ava stopped. "If that's how it i-i-i-is, then do-o-o-on't. Don't… come up here. You were always usele-e-e-es from the start. How could you otherwi-i-i-ise since you were human? I always tho-o-o-ought aliens were superior. And we a-a-are. Even Kwe-e-e-eb has more potential than you. And he's a bu-u-u-ug. He can kick your butt… any da-a-a-ay of the week."

"Oh, you wanna bet? ?" Kami declared, suddenly convinced. "I'll come out there and squish 'im right now."

She struggled to climb out the broken windshield, but once on top, she stood tall and raised her foot above Kweeb. "Any last words, shrimp?"

"I'd rather you wear sandals." He winked. "NOW, Ava!"

The Glomourian forced her other sword in Kami's hand, raising both their blades together. Kweeb charged a huge blast in his ray gun and fired directly at their hands. Kami and Ava's swords grew bigger than the ship, Dogadon gasping as the girls fell off. "Hey, Kami!" Ava yelled. "Bet you can't block THIS!" She lashed her tremendous sword at Dogadon, and Kami did the same in attempt to block her. Dogadon choked frantically as both enlarged blades pierced his side. The girls struggled to keep their giant hands in place, and could barely raise the swords any higher. They let their hands drop, but seizing the moment, they spiraled around and BASHED the dragon with their swords from above. The momentum pushed Dogadon directly into the blue sea, and the Flying Krock was free.

The ship flew beneath to catch Kami and Ava, wobbling due to the weight of their giant hands. "HOO! That was WICKED!" Ava cheered as Kweeb shrunk their hands back to normal.

"Good thing I took the time to charge the reverse feature!" Kweeb perked.

Charmy flew back to the roof with Espio in tow. "Hey, guys. What happened?" Espio asked.

"We just used our new Team Blast!" Ava declared.

"It wasn't that special." Kami said.

"Ugh. STILL the same? ?"

"Let's get to DK Isles NOW." Dixie decided. (End song.)

**DK Isles**

The sun was beginning to set by the time the lot of them arrived at DK Isles. The Kong Krew had set up a fire along the beach as they began to eat their preferred fruits, Donkey with coconuts, Diddy with peanuts, Chunky's pineapples, and Dixie and Tiny's watermelons. "This island's a really nice place." Ava said, gazing at the orange sunset sky.

"DK Island's always been one of the nicest settings." Dixie replied. "We always believed it was one of the first created by earth spirits. That's why our bananas taste so good, and why we thought people like the Kremlings tried to steal them, to always satisfy their needs."

Kami spotted one of said bananas on the ground next to her. She picked the fruit up and removed the peel, proceeding to bite it. She felt taken aback by the marvelous taste of the pure yellow fruit. Any anger she might've had previously seemed to go away.

Everyone stopped in their activities when they heard rustling though the bushes, looking to see Funky Kong come out of the jungle. "Hey, dudes. Cranky's waiting for ya. He's not in a happy mood, but I think he's got something that'll help."

The tech-knowledgeable Kong led them to a house in the jungle, labeled 'Monkey Museum'. Inside was some bit of lab equipment and a lab table with a monitor, as well as several videogame systems in the back, mostly games from the old days. They watched as an elderly ape slowly limped down the stairs with a cane, wearing glasses, a white lab coat, and had a long white beard. "Well, if it isn't my lazy oaf of a son, DK. So, these are the little munchkins you told me about, Funky."

"So, you're Cranky Kong?" Kami asked.

"You bet yer bippy!"

"Ow!" Kami yelped when he clonked her in the head with his cane.

"You must be the human he told me about, too. Figured since you're the only human. Why don't ya go lie down on that there bed-couch thingy while I have me a talk with these here creatures?" Kami sighed and went over to lie on one of those reclines you see in therapist offices, while Cranky led the others to the other side of the room. "So, what seems to be the problem with this young missy?"

"Well, she's a jerk. To put it simply." Ava answered.

"But it's not her fault. She was shot by a Darkness Cannon." Kweeb said.

"Yes, yes. I heard about them Darkness Cannon thingies. Manipulates any heart to the Dark Side. Ruins plenty of good friendships, they do."

"Well, what do we do?" Dixie asked. "How can we reverse the effects?"

"I'm getting to that, Missy! Anyway, it's not that she's brainwashed or nothin'. The purpose of the Darkness Cannon is to take the negative feelings in a heart and make them overcome the positive feelings."

"Basically she does hate aliens." Ava figured, folding her arms.

"Watch that tongue of yours!" Cranky yelled, bashing her head. "True, she did have her minor distaste in aliens and creatures that looked different. But she never really let those feelings out before. She put those feelings aside and focused on the good ones, like her friendship with you. She had a strong heart. Unfortunately not strong enough to fight the affects of darkness. But don't worry. Old Cranky knows how to fix it."

"Got any lightbenders?" Kweeb asked.

"Eh. Lightbenders only get part of the job done. The only real way to heal the effects of a Darkness Cannon is to show that person that their negative thoughts are all a bunch of hooey! I'll take care of that." The old ape limped his way to the recliner Kami lied on. "So, little missy, you think hanging out with aliens makes you different from your kind, does it?"

"Um, yes."

"And when was bein' different ever a bad thing?"

"Well-"

"NEVER! That's when!" He clonked her again.

"Ow!"

"If there's one thing wrong with the younger generation nowadays, it's their lousy fear of bein' different. Always worried about how they dress or how they look or what other people think."

"I do _not_ care about what other people- OW!" He clonked her.

"No, you just hate them for being different. And you think hanging out with them makes you inhuman. But that's bull-plucky! Even if they are of a different species, can you honestly say they're _really_ any different from you?"

"Why am I listening to a talking ape- OW!" He clonked her… again. "Grrr!"

"Don't get snippy with me! You're a talking ape, too. Eons ahead of my generation, but still a kind of ape nonetheless. In fact, the only ape around here who DON'T know how to speak is my lazy son o' mine! And maybe Chunky, but…but that's it, really. Those alien friends of yours aren't so different. Sure Ava may be able to kiss people to learn their language, and Kweeb's as small as a beetle… but you still speak English, you're both rotten kids, ya like them videogames, and the three of you are all living creatures in this universe that interact. It's what's inside someone that matters. Who cares what color skin they have, what kind of clothes they wear, or if they have antennas? I know your father didn't care when he came here, that's true."

"Wait, you knew my father- OW! Enough with that cane already, geez…"

"Of COURSE I knew your father! We all did! When he fought in the Kremian Wars back in the old days, he was purdy good friends with the Kong Klan, and all the other animals, too. He didn't care that Donkey wore nothin' but a tie, Funky was a surfer dude, or that Candy Kong liked to pose all pretty like that. All he cared was they were an alright gang to hang out with during his time. He maybe had his negative thoughts, but he didn't let THEM get in the way, so why should you?"

"Okay, I see your point, but- OW!"

"BUT NOTHIN'! Now you listen to old Cranky now!" The elderly ape switched on a stereo, playing some music as he began to dance and sing.

_Cranky: Don't matter what ya look like!_

_Don't matter what ya wear!_

Cranky put on a bunch of clothes and threw them off in this next verse.

_If ya wear a hat, some glasses, some jeggings, some flip-flops_

_Well, we don't care!_

_Animals: NO, WE DON'T CARE!_ A bunch of animals, like Rambi, Expresso, and the Kongs' Animal Buddies stood on ledges on the walls as they sang. Cranky took out an eyedropper and dipped it in a potion, filling it up.

_Cranky: Don't matter where ya come from._

_Don't even matter what ya are!_ He went over to Kweeb and started dipping drops of the potion on him, changing him into many animals.

_A rhino, an ostrich, a swordfish, a parrot, no_

_Not even an aardvark-bear!_

_Animals: NO! NOT EVEN AN AARDVARK-BEAR!_

A swarm of birds and other animals began to run and fly around him as he danced.

_Cranky: And they all knew what they wanted_

_What they wanted ME to do!_

_I told them what they needed!_ He got behind Kami, jabbing his cane at her face.

_That's what I keep tellin' you._ He grabbed and flung her upwards as the animals chorused.

_Ya gotta-_

_Animals: DIIIG a little DEEPER!_

_Cranky: And look inside your heart._

_Animals: Ya gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!_

_Cranky: It really ain't that far!_ Cranky pulled out a mirror and held it in front of Kami's face.

_When you find out who you are_

_You'll find out what you need._

The mirror showed a vision of herself with Jeremiah appearing behind her. Her eyes widened, looking around, but only seeing Kweeb on her shoulder. The alien gave a disgusted look, shaking his head 'no' before jumping off.

_Animals: BLUE SKIES AND SUNSHINE!_

_Cranky: Indeed!_

Rattly the Rattlesnake got under Kami, Ava, and Kweeb and flung them upward.

_Ya gotta dig! (DIG!)_

He did the same with Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie.

_Ya gotta dig! (DIG!)_

"WOOHOO!" Donkey Kong cheered, flying through the air.

As Kweeb began dancing on the lab table, Cranky danced around him.

_Cranky: Old Kweeby's a big li'l boy!_

_You wanna be big, you say?_ Kweeb smiled and shook 'no'.

_Whether he's big or small, real fat, real tall_

_He's still real fun to PLAAY with-_

_Animals: HEY!_ They yelled in Kami's ears.

Cranky then danced to Ava, pointing his cane at her.

_Cranky: Then there's Ava! White skin, big ears_

_And a tongue of a thousand tongues._

_She gotta burning passion for her people_

_Can't say that's much different than you then, Hon._

Cranky held his cane up and let Squawks the Parrot grab it in his talons, carrying Cranky above Kami, and allowing him to grab and carry her, too.

_Animals: You gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!_

_Cranky: Don't you munchkins know?_

The parrot dropped them on the other end of the room, a slight smile appearing on Kami's face.

_Animals: Ya gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!_

_Cranky: Tell them young people Cranky told ya so!_

Cranky directed her attention to Ava dancing and swinging Kweeb around.

_I can't tell you what you'll find_

_Maybe it's love, new friends, you'll be surprised!_

_Animals: Dig a little deeper-_

_Cranky: -and you'll know._

"Now, Miss Drilovsky?"

"Huh?"

"May I have a word?"

"Um, okay." Cranky wrapped his cane around her neck, leading her to the TV on his lab table.

"Now, you's a hardhead. That's what I heard." He switched on his little TV and swat the back of Kami's head with his cane, making her face the screen. It showed an image of her father playing with her and Patton when they were younger.

_Cranky: Your daddy was a lovin' man!_

_Family through-and-through._ Kami made a smile.

_You yo' daddy's daughter!_

_What he had in him, you got in you!_

Suddenly, Expresso the Ostrich caught Kami on her back, Rambi the Rhino caught Ava on his, Squawks carried Kweeb in his talons, Diddy carried Dixie on his jetpack, and Donkey lifted and carried Cranky as they all dashed up a cave in the back of the cabin.

_Animals: You gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!_

"For you, it might be tough." Cranky said to Kami.

_You gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!_

"If ya don't get FAR enough!" Cranky rode Donkey up some vines while the animals just helped the others up platforms.

_Cranky: Look deep down inside yourself_

_And find out what you need._

_Animals: Blue SKIES and SUNSHINE!_

_Cranky: Indeed._

"OPEN UP THE WINDOWS! LET IN THE LIGHT, young WHIPPERSNAPPERS!" The lot of them passed through some vine curtains, finding their selves in a part of the jungle atop a cliff, high above the beach they were at before, and had a spectacular view of the sunset over the seas.

_Animals: Blue skies 'n' sunshine!_ Chunky grabbed a bunch of Orange Grenades in his arms and threw them up into his mouth.

_Blue skies 'n' sunshine!_ Kweeb and Tiny both bounced on a lever, flinging two melons to Ava and Dixie, who caught them in their ponytails.

_Blue skies 'n' sunshine!_ Team Chaotix held their mouths wide open as Diddy fired peanuts perfectly into them.

_Blue skies 'n' sunshine!_ Donkey banged his bongos rapidly before standing on them, grinning and making a muscle pose.

_Kami: Blue SKIES and SUNSHIIIINE!_

_Cranky: GuaraaaanTEEEEEEEED!_

"'Course, I admit, that isn't the case for _everything_." Cranky said afterward. "It's true that some people have their preferable styles in clothing, hobbies, etc.. Of course, not everyone will agree with ya and let ya down lightly. But the important thing is that you don't let what they say get to ya. 'Course, you knew that, didn't you?"

"Pfft, duh!"

"Good! So, Kami. Did ol' Cranky make it clear enough? Do ya understand, now?"

"Well… I was kinda confused… but I do get the point. Ava and Kweeb may be freaky aliens, but they're the best friends I ever had!"

"THERE YA GO, MISSY!" Cranky leapt above Kami and bashed her on the head with his cane again.

"OW! !"

"Heh heh! Now Mama Odie owes me 35 Banana Coins on that deal!" Kami rubbed her head of the sore, but then chuckled and made a smile.

Once the song was over, everyone returned to the beach and returned to eating fruits around the fire. "So, let me get this straight: there's an ancient tower with an all-powerful… Tetris… that's supposed to contain the spirits of all animal beings, and K. Rool wants to use this power to make a world where… everyone has the same traits?" Ava summarized what Kami just told them.

"As far as I recall. You know anything about this, Cranky?"

"Boy, do I! The Leptys is a sacred relic among the animal species of DK and Tiki Island. Kept in a dangerous volcano to keep the balance of diversity. If one were so acquainted with different species like K. Rool is, he could control it. But what he's thinkin' is a bunch of hippie-dinGAH! People might have their differences, sure, but that's what keeps the balance! All what really matters is if you're able to overlook those big differences. Same goes if you're a metahuman, too."

"Heh, Kami knows that." Kweeb chuckled. "She totally made out with one."

Kami's cheeks turned pink from embarrassment. "H-How did you-"

"Hehe, I was totally in your pocket when it happened! I even saw a hint of tongue." Kami immediately swatted the tiny alien off the log seat, smiling and blushing.

"Hehe… technically he's a bender."

"Eh, either way, it sounds like you get along better with different types than you thought." Cranky said.

"Especially since they're practically total opposites." Ava followed.

"Hehe… I guess it sort of runs in the family. Patton works with a bunch of different types every day, when he's training them in the Arctic." Kami figured as she started to eat another banana. "Boy, these bananas sure are good, though. How do you guys get 'em like this?"

"Well, I should figure they are." Cranky said. "These bananas are grown by light spirits. Made with that special magical power to heal the deepest internal wounds. Why, just one bite o' that stuff will lighten the darkness in even the bleakest hearts."

"Hm. Guess that explains a lot."

"But let's not get off subject." Espio reminded them. "What are we going to do about defeating Kroctus?"

"Can't we just go over to his base and kick his butt?" Kami asked.

"Let's not be rash now." Cranky said. "He's got the Tiki Tak Tribe on his side. Not to mention he's working with several other villains. Ah, but don't worry, you'll put a stop to his plans. But first, you still need to rescue Lanky Kong. For ages, the Kong Family have been the protective guardians of the Leptys. It's always been our job to make sure it was protected. We'll need all the members of the Klan to make sure Kroctus doesn't succeed."

"But how do we know where to find him?" Ava asked.

"I might have an idea." said another voice. Everyone shot their attention toward the edge of the water, seeing Jeremiah Heartly standing by a boat.

"Jeremiah!" Kami beamed. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehe." He grinned lightly at her outburst. "I heard that K. Rool kidnapped you again. I took one of the airships' lifeboats and came to see if you were okay."

"Awww, that's sweet."

"Anyway, I think I know where they're keeping Lanky. Bowser and the Koopas fixed up their own city out on this uncharted island. And I think he's letting K. Rool hold Lanky there."

"Then I guess we know where to go then." Dixie figured.

"O-kay, dudes! Let me go fire up the Gyrocopter and take all of us there!" Funky cheered, running off to his workshop.

After he left, Jeremiah joined Kami on the log bench, looking out at the sunset. "Hey, did you hear about this anti-metahuman thing the army's doing?" he asked.

"Yeah. They actually tried to catch me for hanging out with aliens earlier."

"Yikes. Maybe hanging out with me isn't such a good idea."

"I don't really care. Still, if Cranky's song could only be heard by the military… things would probably change. Ava and Kweeb wouldn't have to worry about hiding… and neither would you. Hm," she smiled, "but even if they don't change, who cares if I hang out with people who are 'different', right?"

"Heh heh. I can't disagree with that."

**Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.**

"WHOOPS! SORRY!" Facilier shouted, nearly crashing into a plane as he drove the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. uncontrollably.

_"Hey, watch where you're flyin'!"_

"Sorry!"

"Umm… Mr. Facilier?" Hoagie spoke up as the Sector V members plus Ice Climbers were holding onto their seats. "M-Maybe I should drive."

"Don't worry, kiddies. I'll have us to Mama Odie's as soon as possible."

"Mama Odie? I thought we were headed for this tree?" Abby asked.

"Tree later. But Ah bet Mama Odie will know how to deal with Mother Talzin. She's the only one who had experience."

As the operatives kept bouncing around, the Ice Climbers were pulled apart for a bit until their spell brought them back together. "Gulp… I think I'm gonna be sick…" Numbuh 4 groaned.

**Badness Bayou**

Jagar, Misty, and Olive had finally awakened from the crash, finding their selves in an eerie swamp. "Where are we?" the male timebender asked.

"A swamp, most likely." Olive joked. "And apparently, someone crashed their boat in the trees."

"Huh?" They turned and noticed the old wooden boat sitting within the branches. "It doesn't look abandoned." Jagar said. "Let's see if anyone's in there."

The trio made their way toward the tree-boat, climbing in and seeing the wrinkly old blind woman, Mama Odie mixing stuff into her bathtub. "Aw no!" she yelled in anger. "That Cranky Kong just stole mah SONG! What in tarnation does he think he is? Ah'm suin' for copyright infringement!" She yelled to the heavens, "COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT! No way he gettin' his Banana Coins now, Ah hope he knows that!"

"Um, excuse me?" Jagar called.

"Ooh?" Mama turned to them. "Wah, hello! I thought I heard me a couple Time Spirits crash into mah swamp. Ahem, Juju? Fix our good friends up some cups of tea." She told her snake.

"Wait, you're Mama Odie." Misty recognized. "You were a teacher at Hogwarts."

"Mm-hm, and y'all kids lost yer way, it seems. Where are y'all three headed?"

_"LOOK OUUUT!"_ They quickly moved away as Facilier crashed the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. right through the wall. The adult and kids stepped out of the smoking vehicle, coughing and covered in soot. "Mama Odie! We have a problem!"

"Well, Ah should say. Ain't anyone ever tell you how to knock, Harvey?"

"Ah know, Ah know, but we got bigger trouble! It's Mama Talzin. She's back!"

"That old witch-fairy? Ah thought she was banished."

"Yeah, but Rumpel Stiltskin broke into mah shop and stole her shadow's lamp. I'm sorry, Mama Odie. Ah tried to stop him, but he had an accomplice with him! An icebender!"

"What?" Jagar gasped.

"Now, now, Harvey, they ain't no need to overreact. Mama Talzin still has her curse placed upon her. Her little gifts won't be so given that easy."

"Wait a second. Who's this icebender?" Jagar asked.

"It was Yuki." Popo answered. "He's teamed up with Rumpel Stiltskin and that witch. She used her magic to make his icebending powers even stronger."

"He's probably going to use his powers to bring destruction to the KND." Nana followed.

Jagar immediately felt responsible and guilty, holding his head down in shame. "I'm sorry, Jagar…" Misty told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you know him?" Nigel asked him.

"We were best friends back in the KND, and I was his only friend. During a mission, he was hit by this ray gun that gave him ice powers. He couldn't control them and was banished for freezing Numbuh 362's brother. I wouldn't stick up for him after he was banished, and… things never went so well between us since then."

"Plus dying and becoming a spirit didn't help too much either." Misty said.

"But if you're a cruddy timebender, why can't you just go back in time and stop him from getting hit- OW!" Odie bashed Wally with her magic club.

"Because that would ruin the space-time continuum. And every timebender knows not to do that!"

"Actually, I've… been thinking of- OW!" Odie whacked Jagar.

"Listen here, you two: y'all can't change the past. Timebending or no. And if they is ONE thing I don't like about ol' Lucinda, it's that she always tries to make everything go her way. She can't accept the fact that some kids aren't as obedient as others, or that not all couples get along perfectly. And she usin' her powers for all the wrong reasons. But listen, son: just because you can do something that others can't do, like that timebending, it doesn't make you powerful. No, but the secret to bein' strong, is havin' such power, and choosin' not to use it. Unless the case were to helpin' people Ah suppose. But real power comes from the heart. And if you's usin' it fer the wrong reasons, why that ain't right now. D'ya understand, Child?"

"Y…Yeah, I do. But can you at least use your magic to take away his curse?"

"Us too." The Ice Climbers said in unison. "Lucinda made it so that we can't separate."

"Hmmm… Ah am sorry, kids. Ol' Mama may know what's best, but she ain't no match for that old hag's magic. Her heart just ain't strong enough."

"But Mama. You were one of the most powerful teachers at the school." Facilier said.

"Now what did I just say about power, Harvey? I tell you who IS powerful though. You." She pointed at Jagar.

"M-Me?"

"That's right. You were the only friend Yuki ever had. It's up to you to remind him of what he had, and teach him how to use his powers wisely."

"That hasn't exactly gone well so far."

"Oh, Ah know you can do it. Friendship is something that never truly dies, Jagar. But ya better be quick. Knowin' that despicable elf, he's definitely cookin' somethin' up that won't benefit old Yuki."

**The Death Egg** (Play Eggman's Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_.)

The spherical space station was quiet as Dr. Eggman was hard at work with a machine. "HEY! WALRUS FACE!" Marine shouted from a prison cell nearby. "'OW ABOUT BRINGIN' ME A DRINK? MAYBE SOME PURPLE FLURP?"

"Grrr. ZIP IT!" He threw his wrench at the cell bars and making Marine jump back. "Can't you see I'm trying to work? !"

The doors to the chamber opened as Eggman's five henchmen walked in with Sonia and Manic. "Dr. Eggman. Ghirahim stopped by with a little present." Cubot informed.

"Oh ho ho! Well, if it isn't the little hedgehog duo." Decoe and Bocoe pushed the handcuffed hedgehogs to their knees. "You've caused me plenty of problems in the short time you've been back. But now that you're here, perhaps you would make excellent test subjects for my newest invention."

"What do you have this time, Dr. Robotnik?" Sonia asked.

"I told you, nobody calls me that anymore."

"I think you mean 'Robuttnik'." Manic smirked, making Sonia chuckle.

"Grrr. You won't be laughing so long once you see what this baby's about. But you actually may recall this. Do these small platforms seem familiar to you?" He directed their attention to a row of circular platforms, that looked like the kinds tubes would cover over.

The hedgehogs gasped. "Roboticizers!"

"Roboticizers? Whut the…" Marine looked puzzled.

"One of my oldest, though greatest creations. These spectacular devices are able to transform _any_ flesh being into a magnificent robot! Robots that serve only _me_. For what better way to dominate your will over people than making them into creatures who HAVE no willpower?"

"You're freakin' loony!" Marine exclaimed.

"Heh heh!" The madman directed Decoe to grab Sonia and shove her onto a platform. Eggman pushed a button, making a cylindrical mechanical capsule come over the hedgehog. "And with the power of these Chaos Emeralds…" he placed the white Emerald next to the purple one in a slot on the control pad, "I'll be able to make MILLIONS! GAAH HA HA HA HO!" He pulled down a lever, causing the machine to spark with life. They could all hear Sonia's screams from the inside, a small monitor on the control pad scanning her body, showing that it was changing. When the machine and screaming both stopped, Eggman pushed the lever back up and opened the container, revealing Sonia's new robotic form.

"Oh! !" everyone gasped.

_"What is your command, Master Eggman?"_ she spoke in a robotic tone.

"OHH ho ho ho! Finally, my Metal Sonic can have some playmates. Of course, it'll take me forever to transform each individual person into robots. Which comes to my need for the Chaos and Sol Emeralds. The powers of the Chaos Emeralds will power my Sooper Gihugic Roboticizer Cannon, installed within this very Death Egg. With it, I'll be able to zap entire planets, turning billions of people into robots in the blink of an eye! OH ho ho ho! And using BOTH sets of Emeralds, I'll be able to travel between dimensions and zap other planets into my rule in minutes. It'll be an ultimate Eggman Land beyond this dimension!"

"…You're…You're insane!" Marine said, nearly speechless. "You've totally crooked your noggin! And I still ain't sure what Eggman Land is!"

"She's got a point, Eggman." Manic followed. "This plan of yours is crazy. Sonic's gonna get the Chaos Emeralds and stop you."

"Hehe. Of course they will. If they aren't busy with those GUN guys first! As for you, Manic… I'll Roboticize you later. Lock him up in another cell." Bocoe saluted and dragged him off as Eggman was headed for the door. "I must head down to the Tree of Beginning in order to- Oomp!"

"Good evening, Doctor."

"Sh-Shadow!" The scientist stepped back in fright when the black hedgehog appeared out of nowhere. "Uh, wh-what a nice surprise! Uh, you didn't hear anything about an evil plan or nothing, did you?"

"Forget your stupid plans. They'll never prevail anyway. I actually have a few questions, Doctor. Questions about Lord Gnaa. And you're the closest one I know well enough to give me answers."

"Oh. Hehe." He snickered. "Putting your faith in me, I see?"

"Perhaps so. Now tell me… what do you know about Gnaa's relationship with this Morgan girl?"

"Hnn? You came all the way up here for that?"

"Curiosity peaks my interest."

"Hmm." Eggman turned away as he thought. "All I know is that Gnaa seems to have a little kiddie crush on the girl. Whether she is vital to his plans or not, I cannot really say. However…" he turned back at Shadow with a smirk, "during my research of the Eight Firstborn, I have come across something extraordinary. Certain emotions fit into the categories of Light and Darkness as well. Like how Happiness, Friendship, and Trust goes into Light, whilst Hate, Anger, and Greed goes into Darkness. As designed by the Goddess of Emotion known as Mesprit."

"Hmm…"

"However… there is one emotion that falls into both categories. _Love_. The strongest… and deadliest emotion. Whether it falls into Light or Darkness. And depending on where it falls, your Light OR Darkness could be at its strongest. And I have reached a conclusion: it's possible that Gnaa wishes to unleash the negative side of this emotion, becoming the ultimate Master of Darkness. And yet, it seems weird to me why someone would fall in love just to get their selves emotionally hurt. Which is why I'm still debating if the idea is true. I may actually discuss it with the others."

"Hmm… interesting info, Doctor."

"There. Have I answered all your questions? Then leave me be." He ordered, walking past the hedgehog. "I have big plans to work on. Dark Masters to serve. Speaking of which, I would be careful around your GUN buddies if I were you. They've decided to turn on aliens like you and lock them all up. Who knows what tests they'll be performing with them?"

"Wait! There's just one thing I wish to know. What kind of weapon was Lord Gnaa wielding?"

"Hmm. The Keyblade? Can't say I know much about that. In fact, I think the only other person who knows is Rumpel. Gnaa apparently had a much more secret mission to do with him. If you find him, go ask him for me. I have to go and- Oh?" he stopped when Elijah Frantic approached them. "You? What are you doing here?"

"Um, Bowser sent me. To… look after the lightbender while you were off helping him."

"Hmm. Very well. But I'm taking the Chaos Emeralds. Just don't stink up the place." With that, Eggman left down the hall, followed by his henchmen. Shadow spared a glance toward the poisonbender before leaving as well.

Once he made sure everyone was gone, Elijah breathed out an acidic gas, sending it toward the camera (facing away so it didn't look on purpose) and causing it to melt. Afterwards, he ran over to the control pad and pushed a few buttons, opening Marine's cell. She instantly ran over to embrace him in a hug. "Thanks for the save, Mate!"

"No problem. Now come on. We don't have time to rescue Manic. Someone called me and said they would get your friends on Avalar and bring them to Neo Bowser City. We'll regroup with them there, let's go." With that, he and Marine ran off.

"Hey, Marine, I baked you some dessert- Oh?" Bokkun flew in shortly after with a plate of cakes. He saw that the prisoner was gone. "Awww… she left before she had a chance to try my recipe. NOW SHE'LL NEVER LIKE MEEE, WAAAAH!" He cried a waterfall of tears. (End song.)

**Outside The Tree of Beginning**

Rachel's group finally arrived at the colossal mountain range, seeming to have no way through. "How do we get across?" Angie asked.

_"Earthbend, of course."_ Chiri replied. Angie stomped the ground and blew a hole into the stone wall, allowing them entry on the other side. They looked up and gaped at the enormous tree before them, far bigger than any of their treehouses. Chiri then noticed something else atop one of the mountain tips. _"Oh. Somebody else is here."_

They all looked up at Lucario balancing on the tip with Mika and Rainier floating beside him on Moskito. "It's Mika and Rainier!" Rachel smiled.

The ninja fox hopped his way down to them as the mosquito carried the two kids down, dropping them off and waving good-bye as he zoomed to the top of the tree. "Hey, you guys are here, too!" Mika perked.

"Who's the fox?" Lee asked.

"He's Lucario, an Aura Spirit." Mika answered. "He brought us here to look for Mew."

"I am able to sense auras." Lucario said. "Mika and Mew bear a similar aura. Surely they are connected by fate. …I sense good in you kids, too."

"Well, we ARE the good guys." Fanny replied.

"And we need to see the Earth Spirit, so lead us in, Chiri." Angie demanded.

_"Hm hm hm! Okay then. The entrance is just over there."_

They followed where Chiri pointed and entered a cave within the great tree. They stopped to gaze at the lovely sight: the interior of the tree was filled with colorful blooming flowers, water flowing into a pond from a darker tunnel, and many strange bees, worms, and other creatures frolicking about. "…Huh?" Angie then noticed a crowd of other creatures that looked like Chiri gather around by her feet. The others looked down at them as well.

"Awww! They're so cute!" Rachel smiled, bending over for a closer look.

_"These are my people, the Minish."_ Chiri told them. _"Dwellers of the earth and protectors of nature. While this is their main home, they actually secretly live within all of your treehouses. They obviously know Rachel quite well, since she is Supreme Leader, and descendant of the Hero of Time. They recognize Angie, too, from the prophecy. That's how they know you're friendly."_

"I'd be careful around Fanny if I were them though." Patton smirked. "She squished plenty of houses during her moment as a giant."

"Hmm. I regret not squishin' you." She retorted.

"I must admit, they are interesting creatures." Rainier said. "You definitely wouldn't find creatures that small survive long on Secco."

"But enough about that. Any idea where we can find the Firstborn, Mew?" Mika asked.

"Or Regigigas?" Angie asked.

_"Well, Regigigas lives at the highest part of the tree."_ Chiri said. _"He mostly sleeps during the day, but wakes up whenever he senses intruders come in. He'll probably send his drones after you. But I don't know where Mew is. Probably hiding among these many other Pokémon."_

"We'll just look for Regigigas first then." Rachel decided. "Let's go, team." (Play "Coral Cave Act 1" from _Sonic Rush Adventure_.)

_Stage 46: The Tree of Beginning_

_Mission: Find Mew and Regigigas!_

The group started their venture into the first cave of the tree, in which boulders rolled down at the them from the other side. Mika used psychic to hold them back and let them crash into each other while Angie stomped them away with earthbending. At the end of the cave, they arrived at a spiral walkway up a tall cylindrical chamber, in which some gray robot was using earthbending to kick boulders down toward them. "Whoa. Is that one of Eggman's robots?" Sonic asked.

_"No. That's Registeel."_ Chiri replied. _"One of Regigigas' protectors."_

_"Regissteel."_ The robot muttered in a distorted voice, kicking more boulders their way. Angie just used earthbending to kick the boulders straight back, able to knock the robot over. When the heroes made their way up the slope, Registeel backed away through a door outside, using his bending to make some kind of metal door close them in.

"Hey! Come back and let us in!" Angie demanded, banging on the door.

_"It's no use."_ Chiri said. _"You have to use metalbending to open the door. Use your Seismic Sense to feel the fragments of rock inside the door."_

Angie decided to try this, pressing her hands against the door as she closed her eyes. She was able to feel tiny fragments of rock within the door, smiling as she squeezed the metal and was able to rip it open. "Hey! It worked!"

_"It's as easy as that!"_ Chiri smiled.

The team passed through, now on a ledge on the outside of the tree. To their right was a stairway of crystals sticking out of the wall, using them to jump their way upward, but as they did so, the fragile crystals quickly crumbled beneath them. When the ledge at the top was in sight, they spotted another robot that was orange, who mumbled, _"Regi…rock"_ before he unleashed a spiraling flame, chopping off the last of the crystals. Mika quickly used psychic to hold up the crystal they stood on, levitating them. Regirock unleashed more fire from its cannon, but Lucario conjured an Aura Sphere and threw it, cutting through the flames and attacking the robot, making it retreat. Afterwards, Mika levitated the crystal toward the ledge before letting it drop and shatter.

The kids entered the tree again, this time on a much higher point in the first room they were in. They progressed along the path around the wall until they reached a dead end, seeing the next path far on the other side. Rachel noticed the massive crystal hanging over the center and fired a Hookshot to grab the tip of it, then used the other Hookshot to grip onto the wooden wall on the other side. As a result of her weight on the crystal, the crystal fell from the ceiling and stabbed right into the floor below, serving as a platform for the others to cross.

As they approached a wall of icy crystals, it was suddenly blown down by another robot, this time bright-blue and designed like a crystal. _"Regice, R-R-Regice!"_ The kids dodged as the robot fired another crystal from its cannon, sticking it in the ground where they stood. Fanny punched some flames at the robot, making it wince in pain from the heat before it ran off as well.

"It's kinda weird that an 'Earth' God would have protectors that use different elements." Patton commented.

_"He's got all of them except air!"_ Chiri chuckled.

"I kinda like the ice one, though." Mika replied. "He sounds funny."

The kids entered another cave, which was far too dark to see. They all held hands as Angie used Seismic Sense to see their way through, leading them around all the pitfalls. Lucario also used Aura Sense and saw Regirock coming from the other side. "Watch out!" he yelled, making them jump to the side to avoid a flame blast. Angie stomped the ground afterward and sent a shockwave to the robot, making it fall beneath the ground.

"I still don't understand how his name is 'Regirock' and yet he uses fire." Sonic commented.

"Rock reserved for Steel, I guess." Rachel shrugged.

They made it to another outside area, standing on a massive circular ledge, decorated with grass, and seeing several similar ledges leading upward. They appeared too high to reach, so Angie flung her arms up and made a platform rise beneath them, lifting them to the first ledge. Registeel, however, stood atop the highest one and stomped the ground, making boulders crumble from the platforms above them. Mika used psychic to hold them back, then bunched them into a pile they could use to reach the next foothold. Angie made a rock wall from the wall to protect them from other falling boulders, making them slide over the edge. Afterwards, she made her own platforms to take them up higher.

When they reached Registeel's platform, he sent a shockwave toward them that they dodged. Angie then made the ground beneath him pop out and send him flying over the edge. They entered the tree once more, on an even higher floor of the central room. They saw and grabbed onto a vine wall, using it to climb higher. As they progressed, Regice stood upon the ledge at the top, shooting crystals into the vine wall, trying to hit them. They were able to avoid the incoming crystals and go around them, eventually reaching the foothold at the very top of the room. Regice fired a ray of ice, freezing the spiral path that led the rest of the way up and making them slip. Blaze used her fire to melt the ice however and dashed up to the robot, getting behind it and throwing flame-punches while he defended, but this allowed Fanny to shoot it with flames from behind and damage it.

The robot retreated up the stairway in the cave beside them, following it up and arriving outside again, between two trench walls with gargantuan crystals that led upward. They carefully balanced up the slippery crystals as they proceeded upward, but spotted the three guardians on the ledge at the top. The three all blinked their lights and uttered their names as they unleashed their respective elements. Mika grabbed Registeel's rocks and tossed them back with psychic, Fanny countered Regice's ice with flames, and Lucario cut through Regirock's flames with Aura Spheres as they made their way up. Angie dodged a flame blast and fell to a lower crystal, dashing up the path and making it to the wall, punching it and making the ground beneath the robots crumble.

The robots were quickly able to recover and stay on the ledge, retreating into the next cave. The pile of rubble served as a path for the others to make it onto the ledge. After Angie climbed her way up beside them, they continued into the chamber ahead. (End song.)

They arrived at a massive circular chamber, almost like an arena with crystals decorated around the sides. There was some kind of painting of an entity on the ground, standing between a series of mountains. The entire chamber suddenly became much darker, with the only light coming from the crystals around the room. The three robots stood side-by-side in the center as Regirock was the first to speak. _"Your performance was well, in making it this far."_

_"Data analyzing. Possible outcome: chosen heroes of legend."_ Regice followed.

_"Data confirmed. O Chosen Ones…"_ Registeel finished.

Before their very eyes, the stone wall on the other side of the room flew open. A massive white robot, with leaves on its shoulders and feet, golden parts around its arms and down its center, and six lights parallel on the left and right sides – two red, two blue, and two gray – stomped its way to the center of the room. "Is that… Regigigas?" Rachel asked.

"It's a robot…" Sonic observed.

"A robot god? Cool!" Lee said.

The other three robots glowed and merged with their leader, the deity's lights blinking to life as he spoke. _"Chosen earthbender of legend. Chosen Hero of the Triforce of Courage. Accept this final challenge…" _With that, Rachel and Angie got ready for battle. (Play Gohdan's Theme from _Zelda: Wind Waker_.)

_Boss fight: Regigigas_

The two stepped away as the Earth God stomped toward them, flinging his arms up to make the ground below them shoot up to the ceiling, but they dodged in time. Angie conjured a Boulder-n-Chain and swung it at Regi's legs, but had to dodge when the spirit attempted to crush her with its hands. Angie popped a sharp rock up from the ground and jabbed his hip, but Regigigas stomped the ground and sent a shockwave to knock her over. Rachel took out her bow and fired two arrows at both his red lights, making him wince a little.

"Those lights must be his weak points." Rachel figured, shooting two more arrows at the gray lights. Regigigas waved his right arm, causing Rachel to fall and get caught in a tight ditch. Angie then kicked the ground and sent two sharp rocks at the last two blue lights, knocking them out. She used her bending to help Rachel out of the ditch as the robot started to weaken. They ran around and spotted a weak spot on its back, so Angie grabbed onto him and used metalbending to rip it open, exposing the glowing core.

Rachel took her sword and stabbed the core, causing the three robots to pop out of Regigigas. They each attacked them with their respective elements, and Rachel ducked under Regirock's fire as Angie flung herself over it, landing on the flaming robot and using metalbending to rip his chest open. This caused the fire to cease, allowing Rachel to run over and stab his core. Regirock fell unconscious as they all merged back with their god, bringing him back to life.

Regigigas stomped the ground and caused stalactites to come down, nearly stabbing the two. Angie levitated some stalactites and stabbed them into his red lights. The god threw his arms up and made stalagmites pop from beneath her, the girl hopping around to avoid being poked. She performed the same maneuver and flung two of them at his gray lights. The two quickly ran for it when he extracted cannons from his hands, unleashing a barrage of rapid bombs along the ground. Rachel dashed up the wall and jumped toward Regigigas, drawing out her bow, and shooting arrows at his blue lights.

Flames suddenly sprouted from his feet as rockets activated, using them to hover around the room. The robot hovered over to them and lowered down, trying to burn them with the rocket flames, but Angie used her Boulder-n-Chain and hit the engines, causing them to shut off and for the robot to land on his back with a thud. Angie got on his chest and ripped it open, allowing Rachel to stab the core. The robots were released from him again, but with Regirock stilled knocked out.

Regice shot out some ice crystals and caught the two of them stuck in an ice cage, but Rachel used her sword to cut the ice, then swung it at any more icicles he threw. Angie dug beneath ground and made her way to the ice robot, coming back out and ripping its chest open. Rachel dashed over and stabbed the core, knocking Regice out as well. The three of them went back into Regigigas, the Earth God sparking to life and getting back to his feet. The spirit jumped and burrowed beneath the ground, the girls looking around before he shot right up below them, flinging them away.

Regigigas dug beneath the ground again, but Angie just dug and chased after him. The spirit sent some earth drills toward her, but Angie shot between and made them ram each other, then spun into her own earth drill and hit a blue light, backed up, and hit the other blue light. The two of them came back above ground as Regigigas formed three earth walls around him, making them spin around him as he shot toward the kids, who jumped aside as he crashed into a wall. Angie quickly used Boulder-n-Chain to break two of the walls, so with only one wall going around him, Rachel was able to shoot arrows at both his gray lights.

The Earth God started to spin around rapidly, twirling his fingers as he launched swarms of tiny speeding pebbles from them as fast as bullets. Angie got close enough to swing her Boulder-n-Chain, slowing the spinning down so Rachel could shoot an arrow at a red light. He started to spin again, the bullet pebbles bouncing all around the room as Rachel ducked. Angie swung the boulder at him some more and made him slow down, then used her bending to lift several of the pebbles and shoot them all at his other red light.

Regigigas made two Boulder-n-Chains in both his hands, twirling them around with his fingers as he swung them at Angie, who dodge-rolled. Angie rolled along the ground on her side, forming rock-arms over her arms. She grabbed one of the boulders, resulting in a tug-o-war between the two, but Angie hauled the boulder to her right, causing the Earth God to tumble over. Angie ran over and gripped onto his head, the robot standing and trying to grab her as she ripped the last weak spot open. After she jumped off, Rachel ran from behind and jumped onto his head, stabbing the core.

The spirit fell unconscious, releasing the three guardians, but Registeel being the only conscious one. The earthbending robot engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Angie's rock-arms, the two grabbing the other and trying to hold them back until Angie was able to throw him on his back. She threw her rock arms off and ripped his chest open, allowing Rachel to leap overhead and stab right in the center.

The three defeated protectors were absorbed back into Regigigas. _"Re-gi-gi-gaaas…"_ He sat up and tried to recover, but the defeat of his guardians caused him to faint, defeated. Angie and Rachel smirked and made poses, Rachel stylishly twirling her sword before sheathing it behind her. (End song.)

A few seconds passed, and the lights on Regigigas alit with life once again. The robot god slowly stood up and faced down at them, beginning to speak. (Play Laruto's Theme from _Wind Waker_.)

_"Challenge completed… identities confirmed… chosen ones of legend…"_

"Uhhh…" Rachel looked confused.

_"I am Regigigas. Great Guardian that protects the Earth. The one whose hand is responsible for the movement of Earth's continental plates. You have passed the challenge and confirmed your identities."_

"Uhhh, did you really have to fight us?" Angie asked.

_"It was a necessary gesture. If you were the earthbender of legend, your bond with the earth would be strong enough, that you can rescue the soul that is controlled by the Dark Master."_

"And I prove that by kicking your butt? Not that I'm not happy I passed a test, but it felt kind of easy."

_"I have sensed your bond with the earth. You possess great strength and a strong heart. Much like the Earth. The Earth is more than a great chunk of rock. It is a loving and caring spirit. It uses its strong heart and sense of willpower to keep its children alive and prosperous. And in turn, they work to keep it alive as well. You share similar qualities. While your spirit is stubborn and sharp, it possesses great care for those around you. Even to the one who has currently lost his way. Your love for him is strong. You must use that love to break the curse Gnaa holds on him."_ He then pointed at Rachel. _"And you…"_

"Whuh?"

_"Different eyes, but same heart. You are Link's descendant. You share his spirit. The spirit that would risk anything to save his friends and family. You have a strong love for your brother, just as Angie has. You, Angie, and the rest of your friends must all come together to vanquish the darkness in his heart."_

"Um, excuse me?" Charlotte spoke up. "Not all of us are here, actually. Paddy's heart was taken by Gnaa. And his body just… disappeared."

_"Yes… I have seen this upon your way here. A terrible thing has happened. Paddy has been transformed into… a Heartless."_

"A Heartless?"

_"A creature that feeds off the darkness in peoples' hearts. Eons ago, they were all over the place, wreaking havoc upon the many innocent citizens of the world. They were all vanquished long ago… but they secretly lived on within the darkness of hearts. And now, it seems Gnaa plans to awaken them again. If he succeeds, the worlds may be plunged into darkness."_

"What do we do?" Rachel asked.

_"You must stop the Dark Master from proceeding. You must rescue Harvey's soul from his clutches. I have one more gift to help you along the way."_ The spirit stomped the ground, popping out a shield with silver around the edges, blue in the center, with a pink phoenix below the symbol of the Triforce. _"This is the Hylian Shield. The shield Link used to defend himself."_ He explained as Rachel went over and picked the shield up. _"It is yours now. Now… I believe you've come here for something else. I sense the Firstborn Guardian is with you as well."_

"Right here." Rainier spoke as Mika raised her hand.

_"The one you seek is within the chamber behind me. I wish you luck in trying to find him."_ The kids looked toward the stairway in the cave where Regigigas had first come out of.

"Thanks for the shield." Rachel smiled as they walked past the Earth God, heading up the stairway.

"Take care, Mr. Gigas!" Angie cheered chipperly.

_"Hmm… such wonderful souls, these children… Were it not for this darkness… the world would be a better place…"_ (End song.)

**Top of the tree**

Annie Wilconson's mind still flowed with wonder as Vaati guided her around the tree. The tree was already gigantic itself, but at such a tiny size, it seemed like a whole different world. So many forms of life lived inside the tree. But they were all so gigantic, from the Minish's point of view. She thought it scary, being at a height where almost anything could crush or eat you. But it was also so beautiful, and so amazing, looking at the world from a different view. It made her find a whole new fondness in life. If only her friends were here to see it. "Are you enjoying it?" Vaati smirked.

"I am…" Annie smiled. "It's just so great down here. It's almost as if… no harm could come to this place. I don't see why anyone _would_ want to harm it."

"People are evil. There's no denying that. But the view's pretty lame under all these flowers. Let's get a better view." And with no weight on his feet, Vaati leaped onto a pink flower. Annie gripped the tree-sized plant and climbed up to join him.

The view truly was magnificent as all the flower tops lay in their wake, almost totally hiding the ground beneath. The tremendous Pokémon frolicked across the plains, but one thing caught Annie's attention: the soles of two pairs of shoes facing upward, connected with two bodies. The further one was blocked by the other, but Annie scanned the pair of red pants and orange shirt that made its own landscape. She couldn't see the head, but an arm was lied down, with a familiar pink hand. "Hey, it's…it's Nova! And the other must be Cosmo!" Her smile vanished when the earth quaked. The two turned as a band of tremendous giants entered the field. Annie immediately recognized Rachel McKenzie and Sector W. "GUYS! !"

"Hold on, Ann." Vaati stopped her. "The important thing for Minish is to remain hidden."

"But they're my friends."

"I know that. But just stay hidden for now. And let's move away, otherwise we'll get squashed." Vaati leaped with her across the many flowers.

Rachel's group was finally at the very top of the tree, a field where many different Pokémon were running about. Rachel looked across the other side, smiling at the familiar faces. "Hey, look! It's Cosmo and Nova!"

The team immediately ran over to greet the unconscious aliens, waking them up. "Oh? Rachel? Where are we?" Nova asked.

"Tree of Beginning, long story. Anyway, there's a Firstborn here."

At that instant, Celebi popped out of her Spirit Ball and looked around. _"Bi? BII!"_

"Well, she's excited." Cosmo observed.

"Must be because there's another Firstborn here." Rainier guessed. "All we gotta do now is find it."

"Lucario said Mew uses illusions to hide among the other animals." Mika remembered. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"You must use your Aura Sense." Lucario answered.

"Um… I never really learned how to do that. But wait, why can't you do it yourself?"

"Mew is a Firstborn Spirit. It was designed so that only his rightful Guardian could sense him when not in his normal form. You can do this. Close your eyes and use your mind to sense everything around you. You can detect the auras of others and find Mew."

Rainier touched Mika's hands and looked into her eyes, making her blush. "I believe in you, Mika."

That was all she needed. "Okay… let's try it." The Filipino slowly shut her eyes and envisaged the surrounding area in her brain. She smiled when she was able to see her friends and the creatures around her in the forms of their aura. She walked around the field, looking desperately for any auras that seemed different, checking each Pokémon. She checked a Bulbasaur, a Pikachu, a Pidgey… and finally a strange football-headed boy dressed as Snoopy.

"Whoops, I'm in the wrong story. See you later!" Stewie said playfully, walking off.

"Ugh. I can't find him anywhere."

"Keep looking. He must be around here somewhere." Lucario told her.

_"Come on, come on…"_ Rainier mumbled, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Gee, what's wrong with you? Gotta go to the bathroom or something?" Rachel asked.

"Er, it's nothing."

"Zzz-bzz-zzzt!" came the familiar cry of the giant mosquito, flying down beside them.

"Oh! It's Moskito!" Nova smiled.

"Oh yeah, you're the one that took us here!" Mika smiled. "Wait…" A suspicious look appeared on her face as she used her Aura Sense again. When she detected Moskito's aura, it wasn't shaped like him at all, but rather… a floating catlike creature with a pink aura? Mika smiled, opened her eyes, and declared, "I found you!"

The giant mosquito's eyes widened as it glowed with light, slowly transforming into its regular form. "Mew!"

The gang instantly gasped. "Th…That's-" Rachel tried to say.

"I can't believe it." Nova gaped. "Moskito was… Mew all along?"

"And he's been helping us this whole time?" Cosmo asked.

"Mew! Mew Mew Mew! Mew Mew Mew!"

_"BII!"_ Celebi cheered, flying over to tackle and dance with her fellow Firstborn.

"Well, I'll be darned." Rainier smiled.

"Hehe. I still don't understand why I was picked to be his Guardian." Mika said.

"It's quite simple really." Lucario smiled. "Both you and Mew emit pink auras. The aura of pure good. You were the only mortal psychicbender who never let the darkness get to you. You remembered only happy feelings, and possessed an imaginative and playful spirit that only someone else like Mew would have."

"Meeew." Mew smiled.

_"Then this means you guys can complete another part of the quest, right?"_ Chiri asked.

"Sure does!" Mika exclaimed, pulling out her Spirit Ball. "Let's do it, Mew!"

"Mew!"

"WHOOA!" The ground suddenly shook when large bombs were fired at the tree.

"Oh no!" Sonya looked in terror as a fleet of GUN ships were coming straight at them.

"It's the military!" Sonic exclaimed. "How did they find us?"

A silver aircraft with a blue line on its sides came over and landed at the top of the tree, several feet from them. The hatch door opened, and the kids kept their guard as the Commander himself stepped out. "Alright, kids. Hands in the air and nobody gets hurt. That spirit's coming with me."

"YOU!" Mika already recognized the man, drawing out her lightsaber and standing in his way. "You wanna get Mew, you have to go through me- OOF." She was suddenly attacked with rapid punches from behind. Everyone gave wide gasps. Mika was swallowed with hurt when she saw who it was. "R…Rainier."

The boy quickly pulled out an electric rope connecting two balls, throwing it around Mew and giving the Firstborn a painful shock. "MEW MEW MEW!"

Rainier picked the spirit up afterward and presented it to Gunkan. "Here you are, Sir."

"Well done, Agent 12-Arrow. I knew we could count on you."

"Wha-… Rainier! What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Mika, but I had to lie to you. I made up all that stuff about winding up with Watto. The truth is, not too long ago really, my parents were arrested by the military for reckless earthbending. The Commander here saw my exceptional battle skills and wanted me to join his group. So I did. He heard about your little quest and sent me to Secco in the hopes I would encounter you there. And now…" he faced Brett, "you need to hold up your end of the deal. Let my parents go free."

"We'll get to that as soon as we get back to base. Men: grab the rest of these aliens- AHH!" They were suddenly attacked by other cannon shots from above.

"Oh ho ho ho!" Dr. Eggman laughed, hovering above them in his pod beside Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car. "Not so fast, Bretty! They aren't the only ones meta-ing around today."

"What? Dr. Eggman!"

"BOWSER, TOO?" Patton and Fanny exclaimed.

"Gwah ha ha ha! The Firstborn belong to Gnaa only!" Bowser stated. "We ain't letting any other weirdo take 'em! Koopas: grab Celebi!" A squad of Fire Bros. slid down on ropes, coughing fireballs at the Forest Spirit and making her weak with pain.

"Celebi!" Nova gasped. Bowser Jr. then came down and threw Minish Dust over her and Cosmo, shrinking and catching the two in a jar before leaping back up. Kammy Koopa swooped down and grabbed Celebi, carrying her to their airship as Eggman's robots battled with GUN.

"Hmm! Forget the metahumans. Let's get outta here." Gunkan ordered as he and Rainier took Mew and boarded their aircraft.

"Hey, hold on!" Mika yelled, attempting to throw a psychic blast, but couldn't conjure anything. "Wh-Wha-"

"I blocked your chi when I attacked you." Rainier yelled as the craft was hovering into the air. "You won't be using your psychic."

"YOU!" Lucario yelled. "I knew the aura I sensed in you was evil! Bring back Mew at once!"

"Sorry, Foxboy. But this spirit's gonna be _very_ important to us. Catch ya later." Mika could only watch with hurt and sadness as her traitorous friend flew off. Soon, both enemy sides were gone, and she still felt helpless.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, this WAS a long one! But yeah, that song Cranky sang was Mama Odie's song from <em>Princess and the Frog<em>. And yes, that boss fight was WAY better than Rayquaza's! :P But boy, bet no one saw that comin', huh? Even I didn't. :/ Next time, we'll head to the Neo Bowser City. Also, try and guess who that person was inside the crate. Later.**


	52. The City of Wars

**O-kay, everybody! If you thought Star Station was intense… well, this won't be AS intense, but it will have quite a few boss fights! So here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>A City of Rain and Wars: Conflicts Rise From the Mist.<em>**

**_Boogey Bay_**

"Nnngh… huh?" Mandy finally regained consciousness after some time, finding Creeper and the Boogey Pirates looking over her.

"You okay, Captain?" Creeper asked, helping her up. "What happened?"

"Nnn... I remember… sneaking onto Rachel's ship and flying off with them… then falling into this weird hyperspace. Where are we?"

"You're back on the _Boogey Bay_. We found that Katie girl, too." She looked and saw two other pirates holding Katie by the arms.

"Hm. Just let her go. And find us the nearest port."

"As you say, Captain." The pirates released Katie and went to their stations. Afterwards, the two fearbenders went to stand by the railing, looking over the ocean.

"Katie…"

"Hm?"

"How are you a fearbender, anyway? The side-effect of being Nightmare-created?"

"Not really. Since I've been created… I've always had nightmares. Nightmares of being trapped inside the Happy Headband again. It's made me afraid… but I've been able to get past those fears, because I know Nigel would never abandon me."

"So… you trust him."

"Yeah." Katie replied simply.

"…I wonder if I should do the same… with Rachel."

"Oh, no. Don't put such ideas like that in your head." a strange voice said out of nowhere. (Cue Ghirahim's Theme!)

The pirates all jumped back in shock when the white Demon Lord himself zapped himself onto the deck. "Who are you?" Mandy asked.

"I am Lord Ghirahim. Servant to Lehcar EiznekCm, daughter of Ganondorf. Your cousin's opposite to be precise. I have come bearing exquisite news! Ganondorf is close to reviving the ancient Triforce. But to do so, he needs your power."

"My power? Oh yeah. The Triforce of Wisdom." Mandy remembered, looking at the mark on her hand.

"Quite so, my dear. But there is no denying that fear possesses your mind. We both know that. But you have no need for Rachel's 'love and care' to make it go away. No, what you need is absolute power. And Ganondorf is just the man to grant it."

"Intriguing. And just why would I want to join him?"

"Hm hm hm. You'd have it all, Child. Siding with the most powerful demon in the Underworld. You'd get to leave your cousin Rachel forever, and instead befriend her despicable opposite, as both of you bear that same everlasting hatred for her. If Ganondorf rules all, you can have anything you want. Take revenge on all those who oppose you. Lord Mandy, Mighty Ruler."

"Hmm…" Mandy tapped her finger to her chin in thought. "You intrigue me, Ghirahim. I may just take you up on that offer."

"Eh heh…" Ghirahim gave a wicked smile. "If that's so… then take my hand. I'll bring you to where Ganondorf currently waits."

Mandy exchanged one last glance with Katie and replied, "Alright then: I'll go."

"So will I." Katie said, both of them taking his hand.

"Hnn, along for the ride, eh? We can always use some spare parts, I guess. Very well: let's go." With that, the demon snapped his fingers and made them all vanish in an instant, the pirates searching for where they went.

"'ello? Captain?" Creeper called. "Aww. Not again." (End song.)

**Sector R Treehouse**

After a while, the GUN troops and Moogers cleared out from Sector R Treehouse, leaving it in total ruin. As Yin and Yang paced around the living room floor, Bruce just sat on the edge of the room, where one of the walls used to be. "Aw, don't worry, Bruce, they aren't gonna hurt Violet." Yin assured him. "They're probably just gonna run a few tests and try to get rid of those cat parts."

"Sounds pretty painful to me." Yang commented.

"Well, at least she isn't DEAD!"

"That's why I'm worried, you guys!" Bruce yelled. "Violet's dream was to make a more peaceful world for metahumans, and now they're probably doing experiments that might KILL her! All because she was fighting for what she believed in. I wanna save her, but Luna's in trouble, too. What if we try to save one, but the other ends up getting killed? Siiigh… 'cause that's what always happened when we worked in the Kids Next Door. And my team ended up… getting Delightfulized because of it."

"Well, we could always split up." Yin noted.

"But going in short numbers would lead to destruction." Yang followed. "We need to find the others."

"Yeah, but just how long will THAT take?" Bruce asked.

Yang then looked to the sky and said, "I dunno. But it looks like we have more company." He pointed at an incoming Bowser airship.

When the ship lowered at the floor's level, they were relieved to see it was only Matthew Dimalanta, who grabbed a plank and used it as a bridge to walk over with a hamster cage. "Matthew!" Yin greeted.

"Hm. I was afraid you guys didn't survive that space battle." Matt smiled. "Look what I got." The boy held the hamster cage to their faces, giving them a view of the shrunken Sector R.

"Luna!" Bruce smiled.

"We were all at Bowser's Castle when Mr. L brought them all of a sudden. Bowser was going to take them some place else, but once I figured out who they were, I had to help them. Especially since they missed me a lot more than I thought. I threw all the Koopa troops overboard and stole the airship to get us back over here."

_"Well, just because you pass a lot of gas, doesn't mean we don't want you- Ow!"_ Flynn said in his little voice, before Jacquiline punched his arm. _"What? I was just joking."_

_"Either way, please tell us you have a way to get us back to normal."_ Sam said.

_"Though I have to admit, it's fun being a hamster!"_ Ria said cheerily, running on the hamster wheel.

"Uh… not that I know of. Sorry." Matt replied.

_"AWW."_

"Wait. I remember Celebi using her magic to unshrink some of our other friends." Bruce said.

"That reminds me, Eggman called Bowser before we left." Matt replied. "He said they were going to capture Celebi and bring her to New Bowser City. That's where he wanted to take these guys."

"Where's Neo Bowser City?" Yin asked.

"The middle of the ocean. I bet if we go there, we can find Celebi and she can help these guys."

"Okay. There's our plan." Bruce decided, walking aboard the airship. "We'll probably even run into a few of our other friends. Let's go."

**Langley Falls**

"Arck. Noah, where are we going?" Buddy asked her as she kept her hands over his eyes. The sun had set over Langley Falls, and the stars were now hanging over the blue night sky as they walked through a forest.

"Just wait, Ruburd! You'll love it!"

After they finally stopped and Noah uncovered his eyes, Buddy's mouth dropped. She had led them to a wide waterfall pouring into a lake, reflecting the moonlight. "Whoa…"

"Heehee! These are the Langley Falls. Er, the actual Langley Falls, anyway. I heard that if you swim to the other side with someone, you're friends forever."

"Uhhh, aren't we already?"

"I know! Let's see what happens then." With that, Buddy watched as the blonde dove beneath the water. He took a breath and dove under as well, watching his friend swim under the waterfall and following her. The two resurfaced and found their selves in a stalactite cave, water dripping and reflecting off the ceiling as they climbed onto a platform in the center.

Buddy spotted a glowing dark-blue gem in the center of the platform, and crawled over to pick it up. "Check it out. It's a Chaos Emerald."

"Hm. We'll need to give that to Sonic and those guys later." Noah said as they sat on the edge of the platform, dipping their feet in the water.

"But boy, just look at this place. You don't find places like this in Chicago."

"Yeah, especially with no GUN troops occupying the area." Noah said, scooting closer to Buddy. "And it's nice to finally be alone together once in a while, don't you think?"

"Uh… yeah, sure, hehe." Buddy blushed.

"Heehee!" Noah noticed his blush and giggled.

"…Hey, Noah… you think we'll ever be able to change this world for the better? And psychicbenders won't have to worry about hiding?"

"Hm hm! Duh, of course we will! It's like I told you before, Buddy. Your powers make you special, not a monster. Heck, I almost wish I had them. If GUN just knew the benefit of metahumans and benders, they wouldn't do this."

"…You know, maybe that's it, really."

"What is?"

"Maybe GUN is doing this… because they feel inferior. They're jealous of our power and that's why they want to put us down."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. That is the reason the bully bullies the… bullyee, doesn't it? But listen, Buddy, despite what everyone else says, I know you aren't someone that would use your powers for evil. Sure you get in fights with Morgan a lot, but I know you're better than any Sith Lord. You're a really special guy with your powers, and anyone would be lucky to be like you."

"Hehehe." Buddy smiled. "Too much flattery, Noah. If anything, people would be lucky to be like you. You know how to get to know someone for who they are, not just their looks or their… well, powers. That's why you're our best friend. And my…"

"'My…'?" she smirked and giggled.

"Oh, hehe. You know…" The two touched their pinkies together and stared in each other's eyes. The two loomed forward and embraced into a kiss, breaking apart after a few moments and blushing.

"Well, ain't that the purdiest thing Ah've seen in ages?" Their moment was over when Rattlesnake Jake suddenly shot out of the water.

"AAHHH!" Noah screamed at the snake.

"Too bad fer you where you're goin', love 'n' friendship don't count for squat. Now hands in the air, Psycho. And I won't dine on too much of your flesssh."

Buddy switched on his lightsaber and said, "Come and get it."

Jake stuck his tail end out of the water, aiming his attached machinegun and getting ready to blast them, but was unable to shoot. "Hm? Damn it! Wet powder. Don't matter. This is somethin' Ah can really sink mah teeth into!" With that, the demon snake rapidly began gnashing his fangs at the two, the kids quickly rolling and dodging. He slithered onto the platform and went around Noah, attempting to snap her again, but she dodged. When she backed up and tripped over his tail, he was about to gnash her again, but Buddy ran and swung his sword at the snake's cheek. "OOOWW!"

"Come on!" Buddy grabbed Noah and dove beneath the water, swimming out of the cave and running back onto land. The snake shot above the surface and shot at them again, nearly biting Noah's legs until Buddy struck him again. "Let's find the others." He told her as they hurried out of the woods.

**Downtown Langley**

The rest of The Quads (and Beckah) ended up in a fight downtown as GUN agents piled in. The siblings lashed their lightsabers and swat away incoming GUN Beetles and Laser Hunters. "We've found The Quads!" a GUN shouted, turning to a male and female agent beside him. "Quick, call for backup-" The agents suddenly switched off their holographic disguises, revealing their selves as Cad Bane and Aurra Sing before Bane punched him unconscious.

"Not today, Soldier Boy. I'm the star of this show." Bane said, taking out his Darkness Cannon and getting ready to shoot Morgan. However, he was tackled by Beckah, making the weapon slide away. Aurra drew out her light-nun-chucks, swinging them around before trying to whip Beckah. The scarlet-haired girl flipped over the weapon, then landed a few punches on the female hunter.

"Hey guys, it's time to go!" Buddy yelled, running into the area with Noah, with Jake slithering after them. Sophie grabbed a few trashcans with her psychic and tried to hit Jake, but Wolf dropped in and dealt a few mini punches on her, blocking her chi so she couldn't bend.

Bane was able to recover and run over to grab the Darkness Cannon, taking aim at Morgan once more. "Say cheese." With that, the laser shot from the cannon, and Morgan was too late to dodge as it struck her directly.

_Once again, the Demon Princess was surrounded in darkness, looking out in the fog as the baldheaded figure emerged. "We meet again, Morgan."_

_"You again? What do you want this time?"_

_"My awakening draws near. The darkness will rise before long. And it is time for you to realize your true powers, on the _Dark Side_."_

_"Sorry, we already promised Mewtwo we wouldn't let the darkness get to us, so don't even try."_

_"I won't even have to. The power already resides greatly inside of you. Your anger waits impatiently to be unleashed. You have it for each little normal mortal. Like Wendy Chang."_

_"Oh, please don't bring her into this."_

_"Yeees… How she always neglected and saddened you for your power. It's time you make her see the error of her ways. And BRING the justice she rightfully… DESERVES!" Before she could react, the Negatar unleashed a dark ray from his hand, swallowing her in darkness._

"Morgan!" Buddy shouted, trying to wake his sister up. "Morgan, this isn't really the best time for sleeping." But before he knew it, her eyes shot awake, glowing dark purple as she used her power to fling him high in the sky.

"Morgan? Is something wrong?" Sophie asked as Morgan helped herself up. She said nothing however as she took off for the sky at high speeds.

"Where is she going?" Athena asked.

"I dunno, but it doesn't look good. We have to follow her." Noah said, taking out her remote and summoning her car. They each piled into the Camaro and quickly drove off, chasing after Morgan while Star Wolf just watched her leave.

"Heh. Looks like she's on her way back to her homeland." Leon guessed.

"I think it's time to show 'em our new weapon." Wolf decided. "Let's head back to Boba and see if he's ready."

**The Tree of Beginning**

Rachel's team made their way down The Tree of Beginning after the ambush, currently heading out of the great tree as Mika still kept her head down in depression. "It's okay, Mika." Sonya smiled. "I'm sure you'll find somebody else."

"He…" she sniffled, "he said he was interested in me. He wanted to get to know me."

"But all he cared about was using us." Charlotte said. "What's important is that you don't lose your-"

"I will poooound him when I see him again…" Mika's visage showed only anger, tilting her head back up as dark auras appeared around her. "I will DECIMATE hiiiiiim! I'll use my powers to make him as small as those Minish and twist and grind my foot all over him until he absolutely rues the day he double-crossed meeee!"

"No, Mika!" Lucario spoke up. "You mustn't let your anger get the best of you. I, on the other hand, will gladly punch the crap out of him."

_"Your friend sure is a lot scarier when she gets… double-crossed."_ Chiri said, standing on Angie's shoulder.

"Eh. Fanny has a bigger temper than that." Angie remarked.

"Hey!"

"Sigh…" Mika's dark aura died down. "Sorry, guys. I won't let it get to me. Right now, we have go after them."

"We have to save Celebi from Bowser, too, remember?" Patton asked.

"Good point…" Rachel replied.

They all looked up when a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. was suddenly coming down, landing beside them as Sector V, Facilier, the timebenders, and the Ice Climbers stepped out. "Rachel!" Nigel greeted, running out.

"Nigel!" Rachel ran over to hug her boyfriend. "How'd you find us?"

"Long story, but we have trouble. Rumpel Stiltskin found Gnaa a new henchman. She's an evil witch called Lucinda, and she granted these ice powers to some boy named Yuki."

"Yuki? Where've I heard that name before…"

"Wasn't he that one operative that got the ice powers and froze Harvey?" Sonya asked.

"The one you had banished?" Lee followed.

"Oh yeah… I remember now."

"Yeah. Thanks to you, Yuki's working for the craziest fairy on Avalar." Jagar said angrily.

"Okay, okay, we'll place blames later. We have our own problems, too. Apparently Rainier was working for GUN. We found the Firstborn Mew and he stole him right from under us and gave him to the Commander. And what's more, Bowser and Eggman kidnapped Celebi and we have no idea where they've taken her."

"I can answer that." At this, they all turned their attention to a familiar airbender standing beside Annie.

"You!" Nigel glared, his friends recognizing the boy and aiming their weapons.

"Hey, hold on!" Annie yelled, getting in their way. "He's on our side… at the moment."

"Anyway, I know where they've taken Celebi." Vaati said. "There's a city in the middle of the ocean Bowser owns. In fact, a couple of your other friends are there as well. I could take you there."

"And why should we trust you?" Nigel asked.

"Alright then." Vaati replied, folding his arms and sitting on a rock on the ground. "Have fun flying their on your own. Um, which way is it again?"

Once again, the kids knew they were beat. "Ugh. Fine. Alright, everyone in the ship and let's go. We'll explain more on the way." Nigel ordered as everyone gathered on the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

"You guys go ahead." Mika told them. "Lucario and I need to go after Rainier."

"I can track him down using my Aura Sense." Lucario said. "He won't outrun me for long."

Before boarding the ship, Angie gently set Chiri on the ground. "You should probably stay here, Chiri. It might be too dangerous where we're going."

_"Okay."_ She nodded. _"Be back soon."_ The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. started to lift off as Mika wrapped her arms around Lucario, the fox using Aura Sense to see the way before dashing off at high speeds. Chiri waved good-bye as the aircraft zoomed the opposite way, toward the villains' hideout.

**Neo Bowser City**

Gray clouds covered the sky as rain poured onto the massive city below. The futuristic metropolis was decorated with endless mechanical buildings, several highways passing between them, and many statues with television pictures of the Koopa King. Big the Cat was currently wandering this city, looking for his friend. "Froooggyyy? Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Standing high atop one of the many skyscrapers was Darth Genious, looking over the city with Danika, Nolan, and April behind him. "Ahhh… the Neo Bowser City. Cold. Gloomy. Infested with crime and villainy. The perfect kind of city. Don't you agree, Nolan?"

"Yes, it's… real nice." the apprentice replied, unsure.

"You may be interested in hearing the history of this island. It was once the island base of Jonah Icarus, a late villain whom Sector Q once faced. The base was destroyed, but I was able to salvage the wreckage and build this city. The rights I decided to give to Bowser, but it is a marvelous metropolis all the same."

"Hmm…"

A dark portal opened a few feet away as Mother Talzin stepped out, followed by the icebender, Yuki. "Ah, Darth Genious. The infamous Sith Lord I heard so much about."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mother Talzin," Brain greeted, "despite your past complications with other Sith Lords. I've heard much of your incredible powers."

"As I of yours. A brain to survive the absolute destruction of a space station is something of wonder." The witch spoke smoothly, rubbing her fingers against his dome. "Oh, if only I knew what you _really_ looked like with the skin and bone that used to be your body… it'd be a fine specimen of a man."

"I am deeply flattered. But I also wonder… what beauty you possessed in your previous form?"

"More than you can throw a Psycho Sphere."

"E-yuck. Are they… flirting?" Nolan asked.

"I don't wanna know…" Danika replied.

"Hang on… aren't you Numbuh 2030?" Yuki asked Nolan.

"Huh? Oh, yeah… I was. …And you were Numbuh 1-Ice, weren't you? The boy who got the ice powers."

"He most certainly is." Talzin interrupted. "The two of you have so much in common. Both exiles from the KND, powered by an everlasting lust for revenge."

"The two of you would make an excellent team." Brain said. "Us two masters and you two apprentices. It's an interesting turn of events that we met like this."

"Yeah, yeah, who cares." Yuki replied snarkily. "All I wanna know is when Jagar's gonna show up. You said he's coming, didn't you?"

"Impatient, he is, I see." Brain said.

"Calm down, Boy. I can feel their presence near." Talzin said. "They will be here before long…"

That's when Mallah came out of a door on their right and approached his leader. "Master, Eggman and Bowser have arrived with Celebi. Ze children seem to have followed zem here as well."

"So, the Kids Next Door have found their way to this place. We will see if they can make it out of here."

Just miles away from the island, Mario was dashing high speeds along the water, using FLUDD's Turbo Nozzle, with Shaunie keeping his arms wrapped around him as he hung on, coming closer toward the city.

At the same time, Team Alien, Jeremiah, Team Chaotix, and the Kongs were flying toward the island, with the Kongs riding in Funky's Gyrocopter, and the others in the Flying Krock. "HEY DUDES, BE CAREFUL, THOSE BUILDINGS ARE THE SAME COLOR AS THE SKY." Funky yelled to the crew in the Krock.

"WHAT?" Ava shouted.

"I SAID BE CAREFUL, 'CAUSE THOSE BUILDINGS ARE THE SAME COLOR AS THE- WHOOOAAA!"

"…What was that?" Ava yelled back.

"I'm practicing my comedy crash!"

"Well, keep it down, I'm trying to- WHOA!" They were suddenly shot by a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. flying behind them.

"What's their problem? ?" Kweeb yelled.

"They probably think we're Kremlings." Kami guessed. "Kinda thought that might happen."

"Better give them a call." Ava said, switching on the monitor.

The screen came on in Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. as Ava's face appeared. _"Cool it, you guys, it's just us."_

_"Geez, Nigel, raise your weapons at random adults, not us."_ Kweeb told him.

"Hey! It's Ava and Kweeb." Nigel noticed.

"Sorry about that, guys." Rachel said. "We'll meet back down at the shore."

They soon reached the island and landed their ships beside each other, encountering Mario's group as well. "Shaunie!" Fanny cried happily, running over to embrace her brother in a hug.

"So, what's everyone doing here?" Rachel asked.

"Well, we're here looking for the last Kong Family member." Kami answered. "Jeremiah said they might be holding him here."

"We're here because the Koopas kidnapped my friends." Shaunie told them.

"Hm. Talk about an awful coincidence." Rachel said. "Only problem is where to start looking."

"Can't you look at that map of yours?" Nigel asked.

"Oh yeah. Keep forgetting I have this thing." Rachel pulled out her Marauder's Map and got an overhead view of the city. One part of the map had a bunch of names bundled together, which were all the names of the Junior Prospectors. "I think I found your friends, Shaunie. They're in that building over there." She pointed to a colossal building designed like Bowser.

"That's-a not obvious." Mario remarked sarcastically.

Rachel looked to a lower floor of the map and found Lanky Kong's name. "And there's the Kong. It looks like he's in the sewer. And…" She gasped when she spotted Mandy and Katie's names next to Ganondorf's. "Oh no! Ganon's here! And he's got Mandy and Katie! Over there!" She pointed to a massive skyscraper just miles away. "…What the-" She suddenly spotted Vaati's name bouncing over to Ganon's, like a frog across lilipads.

The kids looked around and realized Vaati was no longer with them. "Well-p, he betrayed us." Patton stated.

"Again." Annie sighed sadly.

"And it looks like they're keeping Celebi in that same Bowser building."

"Okay, team: we have our assignments." Nigel began. "Rachel, Sector W, and I will go see what Ganon's up to. Everyone else head to that Bowser statue. Let's rescue our friends and get off this rock as soon as possible, got it?"

"Ooh-OOOH-ooh!" Donkey Kong cheered, pounding his chest as he ripped the nearest sewer lid open and jumped down, followed by the rest of the Kongs.

"I actually need to go." Jeremiah told them. "I need to see if the rest of my friends made it back here, too." With that, he ran off, leaving the rest of Team Alien to follow the Kongs in the sewers.

"You can just look on the…" Rachel tried to tell him, but he was already gone. "Or not."

"Just forget him." Nigel said. "Let's just go."

"Oh, Mandy… I sure hope you're okay up there." Rachel spoke worriedly. (Play "Skyscraper City" from _Ape Escape 2_.)

_Stage 47: Neo Bowser City_

_Mission: Rescue your friends from the villain-infested city._

Mario and Shaunie began their venture to the massive Bowser building, running down a street and already finding a squad of Imperial Walkers. Shaunie cowered and hid behind a trash can while Mario ran forward, dodging a Walker's lasers before shooting FLUDD's water up at the windshield and piercing through, getting water everywhere inside and making the Walker topple over. Mario ran under another Walker and used FLUDD's Rocket Nozzle, shooting straight up and piercing the hatch before throwing fireballs at the Stormtroopers inside. Shaunie snuck up behind the last Walker and found a can of oil, pushing it over and spilling oil, tripping the robot and making it plummet over a gap in the road nearby.

The two couldn't continue farther because of the gap, so they went over to a building and climbed a fire escape to reach the roof, then started hopping buildings. On one of them, a bunch of Boomerang Bros. popped out of barrels, throwing quick boomerangs that Mario ducked. Shaunie jumped on one of the boomerangs as it came back toward the Koopa, jumping and kicking him over the building's edge. Another one tried to jump on Shaunie, but Mario shot some water and pushed it over the edge. He dodged another boomerang and sprayed some water that knocked the Bro on its back, then running over and kicking him at the last one.

The two jumped down to a highway road that led closer to the Bowser statue, jumping several Koopa cars that tried to run them over. Further down the highway, squads of Koopa Strikers kicked soccer shells at them. Shaunie tried to kick them back, only to end up stubbing his toes, so Mario only kicked them in the windshields of incoming Koopa cars, making them swerve out of control before running over the Strikers.

They finally made it up to the statue, finding a series of platforms that led up to the entrance. Shaunie held onto Mario as he Wall Jumped two close walls, then grabbed onto a pole that was parallel to another, proceeding to climb it. Several electrical balls were sliding down the poles to shock them, but Mario avoided them by jumping between both poles, letting them pass by. They watched as a Banzai Bill was fired above them, slowly coming their way, but Mario just kept spraying water as its face and easily destroyed it, allowing the two to reach the entrance.

Meanwhile, Team Alien and the Kongs were venturing down the city's sewers. Several oil drums were coughing out Gnawtys and Klaptraps, but Vector blew fire around the drums and easily blew them up. They arrived above a waterfall over a bottomless chasm, with a fence on the other side that had a raised bridge. Kweeb and Tiny spotted a mouse hole in the wall beside them, so the two headed in and made their way from behind the walls. They slipped over a ledge and got caught in a giant spider web, but Kweeb grabbed his gun and shot the strands of the web, making them drop free, then shooting the spider before it came.

The two made it to the hole on the other side and were able to unscrew the bolts that held the bridge up, causing it to fall and for the others to get across. As they were turning a corner, a squad of Kasplats came running down, slamming the ground and sending shockwaves that knocked them over. Diddy recovered and ran to whip two of the Kasplats with his tail while Ava ran and sliced one, knocking it out. Kami ran behind another one and grabbed its fist, making him punch himself before knocking him out, while Chunky just ran over and spun and knocked the last two out.

They continued and went down a small waterslide, landing in a barrel cannon and shooting to another one. That cannon aimed them at a waterfall of sludge, but when it died down, they could fire to the next cannon. The rest of the cannons fired them automatically the rest of the way before they came to a stop on a ledge in front of a big door. A giant oil drum on the ceiling, called Boss Dumb Drum, dumped out a squad of Grey Krushas. "Ah, screw this. Let's use Team Blast, guys." Vector told his team. Espio drew out his banjo, Charmy his drum, and Vector his microphone as the others quickly closed their ears, letting the former Kremlings erupt their loud music and completely destroy the Krushas, also causing the Dumb Drum to explode and burst open the door. The others uncovered their ears once the three were done, making a victory pose as Vector said, "And that's how it's done." Afterwards, they continued to the room ahead. (End song.)

Rachel, Nigel, and Sonya had made their way up the skyscraper, walking out onto a rooftop as Rachel checked her map again. "So, the operatives have found their way here after all. I am impressed at your skill in making it this far." The three faced ahead and stood before the Sith Lord, alongside the three members of his top team.

"Brain." Rachel glared, aiming her sword.

"You've met Nolan York, haven't you?" Brain asked. "My latest and greatest apprentice. He despised the laws you Kids Next Door have placed on 13-year-olds and metahumans and decided to join with me. Such is the reason for his betrayal."

"What are you talking about? We don't have anything against metahumans." Rachel refuted.

"As if." Nolan replied. "Not one of you gave a crap about the Prospectors, or even me because I was their leader."

"There must be a reason." Sonya replied. "Didn't I hear you almost got the Moonbase destroyed by aliens?"

"There was no reason." Brain said. "It was merely a false accusation. The only reason you pinned the blame entirely on Nolan was because you thought of him as a freak. For so long, you treated an operative legend as insignificant. Sending him and his friends on dangerous missions in the hopes they would not come back. Some were decommissioned before their time… and others- Well, I need not say. Am I not correct, Rachel?"

At this, Nigel spared a curious glance over to Rachel. "_Is_ he not correct, Rachel?"

"Er… I… Okay! Months ago, sometime before you left for GKND, there was this dangerous killer. I wanted to send you and Sector V, but decided the job might've been more fitting for him."

"Precisely. You were worried for the life of your loved one and decided to send a team which you thought served as 'excess baggage'. It was because of your leadership ways that a fellow operative was killed. And why Dear Nolan prefers it so much better with me."

"Oh, how the mighty Kids Next Door have fallen." Danika replied wittingly.

"About time you got what's coming for you." April said.

"Not before you first, Sister." Sonya glared.

"Your anti-metahuman ways will be the end of you. Do me a favor and get rid of them for me, Nolan." The Brain told his apprentice before he left them.

"Heh. Alright then." Nigel smirked. "We'll just see what this freak has to offer."

"If that's what you want." Nolan retorted. "Too bad you won't be around when the rest of your precious organization falls to my master." (Play "Out of Control" by Hoobastank.)

_Boss fight: Team Brotherhood_

Nigel punched fireballs at the cripple, but Nolan extracted a shield and defended while Danika used Shadow Veil and slithered over, popping up and punching the Brit. Rachel tried to slice the shadowbender, but Danika dodged and started clashing against her sword with her daggers. Sonya tried to shoot April with an ice cream cone gun, but she only countered with a psionic ray, giving Sonya a headache and stunning her. Nigel grabbed Danika's arms from behind, but she was able to shake him off and throw him away. Nigel quickly dodged before Nolan just over and pierced him with spikes on his wheelchair, countering with some flames that Nolan ducked before jumping behind, grabbing his chair's handles, and pushing him into April.

The two recovered as Nigel jumped to strike Nolan again, but a punching glove shot out of his chair suddenly and knocked him away. Danika quickly defended against another of Rachel's strikes before swinging at her feet, Rachel jumping and clashing with her daggers some more. April let out another ray at Sonya, but she countered with her own pink one, the two forces pushing the other before Nigel burned April's butt from behind. The Brit leapt around when Nolan started firing lasers, attempting to fire his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. at his limp legs, but Nolan countered with his grappling hook, the bigger claw pushing past Nigel's and squeezing him around the chest, and electric beam going along the wire and giving Nigel a painful shock.

Sonya quickly fired a ray at Nolan and gave him a headache, making him release the boy, but Sonya was kicked away by April. After Nolan shook his head awake, he charged his rocket boost and charged at Nigel, but Nigel recovered just in time to jump him, letting Nolan crash in a wall. As Rachel and Dani kept clashing, Rachel was finally able to knock her daggers away, but Danika used Shadow Veil and went below ground, slithering over to grab Rachel's legs, but Nigel shot his fire to the shadow on the ground and was able to burn her, Danika coming above ground on fire. Rachel was about to slice her, but her sword was suddenly grabbed by a big orange hand, looking back and seeing Midna.

"Now, now. That's not fair now, is it? Eee hee hee." Midna smirked. However, Fi popped out of Rachel's sword and kicked the shadow imp away.

_"Perhaps I should even those odds then."_ Fi remarked as she started flying and kicking at Midna. The imp was about to counter with a Shadow Shockwave, but Fi unleashed a sonic wave from her lungs, hurting Midna's ears.

Sonya and April engaged in hand-to-hand combat as Sonya grabbed April's hands and kicked her legs, knocking her over. April spun-kicked as she recovered, but Sonya jumped over and landed on her head, grabbing her sister's hair and starting to pull it. April threw her off and unleashed another psionic ray that Sonya once again counterattacked. Cheshire grabbed Rachel by the legs and pulled her to Danika, who tried to slice her with the daggers as Rachel was still able to fight back. The blonde leader sliced the shadow and broke free, running as Danika used Shadow Glide to fly around, but Rachel tossed her boomerang and bumped Dani's head, making he drop dizzily.

Nigel swiftly dodged Nolan's missiles as he made his way over, flipping behind the handicap and trying to grab his handles, but Nolan switched on the rocket boost and shot away, also burning Nigel, stopping and turning back around. He fired a net over Nigel and electrocuted him again, but Rachel ran and sliced the net, setting Nigel free before going back to battle Danika. Nolan shot more missiles at Nigel, but the Brit continued to dodge and made it over once more, throwing punches at Nolan while he countered with his chair's punching gloves.

"You were one of our best operatives. Why did you betray us?" Nigel asked, barely dodging punches and missiles.

"You all betrayed _me_. Your job was to protect kids everywhere, but when it comes to 'freaks', you won't mind getting them killed. My place is with Brain now. His intentions are about helping metahumans find their place in the world and I'm going to help him. Hu-" Nigel suddenly got behind Nolan and flung his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H., wrapping it around his neck.

"You know what happened to the last traitor I fought?" With that, he grabbed Nolan's chair, spun him around, and pushed him over the edge of the building, the boy holding onto his chair with one hand and hanging on for dear life with the other. He then looked up with fear as Nigel stood over him. "Farewell, Traitor." The Brit said, stomping and twisting his foot on his fingers.

"AHH! MASTER, HELP!" When Nolan lost his grip, he was immediately saved by Brain, watching the battle from the roof of another building as he used his psychic to hold him up, putting him back in his chair as he was levitated to the middle of the field. Midna stopped fighting with Fi and spared a glance to the Sith Lord, retreating back into Danika's shadow as Fi went back in Rachel's sword as April and Danika went to stand beside Nolan. "Let's finish them off."

Two helmets attached to cords extracted from the wheelchair and were placed on April's and Dani's heads. They channeled their energy through the cords into the chair as a shadow energy field expanded around the area, Nolan locking onto the three operatives as they were caught inside. Afterwards, he launched three electrical rays from his chair that greatly stunned and gave the trio headaches, similar to April's psionic blast. While they were stunned, they stopped their Team Blast, and April ran over to kick Sonya away, Danika flipped over, pulled Rachel inside her Shadow Veil and landed several punches before throwing her out, and Nolan caught Nigel inside another net, shocking and swinging him around before landing him on the ground with a thud. (End song.)

The operatives were battered and torn after the beating they just endured, the three villains approaching them victoriously. "Heh. Was that all you got?" Nolan asked, cockily. "We're supposed to be worried about _you_ guys stopping our plans?"

"Looks like these guys are totally losing their edge." Danika said.

"Come on, guys. Let's finish these guys off already." April smirked. However, the trio jumped back when an ice ball nearly hit them from above.

"Now that isn't very sportsmanlike, is it?" Wesley Dodds asked as he and Larry jumped down in their way.

Nolan instantly gasped. "Mr. Dodds…"

The two old men jumped back when Brain threw a psychic blast, coming down and standing beside Team Brotherhood. "I don't recall inviting _you_ to this party."

"Mmm, I never get invited to parties." Oldman whined.

"You kids get going." Wesley told the three operatives, who nodded and continued through the door beside them. "And Brain: you stop putting lies into Nolan's head right now."

"What lies?" Nolan asked.

"What lies, indeed. I'm afraid the only lies come from _your_ mouth, Mr. Dodds. Nolan, the three of you get out of here. I will deal with him." With a hesitant expression, Nolan decided to turn and roll away, followed by his team as they left him to deal with the old men.

"You must feel very proud of yourself, Genious. Toying with the mind of a troubled little boy like that. How can you be so despicable?"

"Do you know who I am, Wesley? I am Revan Bane Sidious. The last most powerful Sith Lord in the cosmos. I will go down in history as the one responsible for manipulating the greatest operative in the Kids Next Door."

"Ah, but what if Nolan finds his way? You'd no longer have any pride. You'd fail yourself _and_ your father."

"What you superheroes fail to realize is evil always prevails in the end. I admit that my past mistakes caused me to fail before, but it will not happen again. Just when things are looking up, darkness will rain down and destroy all good. The Brotherhood of Evil will wipe the good from this universe, and I will be remembered as the greatest Sith Lord of them all. And when I am gone, Nolan will step up and take my place. Figuratively speaking, of course. Then again, we might actually develop the technology to give him artificial legs, so yes."

"Don't count yourself so sure. You use Nolan as a pawn now, but one day he'll get the strength to defeat you. Your reign will end."

"Of course he will gain the strength to defeat me. According to Darth Bane's Rule of Two, eventually one of the Siths has to kill the other. His strength and mind will grow, and he will finally destroy me and take my place. And rule all evil."

Sandman shot him a glare as he drew out his gas gun. "Not if I can help it."

"Enguarde, Mr. Dodds."

Mr. Oldman just stood there cowardly, looking for a way out. "Ohh. Nn, I HATE Mondays…"

**With Team Alien**

After fighting past the Boss Dumb Drum, the Team Alien crew continued their journey down the sewers. "Wow, that was awesome!" Kweeb exclaimed at Team Chaotix. "What kind of move was that, anyway?"

"It was called a Team Blast." Vector answered. "Don't you know what that is?"

"Uhhh, nope."

"Well, when you have a team of at least three people, if you combine your own skills, you're able to unleash a special move called a Team Blast." Espio explained.

"Every team's got their own Team Blast, and they're wicked cool and they wipe out all bad guys!" Charmy exclaimed.

They finally arrived at a large, circular, arena-like room in the center, seeing a cage hanging from the ceiling. "Look, there's Lanky!" Dixie pointed out.

The orangutan gave a wide smile when he saw his friends. The room started shaking all of a sudden as everyone looked around, but Donkey made a shout as he pointed to a big door on the other side. (Play the "Army Dillo 2" Theme from _Donkey Kong 64_.)

The door slid open as a massive mechanical wheel rolled out, stopping and opening to reveal the Army Dillo's smirking face. "Ry hah hah hah!"

Donkey smiled and tapped Diddy's shoulder, jabbing his thumb toward the creature as they both burst into laughter. K. Rool's best plan was to send _this_ guy again? They knew how easy he was before. However, their cockiness ended when the armadillo grabbed a rope on his shell in his teeth, pulling it and causing tons of spikes to sprout all around his shell. The Kongs' mouths gaped when two machineguns sprouted from both sides of the shell, as well as two bazookas on the front of the shell. A claw placed two high-tech goggles over his eyes while another claw placed a cigar in his mouth, proceeding to smoke it and cackle maniacally afterwards.

The apes put on their battle-ready expressions as they all prepared to fight the sooped-up monster.

_Boss fight: Crazy Dillo_

The armadillo started off by curling in his shell, rapidly spinning as it shot over at the large team, who quickly scattered and let it ram a wall. The beast recovered and curled in again, speeding around the room at high speeds before stopping in the center. Diddy jumped onto Donkey as the gorilla quickly rolled away to avoid the rapid-firing machinegun bullets. The beast then turned to face Ava and Kami, firing his bullets as Ava rapidly spun her swords and deflected the bullets away. The girls rolled to the side when Crazy Dillo spun and shot toward them again, still ramming the wall. When he turned to face Kami, Ava quickly threw her sword into the wall above her, allowing Kami to jump and grab it, letting the armadillo roll under her.

When Army Dillo stopped in the center again, Donkey rolled over, jumped, and slammed down on his head. The armadillo spun around to their side and started firing his bazooka at them. But while his back was turned, Kami noticed his tail sticking out of the armor in the back. She pulled Ava's sword out of the wall and quickly ran over to lay several strikes upon the exposed flesh. The armadillo cried out in pain as he uncontrollably kicked behind him, running frantically around the room with tears in his eyes before colliding with the wall with great force. As his eyes spun in dizziness, his armor malfunctioned and started to electrify, giving the animal a shock so painful they could see his skeleton.

When the shock ended, Crazy Dillo retracted into his shell and zoomed around the room again, the team still avoiding before he stopped back in the center. The machineguns on the side of his armor retracted as missiles came out instead. The rockets faced and fired upward and locked on to Donkey, the gorilla rolling away and letting the missiles hit the ground. Team Chaotix got into fly formation as Charmy tossed his teammates at the missile launchers, damaging them enough times before they retracted. The armadillo curled into his shell once more and shot toward the wall, going up and over the ceiling before dropping down to the center, creating a shockwave with the impact.

The team tripped because of the shockwave, allowing Army Dillo to take aim with his bazookas. He was about to shoot Dixie until his eye was shot at by an unseen blast. His zoomed the vision in his goggles in closer to see Kweeb on the ground, the little alien jumping swiftly when Army tried shooting his bazookas, which made massive explosions at his height. The little alien made his way closer to the monster before Army shot a blast behind him, the explosion's force sending him flying through the air before he landed on Army's nose. Kweeb then took aim and shot the armadillo's eyes, making him cry out once again and shake Kweeb off, running crazily around the room before he rammed his head in the wall, resulting in another painful shock in which they could see his skeleton.

Crazy Dillo went back in his shell and started rolling around the room again. When he made it to the center, he started spinning around on his side as his machinegun fired bullets all over the place, the heroes crouching as low to the floor as they could. When Army stopped, he stood back up and extracted his missiles, locking on and firing at them once again. Ava swiftly back-flipped the missiles that came at her before tossing her sword at one of the missile turrets, slicing it from the armor. His machineguns came back out, so she quickly started spinning her sword again, deflecting the bullets and quickly rolling to the side when he spun at her again.

The Crazy Dillo started going over the walls and ceiling again, his shell electrified as he made several complete loops around the room, and leaving an electrical trail as a result. When he was finished, he sent an electric shockwave out that zapped everyone successfully. The armadillo burst into laughter at this, but his laughter was cut short when his cigar fell back into his throat, the animal choking on it as he fell to his side. Chunky quickly ran in and charged his Primate Punch, pounding him clear in the exposed stomach and forcing the cigar out, the item bouncing around the room before it stuck right in his eye, burning and making him cry once again as he rammed his head right in the wall. The room alit with another deadly shock that exposed the animal's skeleton, but this time it was enough damage to make the machineguns and bazookas pop off.

Army Dillo snorted at them before curling into his shell again, speeding around the room to try and smash them before coming to the center and falling on his side again. When the monster spun around this time, he started zooming around the room on his side, bouncing rapidly off the walls as the kids narrowly avoided him. His ricocheting off the walls caused so many quakes, the cage on the ceiling holding Lanky fell off and broke open as it collided on the ground, the monkey happily smiling and stretching his arms.

When the armadillo stopped to see what he did, his blood started to boil with anger. With one last shout, he stomped a button on the ground, causing the ceiling to open and expose them to the rainy weather as the floor raised like an elevator until it was level with the ground above. A compartment at the top of the armadillo's shell opened up as a huge lightning rod slowly rose up. Lightning struck the tip of the rod, filling the armored shell up with energy. In place of the bazookas, two electrical rods appeared, the kids trying to run as he unleashed electric blasts, but ended up taking shocks. The armadillo retracted the rod and was about to roll over Kami, but Ava recovered in time to grab her and twirl her sword fast enough to make them hover in the air. Army Dillo stopped and glared up at them, extracting the lightning rod out again so he could easily zap them, making them come back down while he laughed and went back to the center.

"Ugh. This guy's a lot more tough than he looked now." Ava said.

"Too bad we don't have any of those Team Blast deals." Kami replied.

A lightbulb appeared by Kweeb's head as he got an idea. "Yes we do! Quick, both of you cross your swords!"

"Um, okay." Ava replied, wondering what he was getting at. Both she and Kami held their swords up and crossed them while Kweeb set his shrink setting to reverse and fired at the blades. The two smiled, and the armadillo gaped when the swords grew to the size of his rod. Both girls smirked as they held the swords away, and swung them straight at the armored monster, the force strong enough to send Crazy Dillo straight to the sky.

The animal stopped flying and looked down with fright when he saw how high he was above the water. The animal swung his feet around, trying to flutter over to land, but was unsuccessful when he fell straight into the ocean. That part of the sea erupted with light as the electrical armor mixed with the water gave him the deadliest shock of all, exposing his skeleton even brighter. When the lightning stopped, the armadillo was knocked unconscious as his body slowly sank beneath the sea.

With the beast defeated, Kweeb shrunk the two's swords back to normal as they stylishly twirled them in victory. "K. Rool don't have squat on us tonight." Kami remarked tauntingly. (End song.) "Nice work, team. Boy, if we just kept doing that from now on, we'd have these guys wiped out in no time."

"Eh, I wouldn't be so sure." Kweeb replied. "That actually used a lot of power from my Tri-gun."

"Team Blasts ordinarily take a lot of energy." Espio said.

"Then let's only use them when we really need to." Ava suggested. "Anyway, now that we rescued Lanky Kong, we should go back and show Cranky."

"Yeah!" Dixie smiled. "Afterwards, we kick K. Rool's butt and our island is saved once again. This story is wrapping up quite nicely."

"Don't celebrate just yet." a voice spoke.

"Jeremiah?" Kami cocked a brow as they turned and noticed the poisonbender, standing with a gang of Kremlings.

"Sorry about this, Kam." With that, the burn-covered child threw some Minish Dust over Team Alien.

"OOOH?" Donkey Kong gaped when the three shrunk to a much smaller height, including Kweeb.

"Cage 'em up." Jeremiah ordered, the Kremlings going over and grabbing the kids, dropping them in a hamster cage.

_"Jeremiah! How could you!"_ Kami squeaked.

"Word of advice, Kam: never trust a bad guy who randomly comes and leads you to their secret hideout."

"OOH!" Donkey yelled, about to charge and attack the boy, but a squad of Kops came and zapped the gorilla with electric rods.

"Yeah, I wouldn't try that." Jeremiah told him simply as he carried the captured team away.

_"UUGH! I swear, this is like the 3rd time I've been kidnapped today."_ Kami said angrily.

_"At least you're still tall! I'm practically the size of a dust speck right now!"_ Kweeb squeaked.

After leaving the old men to deal with Darth Genious, Rachel, Nigel, and Sonya progressed higher up the skyscraper, entering a large circular room at the top of the tower and spotting a familiar white man in a red cape. "Mm hm heh ha. That was quite a performance down there." (Cue Ghirahim's Theme!)

The Demon Lord spun around and gave his usual smile. "Huh. Everybody's here." Rachel chuckled.

"Hm, everybody except Mandy. If you came here to save her, I'm afraid you're too late. Ganondorf is already long gone with her. She's accepted to be part of his plans and you won't be able to stop him. And to think you came all this way in the hopes of saving her from her own fear. Heh heh ha. And why would she listen to you to begin with, Rachel? She is and always has been a lying, deceiving brat. She has no love and care in the world, especially for fools like you."

"That's not true. Mandy's just having trouble with… finding her place in the world. Lots of people are. But that doesn't mean I can't help her out."

"Hm hm heh ha. Poor Rachel, as delusional as ever. Ganondorf holds the upper hand around here. His control and manipulation over her and Lehcar are far too great for you. Pretty soon, the power of the gods will be his once again. And once I deliver the Triforce of Courage to him, nothing will be able to stop us."

"Hah! I kicked your butt before, I can do it again!"

"Hmm. I see your skill as the Hero's descendant are improving it seems. But I have gotten stronger, too. Allow me to show you…" The demon gently pulled off his cape and dropped it on the ground. Afterwards, he took out a drum of oil and began to pour it all around him, the three giving weirded looks as the demon laughed and rubbed the oil all over his skin. Once he was finished, he raised his arms in the air as his white skin broke off, exposing black, smoother skin underneath. "Voila! Take a look at this form! This beautiful skin!" he show them the left side of his body, which was black as well, making muscle poses. "Such stunning features! A marvelous sight!"

"Gee, love yourself much?" Rachel asked.

"Heh. You'll find the supple skin of my body stronger than any armor. I've pretty much got it all! Though there is one teensy-tiny thing I lack." (End song.) "Namely mercy! Come, Rachel. We're bound by a thread of fate, destined to fight! Meet me in the field of battle, and the thread that binds us will be soaked crimson with your blood." (Cue Ghirahim Battle Theme!)

_Boss fight: Lord Ghirahim_

Rachel charged to strike at the new-skinned Demon Lord, but Ghirahim grabbed her sword and tried to pull it away, but Rachel pulled it back. Ghirahim held his hand up as Rachel was about to strike down, but instead tricked him and struck horizontally, damaging him. Ghirahim jumped to her side and threw a few punches that Rachel dodged, until Ghirahim kicked her in the shin and pushed her away. Rachel tried to shoot him with arrows, but Ghirahim easily smacked them away. She ran to try and strike him again, but he swiftly grabbed her arms, spun around her, and kicked her away.

Still on the ground, Rachel swung at Ghirahim's legs, but he jumped in front of her and rose his foot, attempting to kick down, but Rachel held her Hylian shield above her and kept his foot back, then quickly swung at his other leg and made him trip. Rachel stood up and tried to stab him, but Ghirahim rolled away and got up, tossing darts that Rachel spun and dodged. Rachel rose her sword skyward and filled it with energy, swinging a horizontal Skyward Strike that Ghirahim was able to dodge. When he approached her, she moved her sword around in all directions to confuse him, but he was still able to grab her sword when she swang.

Ghirahim was able to take her sword, so Rachel ran for it. When he was about to toss it, Rachel quickly threw her Hylian Shield and hit his chin, smirking as she caught the shield when it came back. Ghirahim dropped the sword as a result, so she ran and grabbed it, striking his back before he could defend. Ghirahim jumped away and smirked at the leader, licking his lips as he snapped his fingers, making dual swords appear in his hands.

Rachel ran and swung downward, but Ghirahim held her sword back with his left sword, striking her with his right. She tried to slice again, but Ghirahim warped behind and kicked her away, then tried to jump and strike her, but she rolled to the side and stood up. Ghirahim defended when she swung down, swung left, swung diagonal, but finally took a hit from a rightward slash. Ghirahim jumped back and spawned a horizontal row of darts, then made them diagonal before he shot them, Rachel barely dodging, but was surprised when Ghirahim ran and struck her.

"Rachel!" Nigel yelled as he and Sonya ran to help. Ghirahim cockily licked his blades before teleporting behind the two, slicing both of them horizontally. Rachel gritted her teeth in anger before standing up, running to swing faster strikes at Ghirahim, swinging at his legs which he jumped, was about to swing downward, but quickly noticed him dodge to her left, so she sliced at his back when he wasn't looking.

Ghirahim then teleported, but Rachel saw him appear above, rolling away before he pierced his swords in the ground, allowing Rachel to attack him while he was trying to pull them out. Ghirahim jumped back and made several darts appear around her vertically, but she just jumped and performed a vertical spin, taking out the darts and shooting at Ghirahim, dealing plenty of strikes upon him before he vanished.

"Nnn!" Ghirahim growled, appearing a few feet away. "Take this!" With that, he charged a Soul Surge and shot over, but Rachel countered and waited for him to strike so his guard was down. Ghirahim tried to strike at the leader, but she was quick to predict his movements and strike back, eventually knocking both swords out of his hands and performing a spin attack, knocking the Demon Lord to the ground. (End song.)

Ghirahim gripped the side of his aching hip, barely recovering and panting heavily as he limped. "So… you still have a little fight in you…" he panted. "But that still doesn't change a thing. You may still have the strength, but you fail as a leader."

"What are you talking about? Rachel's a great leader." Nigel told him.

"Hm hm hm. Aren't you one to take sides? Apparently you forget it was by her ways several of your current enemies became traitors. Why so many operatives would rather follow the Side of Evil. She's a terrible leader. There's no denying it. Her heart is weaker than Link's was. That sword deserves to belong in better hands."

Rachel only held her head down in sadness as he spoke.

"Hm… well now." Ghirahim smiled. "I believe I've wreaked enough havoc for one day. I must leave now and get my beauty sleep. Until we meet again, Kids Next Door. I look forward to crushing you all beneath my foot. Next time." The Demon Lord gave his usual maniacal laughter before teleporting away.

Once he was gone, Nigel went over to place a hand on Rachel's shoulder in comfort. "Don't listen to what he says, Rachel. He's just trying to get to you."

"Yeah!" Sonya cheered. "You've always been a great leader! That's why the Master Sword chose you, wasn't it?"

Rachel looked up slightly. "Yeah… I guess."

"Let's get back down to the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.." Nigel said. "Hopefully the others are finished by now…"

**Inside the Bowser statue**

Within the confines of the Bowser statue, the Junior Prospectors, along with Yoshi, sat back in their cell, still wondering what the villains planned to do with them. "Hey, what are you- AHH!" They suddenly heard the Stormtroopers scream outside the cell.

Before they knew it, Gary the Stormtrooper opened their cell and came running in. "You kids okay?"

"Daddy!" Jessica cheered, running to embrace her father's legs in a hug.

"Come on, we need to get you kids outta here." He hurriedly told them, running out of the cell and down the hall as they followed.

As they entered a room that was within the mouth of the Bowser statue, they suddenly ran into Shaunie and Mario. "Hey! There's another one!" the boy yelled.

"W-Wait! I rescued them, see?" he directed their attention to Shaunie's team.

"Guys!"

"Shaunie!" Luvbi smiled, flying over to hug him. They let go after a while and blushed. "Thou, um… thou cometh to rescue us?"

"Well, yeah! You are my friends."

"That was… very brave of you."

"Yeah, yeah, but we have to go. Ugh, where's Mr. Boss…"

"Over here!" Mr. Boss yelled, flying toward the statue's mouth inside another Koopa airship.

"Daddy!" Shaunie yelled.

"Hey-hey, Shaunie." Jeffery smiled, walking off the ship as his son came over to hug him. "Good thing they didn't capture you, too. Now come on, we're getting out of this city."

"Ho ho ho. Looks-a like we have us a traitor." (Cue Mr. L's Theme!)

The green Italian villain suddenly dropped from the ceiling, standing beside a Koopaling with a green shell and blue hair. "My, isn't this an interesting sight? I'm sure The Brain would be delighted to hear two of his henchmen are treasonous scum." The Koopa said in a German accent.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Tommy asked.

"I am Ludwig von Koopa. The brains of the Seven Koopalings. And apparently the only Koopaling still standing. Ve expected the plumber to come and rescue ze bratty kids, but never did ve count on a couple of Brotherhood traitors. Een fact, ve did not expect ze cowardly little child to come here eizer. You vield more bravery than I imagined, it seems."

"You better believe it, Hair Boy!" Shaunie retorted.

"Enough wasting time with childish games." Mr. L said. "I expected you to be destroyed by now, Mario. It's amazing how a simple plumber can go on so long and still keep his fame and fortune. Not that that'll matter at all soon."

Mario stepped a bit closer and looked like he was saying something to Luigi, but looked like he was only moving his mouth in the eyes of everyone else.

"Hohn? You imply that I'm jealous? That the fans rave and crave for me, yet you still get to be the star of every game? Foolish little plumber. I have no reason to feel I'm merely a shadow to you. I already know I'm great just the way I am and I'm gonna prove it. Soon, not only will everyone know the glory of Mr. L, but Lord Gnaa's name will shine in the spotlights, too. Well… scratch that, I suppose. Because when Gnaa rules, all there's gonna be around is glorious darkness. I'm planning to stick around for that, aren't you?"

Mario still said nothing, only shot him a glare.

"You disappoint me, Mario. You woulda been great on the Dark Side, too. Of course, you have enough people cheering your name already, why need more? All for the better, I suppose. Because now I will defeat you all within an inch of your life."

"Oh yeah? And just how do you plan to do that?" Tommy asked cockily.

"Thou shalt never prevail, thou greasy, greasy man." Luvbi told him. "Ni shalt thy Master of Darkness."

"My, you're a cocky little bunch, aren't you?" Ludwig asked. "But we'll see who gets the last laugh today, vonce you face ze true might of… L-POWER!" (End song.) The Koopaling pulled out a remote and pressed a button, several lasers appearing around the room afterwards and zapping Mr. L. (Play "Decisive Battle" from _Final Fantasy 6_.)

The floor of the entire room started to rise like an elevator, going up a very long shaft as Luigi started to grow nearly 5 times his height. His clothes were transformed back to his regular overalls, but the color of his clothes and skin became a bit more pale as his eyes gave out a wide, creepy stare. _"Weegee…"_

"AH HA HA HAA! ! Behold, ze ultimate creation: le WEEGEE!" Ludwig exclaimed. "His frightening stare shall be ze doom of you ALL! Come, mein pet!"

_"Weegee…"_

_Boss fight: Weegee_

Ludwig flipped up onto the Weegee's head as the mutated plumber stomped forward and tried to stomp Mario, who rolled and dodge. The giant plumber attempted to karate-chop him, afterwards spinning along the floor and swatting the Junior Prospectors away, nearly pushing them over the edge. When Tommy recovered, he looked up and screamed as the Weegee walked over and picked him, studying him like a doll. _"Weegee?"_

Mushi gritted her teeth as she ran over and tossed her sharp crayons at his face, the Weegee blocking with his hand and stepping back as he dropped Tommy. She backed him up to the edge of the platform, and the monster nearly fell over, but wobbled and kept his balance as he ran back onto the platform and squished Mushi flat, but the 6-year-old was alright. Joey suddenly jumped to Weegee's face and forced two dodgeballs in his eyes, making him fall on his back. As a result, Ludwig was knocked off, but the Koopaling recovered and curled in his shell, starting to spin around the room.

He ran over Sammy and Jessica before stopping and conjuring strange red hearts, making them spiral around before they scattered, one of them hitting Mr. Boss. The Weegee's eyes became hearts themselves as he shot his gaze toward the businessman, standing and walking over to pick him up. "H-Hey! What do you think you're- DAH!" Weegee's creepy stare froze the man as he began to smooch him.

_"Weegee!"_

"DAH HA HA HA! Again!" Ludwig cheered, making more hearts spiral around him.

"Not so fast!" Mario cheered, jumping on Yoshi and making him catch one of the hearts in his tongue. The dinosaur fired it back and hit Ludwig, making Weegee's attention direct to him.

_"Weegee?"_ The creature dropped Mr. Boss and walked over, picking the Koopaling up and giving him a couple smooches.

"Hey! Vhat are you- NEIN!" Ludwig screamed, whipping the creature's hands. Weegee made a whimper and immediately started stomping on the Koopa. "STOP IT, YOU STUPID BEAST!" Weegee jumped back at his shout and let Ludwig flip on top of him again. "Save your kissing for ze ingrates!"

Weegee charged a Super Jump and leapt toward the wall away from the platform, holding on as the platform was rising toward a series of spikes. The group of children (plus few adults) carefully squeezed between gaps in the spikes and let them go past. As Shaunie was avoiding them, he was about to slip over the edge accidentally, but Luvbi quickly pulled him back with some airbending, under a gap so that Shaunie could squeeze through once more.

When the spikes cleared out, Weegee jumped back onto the field and tried to karate-chop Mario again. The plumber dodged and shot water at his eyes, making him close them and step back. Joey leapt up to strike Weegee again, but the giant man quickly opened his eyes and shot him a stare, stunning the frightened Beatles child stiff. He then tried to stomp him, but Yoshi tossed some eggs at the side of his head, the Weegee trying to shoot him a glare, but Yoshi hit one last egg at his face and toppled him over.

Ludwig curled in his shell once again, this time flying around the air as he made swarms of fireballs fly up from below the shaft and come toward the Prospectors, the children running and barely avoiding them. Mario spun-jumped some of the fireballs, but ended hit by one anyway and falling on his behind. He got onto Yoshi as the dinosaur held his mouth wide-open and caught his own fireballs inside, spitting swarms of them after the Koopa before knocking him out of the air. Ludwig started to spiral more hearts around him and send them out, but Mushi was able to grab one of the hearts, spinning happily and sending it at Ludwig. The Weegee's eyes widened at the scientist once again as he walked over and began to smooch him. When Ludwig whipped the hands off, Weegee whimpered and stomped him once more.

His tantrum ceased and allowed Ludwig to flip back on top of him. At last, the elevator reached the end of the shaft and was now at the crown of the statue's head, the rain still pouring down hard as they overlooked a great view of the city. Weegee flipped above the many kids, who ran before he could slam his butt down to squish them. He attempted another Ground Pound over Mario, but the plumber belly-slid and slipped away. When he tried to smash down on Sammy and Jessica, Gary pulled out a bunch of mini beads from his pocket and rolled them along the floor where the Weegee would land, the beads then connecting electrical lines that zapped the Weegee when he crashed down, the monster gripping his bottom and running all around the field.

Luvbi flew around the Weegee's head as she tried to air blast him, but Weegee shot her a glare that stunned her in an instant, the angel falling to the ground. Shaunie whimpered in fright when the man turned his gaze toward him, shutting his eyes and running for it as he could hear the Weegee stomping after. While this happened, Mario switched FLUDD's nozzle to Turbo and sped toward the overgrown plumber, jumping and ramming the side of his knee and making him trip.

Ludwig fell off and took to the skies once again, making the many hearts spiral around him. Shaunie saw that Luvbi was recovering and yelled, "Luvbi, give me a boost!" Luvbi took aim at the Koopa above them and used her airbending to blow Shaunie upward, successfully grabbing onto the Koopa's legs.

"Hey, chat are you, D'OW!" The 6-year-old jabbed his fingers in his eyes, making them fall to the ground and drop his hearts. Shaunie grabbed one of the hearts and shoved it at Ludwig's face before he recovered, attracting Weegee's attention once again. "Grrr!" Ludwig growled when the creature started smooching him again. "WILL YOU STOP IT? ! I should have programmed you with more BRAINS and less brawn." The hurt monster just dropped him to the ground and stomped on him for the last time. "AAAHHHH!" Ludwig screamed when the Weegee kicked and sent him flying over the edge, falling the hundreds of feet below the statue.

Weegee shot one last angry glare toward the children and performed another Super Jump, charging a Ground Pound and gaining more power as he fell faster and faster. But when his bottom collided with the ground, it was enough force to push the entire platform all the way back down the shaft, landing with a loud thud once they hit the bottom. The kids could barely stand from the impact, but Gary recovered in time and pulled a lever on the wall, activating the lasers and zapping Weegee once again. In seconds, the creature shrunk back to his normal height, and the real Luigi was restored. (End song.)

"Ohhh…" the green plumber groaned, holding his aching head after the experience. "Hey, Bro… what happened?"

Mario walked over and started to explain the whole thing to Luigi. To the eyes and ears of everyone else, it still looked like he was merely moving his mouth and making gestures. No wonder he was called the "Mute Hero".

"Huh? I turned into Mr. L again?" Mario nodded. "Geez, Bro. I didn't mean to cause that much harm. I'm sorry, Mario." Mario just shook his head 'no', saying that it was alright. "Really? Well, thanks, Bro. To tell the truth, I've always been a little jealous of you always being the star. But I've never really let it get to me. It's not so bad being the sidekick. Heck, that only means I don't have to fight my way past millions of fanboys. Hehe."

"Uh-huh." Mario nodded.

"And besides, I had my own little special starring moments, anyway. Anyhow, now that the Darkness Cannon thingy wore off on me, I'm going to keep helping you fight the Koopas AND Lord Gnaa!"

"Oh!" Mario cheered.

"Great, now if we're all done playing charades, we need to get going." Mr. Boss told them.

"He's right, kids. Everyone aboard the airship." Gary ordered.

Everyone piled onto the stolen Koopa ship and started to sail away from the city as the Junior Prospectors gathered around to listen to their leader. "Pray, thanks to the works of Shaunie and Mario, along with yonder adults, us Junior Prospectors hath been saved from what may hath been a horrible fate. Let us mark this a momentous victory in rescuing a trapped man to reunite with his older brother. Shouldst we keep putting our skills together, the dreaded evil ones shalt meet their fall before thine eyes canst comprehend it."

"YAAAY!" the little kids cheered.

"If I may make a suggestion, we must plan an attack against monstrous Koopa King himself. Let us stop far away from here and get us some rest if we art to go thither and rescue all others whom hath fallen to his scaly hands. Such as the fair maiden this young gentleman doth pine over. Now getteth some rest."

"YES SIR!" the children saluted, going into separate rooms of the airship.

After they left, Shaunie stood up and walked over to Luvbi. "Wow, you're a really great leader." He smiled.

"Thanketh thee. I hath learned a lot since my first adventure with Nigel. Er, second, rather. I hath always acted so rudely to previous teams of mine, never hath I thought to earn the respect of these yonder children."

"Well, who wouldn't like you as a leader? You're strong and brave and tough… not like me. I've always been too scared to hurt a fly."

"Hm hm, nay. Pray, thou hast been much of a coward during our first moments. But it seems thou art past that. 'Tis just like Tommy said about being a Prospector, to channel thine weaknesses into being thy strengths. Methinks thou gains strength from thy friends. If they art in danger, thou wilt risk anything to save them."

"Hmm… maybe you're right."

"Prithee, am I not?" she smirked. "Now getteth thine rest. Thou wilt need all thy strength to defeat Bowser."

"O-kay!" Shaunie fist-pumped and ran off to his room on the airship.

**Lower area of Bowser statue**

Sonic, Blaze, and the rest of the operatives fought their way inside another part of the Bowser statue, busting through the doors of a room and finding a bunch of Eggman robots guarding the weakened Celebi in a cage, easily taking them out. "Sheesh, they're gonna need better security than that." Sonic said cockily.

"Come. We must-" Blaze tried to say.

"Reducto!" a voice suddenly called, making the ground suddenly explode and send them flying back outside, landing roughly on the concrete.

"Ow… what was that?" Misty asked, holding her back.

"Hn hn hn hn. You didn't think we'd leave an all-powerful Firstborn so easily-guarded, did you?" At the sound of this female voice, they turned their attention toward the wicked witch herself, with the icebender by her side.

"Yuki!" the Time Spirits gasped.

"We only placed the Firstborn here knowing you would come looking. Now you all can get a taste of Yuki's new power."

"Wait a second! So you're… Lucinda?" Jagar asked.

"Hm hm HA HA ha ha hah!" the witch only cackled as she became a shadow and flew away.

"Yuki. Don't side with them." Jagar tried to tell him. "Witches like her and Rumpel only want to trick you. To use you in their own little game."

"So I'm guessing we're just referring to Rumpel as a witch from now on." Olive guessed.

"Don't try to trick me." Yuki snapped back. "Thanks to those hags, the power of ice truly is mine to command. With this power, I can turn all Kids Next Door into the ultimate collection of ice sculptures. Starting with the lot of you."

"Yuki, you're my best friend. I know you don't have the-"

"Don't give me that crap! Neither of you ever cared about me. I'm going to freeze you all into oblivion!"

"I don't think he's listening to reason, Jagar." Misty said.

"Fine. Then I guess we'll have to freeze him first. The rest of you stay back. Olive, Misty, let's take him down." (Play Crystal King's Battle Theme from _Paper Mario_.)

_Boss fight: Yuki Crystal_

"Come and get me!" Yuki taunted, throwing an ice ray directly at Jagar, the boy dodging as the ground was frozen in a straight line along the ray. The ray went around in a circle and froze an ice wall, keeping everyone else out of the field. Misty and Olive ran to punch him from both sides, but Yuki ducked and skied away from them, making the girls punch each other. Yuki sent two icicles at Jagar, sticking him to the wall by his shirt before Yuki ran and kicked him in the gut. He was about to stab the timebender with his ice sword, but Jagar broke free just in time and caused his sword to get stuck in the wall. Jagar punched him across the head before he could pull it out, and as he tried to recover, he kicked his nose and pushed him back.

The female timebenders then froze him in time, but Yuki was able to fight it, blowing Ice Breath and freezing the girls and freeing himself. Jagar ran to attack him, but Yuki froze the ground and made Jagar slip, afterwards making his sword into an ice hockey stick, bashing Jagar and making him slide around the field, doing the same and whacking the frozen girls. Jagar bumped his head on Misty's frozen form, but the frozen Olive came and pushed Yuki into the wall. He kicked Olive to the other side and caused the ice to break and free her. Yuki conjured his ice mace and swung it at Jagar, but missed and hit Misty, breaking her free of the ice.

Yuki sent his mace at Jagar again, but he quickly froze it in time before grabbing the chain and swinging Yuki in the ice wall. Afterwards, Misty rewound Yuki so that he would perform the same attack, but Jagar slowed down his mace again, grabbed it, and swung him at the wall. Misty giggled and rewound him again, but Yuki felt the sense of déjà vu, growling in anger before switching his mace to the form of a whip, tossing and wrapping it around Misty's neck and swinging her at the wall. Olive and Jagar jumped and dodged his whips before Olive jumped and kicked him across the field, bumping him in the wall. When Jagar attempted an aerial attack, Yuki swung his whip and grabbed his legs, pulling him and rolling to the side as Jagar collided with the wall face-first.

When Misty and Olive ran toward him, he spun and whipped around in a tornado, catching the girls inside and blowing them off. After he stopped, Jagar tried to attack from behind him, but the ice boy ducked his punch and kicked his crotch, then smacking him upside the head and sliding him toward the wall. When Yuki noticed Olive leaping toward him, he made his whip into a scepter and started firing ice lightning, but Olive gracefully flipped over the rays and kicked her foot down at Yuki's face. Yuki stood back up and fired the lightning directly upwards, zapping the clouds and freezing all the rain into snow, the white fluffs floating down onto the city.

The snow quickly made a blanket over their battlefield as Yuki spun and formed a snowman around him, giving him more weight as he charged and pushed the girls at the wall. When Jagar ran and punched him, his fist ended up stuck within the stomach, the snow slowly encasing his body before he froze into an ice cube. Yuki came out of his snow suit and smirked as he held his fingers by the frozen Jagar and flicked him, shattering the ice and sending Jagar flying toward the wall.

The two females grabbed his arms, but Yuki was able to shake them off and throw 'em towards Jagar. Afterwards, he curled and rolled into a snowball, running over the three before they could recover. The snowball exploded and Yuki jumped back, but Jagar stood up and yelled, "REWIND!", using his powers to make all the snow float back to the sky. Once it was cleared off from the battlefield, rain started to pour down again, and Yuki sent a series of icicles toward the spirit.

Jagar easily held his palm open and used Stop, freezing the pointed ice chunks perfectly in place before waving his arm, Rewinding the icicles at a fast speed and making them pelt Yuki. Before he could recover from the attacks, Jagar ran and kicked him into the wall, shattering the entire wall of ice as Yuki fell to the ground. As Yuki lied there and weakly looked up at Jagar, the timebender approached him and used Stop to freeze him in place as well. (End song.)

After the battle ended, the sound of slow-paced clapping was heard as they turned and watched Lucinda slowly emerge from the shadows. "Bravo, Jagar. That was quite a spectacular performance."

"Uh, we were here, too." Misty told her.

Lucinda approached the male timebender and bent down, placing a hand on his cheek. "It must be quite a gift… holding the power of time in your hands. Why, with a power like that… you can change history to make it any way you wanted… You could even change time so that Yuki never meets his fate, or even that you or your spirit friends never die. That sounds like a marvelous deal, does it not?"

Jagar immediately smacked the hand away. "Don't even try to tempt me. I already promised Clockwork and Mama Odie that I wouldn't use my powers for the wrong reasons. You should do the same."

"Mama Odie? You'd listen to that retired old swamp witch? What harm could changing Yuki's fate possibly do? He would not get involved with us and the two of you can still be friends. I am merely telling you to help you, Child. Such as the generous witch I am. Don't you understand?"

"Hey, the kid said no." Wally intervened, stepping up and aiming the SLUGGUH at her face. "So why don't you get your wrinkly self outta here, ya dumb fairy!" The witch merely bent over and held her fingers to Wally's forehead, flicking him away like a pebble. "WAAAH!"

"Very well. I believe I've spent enough time in this dump." Lucinda said, snapping her fingers and making Yuki mobile again. "Come along, Yuki. Let's go and get you a warm cup of cocoa." The witch waved her wand and opened a portal to Dathomir, Yuki sparing one angry glance to Jagar before stepping in first. "By the way, you'll find that Celebi has been removed from her place moments after my Reducto Spell. Therefore, there is no reason for you to linger here. Until next time, kiddies." And with that, the ancient fairy turned away, stepped into the portal, and vanished.

"Well, that was a waste of time." Wally grumbled as Kuki helped him up.

"Well, we at least had to try anyway." Sonic said. "Let's go see if the others are okay."

Meanwhile, Annie had snuck back into the Bowser statue, going back to the room where Celebi was held and smiling when she spotted Cosmo and Nova trapped in a cage. "Cosmo! Nova!"

_"Annie!"_ Nova smiled.

"Hm. I thought you'd come."

"Huh?" Annie gasped when Vaati dropped down from the ceiling, the agile airbender throwing Minish Dust over the 14-year-old and shrinking them to the aliens' height, too.

"You'll make a nice souvenir for my troubles." Vaati smirked, picking her up and dropping her in the cage, proceeding to carry them out.

_"Grrr! I'm not accepting anymore cake after this!"_ she squeaked.

**Center of the city**

The rest of the operatives arrived at the center of the city, and Sonic smiled when he spotted the rest of his crew. "Tails! Guys!" he greeted. "How did you all get here?"

"A man named Wesley Dodds found us and brought us." Tails answered. "He told us someone else was coming down with…" Right then, they spotted one of Eggman's ships landing near to them, watching as Elijah Frantic stepped out with none other than Marine. "Marine!" the fox exclaimed.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"Dr. Eggman tricked Knuckles again and we all ended up in a fight." Amy answered. "While we were distracted, Eggman came and kidnapped Marine."

"Yeh, but it was apples, eh?" Marine said. "But blimey, wait'll you hear what Eggman has up in 'is base!"

"Unfortunately, they won't get to." Elijah said.

"Whut?"

"Surprise!" Everyone gasped when Kammy and Bowser Jr. appeared behind them.

"YOU guys!" Angie shouted.

_"My name is Lord Gnaa, stupid girl. Ah, but what more perfect timing to arrive than the moment a close relationship falls? Now it will only take an ounce of your fear before my freedom dawns. Seize them!"_ Sonic, Blaze, and the other kids dodged when the Koopas tossed their own Minish Dust over the Sonic crew.

Elijah took the time to suck the shrunken animals into a vacuum, dumping them in another hamster cage. _"'EY! You lousy traitor!"_ Marine shouted.

"It just goes to show, Marine, you can't trust anybody."

"Hey, stop right there!" Sonic yelled, about to Spin Dash the poisonbender. Lord Gnaa immediately jumped in front of Elijah and pushed the hedgehog away with a blast of darkness.

The possessed child grabbed Elijah by the shirt collar and jumped them onto an airship behind them. _"I wouldn't be so worried for them now, Kids Next Door. More preferably for those psychokinetic siblings. Hehehehehahahahahahe!"_

**Airship above the city**

Meanwhile, Yin, Yang, Bruce, and Matthew watched the scene from an airship above them. "Hm. Looks like we're a little too late." Matt said.

"What do we do?" Yin asked.

"Well… you know what they say: if you can't beat 'em," At that instant, a squad of Hammer Bros popped out of the ship's crates and surrounded them, "join 'em." The Koopas threw Minish Dust over and shrunk Bruce, Yin, and Yang, allowing Matthew to grab them and throw them in the cage with Sector R. "Good work, boys. The rest of my team caught the others, so we're good to go. Let's get 'em all back to Bowser's place."

_"Well, this was a wild goose chase."_ Yang said, folding his arms.

_"I really begin to wonder about that kid…"_ Yin replied.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

The scientists at GUN H.Q. were placing Mew into some kind of machine as Gunkan, Boba, and Rainier watched them. "Perfect. I hope this Firstborn was worth the trip." The Commander said.

"It has to be. He's one of the rarest and most powerful creatures on this planet." Rainier said. "But why did you want him to begin with?"

"That need not concern you now, Boy. Not until we see if this creature really pays off."

"Hmmm…"

"Sir!" a soldier exclaimed, running in. "Star Wolf has just reported seeing The Quads down in Langley Falls. They appear to be on their way back to Chicago."

"WHAT? What are they up to now?"

"I don't know. But that one girl is flying there like crazy. She must be on some sort of rampage."

"Aw, I knew it was only a matter of time!" Boba shouted. "That's it! Get me the mech suit, boys. Ol' Boba's goin' on a trip. And he's gonna finally show those Quads what for…"

**Chicago Elementary**

The school was currently clearing out at Chicago as the Glam Clan was walking out, smiling and listening to their leader talk about pranks they pulled on people in the past. "And after they went in the closet, we opened the door, and she was totally making out with a pig!" Wendy Chang exclaimed, earning laughs from the girls.

"Such an awesome prank." Aby replied.

"Yeah, but the really funny part was when-" They stopped when they suddenly noticed Morgan Catherine, standing and shooting the girls an evil glare. "Oh, look. It's Morgan _Catherine_. Where've you been lately, Morgie? Had to go the school for the totally uncool?" she sneered, the girls giving their wicked laughters.

"Hey, Morgan, I was looking after your house while you were gone." Ariel Stomphim began. "You got a phone call from the doctor saying their ready for your clown nose and butt transplant." The girls burst into laughter again.

"Hey, Morgan." Morgan's ex-boyfriend Brian came and greeted before punching the backside of her head. "Haha, if you're psychic, shoulda seen that coming." This earned more laughter from the vicious girls. However, their laughter was cut short when Morgan grabbed the boy by the neck and tossed him up onto the flagpole, his underwear getting stuck and hanging him by it. Afterwards, she unleashed powerful psychic blasts at Wendy's henchwomen on both sides before actually grabbing the Glam Clan leader by the neck with her psychic, levitating her as she started to choke.

The Blue Camaro quickly swerved toward the school grounds, making a loud screech along the ground as it came to a stop, the girls and Buddy running over. "Morgan, stop!" her brother shouted.

_"No."_ she snapped in a darker voice. _"She thinks she can make us feel inferior by putting us down. It's humans like her that don't belong with us."_

"That's crazy, Morgan. You know who you are deep down inside. And you aren't like this."

_"NO! I just… want to… fit IN!"_

"Everyone does. But not everyone will accept who you are. For now, just be happy with what you do have. You have people that already love you. Like us. Even if we fight a lot, you said it yourself that you'd love me no matter what. Because we're brother and sister."

Morgan's grip started to weaken on the bully as the darkness started to leave her eyes. "Oh…" Wendy dropped to the ground as Morgan fell back, Buddy running over to hold her up as she looked up into his eyes. "You may be annoying… but you're still the sweetest brother I could've asked for. Thanks, Buddy."

"Hehe…" Ruburd smiled.

Wendy shot an angry glare at the siblings as she stood up and panted heavily, holding her neck. "You people are freaky!" she yelled weakly. "Fuh-reak-EE!"

They already started to hear sirens as a bunch of Cop Cars sped into the area and surrounded them. They looked up as the silver jet with a blue stripe came down for a landing, watching as Rainier stepped off with the bounty hunter. "Hey-hey, kids!"

"Rainier?" Morgan asked. "What are you doing with Boba?"

"Turns out, ol' Rainy here was an agent!" Boba answered. "But that don't got diddly squat with the trouble y'all are in. It's time ol' Boba cuffs you Quads once and for all."

"Pah. Haven't you learned by now, Boba?" Morgan smirked. "No matter how many times to chase us, we'll always best you in the end."

"Oh ho ho! But that was the past! This time, old Boba's got a little trick up his armor! Careful, ladies. Don't let y'all's eyes pop out at THIS baby!" With that, the bounty hunter pressed a button on armor on the side of his chest. In mere moments, a brand new suit of black mechanical armor appeared over his old one, making his upper body look a lot buffer than it originally was. A laser turret appeared on his right shoulder while a missile cannon appeared on his left as a new black knight-like helmet wrapped itself around his head, having one of those round cutters at the top of it. Two electric turrets also appeared on both sides of his hip, and a jetpack with four engines formed on his back. "Haha! Impressive, ain't it? And the looks aren't even the real killer: this suit is packed with powers that are similar to y'all's psychic! E-yup. You won't have much luck today."

"Whoa. He actually does look kinda tough." Athena said.

"Tough AND ultra buff." Sophie replied.

"Pfft. That was so lame." Buddy said to her.

"Hehehe." Boba chuckled, holding his hip-side turrets ready. "Call me… _Buffo Mech_."

"…That's even lamer." Buddy commented.

"Ugh. Just start the boss music." (Play E101 mk II's Theme from _Sonic Adventure_.)

_Boss fight: Buffo Mech_

The jetpacks switched on as Boba started hovering around the area. Morgan threw a Psycho Sphere at him, but the hunter dodged to the left as quick as a wink. He landed firmly on the ground as he drew out and twirled his sabers, facing them as his jetpacks charged and zipping past them as fast as lightning, the siblings yelling when the sabers scratched them, and were also burned when he left a trail of fire. Noah ran to try and punch him, but Boba quickly jumped around and flew away, launching missiles at the girl before teleporting.

Buddy grabbed the missiles with psychic and tossed them at the bounty hunter when he appeared behind them, but Boba dodged again and fired more missiles. Sophie grabbed them this time and tossed them, but Boba still avoided and charged his jetpack and sabers again. The siblings warped a few feet away to avoid his slices when he zipped by, but Sophie saved one more missile, so while his back was turned, she tossed it straight at his jetpack and successfully damaged.

Boba turned and glared at them before warping behind and firing his shoulder laser, catching them all inside an anti-gravity shield, levitating them in a similar way a psychic grab would. His missile turret then launched missiles and blew them away, the rest of the siblings recovering fine, but Sophie was knocked out. Athena grabbed some nearby trash cans and tossed them, but Boba easily sliced them in half with his sabers. He then teleported directly above them and shot down, his electric turrets on his hips shocking the ground and making a shockwave that made the three dizzy.

Beckah quickly jumped and wrapped arms around Boba's neck, the hunter shaking around and trying to throw her off. "Hold 'im there, Beckah." Athena said as she used Psycho Shrink to make herself smaller. She then warped herself onto Boba's jetpack and found an opening, dropping inside and finding tons of wires. She switched on her light saber and began to slice the wires to pieces, making the jetpack go out of control.

"Hey, wh-what the- AHH!" Boba screamed when he started zooming around the place.

"WHOOA!" Athena was bumped around inside the jetpack as a result before she came flying out, bouncing along the ground before she stopped beside Buddy. Her brother used his power to unshrink her as she was knocked unconscious from the bouncing. Boba teleported to the sky as four laser turrets appeared around both his hands. The lasers charged and conjured Psycho Spheres, Buddy and Morgan running as Boba launched them, creating massive expanding fireballs as they exploded upon impact, blowing up all the area around them until smoke blocked their vision.

The remaining two tried to blow the smoke away until Boba suddenly zoomed through and grabbed Buddy, carrying him up as he started to choke him. Morgan took her light saber and tossed it up spinning like a boomerang and slicing Boba's butt before it came back, making the hunter drop Buddy. The male Quad landed safely as Boba came back down, starting to clash against the two's sabers. Boba flipped over the two of them and kicked them back, about to run and strike, but Buddy quickly recovered and still clashed against his sabers. Boba spun behind and struck his back, but Buddy turned and struck back, using all his strength to push against Boba's two sabers when the swords came in contact. Boba then sliced at Buddy's legs, but he flipped over and dealt several blows against his jetpack.

Boba turned back and clashed with his saber a bit more before he was able to kick it away, afterwards spin-kicking across his face and knocking him out. Morgan then ran and tried to slice him, but Boba jumped back and swung his head around, launching the cutter on his knight helmet like a boomerang. Morgan easily ducked it as it went back, but quickly rolled to the side when Boba attempted a jumping-stab. His swords stuck in the ground, but were pulled out quick as he began to clash against Morgan's lightsaber.

Boba flew around her and kicked her onto her brother, attempting to strike again, but Morgan held her sword up in defense, back-flipping overhead and swinging, but Boba still defended. He jumped back and shot her with the electric turrets, making her shiver from the shock as he warped away again. Boba appeared back in the sky and Morgan recovered just in time to start running and dodging his exploding Psycho Spheres. He charged the last one up more and aimed at the center of the field, releasing it and making an even bigger explosion that engulfed the whole place.

When the smoke cleared, Morgan revealed to be safe inside a barrier, her siblings caught inside, too. Boba came back down and caught Morgan inside another anti-gravity shield. He fired more missiles, but she was able to grab them with psychic, aiming and launching them at the hunter, making him teleport and release the barrier. Boba appeared several feet away and launched more missiles, but Morgan only grabbed them and tossed them into a perfect row as the bounty hunter flew straight aside from them.

Boba landed and charged his jetpacks once more, about to zip past and perform rapid swings at her. But Morgan focused intently and sensed his movements, so when he shot past, she performed her own rapid swings, coming out unscathed as Boba gripped his hip from the cuts. While his back was turned, Morgan conjured a Psycho Sphere in her hands and tossed it, coming in contact with the jetpack and forcing him into the school walls, making a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, Boba was seen there panting, barely able to stand up as his armor gave out electrical shorts and suddenly came apart.

Morgan panted heavily herself after the explosion, covered in dirt as she switched off her saber and wiped the sweat off her forehead. (End song.) Her siblings finally stood up and ran over to her aid. "Wow, Morgan! That was great!" Buddy exclaimed.

"So much for the glorious Buffo Mech." Athena taunted.

"Still, the guys gets a serious 'A' for effort." Sophie replied.

"Sigh… thanks, guys…" Morgan panted. "Too tired to use the line, though."

Boba was able to stand further up a little, holding his aching left arm. "Boy… you kids sure are the real deal…"

"What can we say? We're a family of freaks." Buddy replied.

"Yah, no kiddin'. Which only further proves the danger you carry."

"Uh, beg your pardon, but we aren't the ones who blew this place to smithereens." Athena said.

"Yeah, yeah, no matter. Ah may be torn up from that battle, but so are you. Which makes this the perfect time to catch you."

At that instant, Rainier dashed over and landed several mini punches upon them, blocking their chi as Star Wolf arrived with tons more GUN Troopers. "GUYS!" Noah screamed, about to run and help them, but Rattlesnake Jake shot his face into hers, giving an evil hiss.

"YAHH!" All of a sudden, Lucario dashed over and kicked Rainier straight into flagpole, making it shake and drop Brian.

"Ow! Did nobody seriously see me while I was up there during that fight?" the boy asked, all covered in soot.

Mika dashed in as well, having her lightsaber drawn as they faced the traitor. "Stop right there, Rainier! Now where's Mew?"

"GUN H.Q.." Rainier answered. "Commander's performing some kind of tests on him. But you won't be going there."

"You won't be going back there very soon yourself." Lucario snapped back, gritting his teeth and preparing to punch him.

Boba Fett and Star Wolf immediately got in their way and protected the boy. "Laters, Miky. Let's get 'em outta here, boys." With that, Rainier boarded his jet as the troopers hauled The Quads and flew off.

"Boba! You can't let them get away with this." Mika said to the hunter.

"Sorry, Miky. But as long as them kids got the psycho, the psycho has got to go. That's the way it's always been for old Boba."

"Oh, is it?" a female British voice asked,

"What?" They all directed their attention toward the roof of a school, seeing the figure in black robes. "You? ! I-It can't be!" Boba stuttered, seeming to recognize the thin agile woman as she leapt down to their level. The woman threw off her disguise, exposing her form as a fox with a white belly button shirt, white shorts, black sandals, light green skin, dark green hair, and black eyes. "K…KHRYSSA! !"

_Once her guard was down, Boba took this time to run over and grab her light saber. He finally had it and held it to her chest. "I have defeated you. And now, with Jango Fett's spirit as my witness, I hereby claim my prize!" With that, he held the light saber up and prepared to strike._

_"Go ahead! Strike me! But will it really be worth it?" At this, Boba quivered a little as he held the light saber above him, hesitant on what to do. As he looked into Khryssa's pleading eyes, his angry expression came back and, without anymore hesitation, struck the sword down._

_Khryssa slowly opened her eyes and glanced at the light saber in the ground beside her, looking up at the heavily-panting Boba. With a good feeling now in her chest, Khryssa fainted to sleep. His face red with madness as he put his saber away, Boba lifted the girl up and carried her to his Wolfen._

_After making sure Wolf was safe and retrieving the red light saber out of nowhere, Boba flew them to a distant planet in Galaxia, parking their ship by a vast lake, lifting Khryssa into a boat, and rowing them over to an island, disembarking and entering a cave. "This girl needs help! She's rapidly aging!" he pleaded._

_A silver-bodied spirit, with two tails with red gems, a golden head with a red gem in her forehead, and closed eyes drifted out and studied the child. "She has kept immortality with the power of the Dream Water, but it only lasts a short time. I can sense she is a good-natured spirit. I will use my powers to cease her aging and return to her the years she lost as a child."_

_"Thank you." Boba still panted. "Watch over her. I need to go." With those last words, the junior hunter dashed out of the cave._

_The spirit touched the tips of her tails to Khryssa's forehead, her gems alighting as the fox was healed in moments. Khryssa awoke and studied her surroundings, looking in the direction where Boba has gone._

"You had your chance to kill me. But you didn't. You spared me, Boba."

The Star Wolf Team could only give surprised looks at Boba. "You… spared a psychic bender."

Boba glanced at the girl, then looked away. "Ah felt like I really wanted to… but when the time came, ah just couldn't do it. She… just looked so innocent."

"Because deep down, you thought that maybe I wasn't a monster. But perhaps the same rules apply to other psychics."

"Hmm…"

"Boba. For 30 years now, you've been living in fear. The helmet on your head is a symbol of that. But if you simply removed it, and explored the good that we psychics can bring… your fear would be long-forgotten. So, please: take it off."

Boba looked up and faced the woman. Through the hole in his helmet, he could see the care, trust, and concern in the Jedi's dark eyes. His teammates waited suspense fully for what he was gonna do. With one last breath, Boba gripped the anti-psychic helmet, and pulled it right off of his head. His black hair was completely messy for having worn it so long, a nine-o'clock shadow clearly visible on his face as he turned and faced Khryssa with choco-brown eyes.

"I've been hiding and hunting for so long." Boba spoke in a much deeper voice, far different than his country-accent he usually spoke with. "I let fear get the best of me. …But boy, this is the first time I heard my own voice in a while without that voice disguiser."

"Boba… was Mace Windu did to your father, says nothing about the hundreds of other psychicbenders. But just because someone is freaky or unnatural… it doesn't make them any different than what you are. And besides, just look at Star Wolf. They're your friends… and they're all talking animals just like me."

The hunter spared a glance toward his fellow hunters before turning back at Khryssa. "Then that means… what Gunkan's doing is wrong."

"Exactly! We have to go save them!" Beckah exclaimed.

"Now is your chance, Boba. Your moment to stop the oppression being caused by this misled military, and show them all the good us inhumans can bring. Whaddya say?" Khryssa smiled and asked, holding her hand out for him to shake.

Boba turned back at Team Star Wolf, the hunters' faces full of determination as they nodded. He looked down at Mika, Lucario, Noah, and Beckah, giving nods as well. With one last glance toward her hand, Boba smiled at the Jedi and shook it. "Ah'm in." He decided, placing his helmet back on. They all boarded onto their Wolfens in minutes, with Noah riding on top of Jake, Beckah sitting with Leon, Mika and Lucario standing on Wolf's wings, while Khryssa took her place on Boba's ship's wings. "Okay, peoples! Let's show old Gunny who's boss! Next stop: G.U.N. H.Q.!"

"I already have another friend of mine over there." Khryssa told them. "He snuck in, and he should be able to stall the soldiers long enough until we get there."

"Okay, party peoples! Le's rock and roll!" With that, the 5 Wolfens took off for the sky, on their mission to save the metahumans.

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><p><strong>HOO! ! Longest chapter EVER! <em>Second-longest.<em> ;) Packed with plenty of boss fights, and an epic twist at the end! I'm actually quite proud of this one. And y'all remember Khryssa, right, from _MGD_? Thank God I get to put her in a good story for once! Next time, we will go against General Gunkan and put a stop to his anti-mutant ways! And also recover the 4th Firstborn! :D Later!**


	53. GUN's Last Stand

**O-kay, peoples! Let's put a stop to ole Gunkan! Also, you know how I always use line-breaks to separate scenes in my stories? Yeah, I'm kinda sick of skimming these chapters until I find where the scenes end, plus they always add an extra 100+ words to the chapter for some reason, so from now on, I'll divide the scenes by listing the names of the new locations. It'll save me a LOT of trouble. Alright, here we go!**

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><p><strong><em>GUN's Last Stand: Charge Ahead For Metahuman Freedom!<em>**

**The Quads' House**

_"Breaking news update regarding the recent established Anti-inhuman Revolution!"_ the news reporter on the TV spoke. _"The infamous family of quadruplet psychic siblings has finally been captured!"_

_"That's right, Bob."_ the anchorman replied. _"Earlier today, the girl known as Morgan Catherine was caught harassing a group of students dismissing from school."_

_"After a long and cost-expensive battle at the school grounds, the bounty hunter Boba Fett was finally able to capture the family of freaks and have them arrested by GUN."_ the anchorwoman recapped.

_"The Quads have been taken to GUN's top secret headquarters, to most likely have their heads taken apart and examined. I will now reveal the location of the headquarters in which said procedure will take place."_ Reporter Bob said. He then pressed his hand to his ear as he was receiving a message via earpiece. _"Oh! I have just been informed that if I reveal their location, _I_ will be taken apart and examined. Back to you, Ted."_

"Oh, this is awful." The Quads' mother, Natsume said after watching the broadcast with Father. "How could they lock away such innocent children? They treat 'em like animals."

"Hehe. Talk about seeing things from my point of view." Father joked.

"Ben!"

"Sheesh, I'm kidding! But don't worry, Natsume, they're still our kids. Uno kids. An Uno never gives up. Sure that may have been a downside on Malladus's end, but these kids are different. Nigel and Monty could fight their way out of any situation, and so can they."

"Mmm… I hope you're right."

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Within the confines of the GUN base, the storage chamber to be precise, rumor had already spread through the base that the family had been captured. The figure that waited within the box realizes he's waited long enough. He threw the crate off of him and stood straight up. (Play "Theme of Tara" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

A military man dressed in silver armor, packed with all assortments of weapons, tightened a gray headband around his forehead, his brown hair a mess as he fixed an armored glove on his right hand, afterwards smoking a cigar in his mouth with a nine-o'clock shadow around it. "Kept you waiting, huh?" he said to the camera before facing the door ahead.

_Stage 48: G.U.N. H.Q._

_Mission: Rescue the metahumans and stop the Commander! !_

_Act 1_

The man stepped out of the supply closet, the guarding trooper totally unaware as the agent approached and snapped his neck from behind. Two more GUNs down the hall spotted this and started shooting the man, but he stylishly rolled toward them, kicked the left soldier clear in the nose and KOed him, then took his gun and shot the other soldier. Another squad of soldiers came running down the hall around a corner, guns firing as the man whipped out a sword, rolling over and slicing any soldier he could. Two men grabbed his arms from behind, but he flipped behind and bashed the two's heads together. He snatched one of their guns and started shooting at other soldiers that came his way.

His gun was suddenly forced away and stuck into the wall by a knife that came hurling his way, looking over at another trooper with a machinegun. "This'll just take 3 seconds!" The troop began rapid-firing at the spy, but he dashed up the walls and ceiling before landing behind and twisting his neck.

"Hm. Three seconds." he counted. He then saw dozens of GUN robots firing from behind, so he immediately started running as he switched on a wristwatch communicator, showing the face of a thin woman with blonde hair in a ponytail and a blue jumpsuit. "Samus, where are they keeping the metahumans?"

_"About 30 meters ahead, and 20 meters down on your left. Just be careful, David."_

"I told you. The name is Snake." The man stopped for a moment and faced the readers. "_Solid_ Snake." The man passed into another room, finding a bunch of GUN battle mechs, the robots launching missiles that Snake rolled and dodged, drawing out his own missile launcher and blowing the robots to pieces. He kept running down to a hall where defense lasers were making a wall, the man swiftly leaping over them, then quickly dodging before a security camera could fire bullets.

More GUNs came his way after exiting the hall, the agent continuing to swipe their guns and kick them unconscious. A squad of GUN Rhinos were speeding toward him, but he leapt over the vehicles and shot a missile their way, blowing them up. He looked ahead and saw swarms of GUN Beetle sentries flying his way, but he jumped, grabbed, and swung past the robots, throwing them into each other and exploding them. The halls started to blink red as doors ahead of him began closing, so the Snake dashed ahead and flipped through the tiny cracks that remained open before they closed, the robots trying to chase, but ended up crashing in the doors and exploding.

Snake made it past the concealing hallway and looked at his watch, indicating the prison compounds just up ahead. He instantly faced ahead and kept running. (End song.)

**G.U.N. Laboratory**

Gunkan and Rainier watched as the scientists in the lab locked Mew and the Hulkified Chad inside separate chambers connected to a machine as Emily and Violet watched. The two had their hands cuffed behind their back as they sat on their knees. "Will it work?" the General asked the men.

"If we can extract the Bang Gas from Chad's systems and mix it with the powers of the Ancestor Spirit, we should have the antidote we need to reverse the Bang Baby process. And with the extra power added with this Chaos Emerald we found off that cat girl," he held up the red gem, "this should be a piece of cake."

"Excellent. Begin extraction now."

"Yessir." The men pulled a switch down as the machine alit with electricity.

"MEW MEW MEW! !" Mew screamed in pain.

_"AAUUUCK!"_ Chad cried.

A treadmill that was coming out of the device moved along, carrying small vials of some kind of light-purple liquid. Brett walked over with a syringe and dipped it in one of the vials, filling it with the liquid. "Release him." he ordered, the men opening Chad's chamber and leading him out. The GUN Commander approached the green-skinned monster and stuck the needle into his arm, the potion flowing in.

_"AAAAUUUUUGH!"_ Chad cried in pain, gripping and shaking his head as he felt the painful sensation. Slowly, the muscly teen started shrinking smaller and smaller, his skin becoming its normal color as his muscles died down. The boy panted heavily once he was back in his regular form, his clothes ripped and torn.

A scientist then stepped over and studied him with a scanner. "Not a trace of inhuman inside him, Sir."

"It worked!" Brett exclaimed.

"Let's not celebrate yet, Sir." a scientist told him. "Remember, Chad was a newly-born. We can't guarantee it'll work for people who've had the curse for a while."

"Alright. Then we'll test it on one of these guys. The cat girl will do." At this, Violet looked up in horror as the General approached her. She tried desperately to break free of her cuffs, grunting and failing terribly as Gunkan held the shot up, ready to stick it. "Sweet dreams, Kitty." But just then, the entire place started blinking red. Violet was relieved when the man turned his attention away as a soldier ran in and saluted.

"Sir! There's an intruder in the lower wing! He's on his way to the prison compounds and he's trying to break them out!"

"What?"

"Sir!" another soldier ran in and saluted. "The Star Wolf Team is on their way here with three psychicbenders and two girls that are friends with The Quads! They're planning to attack us, Sir!"

"Grrrr!"

"Sir." a scientist called. "We've received an incoming message from someone named… 'Darth Genious'?"

"What? Let me see that." The General stepped onto the platform and moved the scientist aside, answering the call as Brain's form appeared on the big screen.

_"Hello, Brett."_

"Huh? Who are you?"

_"Don't you recognize me, Brett? We knew each other since childhood. I was quite the prankster back then."_

Gunkan's face immediately froze with shock. "R…REVAN? ?"

_"I should thank you for the treatments you are performing against us metahumans. Your efforts have proven quite helpful in raising my new apprentice."_

"What are you talking about, you traitor? ! What are you doing? !"

_"Your time is at an end, Brett. Soon, you and your precious military will crumble before our might."_

The transmission ended at that, and the Commander faced down, at a near loss of what to do. "Sir! The bounty hunters will be here any minute! What do we do?" a soldier asked.

Brett faced back up with a serious look. "Move ALL troops into position! Lock down all entryways and ready all weapons and robots. Mobilize Diablon 2.0!"

"But Sir! It's not ready yet!"

"I DON'T CARE! We have no other option! We must stop the metahuman scum from getting free. I don't want anyone resting until those intruders are captured DEAD OR ALIVE!"

The soldier followed his order and quickly ran off. "What should we do?" Rainier asked as Gunkan got his needle containing the antidote ready.

"Get Mew, Rainier. I've got more tests to perform. I'll teach that traitorous Boba a lesson he won't soon forget. Same for those wretched Quads." With that, the Commander walked away as the 13-year-old grabbed the injured Firstborn and followed.

"Mew Mew…" Mew only held his sad expression.

**Aboard the Wolfens**

"Where is the base located?" Khryssa shouted through the rough winds as the five ships flew at high speed over a forest.

"Don't worry, we're gettin' close." Boba told them. "They cleared out a chunk of this entire forest just to set it up." Right away, they were flying over a barren field of the forest, looking completely lifeless. "Ah-ha! Here we are."

"Boba, there's nothing out here. It's just an empty wasteland." Khryssa replied.

But right then, the area before them became all wavy as they passed through some kind of cloaking device, seeing the enormous base littered with searchlights and army vehicles. "Guess again!"

Alarms from the base immediately roared through the sky as swarms of jets and GUN Beetles came flying out. "It looks like they're already on to us." the psychic fox figured.

"Okay, team. Show these inhuman haters who's the king of the guns!" Boba declared, and Star Wolf charged in for attack. (Play "Encounter" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Act 2: Breach_

The four other ships scattered as Boba charged ahead, dodging to the side as lasers were shot at them. As Beetles passed by his ship, Khryssa swiftly swung her light-green lightsaber and knocked the sentries out of the sky. "Al-halright!" Boba cheered. "Oh yeah, Ah'm thinkin' this belongs to you, too." He held up the blue lightsaber.

"Keep it." she told him. "You still bested me in battle, so it's yours."

"Really? Well, okay then." Khryssa held on as the ship flew down, nearly ramming a control tower before it shot back up, doing a somersault and firing lasers down at the base's rooftop turrets. Mika and Lucario stood on Wolf's wings as they both charged Aura and Psycho Spheres (respectively), launching them at the firing jets and exploding them, the soldiers hopping out just in time and floating down with parachutes.

As a squad of jets chased Leon and Beckah in their ship, he said to the girl, "Watch this", and activated his cloaking device. The confused pilots searched around for the Wolfen, and Leon smirked when he appeared right behind them. "Say cheese!" The chameleon blasted the jets in one hit for each one, the troopers floating to the ground.

"WOOHOO!" Beckah cheered.

Noah held tight to Jake's armor as the blonde-haired rode the snake across the skies, chased by firing GUN Beetles. "Uh, anytime would be nice." Noah told him, nearly getting shot.

"Keep yer pantiesss on, Girly. Jakey's gonna handle this left 'n' right." The rattlesnake opened his tail cannon and launched bombs back at the pursuing sentries, wiping them out. "Hey, grab that shotgun." He told Noah, who noticed a shotgun, with many other weapons, attached to his armor. She ripped it off and took careful aim as she fired at incoming jets, blowing them up.

"Hey, this is pretty neat!"

Panther studied his own stunning visage in his rearview mirror, smiling at himself while the GUN Beetles followed closely behind. "Don't worry, darlings. Panther promises to go easy on you. Growl." The self-loving cat flew straight upward, barrel-rolling as sentries fired at him. He was coming back down as he switched on the barrier around his ship, easily flying through the swarm of Beetles and knocking them all away. As he was approaching one of the control towers, he shot his powerful laser and wiped it out in a second. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I was a little too hard." he remarked smoothly.

As another swarm of Beetles chased Wolf's ship, Lucario leapt high up and started kicking the robots away, grabbing one and shooting back toward the ship. He landed and stabbed it in the wing before crushing and shattering it, making the craft shake. "What are you doing to my darling Wolfen?" Wolf yelled.

"Ah, forget about yo' Wolfen." Boba told him. "We gotta get into that base."

"O-kay." Noah said. "Carry me over the ground, Jake." The snake did so and started flying away from the base so that they were over the ground. She pushed her remote as her Camaro immediately sped through the invisible cloak, Noah gracefully leaping off the snake and making a solid land into her driver's seat. Leon flew overhead and turned upside down, opening his cockpit so that Beckah could drop down and land beside her, buckling her seat. "Hold on tight."

Noah sped straight toward the huge metal front doors and stomped her foot to the gas pedal, the car gaining more speed as it drew closer and closer. It finally came in contact with the massive door with actually enough force to break through. This drew immediate attention from the soldiers and robots as they all ran in to attack. The rest of the bounty hunters plus psychics landed outside the doors and charged in, Jake firing his tail-machinegun all around and wiping soldiers out while Boba and Khryssa sliced robots to pieces with their sabers.

Noah and Beckah kept speeding through the long, wide hallway, running over any GUN crates or sand sacks in their way. The car stopped before a GUN Big Foot, the robot standing tall and firing its powerful machinegun. Lucario sped down the hall and started running around the place as the bullets chased him, going up the ceiling and kicking down at the robot's cockpit, knocking out the soldier inside and making the robot topple.

Noah and Beckah decided to leave their car as they all proceeded down a snaky hall, the girls grinding a rail over a river of electricity while the others just jumped platforms across, fast enough to keep up. The soldiers on the other end pulled a lever and made the last bit of platforms sink into the electric, the group stopping before they could fall in. Mika used her psychic to make the platforms come back, allowing them to get across as Lucario punched and knocked out the men.

"Mr. Yuji Naka is alright." a soldier ahead said as three Flying Dog robots came down. They fired machineguns, but the lightsaber-wielders spun their weapons and defended as Jake shot up and smashed his head through the cockpit window of one, biting the soldier's head. Leon and Panther kicked off the wall and reached the robots, smashing the cockpits open and throwing the troops out, taking control of the machines their selves as they proceeded ahead.

The soldiers down the hall ahead pushed buttons and sealed the halls with massive doors with "G" symbols on them, but Leon and Panther used the commandeered robots and blew the doors down. Other soldiers shot them, but the psychics jumped over and sliced the guns before knocking them out. At the end of the hall, they found another hall beside them that seemed to lead further down the base, GUN Rhinos riding up.

The group ran down as Wolf and Lucario flipped and kicked the robots away while Boba caught them on his sabers and hurled them at other Rhinos. At the end of the downward hall, there was another one beside them that led further down as GUN Hawks were flying up, firing lasers. The robots fired down at them as they headed down, Khryssa leaping up and slicing them while others flew right past, but Wolf took aim and shot them down with his gun.

They finally reached the end of the last downward hall and kept going, turning a corner to a hall that was protected by laser barriers. The group was able to leap said lasers, but a security camera took aim and fired, the group ducking behind boxes that the bullets quickly destroyed. Wolf smirked and stepped closer to the camera, switching on his deflector shield and sending the bullets right back, destroying the camera. They turned down another hall and ducked again as a camera fired bullets, but Mika dashed over, jumped, and sliced the camera right off the ceiling.

"The prison wing is down this way." Boba pointed.

"Let's go." Khryssa said, and they all ran ahead. (End song.)

The Foster's Friends and the many other metahumans sat in depression in their cells, but looked up at the sound of beatings and gunshots. A soldier fell in front of a cell as the stowaway agent walked in. "Who are you?" Manny Rivera asked.

The man took out a gun and shot all the terminals by the cells, switching off the barriers and releasing them all. "WE ARE FREE!" Eduardo exclaimed, running over and embracing the man in a hug as tears fell from his eyes like waterfalls. "OH, thank you, thank you, Señor Stranger Man! Muah! Muah! Muah! Muah!" Snake's face was engulfed by his smooching big lips.

"Augh, get off!" he yelled, breaking free. "Now all of you get yourselves out of here. I'll take care of the Commander." The mutants nodded and retreated down the hall. Snake noticed Scarlet approach him first, the spy tinkering around with her cuffs before they fell off. "There you go."

Scarlet rubbed her sweaty hands, airing them out from the heavy holders. She spared one last glance toward the soldier before rushing after the others. _"It's just down this way!"_ a country voice yelled down another hall. Snake spared a quick glance down that way as he looked for a place to hide.

When the hunters and psychics arrived at the prison wing, they stopped and studied the now-empty cells. "They're gone." Khryssa observed.

Lucario used his Aura Sense and saw tons of auras retreating down the hall beside them. "They're all escaping. Someone must have set them free."

"Then we gotta keep goin'. The research lab is further ahead." Boba told them as they ran the opposite direction of the non-humans.

"Wait." Lucario stopped them when he noticed a lone box sitting in the corner of a cell. He closed his eyes and sensed an aura within the box. He walked over and gently lifted the box up, the crouching Snake looking up at them with an "!" above his head.

Boba and Mika switched on their lightsabers, but Khryssa said, "Hold on.", and walked over to help the man up. "This is that friend I told you about. He must've set them free."

"The name is Snake. Solid Snake. Khryssa and I are members of the Secret Organization of Mutant Freedom, a team of both regular and metahumans alike that fight for… well, you figure out the rest."

"He stowed away in one of GUN's supply crafts in order to infiltrate this base and saved the metahumans." Khryssa explained. "And it looks like he's done a fabulous job."

"We're not done yet. They've taken a few metahumans down to the testing labs. And I haven't rescued those psychic kids of yours, yet."

"Then we haven't much time. Let's go."

They hurried down the hall and arrived at the testing lab just in time to see Emily and Violet hurriedly running from the scientists. "Hold still!" one yelled, grabbing and holding Violet down and about to give her a shot of the antidote. But Wolf shot his gun and knocked the man out as they all went around to take out the other scientists. While the two holding down Emily watched this, the half-ghost flipped back to her feet and kicked the men out, afterwards stomping and shattering the antidote shot.

When all the men were out cold, Boba and Khryssa took the time to slice the binds holding the metahumans' hands. Boba also released Emily's ecto collar, allowing her to revert back to ghost form. "Suh-weet!"

Lucario noticed the empty chambers and immediately felt Mew's presence. He noticed one of the scientists barely awake and walked over, angrily holding him by the shirt collar. "You! Where is the Firstborn?"

"Th-They've taken him! The Quads, too!" he responded with fear. "The Commander took them into his weapon testing lab. O-Over there." He pointed to a hallway just behind the machine.

Lucario dropped the man and said, "Pleasure to have your services." Afterwards, he conjured an Aura Sphere in his hands and threw it, totally obliterating the machine in an instant.

The lead scientist just fainted unconscious as Em and Vi came over and held Chad's head up as he lie unconscious. "I hope he's okay." Emily said worriedly.

"He'll be fine." Lucario told them. "The two of you get him out of here. We'll take care of things." The two nodded as Emily became a ghost and flew them out of there.

Gunkan and Rainier stood in a square-shaped field surrounded by the electric river inside a room as The Quads were forcibly kneeling in the center, Gunkan sharpening his antidote. "Time to see if this works on benders, too."

"Hold on." Rainier stopped him. "Quit stalling. I've waited around long enough. I want my parents set free."

Brett sighed and gestured for a couple soldiers to lead the handcuffed couple into the room, throwing them to the floor as Rainier hurried over. "Mom. Dad."

"Rainier…" his mother weakly spoke.

Gunkan then stepped over and held his antidote ready. "We'll set your parents free. I'll just test the antidote on them."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Rainier stopped him again. "You never said you would take away their bending."

"Rainier. Don't you know? We can't let any metahuman scum roam this Earth. It's only safe to set them free if we take away their bending."

Rainier exchanged hesitant glances between his parents and Gunkan. He finally shot the General an angry glare before swatting the antidote away. "No!"

The Commander gritted his teeth in anger as the two soldiers grabbed him by the arms. "I knew you were just like them." he stated, getting ready to strike with his darksaber. The soldiers were suddenly shot and KOed, the two turning and seeing the heroes entering the doorway. "Rainier!" Mika shouted.

"OOF." Brett grunted when Rainier kicked him in the crotch, then proceeded to drag his barely conscious parents away.

"Get them out of here." he told Star Wolf, who nodded and carried them away. The rest of them turned to face Gunkan.

"Bah!" the angered general pressed a remote, immediately summoning a massive, high-tech silver robot from the ceiling. The robot had a cockpit in his stomach, laser turrets on its shoulders, tank wheels for feet, a missile compartment on its back, and glowing red eyes. Brett pushed a button and launched an anti-gravity ray at The Quads, levitating them to the ceiling and holding them there.

"Brett! Ya can't do this! Metahumans are people, too." Boba tried to tell him.

"Don't try to trick me! It's because of people like them and your alien friends that this world is falling apart. Since the beginning, these kind were always traitorous scum. Try to be friends with them, and they'll end up double-crossing you. I'll never forgive what that _despicable_ psychicbender did to me years ago."

"Did to you? What are you talking about?"

"THHIS!" The group's mouths dropped as the Commander started transforming. Brown roots crawling through his skin as he hunched over, his eyes glowing red as the hideous mutant tree-stump appeared on his back.

"You're…You're a mutant, too! !" Rainier exclaimed.

_"That's right."_ the stump replied. _"And I swore revenge on them all for what they did to me."_

"Gunkan. You're clearly holding onto past grudges. You must let them go. Not all metahumans are bad." Khryssa tried to reason.

_"NEVER! You monsters killed Rourke… and ruined our lives. The ramifications of your actions will be severe."_ The Commander stepped over and entered the cockpit of the robot, pushing a button that opened the machine's chest, exposing Mew.

"MEW MEW MEW!" the spirit screamed from painful shocks.

_"And now…"_ The Commander started the Diablon 2.0 up, _"Time to PAY!"_ (Play the "Hag 1" Theme from _Banjo-Tooie_.)

_Boss fight: Brett Gunkan_

The massive robot crouched on its tank-wheel feet, and the team scattered as it started chasing and trying to run them over. Boba spun and deflected away laser shots with his lightsaber as the robot chased, Khryssa flipping over the bounty hunter and striking the robot's head. The upper half spun and threw her off, nearly throwing her into the electric river, but she grabbed the ledge and pulled up.

Lucario attempted to jump and kick the stomach, but the robot's hands kept smacking him away. When he attempted the third time, Diablon 2 grabbed the fox in his hands and started to squeeze tight. As the other hand was about to drill him, Mika jumped on and used her psychic to hold the drill back, redirecting it into the stomach.

"AUUGH!" Brett screamed as the drill pierced his chamber, an explosion forcing the General out. The mutant got back on his feet and drew out his darksabers, starting to push against Boba's. Brett swung, but Boba leapt back as Snake ran and tried kicking Gunkan from the side, the mutant grabbing his foot with his muscular arm and starting to crush it. But while his guard was down, Mika ran over and dealt several blows against the man with her sword, Gunkan tossing Snake at her, but she ducked and swung at his legs.

The Commander recovered and retreated back to his robot, starting it up as it crouched down and held its arms out, spinning rapidly as bullets fired all over the place. The psychicbenders grabbed the bullets and were able to shoot them back at the robot, slowing it down before Snake drew out his missile gun and shot him clear in the stomach. The robot stepped back from the impact, but then extracted the missiles from his back. The missiles locked onto Snake and Khryssa and fired away, the two able to dodge them as they hit the ground, but were knocked over when the missiles scattered into mini rockets that came and blew up.

Khryssa grabbed another one before it hit her and sent it at the robot's left foot. Mika did the same and grabbed a missile, sending it at the other foot and knocking the robot over. Brett opened his chamber and came out, flipping over with sabers drawn as Mika and Khryssa immediately ran over to strike him, swinging at them from behind while they defended. Snake ran and wrapped arms around the man's neck, Gunkan using his strength to haul him overhead before his mutant tree-stump started to gnaw at him.

The General was knocked away when Boba began shooting his stump head, then rolled forward before slicing his gun with his darksabers. He pulled out his own gun and tried to shoot Boba, but Mika jumped in the way and defended with a psychic shield, then jumped and landed several blows upon him. Brett recovered and back-flipped to his robot, getting back in the cockpit before helping it stand up.

"Hold STILL, you bastard!" Gunkan shouted at Boba as the robot's hands became drills, switching on rockets in his back, then flying straight up and coming down. Boba nearly dodged before the robot burrowed beneath the ground. Rainier, Beckah, and Noah were flung away when the robot shot up from below them, landing back on the floor. Mika then noticed a couple electrical circuits in its legs and neck, seeing little openings.

"Rainier, girls, get ready." she told them. She and Khryssa then used Psycho Shrink to minimize them all, Khryssa levitating Noah and Beckah to the openings on its knees while Mika lifted Rainier to its neck. The three kids made their way inside the internal compartments, cutting wires and pulling out any bolts they could.

"H-HUH?" Gunkan's eyes widened when the robot started to shake uncontrollably. "AUUGH!" The robot crumbled to pieces in minutes as the barrier holding The Quads switched off, setting them free.

"MEWW!" Mew happily cheered, flying around after being set free.

With a furious visage, Gunkan gave another angered cry, standing and running to slice the siblings with his darksabers. Boba and Khryssa instantly got in their way, holding him back with their sabers. Brett jumped back, but looked to his left when Lucario shot down, too late to react as the fox kicked him away. Gunkan stood up as Beckah and Noah ran toward him, punching the General in the eyes simultaneously, right before Snake ran over and stomped his foot right on his gut while he was on the ground.

Afterwards, Rainier grabbed him by the feet and swung him around, hurling him into Boba and Khryssa, who caught and held him up as Gunkan saw Mika run over. He broke free of the two and drew his sabers as he started to clash against Mika's, swinging rapidly at the Filipino while she countered all strikes. Afterwards, she jumped far back above him as a brightening pink aura appeared around her body. She shot straight down at the GUN boss with her saber pointed directly at him, coming in contact and creating a huge cloud of dust. "AAUUCK!"

The smoke cleared away as Gunkan was seen barely holding himself up by the right saber, panting heavily as Mika smirked. "Don't mess with the Mew." she said victoriously, twirling and switching her saber off as she sheathed it. (End song.)

"Aw-haw, YEAH! Boba kicked ass, Baby!" Boba Fett cheered.

"Boba Fett?" Morgan questioned as The Quads recovered from their fall. "_You_ came to save us?"

"He's changed now." Khryssa told them. "And he won't be the only one."

They all approached the weakened Commander, who looked up and faced them. "N-NO!" He waved them off, still panting. "I must… defeat… the scum… and save the world."

Boba put his weapons away as he stood straight up, beginning to explain. "You know, Brett… Ah think Ah finally understand, now. Why we hunt these metahumans. It ain't because they're monsters… and we ain't afraid of them either. It's the unknown we're afraid of. There are just some things in this universe… that are just too great for human eyes to comprehend. And we just automatically assume the latter and lock 'em up. But it doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to treat 'em like criminals. Because…" he glanced at The Quads before turning back, "they just like us."

Gunkan looked to his left when he felt Mew's tiny, gentle paws touch his shoulder. The spirit bore a look in his eyes that said he didn't mean harm. "Mew…"

The mutant general faced back at the others, slowly starting to realize that… maybe they were right. He caught a bit more breath before finally standing straight up, his mutant tree-stump retreating back into his body as the crew smiled. "AHH!" The Commander screamed when his stump forced itself back out, making him hunch over again as it started to take over.

_"NO! I will… destroy… the mutants…"_ The Commander tried desperately to fight the evil stump, but the beast proved much stronger.

Morgan suddenly noticed the shot containing the antidote which Rainier smacked away moments ago. Right at that moment, she grabbed the object with her psychic, aimed the point directly at the mutant stump, and launched it straight at the monster's eye.

_"AAAAHHHH!"_ The stump cried in pain, his screaming becoming more high-pitch as he shrank away. _"UWAAAAHH! __WAAAAHHH! OHHHHhhhhhh…."_ The green eyes faded as the mutant broke itself from Gunkan, shriveling into complete nothingness in a few seconds.

Gunkan panted some more after the experience, Boba walking over to hold him up by the arm. "You okay, Brett?"

"I…I am." He panted. "Thanks, Boba."

"Ahem." Rainier spoke up, Mika turning to face him as Mew floated beside him. "Isn't there something you need to do?"

"Mew…"

Mika suddenly remembered the main reason for this whole quest, whipping out her Spirit Ball and getting ready to capture. "Herrre GOES!" she tossed the ball straight at Mew, the playful spirit becoming light and going inside.

The ball fell back into Mika's hands as it started to shake and beep, Mika holding it close to her face as she sang softly.

_Batang maliit, malayang espiritu,_

_Pakawalan mo ang iyong puso._

_Huwag kang mawalan ng pag-asa sa kadiliman,_

_Pakawalan mo ang iyong puso._

The ball floated into the air, erupting a bright white light and beginning to glow Mew's color as it fell back into Mika's hand. The girl raised her sphere in victory.

**Mika captured a _FIRSTBORN_! We're only halfway there! !**

Rainier approached Lucario afterwards and asked, "So… no hard feelings?" The ninja fox responded with an immediate punch to his gut. "OOF."

**Bowser's Castle**

Lord Gnaa smirked as he entered the chamber of tiny trapped children, listening as all the cries for help fueled him. _"Ha ha ha… excellent! The power of these kids' fear will have me fueled in moments!"_

King Bowser stomped toward his master and laughed. "GWAH HA HAH! I never aim to disappoint, Lord Gnaa! So whatcha gonna do now?"

_"Hmm… first, I must clear up any loose ends. I feel that Rachel's and Sector W's love for this wretched vessel is making it weaken. I must act fast, and destroy them all. PHANTOM!"_

His loyal shadow came out and kneeled. _"Yes, My Master?"_

_"Tell those impudent brats to come to Playground Ruins. I have an important message for them."_

_"Yes, My Master."_ With that, the loyal phantom soared out of the castle.

_"Now then…"_ Gnaa turned his attention to the Heartless Shadow that was once Paddy Fulbright. _"Time to unleash your true power…"_ Gnaa burst into laughter as he drew out his Keyblade, zapping the Heartless with a dark laser, and Bowser gaped as the Heartless started to grow even bigger.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

The sun started to rise over the military base as everyone cleared outside, the metahumans free and leaving the premises. "So, I guess that's the end of the Anti-inhuman Revolution." Rainier figured.

"Mm-hm. Now that GUN's changed for the better, metahumans won't have to worry about hiding." Mika replied.

"Mika… I'm sorry about betraying you. I just-"

"Don't worry about it." She smiled. "You did what you thought was best to help your parents. You're still our friend, Rainier." And she walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek, giving him a blush.

"Uh, eh hehe."

"Well, Chad, sorry about your short time as a mutant." Emily said, watching the sunrise with Chad.

"Forget about it. After this experience… I realize I really am better off as a regular human."

"Oh, really?" she chuckled.

"Yup. You may have the cool powers… but we have the nicer skin."

"Oh, that's it!" With that, Emily tackled the boy to the ground playfully.

"H-Hey! Stop it! That tickles!"

"So where do your parents work, anyway?" Mika asked, curious.

"Actually, my parents run a Benders' Training School up in China." Rainier explained. "A lot of benders fly there from different regions to train. That's why they were captured, and GUN shut the school down afterwards. But hopefully they'll open it."

"Yeah. It'd be nice to see other benders!"

Khryssa then approached Boba and pulled his helmet off as he faced her. "Now where were we?" And at that instant, the fox and the human embraced in a make-out.

"Ew." Buddy stated simply. "Ow!" Noah elbowed him in the gut.

**Sector V C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.**

"Phew!" Hoagie sighed in relief as they all started flying away from the enemy city. "Boy, that coulda gone better. Let's stop by at our treehouse or somethin' and think up a plan to rescue our friends."

Nigel noticed Rachel glumly pressing her forehead to the window. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Rachel? What's wrong?"

The blonde sighed and turned to him. "It's about what Ghirahim said. When I think about it, my leadership has caused quite a few operatives… to quit. I banished Yuki for accidentally freezing my brother, I sent Nolan and Sector Q on a dangerous mission in your stead … heck, you even left for GKND because you thought I didn't care about you. And don't even get me started on Harvey."

"That wasn't your fault, Rachel. I decided to go on my own. I didn't really know how much everyone cared about me. Heh, even Harvey. But you shouldn't feel so upset because of these things. Every leader makes mistakes, even big ones, and you're no different. The important thing is that you learn from them. But you're still a great leader, and the sweetest one yet. And lots of people look up to you, especially Harvey. If he was just reminded what kind of bond you two shared, he'd snap back to his senses in minutes."

Rachel looked up and faced him with a smile. "You really think that, Nigel?"

"Positive." He smirked. "Otherwise I never would've been able to keep _my_ spirits up."

"Ha ha ha!" she giggled lightly.

"Hey, what's that!" Kuki shouted, sticking her head out the window as a black shadowy smog approached the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. The operatives gasped when the shadow shot inside, becoming the devious Phantom of Gnaa as he gave his wicked grin, facing Rachel and Sector W.

_"Rachel McKenzie and Sector W… I come bringing an important message from my Master. He wishes to make your acquaintance at the lonely Playground Ruins. He is there with the friend you have previously lost…"_

"Paddy?" Charlotte asked.

_"If you wish to see him, you will come to the ruins with no one else. Lord Gnaa eagerly awaits to see your lively faces…"_ The shadow burst into maniacal cackles as he became a cloud of smog and soared away.

"Hmm…" Rachel began to think.

"Rachel, it's obviously a trap." Nigel said. "If it's the Dark Master himself, he'll steal your hearts, too."

"But we have to go! For Paddy." Charlotte argued.

"She's right, Nigel." Rachel agreed. "That isn't just the Dark Master. It's Harvey. You said it yourself, if he just remembered, I could snap him back to his senses. We need to take this chance now. Otherwise, Harvey may be lost forever."

"But Rachel…" Rachel just shot him the glare that Nigel knew all too well she made up her mind. "Well… alright. If you feel confident enough, I shouldn't try to stop you."

"Yay!" Angie cheered. "Let's go show that Gnaa-head not to mess with our Harvey!"

"I flew past these Playground Ruins before." Hoagie said. "I'll fly by and drop you guys off. If you're successful, just give us a call and we'll pick you right up."

"Ya really think you're up for this, Lass?" Fanny asked in a concerned tone.

"I've waited long enough, Fanny." Rachel replied with a determined look. "I'm going to get my baby brother back…"

* * *

><p><strong>ARGH, and so ends the tyranny of GUN. BUT, the Freedom Saga isn't over yet! And as you might've seen, Brain and Gunkan had a little… past conflict. We'll actually look more in on that later, probably near the end of Nolan's story arc (which won't be 'til AGES from now). So next time… we will go against… you guessed it: NEGATAR GNAA! ! ! Heh heh, see you then! ;D<strong>


	54. Gnaa's Puppet

**Hey, everybody. It's time… to face Gnaa at last. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>To Save My Precious Brother. Hero Rachel vs. Negatar Gnaa.<em>**

**Bowser's Castle**

The Koopa King angrily forced open the doors to his prison chamber, the tons of tiny prisoners switching their attention to him as he stomped in with his son and Kammy Koopa. "GRARR! Those STUPID Junior Prospectors have got on my last nerve! Destroying the last of my Koopalings. I thought Ludwig had 'em."

"Somebody must've helped them escape somehow. Quite a conundrum." Kammy said.

"Ah, cheer up, Dad. At least those poisonbenders were able to catch most of the other guys." Junior reassured him.

"Hmm. I guess it wasn't a total loss, then. But I still wish we were able to squash Mario."

That's when the Toxic Four carried in their captured teams, setting them all in a row along a desk as the groups glared angrily at their respective captors. "Heh, didn't get anyone, Leo?" Elijah remarked wittingly at Leo, seeing he wasn't carrying a cage.

"Hold on a second." Leo replied, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a jar. "And voila!" He set the jar beside the other cages as an angry and tiny Katie glared at him from it.

_"I can't. Believe. You jarred me."_ she squeaked.

"Haha! You look like a bug!" Leo laughed and pointed.

_"MATTHEW! !"_ Yin screamed in her high-pitched voice. _"When I get out of here, I'm finding the heaviest book I can, and slamming it on your CROTCH! !"_

_"And the way you are now, there are plenty of books like that."_ Yang joked.

"Look, Yin, I'm sorry we had to do that, but it was for a good cause." Matt told her.

_"And what kind of cause involves making us pets?"_ Kami asked.

"Hey, what're you kids doin' over there? !" Bowser shouted at them.

"Uh, nothing, Bowser. Some of these girls are acting a little tough is all." Matt replied. "We'll just carry 'em out in the hall and see if we can teach them some manners." With that, Matt, Leo, Jeremiah, and Elijah grabbed Yin, Katie, Kami, and Marine (respectively), and carried them outside.

"Grrrmm…" Bowser's eyes furrowed. "Those damn kids are always suspicious. Mrrr… doesn't matter." The Koopa King stomped into an intersecting, dark room, and his evil smile returned. "As soon as the invasion's done… gwah hah! THIS baby'll get me EVERYthing! GWAH HAH HA HA ha ha!" he laughed before a terrifying machine.

**Final Brain**

The big brown gorilla forcibly shoved Wesley Dodds onto the floor in a cell. "DAH!" Mr. Oldman screamed when Mallah grabbed him afterwards and threw him against the wall in the cell, sealing it shut with bars.

"It's a shame, Mr. Dodds." Brain said as he, Mallah, and Nolan watched him. "A shame to see such heroes fall so pathetically. But it was fated to happen. For trying to make poor little Nolan here… lose his way."

"Shall ve throw zem into ze cold storage with ze others, Master?" Mallah asked.

"Not yet. We have something bigger plan. Nolan, say any final words you wish to Mr. Dodds." The Sith told him as he rolled out of the room with Mallah. "But be ready in about half an hour for the invasion."

Nolan rolled closer toward the cell, his heart full of guilt as Mr. Dodds sat with his back turned. "M…Mr. Dodds? Are you okay?..."

"…" He said nothing.

"Wesley, don't take this the wrong way. These villains just want to find their place in the world. And I'm included. And Brain wants to help me do that. You can understand that… right?"

"…Your place?" Wesley Dodds faced him. "Your place is with the Kids Next Door. That's always been your calling. That brain in a jar only cares about feeding you lies and making you forget your calling."

"You don't understand. I've never been a true operative. No respect, for me or my team. And no matter how loyal I tried to be, they only betrayed me in the end. The Brotherhood's where my place has been all along. The Brain cares about his villains. He cares about me."

"_I_ care about you! And if Brain's only desire is to help you… I'll inhale my own gas. I can't exactly say why… but he is a Sith Lord. He's not as caring as he seems."

"Well, I think you're JUST as you seem." Nolan became furious. "A lazy, washed-up old man who only cared about attacking metahumans just like any other 'superhero'." And with those last words, Nolan turned and rolled out of the prison room, passing by Danika and April. They looked upset as they spared a glance toward the old man before following their friend.

"Nnnnn! I TOLD you we shoulda stayed home, Dodds!" Mr. Oldman yelled. "Here we are, gettin' beatin' by magical brains in jars, 'n' gettin' yelled at by ungrateful kids, 'n'… sittin' in this cell with droopy ceilings and awful floor-sitting, eh…"

Mallah and Brain walked several feet ahead of the three as Brain glanced back to Nolan, then spoke to his ape. "So you see, Mallah, a good apprentice will always do what he must to earn his place. Even turn against what he hoped never to lose."

**Playground Ruins**

Grey clouds loomed over the sky as an eerie wind blew the wilted, long grass and worn-out swings, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. coming down for a landing in the vast wasteland of fallen playgrounds. "Well… here we are." Hoagie pointed out as Rachel and Sector W stepped off the ship. "The once most populated kid paradise now in ruins. Now we'll head back to our treehouse and see if we can figure out where they took everyone else."

"Be careful, Rachel." Nigel cautioned worriedly. The Supreme Leader gave a nod, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. lifting off the ground and flying off.

The group of children turned around and studied the barren wasteland, fear filling their hearts as they searched for the one who summoned them. "This place is scary…" Sonya said frightfully.

"Uh, you think Gnaa might've been too creeped out by this and decided not to show?" Lee asked.

"A kind of place like this, Gnaa would _have_ to show up." Rachel figured. "Can you sense anything, Fi?"

Her spirit assistant jumped out and answered, _"Master, I am sensing an incredible force of darkness within this area. There is an 80% chance the Dark Master is not far from here."_

"Just what I was hoping for." Rachel said with a fierce look as Fi retreated to the sword. The blonde leader stepped a little forward as she called to the distance, "NEGATAR GNAA. WE CHALLENGE YOU TO A BATTLE TO FIGHT FOR MY BROTHER'S FREEDOM! Show your face right now if you're man enough to fight me."

"Um, Rachel?" Sonya spoke, still worried. "Do you really need to call for him like that? I mean… what if this is some sort of-" The ground began shaking in an instant, a huge blot of shadowy darkness appearing on the ground as a pair of dark-blue arms reached out, the children gaping as a massive figure rose from the ground.

"Is…Is that-" Lee tried to say.

"Paddy?" Charlotte finished. (Play "Destiny's Force" from _Kingdom Hearts_!)

A colossal dark-blue shadow with glowing yellow eyes rose from the depths, standing high and tall over them with looks very similar to Paddy Fulbright. The giant's legs seemed rather skinny, and his feet looked very bendable. His frizzy hair wiggled around as short, torn-up wings flapped weakly behind his back, and a large hole in the shape of a heart was cut in his chest. The beast roared to the heavens, stretching its arms as the children readied for battle.

_Boss fight: Darkside_

The operatives ran around the monster and started firing 2x4 weapons at the chest as Darkside conjured an energy ball in his right hand, raising it up, and forcing it below the ground, creating a shadowy energy field that extended tentacles to grab the kids by the legs. Rachel sliced the tentacles and shot arrows over to cut the ones holding the others, the ops afterward shooting them back with weapons. When the darkness vanished, Lee ran over and wrapped his yo-yo around the beast's legs, but Darkside swiftly spun around, and the force pulled on the string sent the boy flying.

While he was on the ground, Darkside reached an arm over and gripped Lee, slowly picking him up as he squeezed the child. Sonya quickly ran and grabbed Darkside's hand, walking up his arm and releasing a psionic ray at his face, making the Heartless screech and drop Lee. Rachel then ran over and started swinging at his skinny legs, causing the beast to topple over on his back. Rachel dashed over and dealt blows against the demon's head, Darkside slowly recovering despite this and standing back up. He turned and kicked the leader away, then felt rocks pelt the side of his head and turned to see Angie, standing by Charlotte, as she kicked them up. Darkside conjured a dark ball and sent it at the earthbender, blowing her away as he then looked down at Charlotte.

"Paddy… it's me. Don't do this." She tried to tell him, slowly backing away in fear. The shadow rose his arm high in the air, and Rachel ran to push Charlotte out of the way just in time before he slammed down and pierced his arm through the ground. He reached below the darkness until finally pulling out a huge red ball of dark energy and throwing it to the sky. The ball exploded and started to rain down dozens of smaller dark balls, some of them striking the kids and knocking them over. When the dark balls vanished, Rachel recovered and proceeded to fire arrows at the demon's eyes.

Darkside charged his same energy ball from the first attack, rose it up, and stuck his arm in the ground, creating another shadowy field that extended tentacles. Rachel ran forward and easily sliced the tentacles, leaping and running up Darkside's arm. She took her sword and struck the monster's head, making him shake and topple over once again. Once on his back, Rachel dealt a few more strikes against his head before charging up a Skyward Strike, then leaping and piercing through the heartless center.

Darkside gave a deafening screech as Rachel flipped up, the monster getting back up and turning to face them again. He got on his knees as dark energy charged in his heartless chest, launching more dark balls that homed in on the kids like missiles. Sonya dodged some by flipping sideways, but was knocked over by one. Rachel dodged a few dark balls, then held up her Hylian Shield and bounced the dark balls back when they came, striking the monster's head. Darkside stopped and stood back up, feeling laser shots striking from behind and turning back to see Charlotte wielding a S.C.A.M.P.P..

"Paddy… I know that's you. I recognize the frizzy hair. And I know you're still there deep inside. I don't know what the Dark Master's done to you, but you have to fight it! We're your friends."

For a moment, the monster stood still and stared, his true mind and feeling coming back for the girl.

_Paddy and his Sector W friends had arrived for their first day of school, happily greeting their new friend, Charlotte MayHence._

But the mind of the Heartless came back, and Darkside started flapping his wings as he floated upward. The shadow soared around the area as he flew to the heavens, unleashing more swarms of dark balls from his chest that homed in on them. Rachel once again bashed the dark balls away with her shield and sent them back up while Angie defended with an Earth Wall, afterwards kicking huge chunks of rock up at the Heartless, a sharp one piercing through his chest hole and making him drop down on his back. Angie swung a Boulder-n-Chain and bashed the beast's head several times before it stood back up, Angie whacking his legs with it, only to be kicked away.

Charlotte pointed her S.C.A.M.P.P. at its chest once again, but shook as she hesitated, not wanting to damage her friend anymore. But before she knew it, she was caught within the fingers of the monster, raising her closer to his face as he charged an energy ball in its other hand, preparing to smash her with it.

"Paddy, please!" she pleaded. "You're my best friend. You've always been a good person inside. Maybe not the strongest… b-but you're still pretty brave! Like how you and Shaunie stood up to that monster when he attacked your sister. And Paddy… I…I've always sort of… _liked_ you, too. So, don't let the Dark Master control you. Fight it."

The Heartless immediately started to show restraint, glancing at the dark ball in his hand before looking down at Charlotte. The demon gave one last high-pitched screech before he dropped Charlotte, a light erupting in his heartless chest, and everyone closed their eyes as the entire area brightened. (End song.)

The light vanished in seconds and everyone looked to see their restored friend panting on the ground. "Paddy!" Charlotte exclaimed, immediately running over.

"Charlotte." Paddy looked and stood up as the girl embraced him in a hug. "W-What happened."

"Oh, never mind that." She smiled. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Still, that was some creepy monster." Rachel commented. "What kind of creature was he turned in to, anyway?"

_"A being that will be the end of everyone."_ Everyone gasped right away at the sound of the dark voice, looking back and seeing the former Sector W leader, Harvey McKenzie, wielding the Keyblade.

"Harvey…" Rachel spoke.

_"Hm hm, don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach him. His heart belongs to Darkness. Belongs to ME! All things begin in Darkness. And the heart is no different. Darkness grows within every heart and consumes it. Such is its nature. And in the end, every heart shall return to the Darkness from whence it came. You see… Darkness is the heart's… _true_ essence."_

"That's not true!" Rachel exclaimed. "People may give in to Darkness… but deep down, there's always a light that never goes out. There's always a speck of good. And if tiny specks of darkness can grow and consume, so can the light! And my brother is no different."

_"Hm…"_ Gnaa's smiled grew into a grin. _"Hahahahahahahahaha! Poor, simple humans. You have a cousin and an opposite that hate you, you know two operatives who have turned to the Dark Side. And still you know nothing. Every light must fade, every heart returns to darkness. And your brother has long since met his due."_

"Oh yeah? !" Rachel shouted, drawing her sword and charging to strike the Dark Master. Right when she was about to swing, Gnaa took his Keyblade and struck back, slicing the left side of her hip. "YEOW!"

_"Hm hm ha HA! Don't you understand? ! Your brother has always lived in Darkness. So he has GIVEN to Darkness. Harvey's heart is mine to control. He has no love and care for anyone."_

"He does, too!" Angie refuted. "Harvey may've been mean, but he was always pretty caring deep down! Harvey LOVES us. And we love him! And we're willing to keep beating you senseless until you let him go!"

"That's right, Gnaa." Rachel looked fierce, letting go of her cut hip and facing the Dark Master. "You can believe what you want and spread all the darkness you want. But there is no way… _you're keeping my brother's heart._"

Gnaa turned back at Sector W, the 7-year-olds all facing the Negatar with serious glares. His mouth widened into a grin once more, bursting into maniacal laughter. _"Muhu haha. GAH hahahahahahaha!"_ (Play "Vs. Ansem" from _Kingdom Hearts_!)

_Boss fight: Gnaa's Puppet, Harvey_

_"Come."_ Gnaa smirked, gesturing with his fingers for Rachel to strike. She did so and struck, but Gnaa countered and quickly struck back. She swung downward, but Gnaa dodged to the side and did an upward slash. Charlotte and Paddy ran to tackle him, but Gnaa used psychic to push them off and stand back up. He felt his arms suddenly binded by Lee's yo-yo, but he smirked and became a shadow, flying behind the boy and batting him away with his Keyblade. Just then, Rachel ran and laid a few strikes on Gnaa from the side, the Dark Master rolling backward when Rachel knocked him away, but he landed on his feet and teleported.

_"Show me your power."_ Gnaa appeared behind Rachel as she quickly tried to strike, but Gnaa hit the strike away and shot past her, slicing her hip again. When he turned to face her again, he felt his cheeks suddenly pelted by jagged rocks popping out of the ground, Angie stomping closer and jabbing a rock at him with each stomp. She pushed him back further until punching her fists toward him, forcing a bigger rock at his chest that flung him away. When he recovered, Sonya jumped, and he saw her coming down with slam-punch, so he quickly jumped back up and dodged. Sonya dodged a downward strike from his blade and quickly dodged left before he zoomed past her.

Sonya dodged a few more strikes from his Keyblade before actually grabbing the weapon and doing her best to hold it back as Gnaa tried to strike down on her. "Come on, Harvey… don't do this. Remember who gave you a band-aid after you scraped your knee during a bike race?"

_Harvey cried as he fell off his bike during a race at the Central Bike Hub. His crying stopped, and he smiled when Sonya came and taped a band-aid over his cut._

Gnaa shook his head from the memory and pulled back, slicing past Sonya and damaging her. He jumped back around and defended before Rachel could strike down, holding her sword back as he kicked at her knee, then swung at her head and knocked her away. Sonya got back up and gasped when Gnaa attempted a jumping strike, the girl quickly holding his weapon back again. _"I'll bury you in the darkest pit of Mt. Gnaa."_

Sonya's eyes widened in an instant. "Dark-NEEEEEEEESS! !" Sonya pushed him down and tackled the Negative. Her eyes turned blood-red eyes, and ears and teeth became pointed, as she dealt him unmerciful punches across the face. Gnaa gritted his teeth and erupted a Fear Scream, blowing the girl away and standing back up. From behind, Rachel rose her sword skyward and charged a Skyward Strike, sending an airwave and knocking the Dark Master over.

_"Welcome, Oblivion!"_ Gnaa exclaimed, raising his Keyblade skyward and charging his own Skyward Strike. Rachel tried to charge another one, but Gnaa swung and sent the airwave, knocking her back before zipping past and slicing her again. _"Here it comes!"_ He flipped and struck the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked her over. _"Here it comes!"_ When Sonya and Lee ran at him, he sent another shockwave. He then quickly dodged when Rachel recovered and swung at him, but was jabbed with a rock from behind by Angie. Rachel tried to strike him, but Gnaa defended and swung at her legs, making her trip.

_"You're FINISHED!"_ The Negatar leapt up and pierced his blade straight in the ground, sending a bunch of mini explosions around that blew them all upwards. _"Is that it?"_ he taunted as they barely recovered, going to attack Rachel again, but she countered and flipped back to her feet, quickly defending against tons of fast slashes. She turned left when Gnaa jumped to her left, still countering his quick strikes before being able to knock his weapon back and push him away on his back.

When he tried to stand up, Sonya stunned him with a psionic blast, allowing Angie to bind his hands and feet with rocks from the ground. "Come on, Harvey. Don't you remember who took care of you when you shrunk to the size of a dolly?" Angie asked. "Or when that cannon thingy hurt you and knocked you out, and I helped you wake up?"

_Harvey lay unconscious on the ground in Moonbase, and Angie bent over to kiss him._

"Yeah. And who's my best friend that always tried to beat me and Lee in videogames?" Paddy asked.

_Harvey received a simple vision of him and his friends on the couch playing videogames while Sonya watched._

The angry Dark Master gritted his teeth as he struggled to break free of the rocks. _"Foolish children! Do you know who I am? !"_ He smashed the stones to pieces with an expanded psychic barrier, afterwards launching two Psycho Spheres at Paddy and Angie. Charlotte tried to shoot him with a S.C.A.M.P.P. from behind, but Gnaa saw this, flipped, and dodged. He started running toward her, swinging his Keyblade and batting laser shots away as she kept firing, then finally flinging the weapon straight up into the air, jumping and spin-slicing it.

He came back down, and Charlotte closed her eyes and raised her hands in defense as he was about to strike. Thankfully, Lee tossed and wrapped his yo-yo around Gnaa's Keyblade, easily pulling it away and smirking as he grabbed it. Gnaa only smirked back and reached toward the item, and Lee's mouth dropped when the weapon vanished from his hand and appeared back in Gnaa's. The Dark Master afterwards aimed it skyward and charged another Skyward Strike, swinging and sending an airwave at Lee.

Rachel ran to downward-slice him, but Gnaa spun to the side and sent another airwave at her. He spun-kicked when Sonya tried to grab him, then attempted a ground shockwave when Rachel ran back, but she was able to counter and prevent his attack just in time before laying a few blows upon him. Gnaa warped several feet away and declared, _"Behold the Power of Darkness."_ The area became darker as he glowed purple and hovered to the air, his Keyblade raised above him. Lightning struck down at the blade as he began zipping all around the field in the blink of an eye, Rachel barely dodging his fast strikes, but then started to get knocked around by him. _"It's over!"_ Gnaa shot to the air and struck down, sending out even more mini explosions that knocked everybody over.

Rachel recovered and dodged another shockwave just in time, then flipped and dodged a horizontal strike. He jumped away and sent an airwave which she ducked, then finally sliced down at him, pushing against his weapon as he defended and tried to push back up. "Harvey. Snap out of it. You're my brother. You were one of the best operatives in the Kids Next Door. You aren't anything like Lord Gnaa. Don't let him control you."

_"I _AM_ HIM! !"_ Gnaa pushed her away and jumped back, hovering in the air again as lightning zapped the tip of his Keyblade. _"Open your heart to Darkness!"_ He started zipping around the field again and striking everyone as he shot by, batting them around. He stopped and struck the ground, knocking everyone over with mini explosions. He sent an airwave and knocked Rachel over, then sent a shockwave at Sonya.

He tried to jump-attack Rachel again, but she looked up and quickly held her sword up in defense, once again pushing back against his weapon as she got herself up, then jumped back before he could slice. Gnaa shot over and struck, but Rachel countered, and he afterwards flipped and swung from overhead, to which she countered again, the Dark Master landing behind her and swinging. The two ended up in another stance where the two weapons pushed against the other.

"Harvey…" Rachel began weakly, struggling to keep his weapon back. "Where's the little boy… that always wanted to sleep in my bed because you had a nightmare?"

_"YAH!"_ He spun and swung from the other end, to which Rachel still countered and pushed against his Keyblade.

"The boy… who always ran straight for me when a pack of bullies was chasing him."

_"HNNN!"_ He spun right behind her and swung, but Rachel still held him back.

"My brother… who wrote a paper about me… saying I was the person you admired the most." He spun to her side again, but Rachel continued to keep his weapon back. She spoke with sadness and love in her voice. "The one who always looked up to me… and wanted to be just like me." Gnaa kept trying to strike her, but Rachel kept holding him back. "I won't deny you weren't the friendliest person in the world… but if you just knew… how much people cared about you… and if you remembered how much you cared about them-"

_"NO!"_ Gnaa jumped away. _"I have no friends in this world! My only ally is the Darkness! It's always been the Darkness! The most powerful element!"_

"You don't belong with the Darkness, Harvey." Sonya tried to reason with him. "You never did. You belong with us. Your best friends. We care about you."

"Yeah! So stop letting Gnaa control you and come hang out with us!" Angie yelled. "I have some new toys for my dollhouse!"

"Harvey… remember who your real friends are. Fight it. Come back to us." Rachel tried to tell him.

_"NYAH!"_ Gnaa just sent another airwave at Rachel, leaping high in the air and striking down. Rachel flipped away and avoided his shockwave, then started clashing against his weapon.

"Please, Harvey. I love you. You're the best brother in the world. One of the most carefree spirits I've ever known. One of the bravest… and most reckless, too, as a matter of fact. I might not've approved… but you still did your best when it came to big missions like that. So, please… fight it. Destroy him."

_"Nyargh!"_ Gnaa spun away from her, starting to pant heavily as Angie then approached him.

"Sorry, Harvey, but you forced my hand." And with that, she spun him around, wrapped her arms around his head, and pulled him into a kiss.

_"NOO! !"_ Gnaa pushed the girl off, feeling even weaker as he tried to lift his Keyblade.

"HII-YAH!" Rachel leapt up and struck down, Gnaa barely holding his weapon in defense as she threw tons of quick slices. Finally, he was too weak to keep going, so Rachel spun and gave one final strike, knocking the Dark Master onto the ground. (End song.)

"Harvey, remember who you really are. Where you really belong. Drop that weapon and come back to us." Rachel tried to tell him as he began sweating and panting even stronger.

_"NO! !"_ Gnaa ragefully stood up, facing her with a maddening look. _"I AM NEGATAR GNAA! I am the emperor of all that is evil! I RULE the Negaverse with my power! The Darkness is mine to control! And MINE ALONE! !"_

"Fine!" Rachel shouted, throwing her sword several feet away. "If you are Lord Gnaa…" she got on her knees and held her arms out to him, "destroy me."

_"Huff… hrrnnn!"_ Lord Gnaa angrily rose his Keyblade, and Rachel shut her eyes tight, awaiting a strike. _"AUUGH!"_ She cracked an eye open and saw the Dark Master struggling to control his own body. He forcibly pulled his own Keyblade away, everything fading into light around him. (Play the "Dreams" Theme from _Spyro: The Eternal Night_.)

**Dream Realm**

Harvey slowly awoke and found himself in the endless space, standing up with a look of guilt and sadness. Ahead of Harvey was some kind of enormous mass blocking his view of the rest of space, the mass much too black for him to see what it was. _"So… you have come to your senses."_ The Chronicler echoed in the distance.

"Ohh…what have I done? I let that monster take control of me… I turned on my own friends."

_"Harvey… the Darkness exists inside all of us. You've seen this yourself as all the victims to Gnaa's Dark Cannons turned them against those that were closest to them."_

"Not as bad as me, though. What am I gonna do? I can still feel his power inside of me. How can I go back to them with this kind of curse?"

_"Harvey…"_ A light shone upon the gargantuan mass. Harvey stood directly in front of the face of a massive lion, but it appeared to have the body of a turtle, with tons of shrubs and trees on its shell, like an island. Its feet were those of a lion's paws, and Harvey appeared to be standing on one of them as the entity held him by his face. _"While it may seem like an accursed power, Darkness is just like any other element. It exists in our universe and makes it whole… and some people are able to bend it. But if other elements, like Air or Poison, can be used for Light or Darkness… so, too, can Light and Darkness themselves…"_ And with that, the spirit touched his fingers to Harvey's chest and forehead, and they were swallowed by the light. (End song.)

**Playground Ruins**

The boy continued to gasp for air, raising the Keyblade in front of him as he stared at it. _"Err! What…What are you… doing?..."_

"Auuck! Get… out of… my head!" Harvey demanded, aiming the Keyblade at his chest.

_"N-No! Stop! What are you… GAAAH!"_ And against Gnaa's will, Harvey STABBED the Keyblade into his chest, pulling it out as a light shone on that spot. The others watched as a heart drifted out of his chest, surrounded by pitch-black darkness. The heart hovered in the air above them as Harvey dropped to his knees, the Keyblade fading away into matter afterwards.

_"MASTER!"_ Phantom Gnaa yelled worriedly, coming out of Harvey's shadow and encasing the heart inside of him. The phantom's eyes, mouth, and arrow went from bright-blue to bright-purple, the Dark Master now in control of him.

_"You…"_ Lord Gnaa shot an enraged glare at Rachel and Sector W. _"You've costed me my puppet. I'll send you all to the black oblivion."_

The McKenzie boy stood back up and smirked, still feeling the power of Darkness inside him as he unleashed a powerful dark laser, knocking the disinterred soul to the ground.

Rachel suddenly felt a bright glow behind her. To her surprise, her arrows were suddenly glowing with golden light. "Wh-What…"

Fi immediately came out and explained, _"A report, Master: it appears your love and care for your brother has awakened your own light inside of you. The weapons you bare on your back are the sacred Light Arrows: weapons of which the Hero of Time once used to vanquish the Darkness."_

"In other words… Negatar is screwed." The current Hero smirked. Gnaa's eyes widened in horror as Rachel pulled out an arrow, taking careful aim straight at him. And just when she fired, with Gnaa shielding his eyes from the impact, the Ape King Gaul came down from the sky and batted the arrow away with his swords.

The kids ran to attack the ape, but Gaul leapt up and came down, releasing a shockwave and making everyone trip. Afterwards, the loyal ape grabbed his Master and started to leap away at high speeds.

"Whoa… for a big, burly ape, he's pretty fast." Lee commented.

"Well, at least we've rescued Harvey." Sonya smiled. "I knew you would come to your senses."

"Hehe." Harvey smiled and chuckled. "Guys, I'm sorry I went crazy and hurt you like that. I-"

"Save your breath, Harvey. It's ancient history now." Sonya replied.

"Yeah! When we get home, we'll go to Goofy Goobers and eat this whole bad nightmare away with ice cream!" Angie smiled.

"Wait, wouldn't a 'bad nightmare' technically be a good dream?" Paddy joked. This earned laughs from everyone.

Rachel bent down and embraced her brother in a hug. "It's great to have you back, Bro."

Fi then spoke again, _"As further news, Master, the Light Arrows contain the same abilities lightbenders use, and are able to help troubled spirits see the light. By my calculations, such weapons should be effective in your quest to have Mandy and Lehcar on your side."_

"Hey, you're right, Fi! This quest really _is_ turning to our advantage, isn't it?"

"Too bad we couldn't catch Gnaa, though." Harvey replied.

"Ah, forget about him." Charlotte said, waving him off. "With you and Paddy okay, and Gnaa's Keyblade destroyed, I say we just meet back with the others and get some ice cream."

Their mini celebration was cut short however, when a gang of Demon Apes surrounded and slowly approached them, fangs drooling with venom, and snarling in hunger. "Oh no… not these things again." Rachel moaned.

But right at that moment, a green portal opened several feet away, and the Demon Train came shooting out, running over the apes and circling around the children. "Hey-hey-hey!" Grandfather exclaimed, the doors popping open as he and Cole stuck their heads out, their expressions drunk. "That's what happens when you drive into a portal drunk as an Irish sheep."

"Now hop aboard, kiddies, and we'll roust through 'em like a truck full o' silver nails, NAH HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cole cackled maniacally.

"…Eh. Better than Numbuh 13." Paddy said as the kids hurried onboard the train. The apes recovered and charged at them, but the doors to the train closed right away as the train sped off, going through another portal.

**Bowser's Castle**

"So, the children have recovered their friend after all." Brain said as he and the villains stood in the prison chamber of the castle.

"Ehh. I should've known you weren't strong enough to hold him." Ganondorf sighed.

_"It doesn't matter."_ The disinterred form of Gnaa's soul replied. _"My true powers are already returning to me. In just mere moments, my freedom will be assured. Are all of your troops ready?"_

"Ready as they'll ever be." King K. Rool replied. "My Kremlings have been longing for this day."

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! My robots cannot wait to start destroying again!" Eggman exclaimed.

"Gwah ha ha! Same goes for my Koopa troops! Let's start wreckin'!" Bowser fist-pumped.

"I think Nolan will get a marvelous experience from this." Brain figured.

"Heh heh. I know Lehcar and Scarlet will." Ganondorf grinned evilly.

"It pains me to bring harm to such poor dears." Lucinda spoke. "But it is for a good cause."

"A cause could not be so good, Mother." Rumpel smiled, pulling out his cellphone. "Are things okay on your end, Grunty?"

**Cauldron Keep**

"Things are fine, all up here." Grunty spoke into her phone as her machine was charging, looking at the dial on the tanker to see it was nearly full. "Just took a zap at King Croacus, my dear. One last shot will make our day! Awaiting last charge, I am today."

**Back at the castle**

"Excellent, Grunty! Whenever you're ready, Your Gnaabiness." The elf smirked and bowed.

_"EXCELLENT! Ready all troops, Gaul. It's time for the first city to fall at the hands of Darkness."_

"I will, Master." Gaul bowed. "But what of that 'secret weapon'?"

"Our allies are already on their way to retrieve it." The Brain replied.

While all this happened, the tiny prisoners could only watch with worry from their cages as Yang approached Yin. "Um, Sister? What did Matt say was the reason for capturing us?"

"…It's not good."

**Outside Virginia's House**

The night sky hung over the state of Kansas as Bartie landed the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in front of the house, dropping Virginia off. "Here ya go, Ginny. Your sector's up on Moonbase sweeping floors. We just got the memo that GUN stopped, so you're safe. Good night."

"Good night, Bartie." Virginia smiled and waved to her friend as he took off.

The shadowbender faced her house and let out a sigh, proceeding to walk in. "Hello? Mom? I'm home." She called, shutting the door as she entered the pitch-black home.

"HAH!" A chubby figure immediately dropped from the ceiling and landed on her.

"OOMF!" she muffled screams, trying to shake away as King Dedede kept an arm over her mouth, holding her up and pressing her to his stomach. "Argh! What do you think you're doing? !"

Out of the darkness of her house came Mandy and Escargoon. Dedede spoke, "A snot-nosed li'l brat that's going to be playin' a big role for us. Eh ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The two Dreamland villains burst into laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, everybody, Harvey is finally free. And he's got Gnaa's power! …Eh, but I'm just going to tell you, he won't be having it for long. ;D Next time… the finale of the Freedom Saga. The Great Catastrophe. Later.<strong>


	55. The Master Returns

**Welcome, everybody, to the final chapter of the Freedom Saga! THIS is the part where EVERYTHING happens…! Hehe, be prepared! ;D**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Great Calamity. A Dark Cloud Falls on Chicago.<em>**

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Mika Corella calmly rested on the ground outside the base, hands folded behind her head as she stared up at the sky, the sun shining higher over the land as it was a later point in the day, and the gloomy clouds had gone. Monty Uno stepped out of the high-tech fortress, whiffing the fresh air and releasing a sigh of relief. "Ah, the sweet smell of freedom. Always a good thing, eh wot?"

"No kidding." Wolf replied, walking up to the adult operative. "You really didn't kill my father, did you?"

"Just now realizing that now, eh? What made you see differently all of a sudden?"

"Beats me. I'm just having this good feeling all of a sudden. Talk about sissy. But I still want to get paid."

The Quads, Beckah, and Noah sat by each other along the base's railing above a stairway, arms wrapped around each other. "You know, guys, I think we've finally achieved a real accomplishment in this whole quest." Buddy said.

"Don't say it now, Ruburd! You might jinx it!" Morgan shouted. "A waterwheel might suddenly come and run us over!"

"Seriously, Morgan?" Athena asked.

"Sirius is having tea with The Chronicler!" Mika yelled to them.

"Who? ?"

"Aw, come on, guys." Buddy spoke again. "We got GUN on our side finally, Boba's stopped hunting us, we found 4 of the 8 Firstborn, which means we're only halfway done… e-yep. For the first time in our life, things are starting to look up."

"Which is just what Aladdin said." Sophie replied. "Before 3… 2… 1…"

Right away, alarms started blaring throughout the base as squadrons of GUN soldiers and robots stormed out. "Told ya." Sophie said as Gunkan and Boba ran out.

"What's going on?" Morgan asked.

"A catastrophe!" Gunkan exclaimed. "Swarms of thousands of enemy monsters are burning a trail of rubble through the States, and they're on a cross to Chicago! They'll have the place surrounded in minutes!"

"What? What are they after?"

"Nothing good, I bet." Beckah replied. "Come on." Everyone hurried onto some kind of aircraft and started to lift up, taking off for the aforementioned city.

**Planet Vaporia, below the surface**

"Ugh! Hey! Let me go!" Virginia demanded, shaking about as Dedede and Escargoon carried her by the arms into some kind of deep underground cave. They threw her face-first on the floor, the goth standing up and seeing Mandy beside her. She gasped horribly at the sight of a gargantuan cloud of black smog with a face before her, encased in some kind of crystal as its eyes were sealed.

The Sector K operative looked behind her as the distorted soul of the Dark Master approached with Ganondorf. _"The time has come at last! This creature will be the final key to my freedom! Isn't that right, Ganondorf?"_

"Yes, Lord Gnaa. Within the confines of this crystal rests the most frightening Nightmare ever created. This incarnation of Yellow Fear was the death of millions, and it will be the one that will bring that wretched city of mortals to its knees."

_"Heheha HA! Excellent! Now go and handle things with your army down on Earth, Ganon. I will handle things here."_

"As you command, My Lord." Ganon bowed, walking toward the cave's exit, but first sparing one last hateful glance toward his 'Master'.

_"And now… to begin our ritual."_ And with that, Mandy faced the crystallized incarnation and erupted a deafening Fear Scream. At the same time, Dedede and Escargoon muttered the same incantation from before, Virginia unable to control her own limbs as her eyes and mouth glowed, releasing some kind of white energy at the crystal. The transfers of energy made the monster's eyes blink open in seconds, as the crystal casing slowly cracked. The crack grew bigger and wider, until finally, the entire prison shattered.

The horrifying cloud of darkness was released as the energy transfers stopped, moving slowly forward as it faced the Dark Master, its mouth wide-open with a bright yellow glow inside as it spoke. _"The Screams of Fear with the Soul of Nightmare-born have awakened me. I see before me now a powerful body, fueled with the powers of fear and elements of darkness creation."_

Gnaa's soul aimed a finger toward the demon and replied, _"Parallax… the ultimate creation of Fear. The time has come for you to rain the ultimate dose of fear upon the humans. Finish what you were assigned to do, and my freedom will be largely at hand."_

_"As you command, O Master of Darkness. The evil inside of you is unparalled. I offer myself as your temporary vessel. I promise you won't be needing me for long. So many innocent souls I hear down below. Crying… pleading for mercy. Let us go down and spread fear and misery to all."_ And with that, the beast's mouth opened wide, allowing the disinterred soul inside.

Above the surface of Vaporia, the ground started to crumble as the Vaporian citizens panicked, the massive cloud of fear rising from the depths, flying to the sky with the only other sound heard being the laugh of the Dark Master. _"Hehehehehehahahahaheha!"_

**Chicago, Indiana**

Black clouds of smoke rose miles in the sky as the thousands of enemy monsters laid siege upon the city of Chicago. The whole city was completely surrounded. Koopas and robots to the north, ordered by King Bowser and Dr. Eggman as they waved flags of Bowser's and Eggman's mugs. Bokoblin to the west, waving flags of demonic symbols as Ganondorf and Ghirahim led the way. Kremlings to the east as K. Rool Kommanded them all, waving flags that read "K. Rool's the King" and also had the Kremlings' Jolly Roger. Witches on broomsticks swooping down from the skies as Rumpel Stiltskin, on his pet goose, sent them down, flying beside a magical onion carriage, rode by Yuki Crystal and Lucinda Talzin, and driven by a handsome man in tights with a shirt that read 'Kyle'. And finally, Stormtroopers and metahuman criminals charging from the south as the Brotherhood leaders watched from a massive metal tank. General Immortus worked the cockpit, Madame Rouge and Monsieur Mallah sat in stations below a stairway. And up that stairway, at the very peak of the tank, Nolan York sat beside Darth Genious.

"Behold. Feast your eyes, Nolan." Brain said to his apprentice. "Watch from the perfect seat as the first city meets its ultimate catastrophe. This destruction will mark a turning point in the war. When this town falls, our mighty Master will rise from below the depths. He will plunge everything into darkness… and our victories will be at hand."

Nolan faced the burning city before them, gulping worriedly at the destruction taking place.

Entering from between the demons and Stormtroopers were Gaul and his vicious Demon Apes, the buff baboon raising a scepter sky-high as his apes waved flags with purple arrows pointing downward. "DARK ARMIES: ATTACK!" The apes gave ear-splitting battle cries as they and all the armies charged into the city, wreaking havoc everywhere.

Lehcar and Scarlet stood beside Ganondorf, smirking as he pointed toward the city, the girls charging straight ahead with the other demons right behind. Lehcar charged lightning in her hands and fired it to all the highest parts on buildings, creating massive explosions. Scarlet dashed alongside blue Bokoblin, all wielding swords as they ran by and sliced random citizens, while she gracefully did the same with her long metal claws.

The GUN soldiers charged into the area just in time, dropping into the city as they shot all the invading monsters they could. The Quads, Star Wolf, and every other hero from the GUN fortress landed in the city, too, and Mika immediately used her psychic to push back a pack of charging Bullbos. "They're destroying everything!" Athena exclaimed.

"How are we going to fight them all?" Emily shouted.

"Just do everything you can." Morgan told 'em. "Put out any fires, help anyone in trouble, watch OUT for falling shards or buildings, and take out any monster you see. Let's go!" (Play the "Dragon City" theme from _Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon_!)

_Stage 49: City Catastrophe_

_Mission: Hold back the invading troops and save the city! !_

_Act 1_

The lot of them ran different directions as The Quads drew their sabers and ran toward a pack of Demon Apes breaking some cars, but part of a building suddenly toppled over and blocked their path, bursting into flames as Purge Troopers stepped out. The psychics ran to start slicing the armored men, but they wrapped arms around them and grabbed them, but were saved when Emily overshadowed the one holding Morgan and used his body to shoot the others.

Mika, Rainier, and Lucario went over the fallen building and headed for the vicious apes, Lucario already starting to beat them away, but was quickly tackled by a pack. Mika and Rainier stood back-to-back, fighting away any ape that jumped at them. Not too far away, Solid Snake was surrounded by Bokoblin, all glaring and wielding huge knives. Two of them ran at him from behind, but he punched back, then grabbed one charging from the front and threw it into others, but a bunch of them quickly pounced on him. Snake shook them off, then grabbed one around the neck with his chain, beginning to strangle it. He heard an explosion and looked up, then pushed the demon away as he quickly rolled away, dodging another falling building.

He looked up at the top of what was left of the chopped building, seeing Scarlet smirking down at him. "Thanks for getting those cuffs off." She taunted, rubbing her wrists. "Oof!" She was caught by surprise when Violet climbed to where she was and tackled her, the two falling to the shard-littered ground below. "YOU!" Scarlet grit her teeth.

"Nice to see you too, Cuz." Violet glared.

"Too bad I can't say the same. 'Course, now that you're here, I can finally take pleasure in ridding your disgusting face from the face of the planet." And with that, the girls immediately started swinging claws at each other. They wrestled each other to the ground and rolled along. Violet jumped up and scratched Scarlet's left cheek, the Italian catgirl growling in anger as she got a bloody mark. Scarlet jumped behind and forced her to the ground, holding her down as she bashed Violet's face against the dozens of glass shards on the ground.

**Bowser's Castle**

The Toxic Four and the many shrunken captives watched the invasion from the prison room via mini TVs, the camera closing up on Scarlet and Violet's battle. _"Violet…"_ Bruce watched with worry and fear.

"Hm. Look at those idiots. There's no way that city's gonna survive after this." Matt said smugly.

"Wow. Scarlet hits hard." Leo commented.

_"That's why you should help them, Matt."_ Yin told him.

_"Or at least let us outta here so we can help them."_ Kami said. _"C'mon, Jeremiah."_

"Kami, we care about you guys too much to let you get destroyed out there. Plain and simple." Jeremiah told her.

"And besides… even if they can hold off the troops," Elijah stated, "they can never be prepared for what happens next."

_"Whut? Whut's gonna happen? Tell me, Elijah!"_ Marine shouted.

_"I know this isn't the right time… but even though I don't like those two, watching them fight is really hot."_ Kweeb commented, eyes fixated on the brawling cat girls.

_"When the fate of the world is at stake, you'd sacrifice everything to see a catfight, huh?"_ Kami replied, disbelievingly.

"The city's gonna fall." Matt said once more. "You all are the lucky ones. Anyone entering that scene, _won't_ come out okay."

Luna held Bruce's hand in comfort, the two watching worriedly as Scarlet smashed Violet through some broken windows, continuing to beat her mercilessly.

**Back at Chicago**

The Quads used their psychic to pick up the fallen building and crush a squad of apes. However, another pack of apes was slowly crawling their way, snarling in hunger. They suddenly heard a train whistle and looked to their right, seeing the Demon Train speeding out of a portal, the apes' eyes widening in horror when the massive train ran right over, squishing their hips flat.

"Wa-ha-hey!" Grandfather exclaimed as he and Cole fell out of the train doors, holding up beer bottles. "We're hittin' everything today, aren't we?"

"I say, we seem to be hitting everywhere but rock bottom. WAH HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Cole cackled. "Eh, no, we pretty much hit there, too."

"AHH!" Rachel battle-cried, jumping out of the train with Sector W, starting to slice away at Bokoblin.

A squad of Ice Cream Men surrounded Sector W as they ran out, so Sonya quickly used her powers to try and give them all headaches. The Ice Cream Men exchanged confused glances, so Sonya then stopped when she realized her powers had no effect. "What? Shouldn't your heads be hurting by now?"

"We're Ice Cream Men. We've developed an immunity-" one of them responded before they were suddenly knocked out by dodgeballs to the head.

The operatives looked to the side and saw the Junior Prospectors, wearing battle-ready expressions as Joey bounced a dodgeball in his hand. "Prithee, Junior Prospectors: showeth these foul creatures no mercy and sendeth them straight to the Underwhere."

"YEA!" The children yelled before running to battle a squad of Koopa Strikers, the soccer turtles unable to kick their shells in time before the kids ran and kicked them back. Sector W found a trio of Egg Hammers stomping toward them, but Angie threw her arms up and made a rock wall pop up, pushing the robots away.

"YIPE!" Angie squeaked when another Egg Hammer suddenly came down beside them and grabbed the team in its arms. However, the kids dropped free when a large, sharp rock shot up from the ground and pierced the robot. Angie looked over and smiled at King Bumi, the muscular elder popping up more earth walls and sending them to crush more robots.

Boba Fett and Khryssa stood back-to-back with their sabers as they were surrounded by Kremlings, but lasers shot down from the heavens and blew the crocs away, the two looking up and spotting Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. "RIGHT ON, Nigel, m'boy!" Monty cheered several feet away.

"Alright, team, let's land, start shooting, and wipe these freaks from the face of the city." Numbuh 1 ordered to the many people aboard the ship. "Kids Next Door, battle stations!"

"Ooh-OO-ooh!" Donkey Kong cried as the Kongs flew out of the ship's windows, successfully bouncing over a row of Kremlings. Tiny Kong landed in the middle of a circle of Fire Tikis, quickly flipping and dodging as they sent blue flames at the chimp. One of the Tikis drew out a bow and started launching quick arrows at her, but Tiny switched out her Feather Bow and launched her own feather arrows back, the sharp feathers bouncing away the arrows and sticking into the Tiki's eyes. The blue-flamed Tikis then spat fire at Dixie Kong, but the blonde-haired swiftly flipped behind them and started waving her ponytail, making enough wind to blow out the fire, allowing Chunky to come and smash the Tikis.

Citizens dashed out of a restaurant as chairs and tables came flying out the windows. Within the restaurant, a lone blue Bokoblin glanced around the outside, eyes wide with madness as the demon wielded a machete, cackling as he ran wildly outside. "Hehe! Hehe! I gotta sword!" he repeated as he ran about and stabbed random citizens. "Look-a-me, look-a-me, I gotta sword! Don't try and catch me now 'cause I gotta sword! I'm gonna come over and cut you 'cause I gotta sword! Haha! Ha- AHH!" the monster screamed when Rachel jumped in his way and sliced him, the demon running the opposite way as Rachel gave chase. "Haha! Haha! You ain't gonna catch me! Ain't gonna catch me 'cause I gotta sword! Come on, look at my sword, 'cause it's so- AHH!" he screamed once more when Master Piandao landed in his path, afterwards looking back to see Rachel run over, who knocked the demon on his back and proceeded to stab him rapidly. "AHH-AHH-AAHHHH!"

"Shut UP already." Rachel panted.

"Excellent work." Piandao told her. "Let us take care of the rest."

Sonic and Blaze boosted through swarms of robots until some earth chunks suddenly came up and bound the two speedsters. Surrounding them was a group of men in dark-green robes, earthbenders called Dai Li Agents. The two gasped when Princess Azula landed in front of them, closing their eyes as the firebending witch charged lightning in her fingers, preparing to zap them. "Chaos SPEAR!" The princess jumped back as Chaos Spears nearly exploded on her.

Shadow the Hedgehog landed and started punching at the princess, Azula flying far backward with her rocket shoes. Rouge came down and sliced the stones holding Blaze and Sonic with her sharp boots. The two hedgehogs exchanged glances and nodded before running side-by-side and taking out robots using Home Attack.

Meanwhile, the workers at Mushroom Dooper and Blockblister ran out of their shops as they were being destroyed, gathering in the middle of the street. "Boy, Daddy. These people really are grumpy today." The girl from Mushroom Dooper said.

"They should probably have one of our mushrooms. They're good! MMMM!" her dad replied.

"Mm, Papa, this reminds me of one of our movies, _The_… _Darkest Hour_, no?" Biscotti asked.

"Nu nu nu nu. You think of The Darkest FLOUR!" Blini corrected.

"Oh, yes!" Gnocchi smiled. "It is better!"

"MUCH BETTER!" they all exclaimed.

Penelope was currently flying over the city at this time, looking over the incredible destruction, and her eyes widened at the sight of Blini and the daughter of Mushroom Dooper. "TWO AMANDAS! Two Amandas, please! But what's this?" She noticed a series of bombs raining down around the area where the workers stood, said workers shielding their faces with their arms as the ground exploded around them. "HOLD ON! Cue slow-motion, please!" Penelope immediately shot downward in slow-motion, holding the DNA Revitalizer ready. _"I'll… save… yooooouuu…"_ Penelope quickly passed over the two families and fired the ray at the two Amanda personas, catching them safely inside and flying back up, letting the rest of the families be blown to smithereens by the bombs. "Aha! That is TWO for one! Fare thee well, city! Enjoy gettin' BLOWN up! …Please."

After the fleet of witches landed, Yuki and Talzin stepped off the carriage as the icebender started freezing every screaming citizen in sight. A fireball punched him from behind, and he looked back and gritted his teeth at Nigel Uno. Both boys lit up their fists with their respective elements and started throwing punches. Both jumped away from the other as Yuki froze a ruined streetlight beside Nigel, the ice cracking and toppling over, making the frozen pole hold the Brit down. Yuki smirked and stepped closer, proceeding to freeze the rest of his body, starting from the feet to his head. But before he could finish the head, he was forced to jump away at another blast of fire, and Nigel looked up and smiled at Jeong-Jeong, using rocket shoes to hover over them. The fire master threw more flames at Nigel and unfroze him, letting the boy stand up as Jeong-Jeong landed beside him, both shooting glares at Yuki. Yuki only conjured a squad of Chilfos and ran off, leaving the firebenders to deal with them.

Inside one of the buildings, the Hispanic maid Consuela was calmly vacuuming the floors in an office and listening to some Mexican music via headphones. The high-pitched sound of an incoming cannonball could be heard in the distance, and said cannonball burst through the windows and bounced all over the place, totally ruining the office. Consuela paused in her vacuuming and stood there a few seconds. "Nno. Nnooo."

"Hahahahahaha!" Bowser Jr. danced and laughed aboard the flag Koopa airship. "Burn this city to rubble, come on, come on, let's go! Whoooa!" The Koopa Prince nearly fell over when their ship suddenly quaked upon impact of cannonballs from another one of their own. The Koopa child looked up and glared at Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi, riding the stolen airship driven by Toad. Junior whined and ordered more cannonballs to be shot at them, the Mario Bros. throwing on Tanuki Suits and floating over to his, bouncing off some larger cannonballs before reaching his deck and starting to whip him with their Tanuki Tails.

While dozens of other citizens were screaming and running by, Lucinda was happily casting spells and turning them all into small, harmless animals. "That should make things a bit better for them- OOF." The witch was pelted from behind by another magic blast.

"Lady, you have GOT to get yo' self a pair of glasses." Facilier told her.

Lucinda's handsome carriage driver, Kyle then stepped off his seat, twirling his whip around as he gave a sparkling grin at Facilier. The witch-doctor stared confusedly at him before simply casting a spell that stunned the driver, making him topple over. He afterwards started throwing spells at Lucinda, but the witch protected herself in a green barrier as she launched green lightning from her hands, missing the witch-doctor by a few inches as he flipped over her shots. The Ice Climbers landed behind Talzin and quickly froze the ground, making the old hag slip and fall on her back for the two kids to bash her with their hammers.

During all of this destruction, Cleveland Brown was just happily taking a bath inside a hotel, nodding his head and singing to some music in his headphones while he put shampoo on. "Boy, this is the easiest time I ever had taken a bath lately. I guess since those Kids Next Door already came through this city, I got nothin' to worry about." However, the mustached man turned and looked out his window, frowning at the sight of a massive blimp with Eggman's symbol passing by, firing and blowing up several floors on buildings. "Oh, sh**." At that instant, the blimp fired and destroyed his floor, not giving his bathtub any time to slide off and fell right away.

The man screamed louder than he had the previous times as he was about to fall in a massive fire, but was thankfully rescued when Buddy grabbed him with his psychic. While the male Quad held him up, a huge wave of water passed by and dissolved the flames into smoke. When the smoke cleared, they could see Eva, Kade, and Master Pakku on the other side. "Sorry we're late." Eva called.

"Took you long enough!" Nigel shouted as he and Jeong-Jeong just melted the head off a Chilfos.

"Kade wanted to stop for a burrito."

"Like you didn't want those French fries?" Kade asked sarcastically.

"Do not worry about it." Jeong-Jeong told them. "The whole of the White Lotus is nearly here. We must continue to fend off these creatures."

"Just what IS the White Lotus?" Nigel asked.

"The time for questions will come soon."

Dr. Eggman was now flying by the blimp that destroyed Cleveland's room, in which the other side of the aircraft had a "DC" label. "WHOA HO HO HO HO! Finally! Now that my specialized ordered DC Comics blimp is here, let's get into some real action!" With that, he pressed a remote and had the blimp drop tons of Voldemort, Palpatine, and Sentinel Clones. The scientist gave a sniffle as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I really did miss these guys."

"Oh, give me a break." Buddy retorted, still holding Cleveland. The Quad was instantly blown away by the impact of one of the Sentinels' gunfire to the ground, taking Cleveland with him as he flew and bumped Fanny in the head, knocking the Irish over while Cleveland was thrown at Rouge, the bat gasping and kicking the man at an Egg Hammer just in time.

"NNYAH!" Fanny yelled, pushing Buddy off of her. "If ya want to still have that choppy brain of yours, ya better watch where you're landin'!"

"And if you don't want a bat bitch-slap, you better watch where you're throwing!" Rouge shouted at Buddy. The two girls then went to beat up more robots while Patton went over beside Buddy.

"Gee, sorry about that. Women, huh?" Patton asked him.

"Tell me about it." The male Quad replied, rubbing his head.

"Yo, Buddy, get over here!" Morgan shouted as his 3 sisters were engaging more clones. He ran to join them as they started slicing clones to pieces. They looked up behind them as the Sentinels stomped forward, feeling outsized and outmatched. They tried to grab one of them, but another one just shot and blew them away, and the rest of the clones took aim and were about to hit. However, the front Sentinel's head was blown off by a plasma shot, and they all faced to the sky to see Death's Head, flying beside Meta Knight and Dimentia.

"Spread out and destroy them!" Meta Knight ordered, shooting down to the city and starting to cut away Stormtroopers as he scampered through.

"'Twas the plan from the start, duh?" Death's Head replied, flying down to shoot more Sentinel Clones.

"I'll handle it from the rooftops. Let's go, Jirachi." Dimentia ordered, releasing Jirachi from his Spirit Ball as they flew to the rooftops.

From Darth Genious' main tank, General Immortus viewed around with a telescope and spotted the Zathurian with Jirachi starting to zap Stormtroopers off the tops of buildings, aiding GUN Troopers. "Sir! I've spotted Jirachi. Should we go after him?"

"Indeed. Send the villains up there. Team Brotherhood, get me that Firstborn."

April and Danika immediately jumped up to where Nolan was as Danika grabbed both of them, using Shadow Glide to fly toward Dimentia while several Brotherhood villains took off in their ships. They landed on the building where Dimentia was, and April quickly blew her back with a psionic blast while Danika slid behind and grabbed her. Nolan fired his net around Jirachi, but the star child teleported before he could shock. Dimentia then shocked Danika off of her before shocking Nolan with Space Lightning.

Down below, Mika and Lucario were just finished using psychic to topple over an Imperial Walker, letting Rainier crawl inside to take out the soldiers within. By that time, the two psychics were pretty worn out, but Lucario grabbed Mika and quickly jumped before a bigger ray hit them. They looked up as Cad Bane and Aurra were flying over in their Wolfens, targeting the psychics as Bane said, "So long, Jedi." The ships came to a sudden stop just then, and they looked ahead as Mewtwo was using psychic to hold them. The hunters gritted their teeth and jumped out of the ships before Mewtwo tossed them, Bane activating his rocket shoes and grabbing Aurra before flying away. Mewtwo glanced down at Mika and nodded to her while she smiled and nodded back, the two proceeding to throw Psycho Spheres all around.

Back with Nigel and Jeong-Jeong's fight with Yuki, the two ducked as the ice child swung the ice ball-n-chain at them, afterwards flying away by launching ice rays from his hands. After he landed and smirked at them, he was kicked to the ground from behind by Jagar King, seeing the three timebenders before they all used Stop to freeze him in time. Mother Talzin saw this several feet away, but was still being beaten down by the Ice Climbers. Facilier smirked and was about to cast a stun spell at her, but his cane was swat away by Rumpel's Expelliarmus spell. The elf stunned the Ice Climbers afterwards, allowing Lucinda to stand up and cast a spell at Yuki, making him mobile again so he could throw more ice at the timebenders. However, he was instantly frozen again when Clockwork came into the scene, smiling down at Jagar.

"Master, it seems ve are having some problems." Monsieur Mallah said to Brain. "Ze White Lotus men are all here. With the exclusion of Monsieur Dodds and zere leader."

The Brain looked up to where Team Brotherhood was fighting Dimentia, seeing Commander Gunkan coming their way on his aircraft. "He should be here pretty soon. Carry me to my apprentice, Mallah. General Immortus, activate the battle towers." And with that, Mallah grabbed his master and switched on his mini helicopter, flying away while Immortus pushed a button at his station. (Play "Defending the Ramparts 2" from _Dawn of the Dragon_!)

_Act 2_

Several tanks around the area instantly grew into colossal battle towers, lined all up with cannons as they began firing upon the city, explosions appearing all over the place. Gunkan glanced over at the towers and ordered, "Men! Focus all fire on those towers! Don't let 'em get too close!"

"Leon, Panther, Jake, let's get them." Wolf ordered his team as they flew toward the towers and started to shoot them, blowing up the cannons.

"Come on!" Morgan yelled to her siblings, slicing a few more heads off clones before they headed up one of the buildings. Rachel looked up and spotted GUN soldiers stepping off of aircrafts and onto buildings, using her Hookshots to quickly make her way upward. Lucario, Rainier, and Mika exchanged glances and nodded before Lucario wrapped his arms around them both, quickly jumping up some buildings just before the ground beneath them exploded.

Sonic and Shadow just finished piercing through a Sentinel's heart before spotting the towers, speeding toward them as fast as the wind would allow, jumping all explosions, and leaping their way over. Sonic made it to the first tower and Spin Dashed into the tank, knocking out all the Stormtroopers before shooting up the tower, causing several explosions along it before destroying it completely, the hedgehog flying out. Shadow used Chaos Control to warp into another tank, kicking out a Stormtrooper and taking his gun, using it to shoot all the others. The hedgehog then glowed with a red aura as he yelled, "Chaos… BLAST!", creating a massive explosion that wiped out the tower.

Back with Team Brotherhood, Nolan kept firing his grappling hook at Jirachi, but the Firstborn warped each time. It was then that April finally stunned him with a psionic ray and allowed Nolan to catch him in his net, shocking the star child before he could warp. The net was suddenly shot open by Numbuh Infinity, the diplomat blowing out the smoke on his ray gun before shooting the shadow that was Danika, who was holding down Dimentia. The GUN Commander's aircraft landed on their rooftop, gesturing for Dimentia and Infinity to leave. They did so as Dimentia returned the unconscious Jirachi to his Spirit Ball, warping herself and Infinity off. Brett switched on his darksabers and ran to slice Danika, but the goth held up her daggers in defense while Midna flew behind and grabbed his leg, swinging and bashing him along the floor before releasing him.

"My, Brett, isn't this a charming reunion." Midna retreated to Danika's shadow, and the Commander shot his head up at the sound of the robotic voice.

"REVAN!" he yelled, standing up.

"You know him?" Nolan asked Brain.

"Brett and I had a minor complication in the past. It shouldn't interest you. Why don't you three assist the fight down below? I can deal with this long worn-out commander." The three villains exchanged confused glances and quickly made their way downstairs.

"I haven't forgotten you, Sidious." Gunkan said to Brain, aiming his sabers. "You were the biggest traitor we've ever had. You turned me into that monster."

"Must we continue holding on to the past, Brett? I'd much rather think about our future, where I rule and your life's ended." Gunkan tried to strike Genious, but the Sith's eyes and dome alit as a barrier formed around, protecting from all of Gunkan's strikes. The Commander was electrocuted when he struck the electric shield that just formed around Brain, and the Sith used his psychic to pick up several pieces of scrap around the area, Brett quickly flipping and dodging as the pieces hurled his way.

A gang of Brotherhood villains were wreaking havoc inside an office building and making citizens run about in fear. Mammoth spotted Rachel come in and attempted to throw a desk at her, but Rachel sliced it and threw her Hylian Shield at the buff villain's chin, knocking him out as the shield came back. She rose it up in defense as Mumbo casted spells at her, then rolled away before Gizmo flew overhead and fired bullets down, tossing her boomerang at the child's backpack and making him fly out of control, breaking through a window and going outside.

Everyone on that floor shook when the Helmaroc King rammed his head right into the building. Lehcar and Ghirahim, who were riding the massive bird, took their swords and sliced several support beams on that side before flying off. The villains quickly retreated when that floor began tilting downward, but Rachel slipped and stabbed her sword in the floor to keep from sliding down. She looked up, eyes widened at a bunch of desks sliding toward her, bumping and forcing the leader to slide off and fall out the window. Both Nigel and Fanny took some time from their enemy-fighting to notice her, quickly kicking on their rocket shoes and flying straight up, grabbing their leader by the arms and flying her safely to a building top.

Rachel nodded in thanks and waved them off, then went to go attack a squad of Stalfos attacking a GUN soldier by a cannon. She cut the bones off of them and kicked their heads off the building to a flame below. "Thank you." The soldier said before jumping back in his cannon seat, turning and taking aim at one of the battle towers. "Get ready to fire!" He pushed a button and launched a large cannonball, coming in contact and successfully destroying the tower.

Afterwards, the cannon was destroyed in an instant by lightning, blowing the soldier away. Rachel blew away the smoke and looked up at Lehcar on the Helmaroc King's head. The Negative kicked on her rockets and flew over, landing where Rachel was and starting to clash with her sword, while Rachel had to duck some fire kicks. After kicking Lehcar back, Rachel grabbed and shoved her over the edge, the two quickly sticking their swords in the building's side and starting to scrape down beside each other.

Rachel swung up and dodged some flames Lehcar kicked at her, flipping onto her sword and drawing out her bow, trying to hit Lehcar with arrows while the Negative flipped up and charged lightning onto her sword. However, the part of the building on Lehcar's side was broken the rest of the way down, so the Negative fell. But Rachel fired her Hookshot and stuck it at the top of the broken part, then grabbed her sword before swinging and grabbing her Negative before she fell into the flames. Rachel landed them a few inches away from the fire as her Hookshot retracted, but Lehcar just kicked her away and ran off.

At the top of another building, Team Psychic (aka Mika, Rainier, and Lucario) arrived to see some Teen Ninjas stalking closer to a GUN Trooper, whom had a darksaber raised. "Stay back!" he yelled at them.

One of the ninjas fired a grappler and took the saber, about to strike the man before Mika jumped in his way, holding her saber up in defense. "Well, this is kind of ironic." She commented.

Rainier and Lucario then used chi-blocks on the Teen Ninjas to make them numb and fall over, while Mika just used psychic and kicked the one she was fending off the building. Their building was immediately being pelted with cannonballs from the battle towers, so the soldier jumped in his cannon and took aim at the closest one. "Quick, you kids get those cannonballs and help me reload." Mika and Lucario did so and grabbed several cannonballs from the pile with their psychic, stuffing them in the cannon and allowing the soldier to fire straight at the tower, blowing it up as well.

The Quads fought their way up onto another building just in time to watch a soldier in another cannon fire at another tower, blowing it up in an instant. A pack of Demon Apes climbed to where he was and started tearing the cannon apart, attacking the trooper as well. Buddy jumped and used a Psycho Shockwave to stun all of the apes, allowing The Quads to pick them up and throw them toward the towers, but it had no real effect. Athena spotted one of Bowser's airships firing Missile Bills at them, but she simply grabbed the homing projectiles and flung them back, destroying the back of the airship and making it crash down to one of the towers, blowing it up upon impact.

A squad of Kop Kremlings then flew over to them on helicopters, jumping to where they were as they wielded electrical rods. Two of them quickly zapped and stunned Morgan while Buddy tried to strike one, only to get zapped himself. Before the Kops could go for the others, they were suddenly levitated upwards by a psychic force, The Quads smiling at Mewtwo. The cloned spirit tossed the Kremlings away before they all faced the last battle tower. Morgan simply charged a Psycho Sphere in her hands and tossed it straight away, the tower erupting into flames.

"That's the last of 'em!" she exclaimed.

"Don't party just yet." General Immortus smirked, pressing another button. The general's tank rose into an even bigger tower, lined up with tons of cannons that fired missiles, blowing up the sides of several buildings.

"Great. What now?" Jagar asked.

"We will handle this." Clockwork responded. "Members of the White Lotus: go forth." With that, each of the White Lotus men left their respective apprentices and dashed toward the final tower. Pakku splashed and froze water along his path for him and Piandao to ski down, with the sword master slicing the weapons of several Stormtroopers. Bumi just burrowed beneath ground and dug his way below the tower, piercing sharp rocks up from below to try and get it stuck.

Pakku made an ice path going up and around the tower, skiing along as he blew ice and froze parts of the armor while Jeong-Jeong flew up via rocket shoes and tossed flames at the frozen armor, breaking parts of it off. Piandao skied toward the front windshield and swiftly flipped in, starting to cut away any Stormtroopers that tried to shoot him. Immortus put his tank on autopilot and got up from his seat, starting to clash against Piandao's sword with his own. Mewtwo and Clockwork hovered in front of the tower's cannons, the psychic master easily grabbing missiles and sending them back, doing damage.

With most of the armor weakened, Clockwork charged power from his staff and sucked in a huge breath through his nose. "RAAAAAAHHHHH! !" he erupted a powerful, quaking roar from his lungs, his Roar of Time shaking the tower enough so that the rest of its armor came off, exposing its vulnerable insides. "The core is exposed. Now's your chance, Iroh."

Watching the siege from miles away, the White Lotus leader Iroh stood on a hill, calmly drinking his cup of tea. "Can't a man just drink his Jasmine Tea without some disturbances for a change? Okay. Stand back." The old man gently placed his cup on the ground and charged a great, bright lightning in his hands. The man took steady aim at the tower with his fingertips and fired away. The lightning came in contact with the tower in seconds, causing it to erupt into flames.

"Hm. So he is here after all." Mallah noticed as he and Brain watched the tower explode.

"I expected him not to miss this-" While they were distracted, Gunkan dashed and kicked The Brain right off his canister, Mallah gasping as the dome flung off and rolled away.

"Master, no!" the gorilla screamed, trying to grab him, but failed and looked horribly as the disembodied Sith Lord rolled over the building's edge, falling the hundred feet to the ground below.

Nolan looked up and gasped, seeing his leader falling fast, quickly rolling over and successfully catching The Brain in his lap. Both he and Mallah breathed a sigh of relief, but Nolan and Team Brotherhood were soon surrounded by a squad of GUN Troopers. But to their relief, a bus drove by and ran some over, Madame Rouge jumping out of it afterwards and shielding the children from the soldiers' gunfire. "Get going."

The three nodded and left her to deal with the troops, but Nolan stopped for a moment and spared a suspicious glance to the aforementioned bus, which already seemed to have some dried blood on the front of it.

As the final tower was collapsing, Immortus looked around hesitantly before finally jumping off, while Piandao did the same and skied his way back to the city. The other White Lotus members headed back as well, leaving the tower to collapse and explode into nothingness. (End song.)

**Bowser's Castle**

The many trapped prisoners watched with joy as the final tower burst into flames. _"Look! They're retreating!"_ Knuckles exclaimed, noticing the outside armies backing away.

_"Ha HA! Our friends aren't getting destroyed after all! Eat THAT, Jeremiah!"_ Kami shouted cockily, jabbing her finger toward him.

The burn-covered boy just turned and smiled at his miniaturized crush. "Oh, Kami. You always looked cute when you gloat after you think you've won. That was only the beginning."

_"What? You mean it's not over?"_ Yin asked.

_"It HAS to be over!"_ Marine yelled. _"They got their giant tower thingies destroyed and they already blew up several buildings! What else could they possible 'ave left?"_

Elijah just smirked and pointed at the screen, showing a massive yellow cloud spiraling around the sky. "A Cloud of Fear…" Matt calmly responded.

Katie just gave a wide gasp, recognizing such a color from anywhere. _"No!"_

**Chicago, Indiana**

The townspeople looked up with fright at the yellow spiraling cloud. Bright and deafening lightning lit up the sky as the center of the cloud opened, creating an eerie wind as the rest of the sky grew darker and darker, with the only light coming from the opening in the cloud. It wasn't the kind of light that filled peoples' hearts with warm feelings and hope, though, oh no. It was quite the opposite. An evil, dim kind of light. That only forecast doom and destruction.

Several blackish-brown tentacles slithered out of the opening, the fear rising in the hearts of the citizens even more as some strange entity was coming in. Finally, the face of the massive cloud entity was shown, parts of his body glowing with that dim yellow light as his mouth opened wide, giving an enormous roar. The citizens all screamed and ran around uncontrollably, the demon using telekinesis to lift some of them up and hold them close to his face.

_"So many voices… all screaming for mercy. Praying… for death."_

_"A shame we are only here to further their suffering."_ The Dark Master said. The entity opened his mouth, and the citizens screamed as it sucked the energy right out of them, leaving their bodies as shriveled up corpses as they were dropped to the ground.

_"Ahh. So… delicioussss…"_

"What is that thing? !" Rachel shouted.

Fi popped out to answer her question. _"Master, subject identified as Parallax. It is a gargantuan entity of Yellow Fear created eons ago by the original Nightmare King. It is the being responsible for making Planet Vaporia into its monstrous state."_

"Care to expand? ?" Rachel asked impatiently.

_"It feeds off of the fear inside people. The yellow energy being absorbed from their bodies is the aura of all the fear within their hearts. Parallax sucks the people dry of their fear until their bodies are shriveled into nothing."_

"In other words, we are f&^king screwed."

_"It is weak against sources of light. Perhaps your Light Arrows and Skyward Strike can work to some effect."_

"Okay, but let's get close enough first."

Monty kept his guard up as a squad of Fatblin surrounded him, but flames spiraled around and burned them as Father appeared beside him. "Ah, Ben! Good to see you, eh wot?"

"Save the happy reunion, Monty, I need to find-" He stopped at the sound of a woman's scream, eyes widened as he looked up. "Natsume!"

From the top of the other building, The Quads looked over and spotted Gaul climbing the side of a far-off building, his left arm wrapped around their mother. "Mom!" Morgan exclaimed.

"I'm usually not one for this whole 'King Kong' thing, but things are gonna turn up a little different." Gaul smirked, pausing in his climbing and turning to Parallax. "HEY! BIG BOY!" He caught the demon's attention. "Got a NIICE fresh one right here! Hhha ha ha ha!" He continued to climb as Parallax flew his way.

"Oh no! We have to stop him!" Athena yelled. Right away, the psychicbenders jumped off the building and flew straight toward the building where the massive demon was headed.

Gaul soon reached a balcony of the building, holding Natsume high above him as Parallax was gaining closer. "Yesss… any time now, Master… you will be free…"

"Not so fast!" Buddy exclaimed when The Quads arrived and landed just in time.

"Ah, what perfect timing." Gaul smirked, deciding to toss the woman onto the floor. "Enjoy your lunchtime, kiddies." With that, the Ape King jumped over the railing, The Quads stepping back in fright as the entity of fear just arrived as well, staring with his mouth open as he spoke.

_"Such foolish children believing they can resist the inevitable. Do they really believe they stand a chance against me? I will destroy them all, along with this waste of a planet."_

"That's what you think." Morgan refuted as they switched out their lightsabers. "We'll show him what these children can do. Come on, team." (Play "Attack of the Golem 2" from _Dawn of the Dragon_!)

_Boss fight: Parallax_

The unholy cloud gave a deafening roar as it readied for battle. It first raised one of its arms and crushed down on Sophie, but she rolled and dodged and struck its arm with her saber. Parallax raised his other fist and tried to crush Athena, who dodged and tried to strike back, but Parallax pulled away before she could. The four conjured Psycho Spheres and hurled them at the monster's head, damaging it a little, but were suddenly lifted against their own will, their arms forcibly wrapped behind them as Parallax was about to suck their fear. Thankfully, The Quads were saved when a couple missiles zoomed by and struck the side of the Nightmare's head.

"Hey-hey! Looks like these long-range missiles really DO do somethin'!" Boba exclaimed, flying several feet away from them.

Parallax turned and attempted to suck him, but was immediately pelted with Psycho Spheres to the head by The Quads. The demon growled at them and rose its tentacles, easily wrapping around the four and swinging them around. The four were saved once more when Star Wolf shot by, slicing the tentacles with their ships' wings and catching one of the Quads on each of their ships. Parallax turned and angrily hissed at them again, erupting a deafening Fear Scream that forced them to shield their ears. The Wolfens also malfunctioned from the scream and eventually exploded, causing the siblings to fall back to the balcony.

"Star Wolf!" Boba yelled. A tentacle then came and swatted the hunter, sending him flying away as well. _"Waaahhhh!"_

Just when the demon was going to suck them again, an Aura Sphere hit him in the head, so he looked down at Team Psychic. Parallax hissed and flew downward, Lucario grabbing onto Mika and Rainier and running as the demon chased quickly. The three passed by a street, which Parallax looked down and spotted dozens of frightened citizens. Ignoring the psychics for now, the demon soared along the street, the townspeople trying to run, but ended up caught within his cloud, sucking their bodies dry in mere seconds upon contact of the darkness. "O-kay, not our best idea…" Mika said sheepishly.

"Whoops." Lucario blushed.

"Maybe we can-" Rainier's suggestion was cut short when a gold crown suddenly shot over and caught Mika's Spirit Ball, pulling it away.

"Hey, give that back!" Mika demanded when the crown flew back over to K. Rool, catching the Spirit Ball in his hand. He left the Kremling Kops to deal with the three psychics while he carried the ball away.

As Fanny and Patton fought off some Ice Cream Men, the adults turned tail and ran suddenly, the two looking confused before turning and gasping at the approaching Parallax. The two held each other and screamed at the top of their lungs as the demon was about to suck their fear. But before he could get started, Rachel quickly landed on a broken building beside them and pulled out a Light Arrow, taking aim and shooting the demon's eye. Parallax looked up and faced her, and Rachel jumped to the ground and started running, swiftly dodging his attacking tentacles. She looked up as its mouth widened, about to try and suck her dry, too. Right when she had the moment, she pulled out another Light Arrow and fired straight in its mouth, causing the demon to choke a little bit before light exploded from its head.

The left side of its head was blown up, the monster falling to the ground unconscious for a bit as an Evil Crystal was exposed in that spot. "It's powered by Evil Crystals!" Patton exclaimed.

"Time to destroy it." Rachel said, raising her sword up and charging a Skyward Strike. The Supreme Leader swung her blade and sent an airwave at the crystal, shattering it in an instant.

The demon screamed from the intense pain and roared, swinging his arm and swatting the three of them away. Afterwards, he continued along the path for more souls to devour.

Behind the broken walls of one of the buildings, Scarlet and Violet were still in their violent brawl as both of them gained several cuts and bruises. Violet, having seemingly endured the most beatings, could barely stand up, so Scarlet was able to easily grab and shove her through another cracked window. "Huh. You make this too easy." Scar smirked, holding her heavily-injured cousin up by the shirt collar and touching one of her metal claws to her neck. "And now the moment we've all been waiting for…"

Before she could do anything, she stopped and noticed Parallax coming around the corner. The Italian werecat couldn't help but scream in terror, causing Parallax to lift and start to suck out her fear. "Ohh…, huh?" Violet recovered just in time to see this. "Scar!" She quickly tossed her shurikens at the demon's face and injured it, making it cease in sucking Scarlet's fear and dropping her. Violet hurriedly ran and caught her in her arms. "Scar! Are you okay?"

"Ohhh…" Scarlet appeared barely conscious.

"Hold on. We're getting you out of here." Violet lifted Scar's arm around her neck and carried her off.

Parallax ignored them and turned down a street to devour more souls. Team Psychic ran in his way again as Mika and Lucario fired more Aura Spheres, sending him back a little. They quickly retreated when Parallax recovered, but Sector V jumped in his way and fired their weapons at his face, keeping him back a little more. Parallax hissed in anger and unleashed another deafening Fear Scream, forcing the children to cover their ears, and for their weapons to break. He levitated them via telekinesis and prepared to suck out their fear, but had to drop them when ecto shots zapped him from an unknown source.

Emily Matthews appeared by his face and smirked and waved before turning invisible again, Parallax trying to track her as she flew around his head, pelting him with more Ecto Rays. While he was distracted, Chad was speeding straight toward him in his flying teen bike, quickly jumping out and letting the bike ram and explode in his face. Parallax angrily waved the smoke away, but soon got pelted with a swarm of Chaos Spears. Shadow the Hedgehog appeared in front of him, spinning into a pinball as Parallax opened his mouth to suck him. Shadow simply shot into the demon's mouth, glowing with red aura again as he yelled, "Chaos… BLAST!"

Parallax screamed as the explosion blew off a chunk on the other side of his head, exposing the Evil Crystal within. "Sonic, take this!" Blaze shouted, tossing the blue and red Chaos Emeralds to the hedgehog. Sonic caught them in both hands as he began to glow, spinning into a pinball and firing straight at the crystal, shattering it upon impact. (End song.)

Weakened, the hideous Nightmare fell to the ground, panting heavily as the heroes stood around him, waiting for him to strike. After a while, the kids noticed a dark energy coming from the inside of his head, seeming to fuel the demon enough as he faced straight up and roared to the heavens. Parallax rose from the ground and back into the massive hole in the clouds, sending tentacles of Yellow Fear around the city to suck in more souls.

Snake looked and noticed Boba's discarded Wolfen, dodging a tentacle as he dashed over and jumped in the cockpit. "Get on!" he yelled to The Quads, the siblings hurrying and jumping onto the wings as the ship lifted and flew off to the glowing hole of fear. As Rachel and her friends watched them, they heard a bird's cry in the distance, seeing the Crimson Loftwing flying toward them. "WHOA!" Patton exclaimed when Rachel flipped onto the Loftwing and flew toward the hole as well. (Play "Attack of the Golem 2"!)

The five kids flew straight up into the spiraling cloud, with their only light coming from the Yellow Fear and the evil lightning as they dodged more of Parallax's yellow tentacles. Parallax sent Fear Spheres, the size of vans, homing in on them, but the two aircraft were able to fly around them. A sphere was coming toward Rachel, but the leader shot and destroyed it with a Light Arrow. Several yellow tentacles were blocking their path forward, so Rachel charged up a Skyward Strike and sent the airwave to slice the tentacles, letting them proceed forward.

Back on ground, Death's Head and Meta Knight were busy cutting away tentacles and rescuing citizens. "Things got much more complicated, yes?" the robot asked.

"It should not last for long. Any moment, the children should-" the knight's statement was cut short when an air slash struck and sent him flying. He quickly recovered and viewed his attacker. "Galacta Knight!"

The cursed Star Warrior waved his sword as Death's Head charged over to swing his ax at him, but the knight defended easily with his sword. Galacta Knight flew away and sent lightning rays from his sword, blowing more buildings to smithereens. He stopped and noticed the two heroes flying toward him, quickly retreating the city in the opposite direction. The two stopped for a moment and glanced back at the hole where Parallax was. They exchanged one last hesitant glance and figured the others had it covered, continuing to fly after Galacta Knight.

Back in the Tornado of Fear, Rachel and The Quads finally fought their way through until they reached the gargantuan cloud at the end, Parallax's face clearly visible as he opened his mouth to begin sucking Rachel and the Loftwing in. The red bird tried to fly them away, but Parallax's force appeared to powerful, but they were saved when Snake launched a bomb from the Wolfen into his mouth, ceasing the sucking and damaging him, allowing Rachel to get away.

_"Master, I can feel a powerful presence coming from the inside."_ Fi reported. _"It is likely the Evil Crystal lodged within his brain."_

"I guess we'll handle that." Morgan decided. "Come on, Snake. We're going in." With that, she and the psychics conjured a protective barrier around their Wolfen as Snake flew them straight into the cloud. They successfully pierced through the darkness before arriving at the colossal inside, a stormy wasteland of several asteroids, in which pathways of Yellow Fear flowed into a tornado, connected to a black and yellow brain up above.

The kids flew closer to the brain and noticed the dark energy glowing around it, littered with many dark crystals sticking out. The psychics drew out their sabers and started slashing at the brain, slowly cutting parts off. They gasped terrified when a bunch of Parallax faces appeared around them, spitting out Yellow Fear Spheres that homed in as The Quads quickly swat them away.

"Guess we should help out, too." Rachel decided. She kicked her Loftwing as it screeched and flew straight below the demon's mouth. Rachel quickly fired Light Arrows to cut their path open as they flew through the cloud. They were able to arrive at the center as well, seeing the Parallax heads spit spheres at The Quads and sending Light Arrows to destroy them.

Morgan continued to strike at the brain a bit more until it was finally destroyed, exposing the sharp, jagged Evil Crystal underneath, much bigger than the others as it pumped like a heart. "There's the core!" Buddy exclaimed.

"Okay! Time to end this!" Rachel declared as the Loftwing flew them closer and allowed her to slice parts of the gem off. "Whoa!" she yelped when they heard Parallax screaming, making the tornado below rise higher and protect the Evil Crystal. The Quads combined their psychic to create a barrier below the crystal, keeping the tornado lower so that Rachel could continue striking at it. The psychics' strength quickly decreased and were forced to drop the barrier, letting the tornado come up to protect the crystal again.

Rachel looked to the pathways of Yellow Fear and flew down, charging Skyward Strikes and quickly slicing them all in half. As she did so, the tornado seemed to get smaller and weaker, but the pathways were regenerating and making it bigger. After The Quads caught their breath, and Rachel cut enough pathways, the four were able to hold the tornado down some more. Before the tornado expanded and overpowered them again, Rachel hurriedly flew back up and struck more at the dark gem, eventually cutting enough of it to expose its center. With one last charge of the sword, Rachel sent the Skyward Strike and completely shattered the Evil Crystal.

_"AAAAAAAHHHHHH! !"_ Parallax's screaming echoed throughout the realm as the entire inside began to quake and go out of control. The kids hurried and flew straight to where the open mouth appeared, flying straight out of the demon as parts of Parallax rained down after them, the kids barely dodging as they were headed back to the town.

The children were able to make it out of the spiraling cloud, Rachel flying back down to Fanny and Patton and jumping off her Loftwing while Snake carried The Quads back to their mother, who had been led down the building safely by Father. Everyone looked up and watched as the fallen Parallax came out of the cloud and fell straight to the ground. The entity burst into a great explosion as the spiraling clouds finally came to a halt. (End song.)

Squadrons of GUN Troopers gathered around the spot where the demon crashed. Smoke rose from the ashes, and in the center of the gaping crater, a dark-purple aura glowed from within a puff of smoke. The soldiers kept their weapons raised and slowly approached the evil glow. (Play "His World" by Crush 40!)

The pitch-black Phantom Gnaa rose from the ground before the smoke. He smirked and cackled as he stepped aside, the smoke clearing away and exposing them to who was underneath. A bald-headed boy in a pitch-black shirt, yellow pants, and black shoes stepped out as his eyes and the arrow on his head glowed a bright purple. Already, the soldiers shook in fear, feeling the dark sense around him.

One of the men hurled a knife from behind, but Gnaa simply caught it with psychic and sent it back, piercing the man's forehead. Others tried to shoot him, but Gnaa caught the bullets and sent them back. Others rose their darksabers and attempted to strike him, but Gnaa swiftly dodged and jumped, covering them in poisonous gas. He swiftly danced his way past other soldiers before finally hovering and flying over the rest of them at high speed. The Dark Master flew all around the city, protected by a dark barrier as he pierced through buildings, making them crumble to pieces in seconds.

Lord Gnaa landed in front of a swarm of other soldiers, who all aimed weapons and unleashed endless bullets, but Gnaa kept his smirk as his dark barrier shielded him from all attacks. The Negatar folded his arms as his barrier expanded in an explosion and blew the soldiers away, as well as anything else around him. He smirked at more troopers behind him, teleporting above them and barfing out toxic waste, making them burn in pain.

As Brain and Team Brotherhood watched the display of their Master, they were quickly surrounded by other GUN Troopers. But Gnaa teleported above Nolan and used his psychic to lift all the soldiers off the ground, unleashing Force Lightning from his fingertips and stunning them. He looked several feet away as Facilier and Lucinda were both in their shadow forms, having a brawl below the ground via Shadow Veil. Gnaa used Shadow Veil as well and slithered over to them, tackling Facilier and forcing him back above ground, drawing out his Keyblade and preparing to strangle the witch-doctor with it. Lucinda smiled as Gnaa dropped the man, allowing the witch to cast a spell and stun him.

Gnaa flew over to Rumpel Stiltskin and Yuki Crystal, being frozen in time by the timebenders. Gnaa unleashed dark lasers and blew the spirits away. Jagar unleashed a Time Ray at the Dark Master, but Gnaa still countered with his dark laser and struck straight at Jagar's chest, just like in the past. Gnaa's arms were suddenly binded by a long chain wrapping around him, looking back and seeing Buddy holding him with psychic. "Now, guys!"

Ahead of him, Sonic and Shadow charged their Spin Dash and shot straight at the Negatar, but Gnaa countered by unleashing a Fear Scream, making the hedgehogs stop immediately and quake in pain on the ground. Afterwards, Gnaa expanded a psychic barrier and pushed the chain off, grabbing it himself with telekinesis and sending it at Sonic and Shadow, wrapping around their necks and starting to choke them.

Team Psychic and the Kong Klan jumped in K. Rool's way, about to take back their Firstborn, but Gnaa got in their way and spewed out Shadow Breath, blocking the heroes' vision and allowing Kroctus to get away. Back on Bowser Jr.'s airship, the Koopa Prince was being beat by Mario and Luigi, but Gnaa arrived and used his psychic to blow the plumbers to the ground. He then noticed the airship controlled by Toad and sent a Psycho Sphere to blow it up and make Toad fall as well.

Rachel, Fanny, and Patton encountered Lehcar, but once again, Gnaa stood in their way and let out toxic gas, making the three choke and blind their vision while Lehcar smirked. Gnaa then teleported back to the city, immediately surrounded by Sectors V, W, Eva, Kade, and Dimentia, all aiming weapons or powers. Gnaa focused his attention on Harvey and reached an arm toward him. Harvey suddenly felt himself shaking, then let out a scream when darkness emerged from his chest and flowed back into Gnaa through his eyes and mouth.

_"At last, my powers have returned."_ The Dark Master spoke.

"That doesn't mean you'll be getting away anytime soon!" Nigel exclaimed. The Dark Master was quickly surrounded by each of the members of the White Lotus, each having their elements ready.

"There is no chance of escaping." Clockwork told him.

_"This is your end."_ Mewtwo followed.

Gnaa kept his evil smile and looked up to the sky. (End song.)

**Cauldron Keep**

"Ancient evil, hear my pray! May all Light fall and Darkness… RULE THE DAY! !" And with that, Gruntilda slammed her finger onto the button, unleashing a gargantuan purple laser from the Big-O-Blaster, the planet quaking as the ultimate power was released and the bodiless witch cackled away.

**Chicago, Indiana**

The laser pierced through the clouds from the heavens and zapped the legions of GUN soldiers. The military men screamed in horrendous pain as their hearts flowed out of their body and their bodies faded to nothingness. Once the laser stopped, the hearts landed and disappeared into puffs of darkness. And from that darkness, thousands of creatures of many shapes and sizes appeared. Some were pure dark shadows, some took the forms of plants, others took the shape of chimps or other animals, while many others were giant, armored beasts. However, every one of them bared that same insignia of a black heart, with red outline around it, and a red X through the middle.

_"Behold…"_ the Dark Master spoke. _"These are the Heartless. And they will be the ultimate cause… of your doom…"_

The members of the White Lotus decided to ignore the Dark Master and ran to attack the Heartless as the legions of dark monsters started to attack random citizens. Rachel began slicing away the Heartless as well, and for each one they destroyed, a heart seemed to flow out of their bodies and disappear into darkness.

"What do we do now?" Jessica asked as the Junior Prospectors looked afraid.

"How 'bout you… SURRENDER!" At this, they jumped around as Bowser Jr. stood with a bucket of Minish Dust.

"Shaunie, watcheth out!" Luvbi shouted, using airbending to blow the Irish lad away. Junior grabbed a handful of dust and threw it over the Juniors, shrinking them down.

"Guys!" Shaunie yelled. Junior grabbed them all in his hands and dumped them in a hamster cage before jumping back in his mini Koopa Clown and flying away beside his dad.

"Gwah hah hah hah hah." The Koopa King laughed in the distance.

As Sonic and Blaze stood around, wondering what to do, Bokkun flew down to them with another bucket of Minish Dust. "I have an idea, let's play a game! A game of CATCH!" With that, the child robot threw the dust over and minimized them as well, catching them inside a jar.

Rachel, Fanny, and Patton panted after destroying another squad of Heartless, and the three were pretty worn out now. "Man… I don't know how much more I can take." Rachel gasped.

"Awe, are the wittle weaders tiwed of fighting?" somebody taunted at them, the three turning and spotting Eeballaw Seltaeb.

"Well, haven't seen you in a while." Rachel said.

"Still a shorty, I see." Fanny remarked.

"We'll see who's a shorty after you get a load of THIS!" From behind them, Lehcar pulled out a bucket of Minish Dust and scooped some in her hand, throwing it over the three commanders and miniaturizing them. Before they could do anything, Yllaw ran and cupped a jar right over them. "NOW tell me who the shorty is!"

Lehcar then bent over to get a closer look at the tiny Rachel. "Aw, what better choice for a pet than someone who looks just like me?" Rachel only looked up and grit her teeth in anger.

At the same time, a squad of Teen Ninjas ambushed Emily, Chad, and Zuri, throwing an ecto collar over Emily's neck and cancelling her ghost powers as Cree scooped up her own Minish Dust and threw it over them, shrinking and catching them in a jar. "That's two teen traitors for the price of one."

_"Zuri!"_

"Oh, and a little bat thing, too."

The three Time Spirits looked around worriedly, unsure as well of their next move, when Rumpel ambushed them and yelled, "REDUCIO!", casting a spell that shrunk them down as well, allowing Yuki to grab them and drop them in a jar.

"Are you okay, Harvey?" Sonya asked, standing over their leader.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Harvey panted.

"Come on. We have to get out of here and-" Nigel tried to say as they were about to run off.

"Going somewhere?" Nolan asked, getting in their way beside April and Danika, with Brain still in his lap.

"Out of our way, you traitor!" Nigel ordered.

"I'm afraid the only way here is the King's way." Darth Genious told them.

"And your way ends here." April followed, scooping Minish Dust in her hands. "Bottoms up." With that, she tossed the dust and got them covered as well, shrinking them to Minish size. Afterwards, Nolan pressed a button and extracted two metal claws from his chair, holding a mini broom and dust pan which he used to sweep them up and dump them in a jar held by Danika.

_"HEY! Let us outta here, you big bunch of freaks!"_ Wally shouted in his tiny voice.

"I can only imagine how dumb you are now with an even smaller brain." Danika retorted, placing the jar into her jacket pocket.

_"Who you calling dumb? ! Let me outta here! !"_

"Oh no! They've captured almost everyone!" Buddy exclaimed.

"What do we do, Morgan?" Athena asked.

Morgan just stood there in thought, until they suddenly spotted the Dark Master appear several feet away. The Negatar smirked at his crush, flying straight at her and becoming a shadow, phasing through her body as visions appeared in Morgan's head.

_A 3-year-old Gnaa stood in the middle of a playground, unable to get away as bullies gathered around and pushed him about. It switched to a vision of 6-year-old Gnaa, meeting with his loyal shadow phantom. Afterwards, it switched to many years later, close to their current time. Gnaa discovered a doll-sized Bowser and used psychic to restore him to full height. He then found Dr. Eggman drifting through space and helped him to find his way back. He stumbled upon the remains of the old Brotherhood Base, unfreezing The Brain and all of his villains from their frosty prison. Afterwards, he made his way to the Negaverse Prison, breaking Ganondorf free, the half-demon then bowing to his knees as he gave a maniacal grin. The last vision shown was Gnaa murdering a gang of bullies, which Morgan recognized as her own when she was five._

"W-Wait!" Morgan called as the Dark Master flew away from her. Lord Gnaa flew straight at a magic mirror held by Ape King Gaul, the image of Mt. Gnaa appearing in the mirror as Gnaa flew in.

"Morgan, wait!" Buddy called as Morgan jumped in the portal after him. Gaul was the last to jump in before the other three siblings followed, the portal vanishing in an instant.

"Oh no… they're all gone." Eva said with worry in her voice as she stood with Kade and Dimentia after most of their other friends were either kidnapped or simply left.

"Well, this has been the most splendiferous day ever." Kade remarked sarcastically.

"Well, we can't just stand here." Dimentia replied. "What's our next move?"

"Let's get back with the White Lotus Masters." Eva suggested. "Hopefully, they'll know what to do next…"

* * *

><p><strong>ARRGH, and this took me days to finish. So yes, folks, this officially ends the Freedom Saga. Now we can get on to my FAVORITE part, the Climax Saga! In which we will begin to end the characters' storylines and they will finally face off with their respective antagonists! The villains will fall in order from: King Bowser, Dr. Eggman, King K. Rool, Lucinda Talzin, Darth Genious, and Ganondorf Dragmire! And you should probably know which characters will be facing them, of course. :P<strong>

**And also, Summer vacation has started for me, so I have PLENTY more time to work on this! Now, I should probably let you know, things are going to get more _Kingdom Hearts_-ish in this plot, seeing as we already have Heartless. And as far as these showdowns go, I'm going to make the battles with the villains just like the battles with the villains in _Kingdom Hearts_, in which the heroes will fight their regular form, and then their SECOND form. And if you want a few previews, I'll be posting what these second forms are called on the Wiki, but you'll only get as far as their name and who will be fighting them for the sake of not completely spoiling it. So, next time, Morgan will finally officially meet the Dark Master! Later!**


	56. Impending Doom

**Okay, everybody! Time to begin the Climax Saga! Starting with a pairing… which I could strongly care less for right now. BUT, it will be followed by some epic stages and boss fights, so let's get it over with. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Secret of Morgan's Siblings. The Doomsday of Darkness is Near.<em>**

**Mt. Gnaa, Chamber of the Well**

"So wait a second… YOU'RE the Dark Master? ?" Eggman asked, dumbfounded.

"You're just a whiny little kid!" Bowser exclaimed.

"Hmm… I see how my appearance would deceive you." Gnaa replied in his calmer, regular voice, eyes closed as he faced away from them. "I appear quite young for my age. But I assure you, I have lived over a century, mastering the four Dark Elements. My powers are not to be questioned."

"No kidding. That was quite a display back there." Decoe replied.

"With powers such as those, I'm surprised you don't try and take over the world by yourself-"

"Zip it, you idiot!" Eggman hushed Bocoe.

"Do not fear. I have no intentions of destroying any of you." Gnaa assured them. "My goal is to swallow the universe in Darkness, and open all the hearts I can to the Darkness. As followers of Darkness, you are all welcome by my side. Now leave me be. I have much bigger things at hand."

"What shall we do?" Eggman asked.

"Whatever you desire. Take the Firstborn you've acquired and do whatever it is you intended. We will begin search for the rest of them soon. For now… I must prepare for the date I have long been dying for: the meeting with my queen."

"Whatever you say, Lover Boy." Eggman remarked. "Come on, you two, let's head back to the Death Egg. With most of the Chaos Emeralds stolen from Sonic, our plans are already proceeding."

"Have fun with that, Eggy." Bowser told him as the scientist left. "I got my own plans! I'm gonna be dreamin' big tonight! Catch ya later, Gnaa!" With that, Bowser stomped off.

"Hm hm hm. I'm really gonna miss those guys. Now…" Gnaa turned and faced the exit to his chamber. "I'm waiting for you, Morgie."

**Nightmare Land**

"Let me go, you jerks!" Virginia demanded, still trying to shake away from Dedede and Escargoon as they dropped her before the statue in Town Square. "Take me back home!"

"Come on, Vaginny. Don't ya wanna take part in the family business?" Dedede asked.

"There's no denying the fate that awaits you by the Nightmare King's side." Escargoon said.

"Wait a second, 'Vaginny'? Am-Am I hearing that right? Did you just call me 'Vaginny'? 'Cause that sounded wrong in SO many ways. Anyway, you can forget it. I'm never becoming like the first Nightmare King, so you can just suck it."

"Oh, we think you will." Escargoon said, chaining her wrists to the ground as they made her face the Nightmare Statue. "Once your soul is transferred, you'll finally take your place by Darkrai's side." The two began chanting the spell once again, Virginia trying to shake away, but the white energy was already being transferred.

"PIYAH!" The ritual was quickly ended when a Warp Star shot down between them and exploded, sending the villains flying.

"Virginia!" Bartie exclaimed, hurrying over to untie his friend. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine…" Virginia stood, holding her head. "How did you get here?"

"Kirby found out you were kidnapped and he came to get me. We thought they would be taking you back here, but he had to stop for a watermelon first."

"Poyo…" Kirby blushed and scratched his head.

"Hmmmm!" King Dedede grumbled as the two villains stood back up, facing the three kids. "Y'all are gonna pay fer that, Kirbeh!"

"Oh yeah?" Ginny asked, hands alighting with pink energy. "We'll see once you get a taste of this."

"Eh heh heh heh. Y'all think yo li'l fists scares us? We'll see if yo' spanks are any match against mah… ULTRA! DEDEDE! HAMMER! !" (Play Masked Dedede's Theme from _Kirby Superstar Ultra_!) And with that, the Dreamland King whipped out his hammer, fueling it with Fear Energy as it grew into a much larger, golden hammer, slamming it on the ground as metal masks appeared on Dedede and Escargoon's faces. Escargoon's shell was now decorated with metal spikes as well. "NOW we'll beat some sense into ya! I'll squash you flat!"

_Boss fight: Masked Dedede and Escargoon_

The masked king released an electric ray through his hammer and surrounded the field inside an electric barrier. He then started spinning in a tornado, the kids evading as he spun over to bat them away, while Escargoon curled in his shell and spun to try and run them over at high speeds. Virginia jumped the shell, and when it came back, she pelted it with her Spanking Hand and made him stop, then proceeded to smack him while he was dizzy. Dedede became dizzy after the tornado spin as well, so Ginny launched Spanking Hands at his butt, making him yelp and leap up. He came back down and angrily faced her, raising his Ultra Hammer as he charged over. He leapt high in the air and slammed the hammer down, sending a quick shockwave that knocked the goth over.

Bartie took out a S.C.A.M.P.P. and shot the king, but Dedede batted most of the attacks away, afterwards opening a compartment on his hammer that launched missiles that exploded on the ground and blew the boy away. Kirby then sucked in one of the missiles and became Bomb Kirby, Escargoon curling in his shell and trying to run him over. Kirby tried to bomb the snail, but his spiked shell was impenetrable, successfully ramming the puffball. Virginia looked and saw Dedede charging at her again, but she quickly jumped up and dodged before his hammer smashed her. He charged at her and swung his hammer again, but Virginia blocked with her hands and started to push back his hammer. She was able to knock the hammer out of his hands and lay several blows against the king before he jumped away and grabbed his hammer.

King Dedede pulled up his mask and started to largely inhale, Virginia gripping the ground to avoid being sucked in. She lost her grip and was sucked into the king, who turned and spat her at Bartie. Escargoon then sped over to his king, letting Dedede catch him in his hammer, and spin around before sending Escargoon bouncing all over the place, knocking the two children around. Kirby was able to recover, and quickly jumped when Dedede ran and tried to crush him under his belly.

Dedede jumped up again and spun in a tornado in the air, the kids running as the king glided over to try and land on them. Dedede stopped and became dizzy when he landed, allowing Bartie to shoot him. Escargoon rolled over to his king again, and Dedede caught him in his hammer and sent him flying all around, at the same time Dedede jumped and tried to crush Kirby. After pushing over Bartie and Ginny, Escargoon stopped rolling and slithered over to spin-whack them with his spike-shell. The snail sucked in some breath and put pressure on his shell, sending his spikes flying all over the place.

Kirby took this time to inhale one of the spikes and turn into Needle Kirby as Escargoon faced him again. The snail curled in his shell and spun over to Kirby at the same time Kirby curled in a needle shell and spun over to him. The two rolling forces came in contact and started pushing against the other, until Escargoon was overpowered and pushed straight at the electric barrier, enduring a painful shock as his mask broke in half. The shocking stopped as a dark-red aura left his body and he fell to the ground.

The Masked Dedede growled in anger, raising his hammer high once again as he stomped over, jumping and coming down with a shockwave. After knocking the three over, the cannon opened as the hammer fired missiles, but the kids swiftly jumped and avoided them. Kirby sucked another missile in and sent it back, blowing Dedede away and nearly touching him to the electric barrier. Virginia then ran over and started pelting her hands, but Dedede was able to quickly counter with his hammer. The Nightmare-born thrusted her hands faster and faster, but Dedede still countered and the two forces started pushing against the other.

Dedede glared at the Nightmare Princess through his mask as Virginia glared back, struggling to push against his weapon. Eventually, she was able to gather enough strength to push him away, making the king wobble backward, allowing Virginia to deal several spanks upon him before swatting his hammer away, and afterwards pushing the fat king straight into the electrical wall beside Escargoon. King Dedede endured a powerful shock, with enough force to break his mask in half, and even make the electricity vanish. The worn-out king wobbled dizzily as the dark-red aura left his form, falling to the ground beside his henchman.

With both of them now unconscious, Virginia clapped her hands together, charging a surge of energy. She drew power in from her own shadow as well, raising her hands as brimmed pink and grew larger than their bodies. Dedede and Escargoon awoke with wide eyes, as Virginia didn't hold back. "Nightmare Style: Endless World of SPANKS! !" She thrusted her giant hands against the two with more force than before.

"WAAAA_AAAHH!"_ The villains were sent flying and screaming straight into the starry space sky, so far that they left a twinkle in the distance. Virginia breathed a sigh of relief and smirked in victory, her hands shrinking to normal as she clapped. (End song.)

"Phew. Glad that's over with." She sighed.

"Indeed." A deep voice replied, one that belonged to Darkrai II, the Nightmare King floating beside Customer Service and Jar Jar Blinks as they came over. "That was quite a ride."

"Oi, you-sa bo boom-boom them bad." Blinks said. "Then they twinkly little star. What-sa gonna happen to dem now?"

"I can't say for sure. But we have just witnessed an important lesson, Virginia."

"Uh… don't follow evil, or you'll get your butt spanked?" she asked.

"Hm hm hm. That's the simple way of putting it, yes. It is true that darkness exists within every person's heart. Eventually, that darkness will grow and overtake the heart. But the light will come and put it back to sleep. Such isn't the case for every person. Some people will continue to follow Darkness. They will continue to do evil things. But… eventually… the darkness will destroy them."

"Poyo…" Kirby could only say.

"The Negatar has returned, and I'm sure his allies will be more desperate than ever. What we have just witnessed with King Dedede is only a small example of what's to happen to Gnaa's allies. Bowser, Eggman, Ganondorf, Darth Genious… all followers of the Path of Evil. And just like what happened with King Dedede… they will be destroyed by whatever fuels their lust."

"Er, technically, Dedede was destroyed by me." Ginny pointed out.

"Er hur hur hur. Indeed so. In fact, each of them have someone they are trying to ruin, or trying to lead into the darkness. Such as Darth Genious with Nolan, or Ganondorf with Rachel." He made dark balls appear in his hands, showing visions of the aforementioned kids. "And in the end… it will be those people that will be the villains' downfall…"

**Mt. Gnaa**

After jumping through the portal, Morgan found herself at the base of a dark, eerie mountain, no light coming through the black clouds as snow drifted down, making the girl shiver from the cold. She looked up and noticed the column of darkness coming from the top of the mountain, feeling the same evil presence she felt around the Dark Master. "Negatar Gnaa… just what kind of person are you?…" she quietly spoke, slowly walking up the mountain.

The other three Quads and Beckah landed behind a nearby rock, watching as their sister made her way to the mountaintop. "Where does she think she's going?" Buddy whispered.

"I don't know… let's follow her. But stay quiet." Sophie whispered.

As Morgan walked her way along the path, packs of Demon Apes watched from behind rocks, the Demon Princess spotting them as they jumped out and ran up the path. Figuring they must be leading her, she moved a bit faster, climbing the steep slope that eventually led to the mountain's peak. There, she could plainly see the source of the dark column, coming from the Well of Shadows in the center. She stepped closer to the column, hearing dark, frightening whispers as she reached an arm over the pit. Closing her eyes, she could see other visions of Negatar Gnaa traveling the cosmos and mastering his elements, one-by-one from the same masters that she remembered from her book: Hexxus, who taught him poisonbending, Voldemort, who taught him shadowbending, Palpatine, who taught him psychicbending, and Darkrai II, who taught him fearbending. Then finally mastering the Powers of Darkness after rescuing her 5-year-old self from the army.

She gasped and shot her eyes open, then saw the floor open, revealing a stairway. She took a breath and stepped down the newly opened stairs, finding herself within the lower chamber, where the darkness of the well was coming from. The higher floor around the side of the circular room had Demon Apes, all gathered and watching her as they snarled. She saw the King of the Apes, Gaul, standing beside the Negatar himself, who sat in his throne.

_"So, I see you didn't miss the chance to finally meet with me in person."_ Gnaa spoke, back to his distorted tone as he leapt from his seat and floated to the floor where Morgan was. The girl stepped a bit closer before stopping. _"Excuse me if my Negatar State voice scares you. Perhaps this should make things better."_ With that, he waved his arm, and the purple light that shone upon his eyes and arrow went away, exposing his gray eyes. "Better?"

"I do know you from somewhere… you were the one who stopped those soldiers five years ago. …That was you who sent me the book, and I was that girl you saved!"

"Book?" Gnaa questioned, starting to pace around the psychic. "I can't say I know what you're talking about there, Morgie… but everything else is right. I was your savior. When I first came to that world and saw how they treated you, I instantly saw myself, a century ago. I knew what I had to do then and I did." He stopped and faced her directly. "But 5 years have done a lot to you. You've gotten much prettier since then."

"Um… thanks?" Morgan replied confusedly as he started to pace around her again.

"But here we finally are. The Demon Princess who so desperately wanted her stardom and the Evil Master who's responsible for all the tyranny. So what are you going to do, Princess? Are you here to destroy me?"

"…No… I had to speak with you."

"Did you now…"

"When I had those visions… you reminded me of me, too. …You were hated, and you became a Dark Master because of it."

"Exactly… and now that I have lured you here, the time has come. For you to be my queen, and rule by my side."

"W-What?"

"Morgan…" he stopped and faced her again, "I love you. Ever since that day… we have been hated. They fear us for our great powers… we both never had any _real_ friends. Except for the ones that our powers gave us."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple. _I_ have my loyal shadow." Morgan turned as Gnaa's shadow phantom appeared behind her and smirked. "And you…" she turned back and faced him, "have your _siblings_."

She gasped quietly.

"That's right. I know the truth." Unbeknownst to them, the three Quads and Beckah have just arrived, spying on them from above the stairway. "The truth behind those so-called siblings of yours. How you so desperately craved attention, friendship, and a loving family. So, you created one of your own. Using your incredible powers of imagination, you spawned three identical siblings out of the blue. And one year hence, you've even created a younger sibling. Then you even mind-tricked your mother into believing they were real. Such is the extent of your… limitless power of Psychokinesis. The Force is strong with you, Morgie. You didn't even need that waste of a cloned spirit, Mewtwo to help you see that. And you most definitely deserve a far higher position than some Sith Lord's… _apprentice_. With powers like yours, you deserve to rule it all… _as my queen_."

"Well… I admit we are a lot alike… but that isn't why I'm here. Ever since I read that story… I never thought you were _truly_ evil. Everyone has a speck of light in them. And that includes you."

"HA HA ha ha! Your humor is livening. I have no light in me. Look." He raised his hand and conjured his Keyblade, gripping it tight as Heartless suddenly appeared around the room. "The Heartless once roamed all over these worlds, until the light shunned them away. But… they were never truly gone. As long as Darkness exists in a heart, they will continue to thrive. They were merely forced into slumber, and only the Darkness of the Negatar could bring them back. And wield this: the Keyblade of Hearts. The Heartless obey me, Morgie. Because they know, my heart is full of nothing but Darkness. The kind of Darkness that will keep them alive. I continue to feed, pleasure them with the things I do. And in return, they serve me. You may be smart, but your mind is dim if you think I have even an ounce of Light in me."

"That's not true! _Everyone_ has good in them somewhere. If you had the friends to help you see it when you were young, this wouldn't be happening."

"Stupid girl. I have the greatest friend of all: DARKNESS." That's when his phantom drifted past Morgan and went beside his Master. "Phantom Gnaa is no ordinary shadow: he is the very incarnation of my Darkness. And he helped me see things clearly. Do you know why GUN did what they did, or why the two of us were so constantly hated? Humans like them know of our incredible power, and they fear it. They know, that humans like them don't deserve to rule, and WE have all the power, because we DO! Humans are all weak, inferior creatures, but all of the gods except Malladus and Darkrai the First are too stupid to see that. They two were my inspirations. Only truly powerful beings such as us deserve to rule over the weaker humans."

"Hang on a second! We may have power, but regular humans like Kami, Chad, or Rachel (if you count her) are just as strong. And if I recall correctly from one of those visions, YOU said yourself that, while Dr. Eggman wasn't powerful like the rest of you, he had his own ways that made him unique, and fit to join your group. He had incredible knowledge, and his own talent for building things. Not everybody may have elemental bending, but they can be special in their own way. Like how Kami can make friends with aliens… or something."

"THAT says NOTHING. Such simple talents are no match to the Powers of Darkness. I let Eggman join me because his heart was filled with Darkness. Anger and hatred toward that hedgehog. The kind of darkness I needed."

"Well, that still counts for something, doesn't it?"

"That's the only thing that DOES count. And what I'm so generously trying to give them." She looked at him curiously. "For so long… our worlds were nothing but darkness. Wars, conflicts… struggles for power. It's something that's been happening for millenniums. We are just the newest generations. But _we_ are the generation… that will end it all. That's my dream, Morgie… to give the people what they always craved: ENDLESS darkness! I will swallow this whole realm in the very darkness that makes up everyone's hearts! And what better source to draw that darkness, than the Eight Firstborn! The Eight Firstborn were once responsible for sealing the greatest darkness of this universe. If that darkness is reborn, it will pull all the dark hearts together, and CREATE that very reality! That is my dream, Morgie: to end conflict once and for all, by taking that conflict, and THROW it back at them!"

"But… you can't do that! What about the _light_ inside peoples' hearts? The light that… balances that darkness or something? Even if you don't think you have any, you have to agree that _some_ people do, right?"

"Ugh." Gnaa turned away. "Why do I try to reason with you? And why do you refuse? The only reason you have any friends now is because of your power. If you had no powers, you would be nothing. Just what love do you think that so-called family will bring you? All they are are illusions created from your psychic. They have no real hearts, because they don't even exist. They're only imaginary figures whom have spawned from your mind to please you. Eventually, they're going to fade into darkness, just like all nothings do."

Morgan was on the verge of tears, falling to her knees as her cheeks dripped wet. "That's not true… They may be imaginary, but they act just like any real family…" She wiped her eyes. "They act of their own free will. And even if we do grow apart eventually, they'll continue to exist. Because I've come to love them like a real family. And if you were in my position… you would feel the same."

Gnaa faced her again with surprising, apologetic eyes. "Morgan…"

This earned a frown from Phantom Gnaa, and the shadow had to intervene. _"She speaks nonsense, Master…"_ Morgan faced up as the shadow waved an arm through his head. _"Her powers may be great, but she is already a fool taken by the light. Why do you need her? You have me… you have Darkness…"_

"Yes… Phantom… I have you… I have Darkness!" Morgan's eyes widened when she realized what was _really_ happening. "Why do I need someone like her? You're NOTHING to me, Morgie!" She quickly got to her feet and switched out her lightsaber.

"Morgan!" Buddy exclaimed as the others ran down, having their sabers drawn.

"Get rid of them, Gaul." He ordered his ape. "Send them to Oblivion." The Ape King jumped down to the lower floor as Gnaa drifted to a higher door using psychic.

"So… believe your siblings have hearts, do you?" Gaul asked, raising his dual swords. "We'll see what you think after I destroy them, and watch them fade away right before your eyes. Meh heh heh, eh heh HEH heh heh heh!" (Play Gaul's Theme 1 from _Spyro: The Eternal Night_!)

_Boss fight: Gaul_

The siblings scattered as the Ape King stepped over, swinging his huge swords at Morgan as she defended with her saber, but was quickly kicked on her back. Gaul rose his swords, about to strike, but Athena and Sophie jumped in his way and kept the blades back while Buddy helped Morgan up. Gaul pulled his swords back as the brother and sister tried to run behind him, but he simply jumped away. He spun in a tornado, going all around the room as the siblings stuck their swords in the floor, holding on so as not to be sucked in by the strong current.

Gaul only spun over to them, the tornado blowing them to the ceiling as Gaul stopped and jumped up to kick Morgan. Morgan dodged and grabbed his leg, then pulled herself over to kick Gaul in the mouth, making the ape fall down on his back while The Quads landed on their feet, running over to strike him. The Ape King recovered and jumped to the other side of the room. He crossed his swords in an 'X' and swung, unleashing a green fireball which the four quickly dodged.

Gaul then crouched, charging a jump, and leapt back over, stabbing his blades in the ground and sending a shockwave that knocked them off their feet. He was about to perform the same attack and jumped over to Morgan, but she rolled away and hopped back up, dodging the shockwave. They watched as Gaul tried to pull his swords out of the ground and hurried over to deal several blows before he was able to pull them back up. The Ape King vanished into thin air, but they saw him reappear right above, quickly dodging before he could crush them.

The Ape King stepped closer to Buddy and launched another green ball, which he grabbed using psychic and hurled back, Gaul only batting it away. Gaul jumped and tried to stab down at Buddy, but the male Quad avoided and ran under him as Gaul landed, turning around to face him. Gaul's eyes were suddenly blocked by a pair of hands, belonging to Beckah as she landed on him. As he tried to shake her off, a few more Demon Apes jumped down to grab her, but the other Quads ran and sliced the apes before they could do so. Gaul finally grabbed Beckah in his right hand and was about to cut her, but Buddy jumped and sliced the ape's face, making him drop Beckah.

He recovered and opened his eyes, already to find the four surrounding and striking him from all directions. He did a spin attack, but the four jumped away, and Morgan grabbed a few of the mini cauldrons around the room using psychic and hurled them at his face. She burned his eyes, making him step back, walking over the edge of the room and nearly falling in a dark pit. He grabbed the ledge, but having to drop his two swords. As the siblings approached, the Ape King flipped right over them and back onto the floor, bending over a little as he panted tiredly.

He suddenly noticed Lord Gnaa step out of a dark portal beside him, eyes and arrow glowing once again as he was in his Negatar State. "M-Master…" Gaul panted. "Help me…"

Gnaa stood there for a few seconds, then finally took his Keyblade, and pierced it right into Gaul's chest.

"GRAAAAH!"

_"Now… open your heart… surrender it to the Darkness… become Darkness itself!"_ And with that, Gnaa pulled the Keyblade out, and left through another portal.

The Ape King stood up and smiled, his body alighting with green flames as he felt his power returning. "Yes… thank you, Master! I…I can feel it! This power! Ahaha! Darkness… the true DARKNESS! !"

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Athena shouted as the baboon burst into green flames. They hurried up the stairs and down the mountain. The Demon Apes cheered and danced as their King was beginning to transform. (Play "Gaul's Theme 2" from _The Eternal Night_!)

The siblings hurried down the mountain where they immediately met up with Dr. Facilier and Grim. "How did you guys get here?" Morgan asked.

"I warped us." Grim replied. "Where's-" Before he could finish, the entire earth shook as the top of the mountain exploded.

_"RAAAAHHHH!"_ The mighty Ape King burst from the mountaintop, covered in green ooze as he stood in the gaping crater, incredibly humongous and hideously mutated as venom drooled from his mouth. He raised his scepter sky-high as lightning struck it from the heavens.

"What is that?" Grim asked.

"It's Gaul!" Morgan exclaimed. "And he's uglier than ever."

"Quick, use this." Grim said hurriedly, making his scythe hover a few inches over the ground. "Fly up there and fight him. Just… pretend it's a broomstick or something."

"Well, that I can handle." Morgan replied, sitting on the scythe as if it were a broomstick on _Harry Potter_. She spiraled around as the scythe took to the sky, towards the massive Ape King.

_Boss fight: Giga Gaul_

The Ape King unleashed another roar as Morgan flew close by his face, getting covered in saliva as a result. She dodged to the right as Gaul unleashed lightning from his staff, then dodged left when he did so again. She fired magical blasts from the scythe's blade at the ape's eyes, damaging his right eye enough that he stopped to rub it. She rapidly dodged as Gaul swung his arms all around to try and swat her. Afterwards he stuck his hands into the crater where he stood and held huge green goo balls in both hands, tossing them at Morgan, but missing by a few inches.

Gaul then spun into a tornado again, Morgan flying away to avoid being sucked in, but also had to dodge incoming green balls that were launched out as a result. When the rushing winds finally stopped, she turned and noticed Gaul gripping his chest, trying to catch his breath. She took this time to fly over and spin, swinging the bladed side of the scythe at his face to damage him. Gaul shook his head, recovering from the spin, and Morgan flew away, barely dodging when Gaul fired green lasers from his eyes, which skimmed across the ground below and burned two perfect parallel lines along it.

Morgan slipped off the scythe, but held on with her right hand, and when Gaul was about to zap her with another laser, the ape was hit in the head by a Psycho Sphere, glaring at Buddy in the distance. Morgan got back on the scythe and flew around the ape's head, getting by his right ear and throwing her own sphere inside, making him yelp in intense pain. Morgan dodged as Gaul spewed more green balls from his mouth, afterwards shooting more lightning from his staff and was able to shock and stun her.

Gaul swatted the Uno girl a far distance, but she recovered and charged back, zapping more rays from the scythe at his eyes. He closed and rubbed his eyes before spitting another green ball, which Morgan grabbed using psychic and hurled back at his face, making him wince and wobble around. While he was distracted, Morgan flew by his left ear and charged another Psycho Sphere, tossing it inside and exploding, making the Ape King scream again. He grabbed more handfuls of green ooze and made them rain around, Morgan dodging and avoiding as Gaul also tried to zap her with laser vision.

Morgan stopped dodging to fire more rays from the scythe at the ape's eyes, making him stop to rub them again. Afterwards, Gaul spun into another tornado that tried to suck Morgan in, the princess flying away and avoiding the incoming green meteors. Gaul stopped and tired out again, allowing Morgan to fly around and begin slashing his face with the scythe's blade. She charged one final strike and pierced right in the middle above his nose, making Gaul scream louder and swat the girl away, landing her beside her siblings and the two wizards on the ground.

As blood dripped down his face, the massive Ape King stepped out of the mountain and began stomping toward them, raising his staff high as he was about to strike them with lightning. Grim took his scythe back and fired an even bigger laser at the baboon, greatly shocking Gaul before he stopped. The Ape King wobbled around, and the gang ran in separate directions before he tumbled down with a great thud, sticking his tongue out. The green flames flowed out of his body as he slowly began to shrink, until he was finally at his regular size.

Gaul weakly stood back up and panted, seeing his staff fall several feet away and shatter on he ground. He looked to see the Grim Reaper approaching him with merciless eyes. "Master…" Gaul gasped. "...Forgive us!" And with his final words spoken, Grim aimed the scythe, charged a beam, and fired directly at the Ape King. Gaul's eyes and mouth widened greatly from the pain, letting out weak screams as he stepped back, his body slowly turning gray as Grim's magic was transforming him into solid stone.

Gaul blocked the ray from his face with his hand, keeping his shock-struck expression as he was finally frozen into a statue. Grim stopped and pulled his scythe back. He raised his right hand and touched his thumb and index together, snapping the two fingers, and shattering Gaul's form into a million tiny pebbles. (End song.)

"There. That's the end of Gaul." Facilier said simply.

"…Hey, Morgan." Sophie turned and noticed her sister with her head down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm fine."

"Morgan, it's okay. It's a good thing to believe there's good inside everybody." Buddy said. "But Lord Gnaa… just doesn't have it."

"You're wrong." Morgan told him, standing back up. "There's still good in him. I can see it."

"Morgan, it's no use." Buddy refuted. "You tried to reach him, but you couldn't. You'll just have to accept the fact that… Gnaa has completely been taken to the Dark Side. And now that he's revived the Heartless, we'll have to do everything we can to find the Eight Firstborn and stop him."

"I still can't believe that… we're imaginary." Athena spoke.

"Guys… I'm sorry. I should've told you before."

"Don't worry about it." Sophie told her. "Real or not, we're still here. And we're gonna help each other get through this."

"That's good to hear." They turned and faced Clockwork, who just appeared. "The Heartless are ruthless creatures. They feed on the darkness of hearts. They'll attack anyone who's nearby, desperate to take their hearts, and make them one of them. And with the darkness completely taken over Gnaa's heart, he'll have full power over them."

"But wait! It isn't Gnaa's fault!" Morgan shouted. "It's the phantom, the shadow! Phantom Gnaa is controlling him, making him do all this stuff! While he uses Gnaa as a puppet… he's behind the scenes plotting every move."

"Morgan, yo' crazy. Shadows don't control the master." Facilier told her. "The masters befriend the shadows and then they control them… sort of. Right, Shadow?" Shadow Facilier smiled and nodded. "Exactly! _Man, I gotta come up with a better name for him."_ He mumbled.

"But… I'm sure of it."

"Well, worry about it later." Beckah replied.

"Yes. Let's get out of here." Grim said, opening a light-green portal. "We'll regroup with the others and explain everything later."

"What about the ones who were captured?" Buddy asked.

"They are being held prisoner in Bowser's Keep. Someone will be heading there momentarily to save them." Clockwork assured. "Let's return and wait for them to arrive." With that said, Grim and the others stepped into the portal and vanished. Morgan slowly trekked behind them, still holding her head low as she passed by Clockwork. "While the past is already set in stone, the future has yet to be written. And while people may set their goals… _no one_ truly knows their future."

Morgan's heart alit with a spark of hope, smiling and looking at Clockwork, who gave a smirk and winked. Now in a lighter mood, Morgan stepped into the portal as the Ghost of Time followed.

Miles away from the mountain, Gnaa stood alongside his Heartless minions, having just watched the fall of Gnaa's most loyal servant. _"Are you well, Master?…"_ the phantom spoke.

"Yes, Phantom. I'm fine."

_"You need not concern yourself with her."_ Phantom smirked, touching his shoulders from behind. _"Love is a dreadful thing. You're best to be alone than with someone who will reject you. And besides, you have me. I will _never_ betray you… Master."_

"Yes, Phantom. You're all I need…" Lord Gnaa tilted his head down and closed his eyes, seeing many visions.

_At his castle, King Bowser was happily scaring his shrunken prisoners, inserting his dominance over them. At his space station, Dr. Eggman was placing Chaos Emeralds into his invention, transforming Manic the Hedgehog into a robot and laughing maniacally. King K. Rool was already placing Mew into a machine at his base, shocking the captured Firstborn and using him to power the device up for whatever purpose. At Lucinda's cave, she, Gruntilda, and Rumpel were cackling away, devising their grand plan involving Yuki Crystal. At the Brotherhood's base, Darth Genious sat with Nolan York and drank tea with him, filling Nolan's head with more of his ludicrous thoughts. And Ganondorf stood in a deep, underground chamber, having captured Grandfather, Cole Fulbright, and Yevrah, and chaining their wrists to a wall._

"Poor minions… loyal souls…" Gnaa spoke sadly, opening his eyes. "It will be a shame… when they're all _gone_."

**Hillside outside of Chicago**

"Come on, boys! Raise the anchors and let's set sail! We're takin' these pintsize pests back to the castle! Wah ha ha ha!" Bowser Jr. danced aboard his flagship as the shrunken Junior Prospectors stood in their cage, set on a table beside him. The fleet of flying pirate ships began to rise from the ground and lift to the sky as Mario, Luigi, and Shaunie quickly dashed over.

"We're not gonna make it!" Shaunie panted as the ships were starting to lift too high.

Luigi looked back and yelled, "Yoshi!", seeing the green dinosaur chase after them, tossing Shaunie onto his back using his nose, the two plumbers jumping on after him.

"Hold on, guys." Yoshi told them. "I'm getting us up there." Yoshi dashed up a hill toward the closest airship and leapt, getting them closer with his Flutter Jump. He shot his tongue at the dangling anchor, successfully sticking on and pulling the four of them up. The team climbed the anchor's chain and made it onto the airship, seeing the flagship far ahead and preparing to make their way across. (Play the Airship Theme from _Mario Galaxy_!)

_Stage 50: Airship Armada_

_Mission: Save the Junior Prospectors from Bowser Jr.!_

The strong winds blew against the four heroes as they ran along the deck of the first ship, already having Rocky Wrenches sticking out from the floors and toss wrenches their way. Mario and Luigi stomped the Wrenches back down before they passed through an interior area, jumping and ducking cannons that unleashed flames. They reached the other side and spotted the next ship across a chasm, firing two lines of Bullet Bills their way. Mario and Luigi bounced across the parallel rows of Bills and made it across, then looked back as they awaited Yoshi and Shaunie. The Fulbright child looked worriedly at the Bills, afraid of missing and falling, but decided to take a breath and make Yoshi jump them across, bouncing off one Bill and using the momentum from the bounce to Flutter Jump the rest of the way.

They passed through the interior of the next ship, quickly running past ceiling and floor cannons that launched mini cannonballs, which came at them fast. They made it outside where each, a Hammer Bro, Boomerang Bro, Ice Bro, Fire Bro, and Bullet Bro jumped out of boxes on the deck, starting to jump about the deck and hurl their respective weapons or powers. Yoshi caught the Bullet Bro's Bill with his tongue and spat it at the Hammer Bro, afterwards jumping a flame from a Fire Bro. Yoshi caught one of the fireballs and spat fire at the Ice Bro, knocking him out just after he spat an ice ball, Yoshi then catching the ice ball in his mouth and freezing the Fire Bro with it. The Boomerang Bro tossed a boomerang at Shaunie, who was able to catch it and toss it at the Bullet Bro, making said Koopa dizzy and toss a Bill at the Boomerang Bro, afterwards Luigi knocking the Bullet Bro out.

A platform then came out of the left side of the ship and started moving across to the next one, the four jumping on right away. A glass barrier was blocking their way unfortunately, but several Monty Moles in floating pods were shooting Missile Bills, so Yoshi caught one of them and spat them at the barrier, shattering it and allowing them to proceed. The next ship had several Octoroks dancing about, all facing angrily at the four and spitting rocks from their mouths. Shaunie yelped as one of the rocks bumped his head, but the Mario Bros. were already on the case, Mario starting at one row, while Luigi stood at the second, and the two bounced their way across the parallel rows and squished them flat.

Two of the squids appeared to have had tails, and when they were crushed, Tanuki Leafs were released from them, which the Mario Bros. picked up to obtain raccoon tails. The next closest ship was lower, and a bit too far to jump, but Mario and Luigi were able to use their tails to hover across while Shaunie rode Yoshi as he Flutter Jumped. The four landed safely onto the ship as a squad of Fly Guys, Shy Guys on balloons, floated around and flung seeds at them using slingshots. One of the seeds poked Shaunie's eye, so the boy picked it up and tossed it at the flinger's balloons, popping and making him plummet. Yoshi then ate the Shy Guy and turned him into an egg, tossing said egg at another's balloons and popping it, then kept repeating this process.

Once they were all defeated, Mario broke open a box and found three Propeller Hats, one for each of them. He, Luigi, and Yoshi each put one on, seeing the next ship far away from the front of their current ship. They got a running start before leaping over the edge, quickly shaking their heads as the propellers made them hover higher, with Shaunie holding tightly to Yoshi as they drifted toward the next ship and took land. The next ship had several Koopa shells lying around. The ship across from it had two bigger Octoroks in helmets, spitting fireballs at them. Mario and Luigi simply both grabbed a shell and tossed them at the monsters, knocking them out and causing a bridge to appear and take them to their ship.

They made their way across to find that ship unguarded by anything else. But they saw no other way to go, except a rope on top of the crow's nest that connected to a much higher ship, which then connected to an even higher one. The Mario Bros. climbed to the crow's nest and proceeded to balance across. Shaunie got off Yoshi so that the green dinosaur would have lighter weight as he went across, and the Fulbright child gulped when he saw how high they were. But putting all fears aside, and crossing his fingers, he got onto the rope and carefully balanced his way across.

The four kept their arms out to their side and slowly went up the rope, for one slip may be their downfall. Shaunie was far behind the other three, biting his lower lip and sweating as he tried to be the most careful, although it wasn't easy crossing a prickly rope barefooted. After they all finally reached the first ship, they took a break at the crow's nest for a minute before starting their walk up the rope to the next ship. To their misfortune, a squad of Koopatrols spotted them from aboard the ship they were headed to, so the Koopas decided to get on the rope and balance their way toward the heroes.

Having an idea, Mario simply shook a little bit and made the rope shake, causing the soldiers to slip off and fall the thousands of feet to the surface, but this only increased Shaunie's fear of falling himself as he tried to stay on. The ship then started to fire Missile Bills toward them, and Yoshi kept his balance as he shot his tongue at the missiles and spat them back at the cannons. However, one of the Bills flew behind Shaunie, still in the back, and pierced the rope, causing it to cut and drop them, but they still held onto the rope as it dangled from the ship.

Shaunie caught the rope between his feet, but was unable to hang on for long, letting go and screaming as he was about to fall, but was thankfully saved when Yoshi caught his right leg around his tongue, pulling the child up onto his back again. With that done, the three climbed up the rope as Shaunie held onto Yoshi, looking back down to see how far he would've fallen.

At long last, the team safely made it onto the deck of the ship, catching their breaths after the dangerous climb. "Look! There's Junior's flagship." Luigi pointed to the biggest airship, which seemed far too high ahead for them to jump.

"How are we gonna reach it?" Shaunie asked.

"…Oh!" Mario's eyes perked when he saw a cannon, already jumping inside.

"A cannon? Good thinking, Bro!" Luigi responded, getting in after him.

"A cannon? …Okay." Shaunie replied worriedly. He and Yoshi jumped into the cannon as it came out and took aim. The four controlled the cannon from inside and carefully aimed upward at the airship. Tilting it a bit higher than the deck so they would land there, they fired and launched themselves out of the cannon, shooting to the airship fast. However, their momentum decreased before they could land on the deck, and the four screamed as they fell downward, but to their relief, they crashed through the wall on the side of the ship and broke inside. (End song.)

"Mama Mia…" Mario mumbled as the four stood back up after their crash-in.

"What the-? ! How did you fools get up here? !" (Play Bowser Jr.'s Theme from _Mario Galaxy_!)

The four looked up and spotted the Koopa Prince above them, dropping down to face them. "Bowser Jr.!" Luigi exclaimed.

_"Shaunie!"_ squeaky voices cried. Shaunie turned to the back of the room to see his shrunken friends in a cage on a shelf.

"Guys!"

"Hah!" Junior laughed, leaping over to the captured team and pulling out a staff, twice as high as him (and he was about Harvey's height) that had some glowing red substance at the top of it. Mario gasped, recognizing the weapon, as Junior flicked it and turned the red substance to brown. He got on the side of the shelf and rapidly drew a brick wall with the staff, then drew a brick wall on the other side, drew one in front, then stood atop the brick wall as he drew one on top, perfectly sealing them inside before jumping off to face the heroes.

"What is that thing?" Shaunie asked.

Junior punched the handle side to the deck and replied, "_This_ is my magic brush. When I draw with this, all my wishes come true. Not as good as the Star Rod, but," he twirled the weapon around in his hands, "it gets the job done."

Shaunie stood a tad amazed with the weapon, but shook it off as he remembered the mission. "Bowser Jr.! Let my friends go now!"

"NEVER gonna happen!" Junior said happily. "Do you know how pissed my dad's gonna be if I let these kids get away again? He's already pretty mad at you guys defeating all of his Koopalings. Besides… he needs these kids for his biggest plan ever!"

"His plan?" Luigi asked.

"Where did you take my sister and the others? !" Shaunie shouted.

"My dad's got 'em locked up nice 'n' tight. But don't think I'll be letting you go over to rescue them." Junior and Shaunie shot glares at each other as he continued. "You know, I never liked you Fulbright guys, ever since your mean older sister beat up my dad. But she's finally gettin' what she deserves, and so will you. I'll kick all your butts and make you into little Minish, too. BEHOLD!" With that, Junior swiftly drew along the ground using his staff, creating pitch-black images of Mario which were red on the side.

The Mario clones rose into 3-D forms, facing the heroes with glowing yellow eyes. _"Wa-hey! Cosmic Mario!"_ they cheered.

"Too afraid to take us all at once, huh?" Luigi smirked.

"Then he'll only take one of us." Shaunie replied, his battle-ready expression on. "You guys fight these clones and I'll take him on myself."

At this, Junior erased part of the brick wall with the handle side of the staff (even though there was no eraser) and made a window for the Prospectors to see. "Ha ha ha ha! Now they can watch you fall! This'll be easy! Time to restore the Koopa Family's honor and kick some Fulbright butt. ATTACK!" With that, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi ran away as Junior sent his Cosmic Clones after them, going past the Fulbright child to battle them. With them out of the way, Shaunie faced the Koopa Prince as they both took poses, ready for battle. (Replay theme!)

_Boss fight: Bowser Jr._

Shaunie charged forward to try and tackle the prince, but Junior held his staff up as Shaunie grabbed and pushed against it, Junior taking his staff back and jumping away. Junior ran and started swinging at the boy, but Shaunie dodged and jumped his strikes before running behind Junior and getting on his back, holding his hands over his eyes. Junior ran around uncontrollably and hit one of the Cosmic Clones, taking some damage. Junior grabbed Shaunie and threw him against the wall on the other side of the room, and Shaunie recovered just in time to dodge one of his jumping strikes.

Shaunie began running around the room as Junior gave chase, stopping and falling on his bottom when the prince jumped in front of him. Shaunie rolled away when Junior stabbed the brush down, making a drop of goop on the floor. A goop blob emerged from the drop, and Junior sent it at Shaunie, the blob slithering toward him and jumping on, exploding into goop all over the boy. Shaunie shook the goop off and dodged another one of Junior's strikes, then started defending with his fists as Junior swung at him. Shaunie grabbed the staff and flipped over it, attempting to punch Junior, but the prince pushed him away on his back, jumped, and smashed Shaunie with a Ground Pound.

Junior jumped away, allowing Shaunie to get up, but the Fulbright's face was immediately smacked around by Junior swinging his staff. He jabbed the handle side at his chest, but Shaunie was able to grab it as Junior lifted and swung him across the room. He landed on his feet as Junior jumped over to aerial strike, but Shaunie ran under him and bit his tail when he landed, making Junior yelp and fly up. He landed on his stomach as Shaunie dealt a few punches to his face, but flipped back as Shaunie ran over to grip his staff, only to be swung and flung away again.

Junior twirled his staff and brushed it along the ground, creating light-blue goo with yellow lines. Shaunie approached him and stepped on the goo, but ended up taking a painful shock. Junior laughed and jumped behind him while he was stunned, kicking Shaunie to the wall across from it. When the Irish attempted another aerial attack, Shaunie quickly kicked up at his stomach, able to keep him back a little, afterwards pushing Junior over onto the goo, making him suffer a shock.

Junior just erased the goo as Shaunie ran over, only to be knocked against the wall when Junior stood his staff up and spun around it, kicking him hard. Junior's brush turned a fiery orange, brushing along the ground and creating a lava circle around Shaunie. He then jumped over and started pushing Shaunie, the 5-year-old careful to keep his balance when he was inches from touching the flames, then jumping over the lava when Junior tried to punch down. Junior's expression turned to horror when he noticed the lava around him starting to melt off the floor, the surrounded circle area coming off and falling to the earth below. Junior gripped the ledge with his left hand and kicked his feet around, trying to pull back up.

"Gah! No!" he yelled, accidentally dropping his staff. As a result, the Cosmic Clones the others were fighting vanished into thin air, as well as the brick wall protecting the Junior Prospectors.

"I'll help you!" Shaunie exclaimed, gripping the prince's hand and pulling him back up to safety.

"Gah!" Junior only pushed the child away afterwards. "You made me drop my brush! It took forever to find when I lost it the first time. Now what am I gonna do?"

"I have a suggestion." Kammy Koopa replied, just flying into the room. "Don't despair yet, Junior. It's time to unleash your real power." And with that, the witch waved her wand and sprinkled magic onto the Koopa Prince.

"Huh?… WAWAWAWAWAWA!" Junior screamed and shook about, falling back down the hall and plummeting the thousands of feet.

The heroes suddenly felt the area begin to shake as Kammy Koopa cackled. "Mweh heh heh heh! Now the real battle begins! If you want to see the show, come up on deck. I'll see you there. Mweh heh heh heh heh!" And she flew away.

"Come on!" Shaunie yelled, grabbing his friends' hamster cage as the four of them headed onto the deck. (Play the "Final Boss Theme" from _Yoshi's Island_!)

The sun was setting in the distance as the earth continued to quake, the four looking around for what could be happening. "Look! !" Shaunie screamed, pointing miles in the distance. A gargantuan figure grew bigger and bigger, releasing a massive roar to the heavens. This figure was none other than the enhanced form of Bowser Jr., now hundreds of feet tall.

_"Braaahhh! Yeah, that's it! Now you're gonna get it!"_ The four ran and dodged as the giant-sized prince spat meteors from his mouth that came flying at the ship's deck.

"Mario!" They heard a call in the distance, seeing Toad slowly drift over to them on a hot-air balloon, while he tied massive eggs to balloons and sent them over. "Use these!"

Yoshi lifted Shaunie onto his back and said, "Let's go."

The green dinosaur jumped and grabbed the first giant egg, taking careful aim at Bowser Jr. in the distance and hurling it straight over, but the titanic prince simply bashed it away and stepped a bit closer, coughing fireballs at the deck. "I don't wanna know what happens when he reaches the ship." Luigi commented.

"Perhaps it may work if you launch the eggs when his mouth is open." FLUDD suggested. Yoshi grabbed the next egg and tried this, waiting for the prince to open his mouth and cough out meteors. When he did so, Yoshi launched the egg and hit him directly in the mouth, pushing him back a little. Yoshi grabbed another egg as Junior spat out more fireballs, sending the egg straight at his mouth and pushing him on his bottom.

"Yes, it's working!" Luigi exclaimed. Junior angrily stood up and stomped around in a temper tantrum. He grabbed a couple airships that passed by and tossed them toward their ship, making it shake greatly upon impact and even break a few holes in the floor.

"Status update: the ship cannot withstand so many attacks. When an airship comes, quickly knock it away with an egg." FLUDD explained.

Yoshi grabbed another egg and tossed it toward the prince's mouth when he tried to spit more meteors, pushing him away. He grabbed another egg when Junior grabbed two more ships, tossing them at the flagship. Yoshi hurled his egg at the one on his right, bouncing back toward the colossal prince, only for Junior to swat it away while the other airship hit their ship. Junior took this time to step a bit closer to where they stood, stopping a moment to cough more meteors, in which Yoshi grabbed an egg to toss and push him back. Junior once again grabbed two airships and sent them flying toward 'em.

This time, Yoshi was able to grab two eggs, sending one at the first ship to bounce back at Junior, then shooting the next one at the other ship. Junior swatted the first ship away, but was unprepared when the second one crashed and exploded on him. Steam came out of his head in anger as he decided to quit firing and just charge at the flagship, full speed. Yoshi quickly grabbed another egg and sent it at his head, pushing him back a little, but Junior recovered instantly and kept charging, but Yoshi grabbed another egg and bashed his mouth with it just before he could smash the ship in his hands. And for one final strike, Junior leapt high in the air and was prepared to slam down on the heroes. But just before he could, Yoshi grabbed the last egg and shot it at his head, pushing the gargantuan Koopa Prince away and onto his back. (End song.)

Magic erupted from the Koopa Prince's form after that last hit, Bowser Jr. wobbling around as the power left him. In seconds, the Koopa child shrunk back down to his regular height, finding himself hundreds of miles away from the ship, and above ground. He kicked his legs and tried to flutter to his ship, but ended up taking the long drop down below. _"Daaddyyyyyyyyy!"_

"Good riddance, you meanie!" Shaunie yelled.

"Hoo. Glad to get rid of him. Way to throw those eggs, Yosh." Luigi complemented.

"It's a living." Yoshi said.

"Well, now that my friends are saved, we should try to save everyone else… huh?" It was then Shaunie noticed the hamster cage holding his friends was gone.

"Mweh heh heh!" Kammy Koopa laughed, holding the cage as she flew on her broomstick. "Hate to be a burden, but these brats are coming with me. If you wanna help them so badly, Shaunie, I _dare_ you to come to Bowser's Castle. If you're not afraid, eh hee hee hee!" With that, the witch flew off and vanished into a portal.

"Oh no! We gotta go save them!"

"But how do we know where they're keeping everyone?" Luigi asked.

That's when Toad's hot-air balloon landed on the deck, and the mushroom head stepped off, looking beat from having to send all those eggs their way. "I ambushed a Paragoomba earlier. I beat him and made him tell me where they are. They're holding the princess and everyone else in Bowser's Castle, on a volcano just outside the Mushroom Kingdom. He said these airships were designed for hyperspace since the Galaxia incident. Let's use this one and get there."

"Okay, then. But first, you can stay behind if you want to, Shaunie." Luigi said to him. "Bowser's Castle is a dangerous place. Me and Mario can handle it, right?"

"Oh yea." Mario nodded.

"No. I have to go, too. They're my friends, so it's my responsibility. I'm going to Bowser's Castle."

"Well… if you say so. Fire up the hyperspace and let's-a go!"

"Uh-huh!" Mario nodded once more. Toad went below deck and pressed a button, making a dark portal appear before them as the ship sailed and vanished inside.

**Bowser's Castle**

After the villains' successful siege on the city, they all arrived back at the prison chamber in Bowser's Castle. Danika pulled the jar containing Sectors V and W out of her pocket, proceeding to dump them into a hamster cage while Yllaw dumped Rachel, Fanny, and Patton in the same cage. Bokkun dropped Sonic and Blaze into the Sonic crew's cage as Yuki put Jagar, Misty, and Olive in the same cage. Cree dropped Emily, Chad, and Zuri in with Cosmo, Nova, and Annie, and Kammy Koopa set the Junior Prospectors cage on a shelf beside them as King Bowser happily stepped in.

"GWAH HA HA HA! Is this the best day ever, or what? !" he yelled in his cheeriest mood yet. "The Dark Master is finally free, AND we captured most of our enemies inside CAGES! MMAN, we're on a roll here! !"

"Shyeah, except that your son just got his butt kicked." Nolan remarked.

"Ah, put a sock in it, Limplegs. And why don't the rest of you get lost and go back with your own masters? I'm gonna be busy with my greatest plan yet!"

"Whatever you say… _fatass_." Nolan mumbled as Danika rolled him out.

"A shame I won't be able to toy with you some more." Lehcar said to Rachel. "But I'll be back soon enough." She smirked, walking out with Yllaw. April and Yuki spared glances to Chad and Jagar before walking out with the rest of them, leaving only the poisonbenders.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Bowser." Peach told him from her (regular-sized) cell. "Mario and Luigi are still out there. They'll come here and stop you, just like always."

_"Shaunie ist still out thither too, so thou best be watching thy bum."_ Luvbi retorted.

"OOOH!" Bowser exclaimed in a fake scared tone. "Is wittle Shaunie gonna come and beat up big old Bowser? ? MY ASS! ! That spineless little wimp doesn't stand a CHANCE against me! It's those Super STOOPID Brothers that are the real problem. Thankfully, I have just the plan for that! BEHOLD!" The Koopa King stomped on a switch, making the wall that was opposite to the room's exit open. A massive mechanical contraption had the Forest Firstborn trapped inside a central capsule, draining her of her energy as it flowed through cords into the machine.

_"Celebi!"_ Nova cried.

"Gwah hah ha hah! Lord Gnaa wasn't the only one being powered by your fear! This whole time, your screams and cries for help have been slowly transferring the energy from your fear into my machine." At this, the tiny prisoners finally noticed the metal cords attached to their cages that went into the machine. "And now with one final touch… HIYAH!" Bowser pulled down a lever, causing each of the cages to give incredible shocks to the prisoners, forcing screams of pain out of their tiny lungs which caused their Fear Energy to be transported through the cords and power the machine further.

_"BII!"_ Celebi screamed as the machine shocked and drained her as well.

"As a Forest Spirit, Celebi is also a spirit of growth." Bowser explained. "In fact, the Minish Dust was actually small, scattered fragments of her power to change the size of creatures, which is why it made you so tiny, and it's why Celebi was able to restore your sizes before. And now, by combining this power of growth with the power of fear, I can finally use this machine to create the ultimate castle! Hnnn…!" He stepped over to a control pad and raised his finger. "HYAH!" He slammed his finger onto the button, the machine sparking brightly as the entire castle began to shake.

Outside, a massive laser erupted from the castle straight into the heavens, the dark storm clouds spiraling in the sky around the castle as they transformed to a dark-red. Nightmarish auras began to emit from all corners of the castle, and parts of the fortress turned pitch-black as it rose higher and higher. The deafening sounds of lightning erupted across the sky as the now-nightmarified castle stood high and tall atop the boiling volcano.

"BWAAH HA HA HAH!" Bowser laughed after the shocking finally ceased, everyone burnt to a crisp and looking tired. "FINALLY! I've transformed my lair into the ULTIMATE Nightmare castle! When those fools get here and are already afraid of the outside part, just wait! While things still look the same in this chamber, the rest of the inside has been transformed into an entirely different dimension! Once again, your inventions prove helpful, Kammy!"

"I always aim to please, Lord Bowser. Mweh heh heh." The witch laughed.

"Well, you seem to have things wrapped up here." Matt Dimalanta figured. "We'll just go see what Brain's up to-" His sentence was cut short when some Koopas dropped from the ceiling and dealt mini punches on the poisonbenders. "Er! Hey, you blocked our chi! What's the deal?"

"Oh, cut it, I know about your little crushes with some of these girls. How DUMB do you think I AM? ! The moment I leave you alone, you'll set 'em ALL free! Well, guess again, Bub! Kammy, grab 'em!" At his order, the witch threw Minish Dust over the Toxic Four and shrunk them down as well, grabbing and dropping them in with Sector R, Bruce, and the Twins.

_"Well… this coulda gone better."_ Matt said sheepishly, with Yin and Luna simply shaking their heads in disbelief.

"GWAH HA HA HAH! Once those Italian idiots and that Irish imp get destroyed by the impenetrableness of this castle, I can finally begin my quest to TAKE OVER THE WORLD! No one will DARE stand in my way after this! So, COME ON, Mario and Luigi! And you too, Shaunie Fulbright! I'LL SQUASH YOU! ! GWAHH HA HA HAH! !"

_"Shaunie…"_ Fanny was worried for her little brother.

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><p><strong>AND so begins the Climax Saga of the story. And next time, we will kick things off by completing Shaunie's story arc, in which he will finally face-off against King Bowser! And man, it's gonna be epic, I can already tell you! Well, technically they're all gonna be epic (mostly Nolan's 'cause his is the best), but this one is pretty good. Lol, if you recall the beginning of Shaunie's story in Chapter 18, he was playing <em>Super Mario Bros.<em> and he couldn't beat Bowser. Hehe, I figured that would make perfect sense in this case! So, next time, the Bowser's Castle stage, and then the fight against Lord Bowser! Laters! ;D**


	57. Bowser's Crushing Defeat

**Welcome, everybody, to the climax of Shaunie's story! Here, we're going to get through Bowser's Castle, one of my FAVORITE stages, and afterwards have our final showdown with the Koopa King himself! Let's do this!**

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><p><strong><em>Shaunie Fulbright vs. King Bowser! Who is Truly the Stronger?<em>**

**Volcanic region outside of Mushroom Kingdom**

The airship sailed out of hyperspace, passing under a sky littered with dark, terrifying storm clouds that roared with thunder and lightning. Dead ahead of them was a mountainous landscape boiling with molten lava, and a massive castle sat atop the highest mountain as the dark clouds circled around it. The airship came to a land at the edge of the mountains, and the main Koopa castle stood miles away from where they were.

"So… th-that's Bowser's Castle?" Shaunie asked terrifyingly.

"Boy, he sure made the place a lot scarier since the last time we were here." Luigi said, a little worried. He shook his fears off and said, "Well, I'm going in. You ready, Bro?"

"Mmm." Mario nodded.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi cheered.

"Um, I'll just stay out here, if that's okay." Toad said, quaking in fear.

Mario also noticed Shaunie quaking a little, walking up to the boy and making movements with his mouth, indicating that he was saying something which they couldn't quite hear, but still understand. "What? I can stay here if I want?" Shaunie asked.

"Well, yeah." Luigi followed. "Bowser's Castle's a scary place. There's no shame in staying behind. We'll go rescue your friends for you."

"No." Shaunie shook his head and looked more determined. "I came this far. I'm going all the way. I'm giving Bowser a piece of my mind and rescuing my friends."

"Then I guess it's the four of us together." Luigi decided. "Come on, team! Let's teach Bowser a lesson he won't soon forget… until the next _Mario_ game probably." With that, the four stepped off the ship and started their venture toward the castle.

"Good luck, guys! Save the Princess!" Toad cheered.

Shaunie stopped for a minute and felt his fears returning when the lightning brightened the sky once more. He's never seen any place more scary, he thinks. He felt so tiny and wimpy, wearing only sweaty house clothes as his bare feet began to feel the magma's heat. However, he pressed forward nonetheless. He was determined to save his friends. (Play "Bowser's Lava Lair" from _Mario Galaxy 2_!)

_Stage 51: Koopa Kore_

_Mission: Rescue all of the heroes from the castle and stop the Koopa King once and for all!_

_Act 1_

The four started along a path down a river of lava, many magma geysers bursting from the ground as Pyro Guys, Shy Guys made of fire, leapt out of the lava and charged at them, but Mario quickly shot water at them using FLUDD, dissolving them in seconds. At the path's end, Mario broke open a box holding an Ice Flower, absorbing it to become Ice Mario and skid along the lava, freezing a solid path for the others to follow him safely across. The ice power was wearing off just in time for them to make it to a safe foothold, going up a small staircase before reaching a series of unstable platforms sticking out of the lava.

The heroes began carefully jumping one platform to the next before they collapsed into the lava, and screaming when a Blargg popped out beside the last one and chomped down, but they dodged quickly and jumped to the ground on the other side. As they trekked up a wider staircase that went around a mountainside, lightning zapped down from the sky and struck the top of the mountain, causing boulders to crumble down and forcing the four to hurry up faster. At one point, Shaunie tripped on a stair and was about to be crushed, but Yoshi shot his tongue out to grab and pull him before such could happen.

Once at the top of the stairs, they entered a small cave which held several Lava Bubbles, floating flames with yellow eyes, each spotting the heroes and floating over to burn them, but Luigi drew out his Poltergeist 3000 and sucked them in, gaining the Fire Element in his vacuum. They noticed that the ground in the middle seemed to have a hole, with rocks clogging it, so Mario switched to FLUDD's hover nozzle and squirted down, using the double jets to push the rocks away, allowing them to jump into the underground cave below.

They found a river of magma with a pathway of several large spinning rock wheels, running along them quickly before they could push them in the magma. Afterwards, they jumped to a flat path that was nearly in the lava, but had magma waves brushing over them. Whenever a wave came by, they had to run onto one of the hills that stuck out taller than the waves. At the end of that path, they found several metal platforms hanging by chains from the ceiling, jumping across them fast before the platform collapsed into the lava.

They reached the end of the path and found platforms leading upward out of the cave. They started jumping their way up right away when the magma was beginning to rise. A couple Goombas ambushed them along the stairs, but Shaunie was able to punch and push them off, letting them melt in the molten rock. When they reached the top of the mountain, they got into another cannon and took careful aim at Bowser's Castle ahead. Once they thought it was good enough, they launched out of the cannon just before the volcano they were in erupted. They were about to crash in the lava, but Yoshi noticed some Peahats and shot his tongue at one to begin swinging across, the others grabbing onto him as he did so, landing them on a safe pathway.

They quickly ran along as more Blarggs popped out and started eating the pathway, getting onto Yoshi as he Flutter Jumped them over some lava, landing them before a long, straight stairway that seemed to lead straight to the castle. They dashed straight up as Bowser's maniacal laughter echoed in the distance, and the Bowser head that rested atop the front doors spat out massive flaming boulders that rolled down the stairway, the heroes quickly dodging to the side so they would miss. They stayed to the side as more fireballs rolled down and missed them, finally reaching the top and seeing the entryway across a drawbridge.

Bowser's laughter echoed once again as the drawbridge lifted up and prevented them from going across. Afterwards, a huge Heartless suddenly crashed down from the sky, made of purple armor, no arms, legs, or neck, but just floating separate body parts, and a silver knight's mask hiding his face. Like all Heartless, he wore the Heartless insignia on his chest. The Heartless, Guard Armor, spun his hands around and smacked the four with his sharp fingernails, but Yoshi was able to catch one of his hands in his mouth and turn it into an egg, hurling the egg at one of the gears holding up the drawbridge and making it drop a little.

Guard Armor stepped over to Shaunie, who quickly dodged before the Heartless tried to stomp on him, and Luigi shot fireballs from his vacuum at his feet, making him hop around in pain. Yoshi caught his foot and turned it into an egg, spitting the egg at the other foot and destroying it. Still able to float, Guard Armor swung his other hand at the plumbers, but Yoshi once again caught it, and threw the resulted egg at the gears. Guard Armor then spun the rest of his body around the area, nearly able to push Mario and Shaunie into the lava moat around the castle, but Mario grabbed the lad and used FLUDD's hover to lift them up back to safety. Yoshi then jumped up and stuck his tongue at Guard Armor's head, pulling in and turning it into an egg before flinging it at the gears, making the drawbridge drop all the way.

The remainder of Heartless' body fell to the ground afterwards, releasing a blue heart from its chest that floated up and vanished into darkness before the body disappeared. The heroes proceeded to enter the first hall of the castle, already to be shot at by Wendy Koopa statues along the walls, running through the halls to avoid the lasers before reaching a dead end with a pool of water. The path continued underwater, so they held their breaths as they dove under and began swimming. Since Shaunie wasn't the best swimmer, he only held on to Yoshi.

The underwater hall became pitch-black, so the Mario Bros. had to toss fireballs ahead of them to use as lights, also shooting them at Bloopers and Cheep-Cheeps that came for them as well. They kept swimming until they found the water's surface, making it out of the tunnel and finding a river of lava, having to jump across some floating platforms quickly as the platforms sank upon landing. When they reached and entered a door on the other side, they came to a room where the lava river ran downward, carefully jumping across the platforms to reach the safe foothold at the bottom.

Dead ahead of them was a large Bowser statue engraved in the wall, with big, green double-doors in it, which Mario remembered usually led to Bowser's chamber. However, when they opened the doors, all they found was a dark-red and black portal, emitting a Nightmarish aura. The heroes stepped back in fright of this, but exchanged nods before they progressed into the Nightmare Realm. (Play "Bowser's Galaxy Generator" from _Mario Galaxy 2_!)

_Act 2_

The four heroes now stood within an endless, vast dark realm, lightning blazing across the sky, made entirely of the Fear Element, as dozens of scattered planetoids floated about the realm. The inside of this Nightmare Realm appeared very similar to the inside of Parallax, except it was black and dark-red rather than brown and yellow.

"W-Where are we?" Shaunie stuttered.

"It seems that the deeper interior of Bowser's Keep has been transfigured." FLUDD observed. "I am detecting massive levels of Fear Energy. Possibly, Bowser could have designed this realm using the fear he's been forcing out of his miniaturized captives."

"Well, that's it." Shaunie said, looking more serious. "It's time to teach that bully a lesson. Let's go, team."

They walked along the first floating platform, where they were ambushed by a squad of Boomerang Bros, all rapidly jumping and tossing their boomerangs. Shaunie leapt off Yoshi and bounced one of the boomerangs over to the Koopa, landing perfectly on his helmet and poking his eyes out, afterwards pushing him into the dark abyss. Yoshi grabbed a boomerang with his tongue and sent it at the thrower, sending him screaming into the darkness as well.

After Luigi destroyed the last two via fireballs from his vacuum, some Heartless appeared out of thin air, designed like the heads of hummingbirds and flying using propellers. Luigi sucked one into his vacuum and shot it into another, destroying the two, then Yoshi caught another in his mouth and made it an egg, taking aim at two more of them lined up and firing, destroying them both. One of them was buzzing around Shaunie, but the Fulbright was able to land on the Heartless, who tried to shake him off, but Shaunie stayed on and was able to tame it. Yoshi wrapped his tongue around the monster and held on while Mario and Luigi got on his back, letting Shaunie ride the Heartless and slowly carry them to a faraway platform down below.

The Heartless was slowly sinking as it struggled to withstand their weight, but when they were close, Yoshi simply swallowed the monster and let Shaunie get onto his back, proceeding to Flutter Jump and was able to carry them the rest of the way. They noticed the next platform down lower, over a lava river and between two lava falls, so Yoshi carried them across with Flutter Jump once again. As they did so, Bombshell Bills, golden Bullet Bills, launched from cannons from down below and to the side, barely missing them as they came so fast. One of the powerful bullets unfortunately hit the dino and made them all drop, but they safely landed onto the platform.

The path ahead of them was blocked by flames, but Mario easily put them out using FLUDD's water. At the small path's end, they stood before a deep chasm with boiling lava down below, between them and the next path. Yoshi noticed an oddly placed tree to the side growing some grapes, and also noticed two fire Cheep-Cheeps jumping high up out of the lava. Yoshi ate the grapes and turned purple, allowing him to squirt purple juice at the fish and turn them into purple square platforms, the crew hopping onto his back as Yoshi jumped to the left one, beginning to ride it across.

From the path ahead, two cannons were taking turns firing Banzai Bills over the two parallel Cheep-Cheep platforms, so the heroes had to alternate and jump between them to avoid being blasted off. When they reached the other side, the team took a path that went around where the Banzais came from, over some more lava. They found a rather long path with an obstacle course, with a closed gateway on the other side. Luigi noticed and stomped on a switch that made the gates open, but they were already beginning to close. Mario switched to FLUDD's turbo nozzle and began to dash across the course, nearly as fast as Sonic, going up ramps, going around crates in the way, and also avoiding fireballs and lava geysers from the river.

The red plumber dashed into the gates just before they closed, pulling a lever that made them open and stay open so that the others could get inside, too. Afterwards, they found another cannon, which seemed much bigger than the other ones. They hopped into the large cannon, which came out of the ground and took aim on its own into the fear-filled sky. The four heroes screamed loudly as they were launched straight at the darkness, only to find they were passing through a tunnel of the substance, flying around the curvy tunnel before flying into an even bigger area of the realm. The fear was spiraling around in the sky, similar to the clouds outside, around and above a gargantuan silver statue of the Koopa King himself, and his echoing laughter could be heard louder than ever. They no doubt assumed this to be the true Koopa Kore.

They took land onto a platform next to another long stairway, hurrying up the stairs as Magikoopas appeared and sent spells coming their way. At the top of the stairs, Yoshi ate one of the Magikoopas and sent the resulted egg to knock out the other one, seeing the next path hundreds of feet below where they were. They got on Yoshi as he jumped down, using his Flutter Jump to soften their landing. Behind them, however, was a humongous cannon, and as they stepped up a small staircase and continued along a path, an equally large Bullet Bill, called a King Bill, stuck his face out and fired.

The green dinosaur hurriedly dashed across the path as the King Bill came and destroyed the path, seeing two statues up ahead: one of Bowser Jr., holding his magic brush, and one of Bowser, holding a scepter with horns on it, the two standing side-by-side as they crossed their weapons in an "X". Yoshi tried to catch his breath and run faster as the King Bill drew closer, successfully making it between the statues and letting the King Bill crash on the "X". They now stood even closer to the Bowser statue in the core of the castle, seeing another platform that seemed awfully too far to jump. But the green dinosaur caught his breath, feeling more ready and determined than ever before to save the Princess. He charged and took a leap over the edge, kicking his legs as fast as possible to get his friends across.

The three riders instantly noticed Yoshi sweating tiredly, the green dinosaur slowly sinking lower than the targeted platform. "Oh no! We aren't gonna make it!" Luigi said worriedly.

"What'll we do?" Shaunie asked.

"Hurrrff! I can't… but you guys can!" Yoshi stated weakly, still struggling to stay airborne. "Go. Save the Princess. I'll be fine."

The two brothers felt a little unsure about this, but felt there was no other way to make it. "Okay… you be careful, Yosh." Luigi told him. And with that, Luigi grabbed Shaunie as the two stood up and were able to leap the rest of the way across, barely landing on the edge as they turned back and watched their friend fall and scream into the endless abyss.

"YOSHII! !" Shaunie cried.

"It's okay, Shaunie. Yoshi's… pretty used to this stuff." Luigi told him. Afterwards, the three faced back as they now stood dangerously close to the colossal Bowser statue. They saw one last platform ahead of them, lower and close enough for them to jump as Mario hovered over using FLUDD, and Luigi Super Jumped over, holding onto Shaunie. After landing, they finally stood before the grand Bowser statue, seeing the massive door in the pedestal where the statue stood. (End song.)

The door before them seemed to be locked tight with a huge lock with a gaping keyhole. Mario looked up and gasped when two figures suddenly dropped from the sky, landing on their heads with a thud before they stood up. They appeared to be two identical clones of Mario and Luigi, made of pure, silver metal. _"Wa-hey! Metal Mario Bros.!"_ they cheered in gargled voices that almost sounded like they were underwater. (Play Metal Mario's Theme from _Super Smash Bros._!)

_Sub-boss: Metal Mario Bros._

The Metal Bros. stepped toward their opponents slowly, making clanking sounds with their metal shoes as they walked. Mario & Luigi ran to punch them across the face, but they looked barely hurt as their metal skin made them impervious. They tried to punch their chests, but the metal clones grabbed their fists and hurled them overhead behind them. Shaunie then ran to try and kick Metal Mario's leg, but ended up stubbing his toes upon impact of the metal. The clones heard the plumbers get back up and jump, looking up and seeing them about to aerial-punch, but they jumped back as the plumbers started swinging punches and kicks, which barely knocked their heavy bodies around.

The metal clones grabbed their legs at one kick and nearly threw them over the edge, but the Italians grabbed and climbed back up as the clones walked over, running over to start punching at them again. The clones leapt over the brothers, who turned and threw another punch, but they grabbed the plumbers' fists again. The plumbers added more force and tried to shove them over the edge, but when they did, the clones grabbed the ledge as well and recovered, slide-kicking them off their feet. The Metal Bros. flipped over and tried to Ground Pound their counterparts, but Mario & Luigi rolled away just in time. Afterwards, they flipped over the clones and Ground Pounded them, damaging them a bit more, but were still too heavy to knock over.

The Metal Bros. then shot fire at the brothers, but Mario & Luigi countered with their own fire, though the flame still wasn't enough to hurt the strong metal. The plumbers went to punch at the clones again before jumping behind and kicking them down. They stood up and faced them, but Metal Luigi was taken by surprise when Luigi ran over and rapidly punched across his face. He was able to push Metal Luigi over the edge, quickly grabbing on, but Luigi pelted a fireball at his face and made him drop into the dark abyss, the heavy metal making him drop real fast.

Angered, Metal Mario charged over and threw rapid punches at Mario, but the mute hero performed Tornado Punches before kicking the clone away. He then squirted water at the clone using FLUDD, who held up a hand by his face in defense, then Mario ran over and spin-kicked across his face, knocking him over. When he got up and turned, Metal Mario right away felt himself being rapid punched some more by his counterpart, eventually shoving him over the edge. Metal Mario climbed back up and tried to grab Mario, but the red plumber bounced off his head and went over the edge himself, switching to FLUDD's hover nozzle and hovering far over the edge.

Metal Mario ran, leapt, and grabbed Mario's legs, attempting to pull Mario into the abyss with him. Mario struggled to stay airborne with the heavy body adding more weight, but he kicked at the clone's face enough times to make _him_ drop himself, Metal Mario giving a gargled scream as he vanished into the endless darkness. FLUDD's hover nozzle wore off just in time for the plumber to make it back to the platform.

They then heard a twinkle sound and looked up, seeing a big golden key with horns drop down from the sky, landing on the ground. Mario grabbed the key and stuck it into the lock, turning and making the lock explode and the double-doors open, exposing the dark-red portal inside. The three heroes exchanged determined expressions and nodded, stepping into the gateway that would lead to Bowser's throne. (End song.)

The door immediately closed behind them as they entered a dark, straightforward hallway, with walls aligned with paintings of various castles. "I think we made it, Brother. Bowser's straight up ahead." Luigi figured. Mario nodded.

As they quietly trekked across the hall, Shaunie's worried expression came back. Not only was he about to face probably the scariest monster he's ever encountered (ever since the Giant Fanny incident), he was even about to fight the boss he could never beat in _any_ _Mario_ game. However, he looked around and studied all the paintings of his castles throughout the years. His very first castle, made of bricks, from Mario's very first adventure. His castle stationed in the Valley of Bowser when he attacked Yoshi's Island_._ His Koopa Clown Castle with Peach's Castle rested on top of it, from when Bowser took the Star Rod. His volcano lair in Corona Mountain from when he attacked Delfino Island. His lava realm castle which he had during Mario's adventure for the Wii. And finally, his planet-sized space castle from Mario's second galactic adventure.

The more Shaunie looked at the many castles Bowser's had throughout the years, he's come to realize something. His whole life, Shaunie's been bullied around, too weak to defend himself, always taking cover behind his older sister, letting her deal with them. And from what he's noticed in the _Mario_ games, Bowser's castles have always been difficult levels and very heavily guarded. With this in mind, he continued to press onward, feeling he's finally found Bowser's weakness.

As they slowly passed down the final hall, they dodged fireballs that came flying down on the other end. They could feel the heat getting stronger as they got closer to the room ahead. Once they entered that room, the door behind them slammed tight. Mario and Luigi looked bravely up to the evil tyrant on his throne. Shaunie, however, was slightly shivering in fear as the Koopa King glared down at him with his vicious eyes.

"Hmmm. SO… the Italian plumber pests are back to foil my plans again…" Bowser spoke in his loud, tyrannical voice. "And what's this?" His eyes focused on Shaunie. "If it isn't the little pipsqueak brother of that Irish pain in the ass. Come here to join the rest of your pitiful team?"

Shaunie shook off his fear and put on a more fierce expression. "N-No! I'm here to save them and stop you! I may not be the biggest, but I have enough strength to beat you!"

This made Bowser furious, as he frowned and shot Shaunie a glare before jumping down from his throne. The 6-year-old was startled, quivering as Bowser stomped right in front of him, moving his head lower to the boy as he whispered. _"You wanna talk about strength?"_ And with that, Bowser smacked the child across the face, his muscular arm sending the tiny child sliding across the bridge, nearly falling over the edge into the boiling lava below. "You don't know what real strength is!"

At this, Mario and Luigi charged to attack the Koopa, but Bowser quickly spun and whacked them with his tail, knocking them against the wall as he turned back to Shaunie.

Shaunie could feel the floor quake, the Koopa King stomping closer as he still lied on his back from the smack, looking up as Bowser stood over him. "You think you're strong just by coming here? You don't know the HALF of what I've been through!" Bowser reached down and gripped the boy's shirt in his claws, picking and holding him up by his face as Shaunie tried to push the monster's hand off, but his tiny arms proved no use as Bowser spoke loudly at his face. "For AGES now, I've been sentenced to BURN in the very bowels of Hell, but always missed my trip. For MANY YEARS, my skin has been ripped and torn from my bones, but soon revived itself! And EVERY! LITTLE!", he held Shaunie by one of his legs as he bashed the Irish's head hard against the floor, "attempt for someone to send me to the Underworld has been all for NAUGHT! Because everytime I've been put to death, the Grim Reaper always missed his appointment. Do you know who I am, Shaunie? ! A SURVIVOR! !"

Bowser threw the child against the floor, the boy now severely torn and battered as Bowser stomped his foot on him, keeping him down. Meanwhile, the shrunken prisoners in the next room watched this whole scene via camera monitors, and the operatives looked absolutely worried for the child, Fanny especially.

"And you think you're strong!" Bowser continued. "An insignificant pest like you couldn't POSSIBLY endure the pain and hardships I've lived through! If there was one thing that truly made me suffer…", he picked the child up by his leg once again, making him face the Mario Brothers, "it's the humiliation of being BESTED by these Italian imbeciles EVERY! SINGLE! TIME! !" He bashed Shaunie's head against the floor at each shouted word, then throwing him against the wall where the Mario Bros. stood. Bowser stomped a bit closer and spoke once more as Shaunie lay there. "And I will NOT stand here and be beaten by ANY of those fools EVER AGAIN! Let alone a shrimpy, limbless pincushion like you! You don't know the first thing about strength. Coward!"

"You're wrong, Bowser!" Shaunie yelled back, weakly standing back up to face the demon turtle, the child bleeding tremendously. "I may be small, but I AM braver than you! YOU'RE the coward! You always hide in your ginormous castle, letting your Koopas go out and do all the work. You never come out and fight Mario yourself! You're nothing but a big bully who hides behind his cronies and try and act all big and tough and make other people feel as helpless as YOU are! I should know. I spent my whole life hiding behind my friends or my sister whenever someone comes to bully me. But now: _I_ came _here_. I came here to stand up to you, even if you look scary, and to rescue my friends! That's a better reason for this than kidnapping a Princess!"

"Who apparently can never hold her own for some reason." Luigi commented, earning a glare from Mario.

_"YEAH! TELL HIM, SHAUNIE!"_ Patton cheered in the next room as the operatives all smiled.

"So get ready, Bowser! We're taking you down, and THEN we're rescuing my friends!"

"Yeah! So let's do this! You ready, Mario?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah!"

"Hmm…" Bowser closed his eyes for a minute in curiosity and thought. "I admit you do have a lot of guts to say that to my face. But it only proves your brain is as tiny as your muscles." Bowser reopened his eyes and faced them. "Alright then! You think you're so tough, then FINE! I'll squash all three of you once and for all! Get ready, Mario, Luigi, and Shaunie. Today is the day I FINALLY flush you down the drain, to the VERY bowels of HELL! BLAAAH!" (Play Bowser's Theme from _New Super Mario Bros. Wii_!)

_Boss fight: King Bowser Koopa_

The Koopa King started coughing fireballs at the trio that they easily dodged. Mario tried running around him, but Bowser spun over and whacked him back with his tail. Luigi then noticed the button behind Bowser. "Hey! We gotta press the switch!"

Shaunie tried running for the switch, but Bowser immediately got in his way. Shaunie looked fearfully at the snarling demon, running back before Bowser burned him with fire breath. Luigi then tried to Super Jump right over him, but Bowser jumped just as high and kicked him back. While he was in the air, Shaunie tried running for the switch again, but Bowser crashed back down and stood in his way, stepping side-to-side as Shaunie tried to get around him. But seeing the small space between Bowser's legs, Shaunie took a few steps back and ran forward, ducking and sliding on his belly and successfully going under Bowser before he could scratch at him.

Shaunie quickly jumped and pressed the button down, the Mario Bros. quickly running over to his foothold as the bridge crumbled, Bowser screaming as he fell to the pit below. _"GRAAAAAHHH."_ But as a result, the foothold holding the three collapsed as well, and they all landed on a floor that seemed littered with cracks. The Koopa King leapt high over Mario and tried to Ground Pound, but Mario dodged and made the floor that Bowser hit crack. Remembering something like this before, Mario had an idea, and dodged some of Bowser's spin-punches before running onto that same spot. Bowser attempted another Ground Pound, but the floor crumbled beneath him and sent the Koopa falling once more.

The rest of the floor crumbled shortly after and sent the rest of them to another battlefield. There, Bowser climbed into his Koopa Clown Car, going airborne and started swooping back-and-forth over the ground, trying to slice them with his propeller. After failing to do so, Bowser tossed two Mecha-Koopas down at them. Mario simply grabbed one and kicked it up to bump Bowser's head. The Koopa King then turned his craft upside down and started dropping giant bowling balls around the area to crush them. Luigi avoided them and grabbed the other Mecha-Koopa, tossing it up to hit Bowser again.

Angered, the Koopa started to bounce around the field to squash them with his vehicle, making the ground shake at each bounce. One of the quakes caused Shaunie to bounce high enough for him to actually grab onto the Clown Car, getting into the cockpit and messing around with the controls, causing the flying pod to zoom around out of control before it exploded, sending Bowser and Shaunie falling down lower with the others jumping after them.

They landed on a circular field, which had the chasm surrounding it, along with four mines. Bowser stomped toward the little Fulbright child and unleashed more flames around the area, but Shaunie quickly ran around behind him. He suddenly remembered how Fanny beat him before and grabbed hold of the turtle's tail. He used all the strength in his tiny arms, but was unable to lift the big brute up. Bowser hissed and wagged his tail, throwing the child closer to the edge, and he nearly fell over. Shaunie screamed when Bowser charged toward him, but he was able to dodge just in time, making Bowser nearly fall over.

As the Koopa wobbled to keep his balance, Shaunie bit his tail and was able to make Bowser yelp and fall over. "So long, Big Bowser!"

However, the Koopa was easily able to leap back onto the field, making the ground shake. He coughed more flames into the air and made them scatter all around, along with some blue flames that bounced their way over to Shaunie and Luigi. Bowser yelped once more when Mario suddenly grabbed his tail from behind, swinging the turtle around faster and faster before tossing him straight into a bomb. The explosion sent Bowser flying across the field and falling over into the chasm. The field suddenly turned over however and sent the team falling, landing them on the side of a toxic pool.

Bowser emerged from the center of the pool as boats floated around him, shooting Missile Bills that homed in on the heroes. Shaunie attracted the attention of the missiles and evaded them, leaving Mario and Luigi to run separate directions around the pool. Bowser blew some flames in Mario's path, but he switched to FLUDD's rocket nozzle and shot right over them. Luigi arrived at one of the two weak points of the pool, Super Jumped, and Ground Pounded with enough force to rip that point off and make the whole pool shake. Bowser leapt up and splashed down in the pool to make waves of it come out to wash Mario away, but the plumber stayed on and Rocket Jumped over the last weak point, Ground Pounding, and making the entire pool turn upside-down, dropping them all lower into the pit.

Mario and Luigi fell down lower than the next platform, unfortunately, while Bowser and Shaunie landed face-to-face. Bowser angrily glared at the Irish lad, who quickly started running as Bowser stomped after him, which wasn't easy seeing as there was even less room around. Shaunie noticed the five switches around the field and ran to press one of them. Before Bowser could breathe fire at him, Shaunie ran and pressed the next-door switch, causing the two to connect electrically. He saw where this was coming and ran to push the one straight across, connecting all three and creating a triangle. He lured Bowser into the triangle, getting the Koopa King injured when lightning suddenly struck down on him.

Bowser roared to the heavens as the gravity suddenly pulled them off the platform and dropped them onto a small, spherical planetoid with its own gravity. Bowser curled into his spiked-shell and started zooming around the sphere at high speeds, but Shaunie was thankfully able to avoid him by a few inches. Shaunie then noticed the planetoid was filled with lava, and had six weak glass spots around it. When Bowser stopped and was preparing to Ground Pound, Shaunie ran onto one of the glass spots so that he would try and crush him there, dodging right away and causing his tail to get burned by the lava once he pushed through. Bowser frantically ran around as Shaunie then took this time to grab one of the discarded glass shards and throw it at his left leg, making Bowser scream even louder.

Shaunie grabbed another shard and stuffed it in his pocket, just in case, but the gravity soon dropped them off the planet, landing them on yet another bridge where the Mario Brothers waited. Bowser tried to cough fireballs at them, but Mario and Luigi only pelted him with their own fireballs, eventually pushing him straight over the edge, where he finally fell into the lava. (End song.)

With that, Shaunie ran over to press the switch, dropping the bridge entirely as they stood on the safe foothold. "Yeah! We did it!" the Italian brothers exclaimed.

"Mweh heh heh heh!" cackled Kammy Koopa, immediately flying down on her broomstick. "You Mario Brothers don't know anything. Where do you think his son gets it? It's time for Bowser's REAL power to be unleashed!" And with that, the witch flew around the pit, sprinkling tons of sparkling rainbow magic down below. The heroes immediately felt the earth begin to shake as the lava below was bubbling. (Play Giant Bowser's Theme from _Mario Bros. Wii_!)

Kammy Koopa was suddenly flung away when the Koopa King shot out from the pit, even bigger and more terrifying than ever before. "GRAAAAAARRRRRGH! !" At that instant, he swung his massive arm and swatted the two plumbers away, missing only Shaunie since he was shorter and able to duck it. Shaunie seemed more afraid than ever now, screaming as Bowser tried to claw him, but missed, seeing a tiny hole in the wall and proceeding to crawl in.

He hurriedly crawled to the other side, scared out of his wits when the massive Bowser smashed through the stone wall and began to chase him. He ran and jumped across the small platforms, dodging as Bowser sent fireballs coming his way, also having to stay on his feet when Bowser took leaps closer and made the area shake. Shaunie grabbed onto a jagged wall to the side and hurriedly climbed across to a platform too far to jump, trying his best to hold tight when Bowser slammed his fist in the wall, making debris crumble from the ceiling. When Shaunie made it over, he found a handle on a chain hanging from the ceiling. Hoping it may do something, he jumped and grabbed hold of it, too small to pull it down, so he shook around a little until he was able to force it down.

To his relief, a hatch opened on the ceiling above Bowser, dropping down tons of lava and holding him down. Shaunie dropped back to the floor, but was immediately ambushed by more of those hummingbird Heartless, but Shaunie took the glass shard he saved and started cutting them, releasing their hearts. He leapt onto the last one and was able to tame it again, but that's when Bowser splashed back up, sending waves of lava his way. Shaunie quickly rode the Heartless downward into a lower part of the tunnel, trying to stay as far above the lava as he could when Bowser splashed more waves at them. He unleashed massive flames from his mouth, so Shaunie was forced to jump off and let the Heartless get burned.

He grabbed the ledge of the next foothold and weakly climbed up, screaming when Bowser crash-landed beside the platform and slammed his claw down, trying to grab him. Shaunie was thankfully small enough to crawl right through his fingers before he could grip him, getting back up and dashing across a rope bridge. When Bowser unleashed his flames again, the first half of the bridge was burned, but Shaunie made it to the second half, holding on tight when the bridge fell and dangled over the fiery pit. He looked back and saw Bowser approaching, climbing as fast as he could to reach the top, avoiding Bowser's flames just in time before continuing to run.

The Fulbright child saw another giant switch up ahead, running and climbing on top of it, but was too small to press it down. When Bowser stomped over and slammed the wall again, Shaunie noticed a giant boulder come down from the ceiling above him and rolled off, letting the stone press the switch. The castle quaked once more as the ceiling, not too far above Bowser, exploded on his head, dropping tons of gallons of lava on his face that forced him below the flaming river.

Shaunie saw a door behind him and hurried through, stopping a minute to gaze up at the thousands of platforms and stairs that seemed to lead back up to the top. Shaunie started his walk and went up the first set of stairs, then went across a small bridge to get over to the next stairs. After reaching the end of that set, "BRAAAAAARRRRGGH! !" Bowser emerged from the depths of the flames below, hideously torn from the lava just poured onto him. Many parts of his skin were melted off, exposing his skeleton, and his right eye was burned and left only blood, dried quickly from the extreme temperatures.

Shaunie immediately dashed up the next stairway to his left as Bowser started launching quick fireballs to destroy the path behind him, afterwards turning left again down a bridge. He turned right and went up another staircase, then turned right again to cross a stone bridge. But that's when Bowser popped up from below and destroyed the path, standing in his way as he tried to claw at Shaunie again. Shaunie stepped back in fright, but then found a rock from the debris beside him, picking it up and throwing it at Bowser's left eye, making him scream in pain as he tried to shake it out. While he was distracted, Shaunie ran and grabbed onto the Koopa, holding on as he shook around and was able to climb across to where the path continued.

He hurried up more stairs and across bridges before Bowser stopped shaking around and glared at him with his now-black eye. Bowser coughed flames straight upward as he climbed the upward pathway, getting his face level with Shaunie when he crossed a bridge, but still missing when he coughed a fireball. When Shaunie dashed up another staircase, and the platforms Bowser was holding onto eventually crumbled to his weight, causing the Koopa King to fall and splash in the lava below.

It took a while for Bowser to recover, allowing Shaunie to run a good chunk of the way up with no interruptions, and by the time he made it to a dead end at the top of the path where another switch was, he was absolutely exhausted, sitting down to catch his breath. Shaunie screamed at the top of his lungs when Bowser shot up to where he was, the Koopa holding onto the platform with his right hand while raising his left hand and slamming down at Shaunie, gripping him in his fingers as he held the Fulbright boy closer to his face, about to roast him and bite off his head.

Shaunie felt around for his glass shard again and grabbed it, pulling his arms free of Bowser's grasp before successfully throwing the shard straight in his blackened left eye. "GROOOOAAARR!"

"AAHHH!" Shaunie was sent screaming and flailing his arms when Bowser hurled him far away. At this time, however, Mario was dashing along the walls of the hundred-story cave using FLUDD's turbo, grabbing onto the 6-year-old before taking a great leap back to the safe foothold. Luigi used his Super Jump to successfully bounce his way to where they were, giving everyone a good look at the severely injured Bowser with two bleeding eyes. Shaunie looked back at the final switch and proceeded to jump and press it. (End song.)

Packs of dynamites tied to the ceiling, as a result, exploded all around, dropping tons and tons of debris onto Bowser, forcing him to let go and plummet into the fiery abyss. Bowser rapidly flung his arms around as the massive boulder chunks came down on his head, unable to see them as he was slowly buried beneath all of the rubble. Eventually, an enormous pile of rubble was formed with the Koopa King buried underneath, and the lava that lit up the entire underground was buried as well, making the whole place fade to a dim light.

After that long and violent battle, the three heroes took a minute to catch their breath. "Finally…" Shaunie panted. "Is he gone?"

"I doubt it." Luigi replied. "Knowing Bowser, he never stays gone for long. He wasn't kidding before. But this _should_ knock him out of the race long enough. …You were pretty good back there, Shaunie."

"Ah-huh." Mario agreed.

This made a smile appear on Shaunie's face. "Hey… I did it, didn't I? I defeated Bowser! Yaaay!"

"Hehe. But no time for that, now. We gotta go find everyone else." Luigi reminded.

"Right. Let's go!" Shaunie cheered. They looked above and found several more square platforms leading out of the basement. Shaunie got on Luigi's back as the green plumber Super Jumped while Mario used FLUDD's rocket to get them higher. At the last platform, they were close to the ceiling, where they saw a small ladder leading to some sort of sewer hatch. They easily got there with one last leap, Mario going first and grabbing onto the ladder, followed by Luigi as Mario climbed up through the hatch. Still holding onto Luigi, Shaunie glanced back down to the pile of rubble where Bowser was buried, seeing no trace of him as Luigi climbed them through the hatch.

The three heroes finally climbed out of there, immediately finding their selves in the chamber of the many shrunken prisoners inside hamster cages as everyone turned and faced them. _"Shaunie!"_

At this voice, Shaunie noticed his tiny sister pressing her hands and face against the glass of her cage and smiling happily, running over for a closer look. "Fanny?"

_"Dude, I can't believe you made it!"_ Paddy exclaimed.

"Paddy?"

_"SHAUNIE!"_

The 6-year-old looked over and smiled, seeing the cage holding his shrunken friends and hurrying over. "Luvbi! Guys! I'm so glad you're okay!"

_"Ay, thanketh the gods for that, yea? Now, how about thou goest about getting us out of hither before great fiery demon climbeth back up and gets us, eh?"_ Luvbi asked.

_"Yeah, so we don't have to spend the rest of our lives as bugs."_ Sonic said, snarkily.

"Well, we can let you out, but we aren't so sure about the 'getting you bigger' part." Luigi replied.

_"Use Celebi to rescue us."_ Nova told them. _"She's trapped in that machine over there."_ They looked and noticed the large machine with Celebi trapped in a capsule.

_"Bowser's been using that thing to suck away her energy and our fear to turn this castle into a Nightmare Realm."_ Cosmo explained.

"So that's how he's been redecorating." Luigi deduced. "Well, I'm afraid his little paintjob is over." He said, stepping over to the machine. He grabbed hold of the door-handle which would open Celebi's capsule and struggled to pull it open a little, but was finally able to do so, Mario grabbing the Forest Spirit and taking her out. Celebi weakly opened her eyes and studied her surroundings, able to flap her fairy wings as she flew to the center of the room, seeing everyone Minish-sized and trapped in cages.

_"Biii, BI!"_ Celebi charged a power in her hands and released a ton of tiny sparkling dust specks, flowing over and sprinkling onto the captives in their cages. In a few seconds, everyone zapped back to their regular sizes, their cages shattering as a result, and everyone who was bunched in one cage fell on top of each other.

"Oh, FINALLY!" Ace exclaimed, shoving Lizzie and Henrietta off of him.

"Let's get outta this dump." Lizzie stated grumpily, already stomping out of there.

"Uh, coming, Lizzie." Herbie called, running after.

"SHAUNIE!" Fanny yelled in joy, immediately embracing her brother in a hug. "We saw the whole fight! I'm so proud of you!"

"You are?"

"Yeah, Dude!" Patton exclaimed, walking over and ruffling up Shaunie's hair. "You totally kicked Bowser's can! Guess toughness really runs in the family."

"And ya didn't even have ta turn giant." Fanny said.

"Uh, hey, we were there, too." Luigi intervened. Mario just touched his shoulder and shook his head. "Sigh, you're right, Bro. Let 'im have his moment."

"Yeah!" Tommy exclaimed. "He was all, 'GROOOAR!' And you were all, switch-stomp! And then he BURNED in the lava!"

"To put it simply, as the Greeks wouldst calleth thee, a true hero." Luvbi told him.

"Gee… thanks, guys." Shaunie smiled and blushed.

"You know, we could always use someone like you in the Kids Next Door." Rachel said. "You aren't at the proper age yet, buuut… I can pull some strings."

"Well… thanks, Rachel, but I'd rather stick with my own team."

"I understand."

"Hold on now! I believe there was someone else we needed to rescue." Luigi spoke up.

"We saw them drag Peach into that room over there." Jagar replied, pointing to a door behind the machine.

"Go get 'er, Bro." Luigi said to his brother, and Mario nodded. The others followed the red plumber as he slid open the doors to the dark room. Sitting in the very center, turned away from them as the light shone on her from the door, was the Princess of Mushroom Kingdom herself. Mario smiled and approached the girl he's risked limb-and-limb to rescue for years, happy to be reunited with his loved one once again.

"Ohhh…" He stopped just inches away from the pink-loving princess, who gasped quietly and was about to turn to her savior. Mario closed his eyes and awaited a possible kiss as everyone else eagerly awaited as well. And just when the girl turned and faced her hero…

"MMMMMMWAH! !"

"HUH? ! ?" Everyone gasped in pure shock as Mario immediately pulled away from the kissing girl.

"WENDY? !" Luigi exclaimed.

"OOH, Mario! I'm so glad you came here to rescue me!" Wendy O. Koopa exclaimed, throwing off her pink dress and blonde wig.

"…H-Hey! You're not the Princess!" Luigi shouted. "Where's Peach? !"

_"Grah ha ha ha har har."_ Echoed the ominous laughter that only came from one person. A dim light switched on from the ceiling, shining down as Bowser stood a few feet away from Wendy, who ran behind him into the darkness.

"B-B…Bowser?" Shaunie asked frightfully, seeing the regular-sized, totally uninjured Koopa King.

"You thought I was going to die that easily… did you?" Bowser asked calmly, though his voice was still frightening and full of rage.

"Well… you usually stay down a little while longer." Luigi said.

"No matter… because now…now is the time… I _end_ your miserable lives… once and for all. BEHOLD! !" The entire room alit with lights, exposing seven laser turrets around the walls, all taking aim at Bowser. "For I have absorbed enough of Celebi's power and YOUR fear to create the ultimate transformation device. Now… CRUMBLE at the hands… of the new and improved… GIGA Bowser!..."

The Seven Koopalings stood around each of the seven turrets as Wendy spoke first. "You did your best, Mario Brothers."

"As did YOU, Junior Prospectors." Roy followed.

"But now is the time for revenge." Morton said.

"NOW is the time for ACTION!" Lemmy and Larry cheered.

"To rid ourselves of your miserable existence!" Iggy smirked.

"But vhat BRILLIANT device have ve here today!" Ludwig exclaimed. "Too brilliant for you, ja…?"

"FIRE UP THE LASERS!" Bowser ordered.

"As you command, Lord Bowser!" Kammy Koopa responded, flying above on her broomstick. The Seven Koopalings did as told and switched on the turrets simultaneously. Each of them fired dark-green lasers that fueled the Koopa King with incredible power.

"Ohhh… oh, yesss… I can feel… the power…"

"Oh no. I'm not-a liking the look of this…" Luigi said worriedly.

"AH HA HA HAH!" Iggy Koopa danced and cheered. "And there's NOTHING you can do about it! Ha—Whoa-oa!" The magic Koopa nearly slipped off the platform he stood on, wobbling around a little before accidentally touching the laser, getting forcibly stuck and shocked. "WAAAH!"

"Iggy!" Roy exclaimed. He ran to pull his comrade out, but ended up getting shocked himself, unable to let go. The rest of the Koopalings, save for Wendy, followed after, and each one ended up getting stuck to the other.

"Hold on!" Wendy yelled, attempting to stop the laser by jumping in front of it. This proved to be a stupid move as she took an even more powerful shock.

"NO! You fools will screw up the whole process!" Kammy screamed. That's when each of the Koopalings transformed into identical green energy and flowed back to their respective lasers, shooting inside of the Koopa King as the entire castle began to shake. "NO! ! It's too late! I have to get out of here! EEEEEEEEE!" She zoomed through the doors, over everyone else, and got out of there.

"GRAAAARRRR!" Bowser screamed, feeling intense pain. "Quick… somebody… shut this thing… down!..."

"Come on!" Rachel exclaimed. "Let's get him out-" Before she could finish, Bowser exploded into a flash of light, and a dark portal appeared in the spot where he stood. The portal grew even bigger as the castle shook more, and everyone around was vacuumed straight in the darkness.

**Another Dimension**

Everybody awoke to find their selves on a massive flat asteroid, floating around a strange hyperspace of pure darkness. "Whuh… where are we?" Luigi asked.

"Certainly not at Koopa Kore." Rachel replied.

"Look! There's Bowser!" Tommy pointed.

Everyone looked ahead as the Koopa King stood on all fours, panting heavily as intense thumping could be heard from him. "Is…Is he dying?" Rachel asked.

_"You're half-right…"_ Everyone gasped when Phantom Gnaa suddenly appeared out of the shadows. The shadow directed their attention back over to Bowser, his transformation already starting to happen. (Play "Last Battle" from _Romance Saga 2_.)

"GRAAAAAAARRRRR! _GROOOOOAAAARRR!"_ The Koopa King felt only horrendous pain as his transformation was coming on. His arms transformed into hideous exoskeleton-like forms of Lemmy and Larry Koopa. His legs grew longer and turned into zombie-like forms of Morton and Roy Koopa. Iggy Koopa sprouted from his tail with venom drooling from his teeth, and Ludwig emerged from Bowser's shell. A pair of arms then reached out of Bowser's eyes as his whole head was splattered, allowing Wendy Koopa's mutated form to pop out, hissing venom towards the heroes. On the stomach of the Koopa King, a hideous bulbous pimple-like bubble emerged, containing the incarnation's heart.

_"Behold… anger, jealously, and _lust_ for revenge has transformed the King of the Koopas… into a Heartless."_ Phantom Gnaa spoke. _"Now… prepare yourselves for the dreaded power… the Koopa King has yet to unleash. And watch your precious Mushroom Kingdom fall, and rise again… as the Mushroom Kingdom of DARKNESS!"_ With that, the shadow faded back into oblivion.

Just then, Shaunie felt some kind of energy around his left hand, holding it out as a strange black Keyblade with a golden sun at the end suddenly appeared. "Wh-Whuh-"

"That looks like the weapon Gnaa had." Fanny said.

"A Keyblade…" Rachel observed.

"Where did it come from?" Patton asked.

"Pray, whom cares? !" Luvbi shouted. "Let us kick yonder butt!"

"Kids Next Door," Nigel started, "BATTLE STATIONS!"

_Semifinal boss: Koopamalgamous_

The heroes charged toward the incarnation, but the beast spun-kicked them all away. Mario aimed for Wendy's head up top and squirted water, but the Morton and Roy legs stomped the ground and sent shockwaves, knocking Mario over as Morton grabbed him in his arms, starting to gnaw his head in his teeth. Luigi dashed over and Super Jumped before Roy grabbed him, Ground Pounding atop Morton to save his brother before the two plumbers dashed away from the monster.

"Junior Prospectors, moveth out." Luvbi ordered, and all her teammates scattered and ran around the monster. Shaunie dashed toward the Morton/Roy legs and started swinging his Keyblade at a fast pace, doing damage to the mutant parts. Tommy drew out his own G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. as he and Mushi got behind, dodging magical blasts from the Iggy tail as he fired gumballs at it, while Mushi launched her sharp crayons. Iggy winced a little, but the Ludwig shell summoned dozens of hearts around the mutant, sending them all over the place and stunning the kids.

Shaunie dodged a swipe from the Lemmy arm and ran over, able to free his friends by smacking them with his Keyblade. The Wendy head launched more hearts, but Shaunie swiftly avoided or batted them while Luvbi used wind to blow them away. "Man," Tommy panted, still trying to shoot the assaulting Iggy tail, "every corner on this guy has a head."

"Not every corner." Luvbi said, taking notice at the hideous bulge in the stomach where the heart rested. "Methinks yonder heart be his weak spot. Focus attacking thither."

"Okay. I just need a boost." Shaunie said, already running toward the amalgamation. The Roy leg tried to gnash at him, but Shaunie jumped onto it, the Morton leg tried to bite him, but missed and bit Roy instead as Shaunie got onto Morton, running up the leg and leaping before the Larry arm bit him. He landed on the Heartless' back where Ludwig was, ducking as the German Koopa swung his arms before striking with his Keyblade. Afterwards, he kicked off and landed on Wendy's head, striking the female before piercing his Keyblade in and sliding down the front of the body, proceeding to land several blows upon the heart.

Shaunie jumped off as the incarnation screamed and fell over on its back. Mario jumped onto the stomach afterwards, used FLUDD's rocket to fire upward before coming down with a Ground Pound, dealing heavy damage to the heart. The Lemmy arm grabbed Mario and threw him right off, allowing the body to stand up. The demon unleashed a roar, jumping midair and spinning around as all the heads unleashed fireballs of the Koopalings' respective colors, all homing in and doing damage to the heroes while Shaunie was able to guard with his Keyblade. The Heartless came back down, creating a shockwave from the impact of his fall and knocking everybody over.

The Lemmy arm then conjured up giant green rubber balls in his hands, sending the massive balls to bounce around the field, one of them bouncing on top of Tommy and Mushi and pinning them down. One of the balls was about to crush Joey, but the Beatles baby flipped on top and started riding it himself, bouncing closer as the Lemmy/Larry hands coughed fireballs at him. Joey leapt off when the ball was destroyed, coming for Wendy's head and shoving a dodgeball in her face, then fell and landed between the Morton/Roy feet and jumped before the two could gnash at him, ramming their heads and making them dizzy.

As a result of the dizzied legs, the monster fell over on his butt. Shaunie dashed behind and headed for the Iggy tail, leaping above as his arms tried to grab him and struck at Iggy's head with the Keyblade. He then flipped over, but was grabbed by the Ludwig shell, binding the boy's arms together and about to bite his head, but Shaunie pulled his left arm out and smacked the head with the Keyblade, dropping Shaunie and allowing him to run up the back and reach Wendy's head, striking her again before sliding down the front of the body and dealing more strikes again the heart. Injured, the Heartless fell all the way over on his back. Luigi took this time to get on the heart, Super Jump straight up, and come down with a Ground Pound to deal some more heavy damage.

Luigi was thrown off as the monster stood back up. Angered, the demon set himself aflame with purple fire, spinning all around the field and leaving a huge trail of the purple flames in his way. The kids looked around for a way out of the flames, but found nothing, and Tommy screamed when he saw the demon leap above him, running out of the way before he came down, creating another shockwave. Mario squirted water out of FLUDD and spun around, shooting water all around, but it was unable to put out the purple flames as the Heartless jumped over to where he was.

The Lemmy and Larry arms tried to bite at the plumber before Mario Rocket Jumped and belly-slid at Wendy's face, dropping down only to be grabbed by the Lemmy arm. Lemmy forced his teeth into the plumber before tossing him near the field's edge, the fire fading away as the creature stomped over. Sammy pulled out a rope and tossed the other end to Jessica, the two running to both sides of the monster and holding the rope up, successfully tripping it. Afterwards, Iggy and Ludwig grabbed both sides of the rope and yanked them over, grabbing the kids and proceeding to gnaw at their heads.

Joey instantly flipped over and shoved dodgeballs in the two mouths as Shaunie ran over and whacked their arms, forcing them to drop the kids. The Koopamalgamous stood back up and turned to face the Keyblade-wielder. Once again, Shaunie held his Keyblade ready and dashed over, jumping as the Roy leg tried to grab him, then jumped the Morton leg, running up said leg and kicking away before the Larry grabbed him. However, the arms of the Lemmy arm wrapped around and grabbed him, but Shaunie was saved when Luvbi blew a gust of air from below him into the arms, expanding it into an air ball and forcing the arms off.

Shaunie was blown over and behind the body, allowing Iggy to grab him by his leg, licking his lips as he was about to snack on him. Shaunie just whacked his teeth, then his arm, and was able to flip on top of him, swatting at the Ludwig shell before it could grab him, kicking off the blue-haired Koopaling's head to once again reach Wendy's. The female Koopa tried to grab him, but Shaunie dodged around in midair and struck at the head, sliding down to the center once again and proceeding to land even more blows at the heart. The Koopamalgamous fell over on his back once more. This time, both Mario Brothers exchanged nods and ran onto its chest, both of them leaping straight up, grabbing each others' hands, and spinning around in the air before crashing down with a double Ground Pound.

This appeared to be enough to vanquish the monster, as its chest splattered around the ground and a burst of light emerged where it was. (End song.) Mario and Luigi ran off the monster as Koopamalgamous stood up, wobbling around in defeat. The light from the broken chest grew bigger until the entire incarnation exploded, consumed in light. The Seven Koopalings each flew out of the light, in their regular separate forms, followed lastly by Bowser as the light vanished, the Koopa King screaming as he was forcibly sucked into another black hole. The black hole expanded once again and sucked everyone inside.

**Bowser's Castle**

Everyone dropped out of individual portals from the ceiling, landing back on the floor of the prison chamber. As Shaunie recovered, he watched as his Keyblade suddenly vanished in a flash of light. "We…We did it!" Shaunie exclaimed, raising his fists high.

"Wait to go, Shaunie!" Fanny cheered.

"GRAARGH!" Bowser screamed, falling out of a portal and landing facefirst on the floor. "NOO! I can't BELIEVE that Mario defeated me AGAIN! And to make things worse… he had help… from a shrimpy, pathetic little, powerless kid! When I get through with him, I'LL…" He stopped when he noticed a pair of huge feet, about his own size, in front of him, looking up in pure shock as the gigantic Shaunie and Junior Prospectors glared down at him.

"Who are you calling shrimpy and powerless? !" Shaunie yelled.

_"GAAAH!" _The diminutive Bowser screamed in a high-pitch voice. _"No, not again! St-Stay back you… puny, WHINY little BRAT! WAH!"_ Bowser yelped and jumped back when Shaunie tried to stomp him.

"I am NOT WHINY! !"

_"WAAAAHHHH!"_ Bowser jumped around and started moving his legs fast as he could, scampering away from the Irish child.

"Not so fast, Turtle Boy." Fanny said, catching the shrunk king in her hands. "It's time for your nap." With that, she dropped him into a hamster cage, held by Patton, along with the rest of the Koopalings.

"Now you can sit in there for a while and think about what you've done." Patton smirked, setting them on a shelf.

"Heh. The beauty of irony." Matthew chuckled.

"WAIT!" Leo yelled, running onto the shelf and pulling his pants down. The dimwitted poisonbender stuck his butt in the cage and released a powerful fart, making the eight Koopas cough and gasp for air. "That's better."

"We… coulda did without that." Katie commented, grossed out.

"But where's the Princess?" Luigi asked.

"Over here." A female voice called. Everyone directed their attention toward the door where Bowser's transformation device was as the pink princess herself stepped out. Mario immediately gave a joyous smile at the girl, while Peach smiled and giggled back. The Princess approached the short plumber, bent down, and planted a kiss on his nose, causing Mario's cheeks to turn red.

"Heeheehee! They're so cute together." Shaunie giggled.

"Hm hm, mayhap so." Luvbi smirked. "But he ist not the only one whom hath earned a kiss." And Shaunie was taken by surprise when Luvbi bent down and laid a kiss upon his left cheek. "Mmmmwah."

"Uh… hehehe." Shaunie blushed.

**Outside of Bowser's Castle**

Everyone finally made it outside the castle, finally free of its Nightmare Power, as well as the dark clouds that surrounded it, exposing everyone to the bright-blue and sunny sky. "Ah, what a wonderful way to end such an adventure." Luvbi sighed.

"Maybe for you guys, but we still have a lot of work to do." Rachel said.

"Perhaps, but I've had enough adventuring for one day." Nova replied, holding Celebi's Spirit Ball. "I'd like to go back home and just relax a while."

"Me too." Emily agreed. "See you later, guys!" With that, she and the rest of Team Forest walked off.

"What about you, Matt?" Yin asked.

"You oughta come back with us." Luna told him.

"Hmm… I can't. It just wouldn't feel right… not right now."

"Well… just so you know, it's never too late." Yin said. "We have to go look for Violet. See you around." She smiled and waved as everyone else walked off.

"You sure we couldn't just go with 'em?" Elijah asked.

"Well, we do need to see how Nolan and his gang are doing." Matt said. "Alright, now stand back, guys. I'm going to take care of one last thing." His teammates shrugged and walked away as Matt entered the castle.

The toxic leader stopped in the middle of the torch and lava-lit hall as he pulled out a Purple Flurp, drinking it up. With that done, he burped out a massive Gas Bomb and sent it into the lava. The impact caused the entire fortress to start exploding and crumbling, so Matt hurried out of there. Still sitting in their hamster cage within the prison chamber, Bowser and his Koopalings looked up, eyes-widened as the ceiling came down. "GRAAAARRRRHH!" The shrunken Koopas were completely crushed beneath the rubble as the entire fortress slide down the mountain's slope, burning and crumbling into the lava.

The rest of the heroes gathered back down at the airship as two certain spirits awaited. "Hey, Mewtwo! Clockwork!" Misty smiled.

"So, I see you kids made it out okay." Clockwork smiled.

"Thanks ta Shaunie." Fanny said, playfully smacking his back. "I don't know how, but he got one of those weapons that Lord Gnaa used."

"A Keyblade, was it?" Clockwork raised a brow. "That's a pretty rare sight. Keyblades can't be wielded by any person. They find and choose the masters deemed most worthy, much like the Master Sword. The one you held was the Hero's Crest. It observed the way you faced and stood up to your fears to save your friends, and chose you as its wielder."

_"But Keyblades are sacred, but dangerous weapons, and never stay with their holder for too long. Only at moments when you've really proven you deserve it can you wield it."_ Mewtwo explained.

"Well… it was fun while it lasted." Shaunie figured.

_"Now come with us."_ The clone ordered as Clockwork opened a portal. _"We will regroup with the others and discuss how we plan to defeat Gnaa."_

"You guys go ahead." Luigi told them as the Junior Prospectors, Mario, and Peach boarded the airship. "We're going to celebrate."

"Pray, that remindeth me of something." Luvbi spoke up. "I hath always wondered… what art thou and Mario's surnames?"

"Whuh? Oh, yeah. Believe it or not, our last names are… Mario."

"So… thou art Mario Mario and Luigi Mario?"

"Yep. We're the Mario Brothers."

"Ah-huh." Mario nodded.

"…I may needeth time to wrap my head around that."

"Hey, everybody." Peach started. "Why don't we go back to my castle and I'll bake us a delicious cake?"

"I'm up for that!" Toad smiled.

"Later, Tommy!" Hoagie waved as they stepped through the portal. "Save me a slice why don'tcha?"

"Junior Prospectors, let us ship off!" Luvbi ordered. (Play the Ending Theme to _Super Mario 64_!)

"Later, guys!" Luigi called to everyone else as the ship was already starting to lift off without him. "Catch ya on the flipside, Tails! I'll- Whoa!" he slipped when he tried to board the airship, finding out it had already taken off. "Hey!"

"Cometh, everyone!" Luvbi called. "After we feast on tasty cake, let us head to house of talking mouse and dine upon tasty round cheese decorated with many meats and deceased fish!"

Looks of total confusion appeared on everyone's faces.

"I believest thou humans refer to it as 'pizza'."

"YAAAY!"

"WAIT!" Luigi called. "I like pizza, too! You forgot about me! Come back!"

"Mama Luigi!" Yoshi suddenly called, flying down beside him with a new pair of wings. "I fell back outside and swallowed a blue Koopa to get these wings!"

"Great! Let's go!" With that, Luigi got onto the dinosaur, flying after the airship as they soared over the peaceful skies.

* * *

><p><strong>Shaunie's Story: Cast:<strong>

**Rob Paulsen as _Shaunie Fulbright_ and _Sammy_**

**Charles Martinet as_ Mario, Luigi, Metal Mario, Metal Luigi, _and _FLUDD_**

**Kazumi Totaka as _Yoshi_**

**Jen Taylor as _Princess Peach_ and _Toad_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Tommy Gilligan_ and _Joey Beatles_**

**Tara Strong as _Mushi Sanban_**

**Scott Burns as _King Bowser Koopa_**

**Dolores Rogers as _Bowser Jr._**

**Chris Seavor as _Kammy Koopa_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Luvbi_**

**Veronica Taylor as _Wendy O. Koopa_**

**Lani Minella as _Morton Koopa Jr., Larry Koopa, _and _Lemmy Koopa_**

**Mike Vaughn as _Ludwig von Koopa_**

**Dan Falcone as _Iggy Koopa_**

**Brad Jackson as _Roy Koopa_**

**Characters by Nintendo and Mr. Warburton**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**Shaunie's Story: _END_**

* * *

><p><strong>HOO, and so we end the first story arc of the… er, story! And the first of many epic final battles with the villains! Next up, we'll be finishing Sonic's story and defeating Dr. Eggman. Eh, but first, guess which world WE'RE headed! ;D Hint: the White Lotus come from that world! See you then!<strong>


	58. The Negatar's Opposite

**HELLOO, everybody! It's time to head for, you guessed it, Avatar World! After a few cutscenes, of course. :P Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Sail To Another World! Meet the Negatar's Opposite and All His Friends!<em>**

**The Death Egg**

Dr. Eggman solemnly stood at his control terminal and studied the action that had just occurred at Bowser's Castle on his tiny monitor. Bowser's fortified fortress crumbled and burned in the volcano as Eggman's five robotic henchmen stepped in. "Hello, Doctor." Orbot greeted. "Might I ask what's wrong?"

Eggman let out a sigh. "Bowser's been destroyed."

"Bowser? Somehow, I do not think so." Decoe replied.

"Those idiot plumbers and those snot-nosed brats made a fool out of him. They tore old Bowser apart like a worthless piece of tissue paper. We've always felt that special bond, seeing as we're both constantly humiliated by someone we can't stand. I will not stand for this. We've got almost all of the Emeralds, but we still need that last Sol Emerald. Not to mention the Chaos Emerald Shadow has. Hrn, what to do, what to do…"

"I might have a suggestion, Doctor."

"Oh ho?" Eggman turned and noticed his emotionless counterpart in the doorway. "Why, hello, Nega! What brings you here?"

"Actually, Doctor, I have come across a rather extraordinary discovery."

"A discovery?"

"You do know how the Seven Chaos Emeralds are unified by the Master Emerald, correct?"

"Yes?"

"And whenever the Seven Emeralds come together, they cause Chaos Control and scatter across the universe?"

"Yes?"

"Though they're never very far apart." Decoe commented.

"And Chaos Control can cause nearly anything, namely warping to other dimensions." Nega continued.

"Precisely, which was how we were once transported to that Chris kid's world, and how Sonic's team was able to find their way here."

"Right what I was getting at, Doctor." Nega smirked. "According to my research, each dimension ACTUALLY has its own Master Emerald! If the Emeralds were ever to be scattered across the multiverse, the Master Emeralds would be the ones to unite them."

"Is this so, Nega? ! Then there is one here? !"

"Correct, Doctor. And if we are to find this Master Emerald, we will have all of the Emeralds and increase the power in our Ultra Roboticizer 100-fold."

"OHH HO HO! I like the way you think, Nega! Where is this Master Emerald?"

"Well, Eggman, I assumed the Kids Next Door would have something to do with it. Lord Gnaa was generous enough to induce his Darkness in several of our robots, turning them into Heartless. I have sent those Heartless about, and they have detected an incredible energy source coming from beneath the Kids Next Door's Museum in Washington."

"Hm, for a worldwide army of nose-picking kids, they hold some interesting secrets. You must admit how fascinating this universe is, Nega."

"Fascinating indeed, Eggman. Now perhaps you should go see what our dear friend Sonic is up to. I will gladly lead some Heartless down below and retrieve that Emerald."

"Very well, Nega. I'm counting on you." With that, Dr. Eggman walked out of the control room, followed by the henchmen.

"Sir, I've actually been reading about these Heartless." Decoe said. "I'm not entirely sure if we can trust them."

"As long as Negatar Gnaa has control over them, _we'll_ be just fine."

"But Eggman, it's said that eventually, the Heartless-"

"Enough! The only one I want to hear negativity from is Eggman Nega. You can just be silent. Unless you'd rather end up as a Heartless yourself."

Decoe gulped. "Y-Yes, Doctor."

"I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING IN THE FUTURE. YEEHAW!" Cubot screamed.

"Ugh. We've got to get that voice fixed." Eggman sighed. Watching from the control room, Dr. Eggman Nega smirked evilly at them.

**Abandoned auto-repair shop**

The heroes came out of the portal and appeared before the abandoned shop, where Team Psychic, The Quads, Eva, Kade, and Dimentia were already waiting, along with the members of the Order of the White Lotus. "Guys!" Mika exclaimed. "You made it!"

"Thanks to Shaunie." Nigel smiled. "What are we doing here?"

"This abandoned repair shop serves as our secret meeting location in this world." Piandao replied.

"'This' world?" Nigel asked. "And who? The Order of the White Lotus?"

"Correct." Jeong-Jeong said. "Come inside, all of you. Our leader awaits."

After following them into the old shop, King Bumi stomped the ground, opening a secret tunnel on the floor. Jeong-Jeong held a flame in his hand to light the way while Mewtwo lit the tunnel with a psychic glow, eventually reaching a huge, deep underground chamber that was alit with green crystals and had a large, circular table with the symbol of a lotus in the center. Across the table sat a man, who appeared chubby, dressed in a dark-blue robe with white outlines, a short grey beard on his face and grey hair tied in a bun as he calmly drank a cup of tea. (Play the "Sealed Temple" Theme from _Skyward Sword_.)

Each of the old men and Grim Reaper took seats around the round table as the chubby man paused drinking his tea, giving a smile. "Ah, children. A pleasure to meet you at last, Kids Next Door. Guardians of this world. Would you like a cup of Jasmine Tea?"

"Ooh! Ooh! I'll have some!" Kuki cheered.

"Umm… who are you?" Nigel asked.

"My name is Iroh. Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus. Leader of this ancient organization."

"The Order of the White Lotus is a secret organization of benders and other powerful elders, who have long-since worked for the spirits, keeping the order and balance across the many worlds of our cosmos." Pakku continued.

"Our homebase lies within the vast Realms of the Avatar." Piandao said. "It is where we hail. But there are many of us across the universe, keeping watch and protection of the worlds."

_"We were informed of the invasion when a fellow Lotus, Wesley Dodds, sent us a call from the Brotherhood Base."_ Mewtwo explained.

"However, he was informed himself… from The Brain's very own apprentice. We have _him_ to thank for that." Clockwork reminded.

"It was even Wesley Dodds who called us all to this world." Jeong-Jeong continued. "He received nightmares of the great apocalypse… as did we all."

"So, wait, Clockwork… you work for the White Lotus?" Jagar asked.

"You too, Grim?" Nigel asked.

"Mewtwo?" Mika questioned.

"I am the Underworld's protector." Grim told them. "Clockwork and I have served the White Lotus for generations. So explains why Bumi was able to live for so long."

"And why I never lose my spirits! Eh heh heh heh!" Bumi cackled.

_"And each of us members have kept our job secret."_ Mewtwo said. _"The Darkness targets whoever's the strongest in the Light."_

"After we arrived in this world, we knew the Dark Master would be returning." Iroh spoke once more. "And we knew that Destiny would call for the heroes to take the great journey before them. So, I sent my fellow Lotuses out to test you in battle."

"That explains why you all ambushed us…" Eva summarized.

"Yes. We had to be sure the powers that would mark your place in legend were awakened." Pakku replied.

"But now, the Dark Master has truly returned. Already the Darkness is descending." Iroh said, closing his eyes. "I can sense it all. Two of Gnaa's own accomplices have already fallen before it."

"Yeah, Bowser." Rachel said.

"Gaul, too." Morgan replied.

"And I predict the rest will soon follow." Iroh spoke. "And such time will be the unveiling of others' destinies. The poor child at the Brotherhood is a great example. But as the Heartless have returned, so have the mystical Keyblades. When the time comes, the Keyblades will find their chosen holders, and let their powers be theirs."

"Like Shaunie…" Fanny remembered.

"But what about the Dark Master?" Eva spoke up. "You called us here because you had a way to defeat him. So, what is it?" she asked frantically.

"Patience, Child. The Negatar is a powerful incarnation. His existence has been ever since the beginning of bending. When the all-powerful God of the Universe, Arceus, blessed the very first mortal with the powers of the Light Elements. In turn, his Negative was cursed with the Dark Elements. And when each one died, they were both reborn with the same spirit."

"You mean… the Negatar has a Positive counterpart? And he's alive?" Rachel asked.

"Of course, Child. No Negative can exist without their counterpart. The Negatar is merely the mirror image of someone who is pure of heart. His name… is Avatar Aang. The most recent incarnation of the Avatar, bender of all Four Light Elements. And he is the one who can match the Negatar's power and vanquish the Darkness with his Light."

"Well, that's great!" Rachel smiled. "So, all we do is find this Aang guy and get him to kick Lord Gnaa's butt!"

"Wait!" Morgan spoke up. "I'm still not sure that we should do that… I still think there's good in him."

"What?" Nigel looked confused.

"She… had a little chat with Gnaa." Buddy told him. "She tried to turn him to good, but… things didn't quite go well."

"I'm still not giving up. Maybe if we find this Aang guy… maybe he can help us."

"Morgan…" Iroh spoke again, "I admire how you try to see the good in people. But the Negatar's heart has been consumed in Darkness. It is how he lured the Heartless back to life. There is no hope for him…"

"Hmm…" Morgan looked away.

"Where does Aang live again?" Nigel asked.

"In our homeworld. The Avatar Realms." Iroh answered. "And we've brought the perfect vessel for traveling there. Behold…" A garage door opened on the side of the room, directing everyone's attention to a massive chamber where an orange rocket rested, with a few yellow lines around the wings.

"Whooa. What is it?" Lee asked.

"The Gummi Ship. An ancient vessel once used by the legendary Keyblade-wielder who first defeated the Heartless long ago."

"It has long been out of commission in our world." Jeong-Jeong continued. "However, it was not used in so long. It took incredible amounts of energy to travel here. Getting back may not be so simple."

"But there is no worry." Iroh smiled. "The ship can easily be powered again. Using your Firstborn…" He pointed at Dimentia.

The GKND leader looked surprised slightly, reaching under her shirt to pull out the Spirit Ball, releasing Jirachi as the star child yawned and stretched. "You mean Jirachi?"

"Yes." Iroh nodded. "His powers over stars provide the ultimate means of dimensional travel. He can fuel our ship to enough max so that we may travel to the Avatar Realms."

"But we must be on guard." Jeong-Jeong spoke once more. "Though creatures of darkness, spawned from the evil within peoples' hearts, the Heartless are intelligent lifeforms. They've developed their own means of space and dimensional travel, and have likely took land on other worlds."

"Guess we have others besides the Russians to worry about, huh, Eva?" Kade joked, nudging Eva as she gave a sigh.

"I can't go." Jagar spoke up.

"Why not?" Misty asked.

"I have to stay here and help Yuki. Who knows what those witches could be doing with him now?"

"I bet Clockwork knows." Olive said, shooting the spirit a glare.

"But you won't tell us, will you?" Jagar asked him.

Clockwork only sat in silence, tipping his hood over his eyes. "It's a danger to speak of the future."

"Then tell me what good you are." Jagar said, angrily walking away.

"Jagar!" Misty yelled. The two spirits spared one last glance to the Time Ghost before following him.

"Let him go, Clockwork." Iroh told him. "He knows his destiny. He must follow his heart."

"Well, in that case, we should stay behind, too." Kami said. "We need to look for the Kongs and track down K. Rool."

"In that case, we're going with you." Mika replied. "K. Rool took Mew, and we have to find him."

"You've been with the Kongs, haven't you?" Lucario asked Kami. "I've detected traces of their auras on you. I can use that to track them."

"Well, she WAS crushed under Donkey after we came out of hyperspace. HAHA!" Kweeb laughed.

"I feel like we should stay behind, too." Sonic said. "In case Eggman shows up around here, we'll need to stop him."

"Well, 'ave fun with that, ya little boomers and sheilas. I'm goin' to Avatar Land!" Marine exclaimed.

"…Yeah, someone should go and look after her." Tails suggested.

"I guess I'll go." Sonic offered. "I can count on you to look after things, right, Tails?"

"Leave it to me!" Tails fist-pumped.

"Perfect! Less weight to slow us down." Iroh said. "Especially with Bumi onboard."

"I can't help but get myself fat from too many feasts. Heh heh." Bumi snickered.

"Call us if anything crazy happens." Sonic said to Tails.

"You got it."

"Master Iroh! The ship's fixed and ready for takeoff." Numbuh Infinity called from the ship's cockpit.

"So are we all set to go?" Dimentia asked. "Okay, Jirachi. Do your thing." The Firstborn nodded and flew into the ship, seeing the tips of two power generators nearly touching and getting between the two. He glowed as Space Lightning zapped around him, making the two generators alight and filling the device with power.

"Your bond with your Firstborn is strong." Iroh said to her. "With the dimensional traveler revitalized, we can cut through the barrier and proceed to the next world."

"Okay, team," Nigel started, "let's go."

From outside, a massive hatch opened several yards away from the auto shop as a platform rose and lifted the Gummi Ship up. The space craft tilted upward as the engines charged before finally shooting straight to the sky. Watching them from below, however, was Shadow the Hedgehog, giving a smirk. "I think I may have discovered Gnaa's weak spot, after all."

**Final Brain**

The stretchy master of disguise, Madame Rouge leaned against the walls of one of the base's outside walkways, inhaling smoke from a cigarette and blowing it as Nolan and Team Brotherhood approached her. "Madame Rouge, we need to talk."

The slim woman released another puff of smoke and said smugly, "Vhat?"

"When you ran over those GUN Troopers back at Chicago, I noticed that bus looked very similar to the one that killed Dillon."

"It vas a metro bus, Boy, zey all look alike."

"Then how do you explain the dried blood Nolan saw?" Danika asked.

"It vas obviously the result of an unfortunate accident. Some unlucky soul must have gotten run over."

"Yeah, somebody like Dillon." Nolan said angrily.

"You forget, Boy, zat happened in Quahog, I found zat bus in Chicago. It vas a big coincidence, no? And besides, if I recall, it vas a _different_ bus driver who caused the accident, not me."

"How do you know who did it?"

"Firstly, _everyone_ knows about the accident with Dillon. But such a thing could not happen if some random person vas not driving the bus. I cannot say I know any zing about zem, only that he clearly did not finish driving school if he vas responsible."

"I don't believe you! I think you're hiding something!"

Madame Rouge looked behind the three children and smirked. "Perhaps you vould like to say somezing, Brain."

"Indeed." The disembodied brain spoke, rolling over. "It is clear you are reliving past remorse for your late friend. Such feelings are good to have, Nolan, but let your anger and rage be focused on the Kids Next Door. It was their fault for having 'decommissioned' him in the first place."

"He's got a point, Nolan." Danika said. "You have been getting a lot of nightmares, lately. It's probably making you paranoid."

Nolan looked away. "Yeah… maybe."

"Hey, I know what we need!" April perked up. "Why don't we get the Toxic Four and we all head to the beach?"

"A most brilliant suggestion." Brain agreed. "A squadron of my villains were actually about to head to Azula's world, and she knows of the perfect place. Why don't you all go with her?"

"Yeah!" Danika smiled, grabbing Nolan's chair and turning him around. "Come on, Nolan, a little mini-vacation is just what we needed. I remember when Numbuh 1 took one, and that did him wonders." She rolled him off as April followed and left the two villains.

Madame Rouge let out another smoke puff as Brain spoke. "It seems I have trained my apprentice a little too well. He is catching on to you, Rouge."

The Madame released another puff. "I do not fear what your miserable apprentice could do to me. I'd be more afraid if I vere ze one who issued the order." She smirked and held the cigarette over Brain, tapping a few dust specks onto his dome before walking away.

Brain sat there and calmly brushed the specks off with his psychic. "Perhaps I should attend this mini-vacation, too…"

**River cavern, outside of Chicago**

Scarlet Vargas finally awoke, finding herself lying beside a small river inside a damp, rocky cavern. "Hoo, you're finally awake." She heard a relieved voice say. She sat up and faced Violet, sitting on a rock near the cavern's entrance. "I got you some milk."

Scarlet glanced to her left, seeing a small dish of pure-white milk. "Where are we?"

"I found this little cave just outside of town. You were knocked out when the creature attacked you, so I thought I'd bring you here to rest. I got the milk from Krogers. It got wrecked during the invasion, and everyone fled, but the milk was okay, though."

"Peh. I bet you think this makes us friends, doesn't it?"

"I would hope it does."

"I'm still going to kill you, you know." Scarlet said, standing up and extracting her claws.

"…Alright, then." Violet replied, standing up and walking over, tilting her head up so Scarlet got a better view of her neck. "Go ahead then. Just slice it right here where it hurts."

Scarlet gritted her teeth and quickly rose her claws, but paused right when she was about to cut. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. It's plainly obvious you won't be satisfied until I'm dead. And as your loving cousin, it wouldn't be right to hold you back."

"…Huh. You want me to do it, don't you? Bruce finally lost interest in you and went after that Luna chick."

"Uh, no. Last I heard, Bruce was captured, and… I haven't really seen him since. Anyway, the reason I'm letting you have this chance is because I know you won't have the heart to do it."

"Oh, so that's it? You think I'm scared, don't you? Too afraid to end the life of a fellow relative?"

"I don't think you're afraid at all, Scarlet." Violet said, tilting her head back down. "I actually think you're quite the opposite. Your heart is telling you this is wrong, and you're strong enough not to kill me."

"Please. I would've wiped your head clean off your body by now. I just… now you got me curious. When you say you haven't seen Bruce since you were kidnapped, and then he was kidnapped… with Luna, mind you. How do you know he isn't getting 'acquainted' with her right now?"

"How do you know they aren't just good friends, probably catching up until someone comes to their rescue?"

"How do YOU know that?"

"Er…"

"Right." Scar smirked. "He dumped you flat, to save her in the first place. When you see him again, you'll see for yourself."

_"Scarleeet!"_ They looked outside the cave, seeing Lehcar skidding over to them on her rocket shoes, stopping once inside and catching her breath. "Scarlet! I've been looking for you ever since you didn't show up after the invasion… oh, it's you." She noticed Violet.

"She thought she could make me buddy-buddy with her after she saved me." Scarlet said smugly. "She was way off."

"Huh. Anyway, let's go. That fool Bowser let his prisoners escape, so we'll have to get after Rachel again. Are we going to kill her or what?"

"He did, did he?" Scar smirked, turning back at Violet. "Then that means Bruce is free, too. Why don't we see if he comes looking for you? Let me know what happens after you find him." With that, she grabbed her plate of milk and walked out of the cave with Lehcar.

"Actually, I'd be more curious what you wanna do to me after we meet again." Scarlet glanced back at Vi with a smug look before continuing after Lehcar.

**Outer space, in another dimension**

The Gummi Ship zipped out of hyperspace and was currently sailing towards the atmosphere of a strange world. "There it is." Iroh spoke. "Behold the Realms of the Avatar."

"Oooh! It's pretty!" Kuki smiled.

"The polar ice caps at the top and bottom are the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, where waterbenders are born." Pakku said.

"The land to the west is the Fire Nation, the most technical-advanced nation where firebenders dwell." Piandao pointed out.

"That big chunk of land right there is the Earth Kingdom, the biggest and strongest. I suppose you can guess which benders are found there. Ha ha ha ha!" Bumi cackled.

"And to the north, south, east, and west sides lie four temples where the peaceful Air Nomads once roamed."

"But due to a fierce Hundred-Year War by the Fire Nation, most of the Air Nomads have been exterminated." Jeong-Jeong explained. "The only ones that remained were Avatar Aang and his bison companion."

"Don't forget Momo!" Bumi pointed out.

"And it was thanks to Avatar Aang's efforts that our world was saved."

"Uh-oh! Something is wrong here. The ship is malfunctioning!" Iroh exclaimed as the ship was passing into the atmosphere. "Brace for impact! We are about to crash!"

In a grassy meadow on the world below, a man dressed in green garb and grey hair was humming a merry tune as he rolled a wagon full of cabbages.

"Watch out for that Cabbage Merchant!" Hoagie exclaimed.

"HEY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Numbuh 4 screamed.

The Cabbage Merchant noticed the incoming vessel, screaming and flailing his arms and legs as he looked left and right, back-and-forth.

**A few miles away**

Just moments ago, miles away from where they were, in a field that was between two enormous and distant walls, a group of children was playing around. First was Katara, a choco-skinned girl in a blue dress, black shoes, and black hair tied in a ponytail and two loops around her ears. Next, there was her brother, Sokka, who wore a similar blue get-up, had a sash around his waist with a white boomerang, a sheathed sword which he wore on his back, and had black hair that was shaved around his ears, and also tied in some sort of ponytail.

"Ahem."

Sorry. A "warrior's _wolf_tail".

"Huh? What is it, Sokka?" a blind girl asked.

"Uh, nothing. Let's keep going, Toph."

The blind girl, Toph Beifong, was the youngest of the group. She wore green shorts and green T-shirt, with a whitish-yellow sleeveless shirt and skirt over them. She wore a large belt around her waist, a green-and-yellow headband over her black hair, and was barefoot. Currently, the girl and Sokka stood with their faces just inches away from each other, locked in a starring contest. Toph kept her cocky smirk while Sokka gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his eyes open.

The contest went on for a few minutes, and Sokka's eyelids were getting weaker. And despite all his efforts, they snapped shut in a blink. "Ha ha, you blinked!" Toph laughed.

"What? You can't even see!"

"My feet can sense any motion, and can see what the human eyes can't. As long as it isn't airborne. Including when humans blink."

"Grrr! I want a rematch!"

"You're on!"

"Hm, sometimes I feel like you two are crushing on each other." Sokka's girlfriend, Suki remarked. She dressed in green garb with black padding down her front. Her face was decorated with a sort of white make-up, and she bore two fans tied around a sash.

"Nah. She's too young for me." Sokka said.

"Besides, he could never match the awesomeness that is Toph. …Haha, you blinked!"

"D'oh."

"Some things never change, do they?" Prince Zuko asked, former Prince of the Fire Nation and current Firelord. He dressed in red and yellow robing, black boots with slightly curled toe-ends, messy black hair, dual swords sheathed on his back, and had a scar along his left eye.

"Hey, has anyone seen Aang?" Katara asked.

"I think he's playing with the polar-leopards outside the Outer Wall." Sokka replied.

"Hehe. You know he once told me he wants his next incarnation to have a fox-hound as his/her pet?" Katara smiled.

"Well, since the next Avatar has to be born in the Water Tribe, that shouldn't be so hard." Zuko joked.

His, Katara's, and Suki's faces frowned in shock when they were caught in the shade of a massive vessel, passing straight over them and heading outside the Outer Wall. When it vanished behind the wall, a huge cloud of smoke could be seen in the distance as the earth shook tremendously from the crash. Feeling this quake the strongest with her Seismic Sense, Toph blinked in shock. "HAHA! YOU BLINKED!" Sokka shouted.

"Come on!" Toph yelled, grabbing Sokka by the shirt collar and dragging him off. "Let's go see what that thing is!" The other three exchanged quick glances and followed after them.

**At the crash site**

"MY CABBAGES! !" the Cabbage Merchant screamed as the smoking Gummi Ship crushed his entire wagon. "YOU IDIOTS! How am I supposed to start a worldwide Cabbage Corp. when people keep destroying my cabbages? !"

"Ehh, put a cork in it." Wallabee retorted.

"So, these are the Avatar Realms." Eva observed.

"Gotta admit, nice place for running around." Sonic said.

"But new worlds means new adventah!" Marine exclaimed. "So, where is this Aang kid anyhow?"

"Master Iroh!" an old man screamed, dashing over and directing back behind him at smoke rising from a building. "There are strange creatures attacking the train station!"

"Heartless!" Iroh already knew. "They have found their way here after all. White Lotus, let's get after them."

"But what about finding Aang?" Rachel asked.

"We have arrived near Ba Sing Se. Avatar Aang and his friends usually hang around here. Search around for him. You have seen the Negatar, so you should know what he looks like. Good luck." With that, the 8 White Lotus men dashed off to where the Heartless were attacking.

Rachel looked to her right to see a massive stone wall nearly miles ahead. "I guess that's the place." She figured as they started their walk.

"I wonder, if this guy's supposed to be the Negatar's opposite, just what kind of person is he?" Hoagie asked.

"I'd assume that, since the Negatar's heart is filled with Darkness, the Avatar must be pure of heart, or something." Nigel guessed.

"Just remember, not every Negative is totally opposite to their Positive." Rachel said. "Back at Chicago, Lord Gnaa was unstoppable when he was freed. I doubt this Avatar will let himself be known to a bunch of out-worlders so easily."

"WOOHOOOO!" They jumped away when a large animal, which looked to be the mixture of a leopard and a polar bear, dashed and came to a sudden halt, causing the kid who was riding it at the time to shoot straight off, landing face-first in the ground. That's when a massive white bison, with six legs, a flat tail, and an arrow along its back landed beside the kid. "Haha! I beat you again, Appa! Whoa!" The bison tackled the child and started to lick his face with a huge tongue as the child started laughing.

The operatives crouched behind trees and rocks and watched this, gaping at the sight of the child. He had the same articles of clothing the Negatar had, except the black parts were orange, and that same baldhead with an arrow. The children walked out as Rachel was first to speak. "Umm… excuse me?"

The boy stopped laughing as the two faced the strangers, Appa stepping off the child as he jumped to his feet. "Oh, hi there! I haven't seen you around before. There's something… different about you kids."

"Long story." Nigel replied. "But, are you… Avatar Aang?"

"Hmm. Let's find out." With that, the boy grabbed some water from a nearby river and threw it out using waterbending, afterwards stomping the ground and flinging rocks out, unleashed flames from his hands into the air, and finally blew a gust of wind straight at the kids' faces. "All four elements… yep. I'm the Avatar."

The teams' expressions grew into wide smiles. "Well, that's great!" Rachel exclaimed. "Listen, we need your help. There's-" Her sentence was cut short when a bunch of Chaos Spears suddenly rained down and exploded between them.

The rest of the Gaang was already on their way, seeing the explosions around their friend, along with the bunch of strangers. "Aang!" Sokka yelled.

"What? SHADOW?" Sonic shouted when the black hedgehog appeared out of thin air.

"So, you're the Negatar's opposite." The hedgehog spoke. "Which means… if you're destroyed, the Negatar will no longer exist. AH-YAH!" Aang quickly dodged when Shadow threw more Chaos Spears, running as fast as he could as the ultimate lifeform gave chase.

"Shadow, WAIT!" Sonic yelled.

"Hold on, ya crazy drongo!" Marine yelled as they both ran after him.

"Come on, let's-" Nigel was about to say before a blast of fire got in their path.

"Hey, who are you guys? !" Zuko asked angrily.

"Who do you think you are coming into our world and attacking our friend?" Toph asked.

"Wait, you don't understand!" Nigel yelled in defense. "We were just-"

"The only thing I understand is creampuffs… and whenever a bunch of aliens come down from the sky and start attacking, we attack back!" Sokka said, aiming his sword.

"Whoever you kids are, you're gonna think twice about attacking the Avatar when we're done." Suki said, readying her fans.

"Heh. Bring it on, Sister." Fanny remarked.

"We just got done with a war, we aren't letting another one happen." Katara said fiercely, bending and raising some water from her pouch.

"You already started one with loops like those." Eva retorted, raising her own water.

"You don't stand a chance against us." Zuko said, readying his flames.

"Then I guess there's no way around it." Nigel replied, alighting his own hands with flames.

"Alright, then. Let's do this." Rachel said, drawing her sword and facing Sokka.

"We'll kick your butt!" Toph exclaimed, getting in a fighting stance.

"We'll kick it harder!" Angie exclaimed, getting in a similar stance.

"Team Avatar: attack!" Sokka announced. "Flying Kickapow! AYAAHH!" (Play the "Battlefield" Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: Avatar Gaang_

Both teams went after their individual opponents and started to battle. Nigel already began dodging left and right to avoid Zuko's fireballs, jumping and kicking his own flames to push the prince back. Angie swiftly dodged her head to the side as Toph kicked short rocks her way, afterwards stomping bigger boulders out of the ground, making Angie yelp and dash away before Toph crushed her. As she ran around, she kicked more rocks at Toph, but the older earthbender just punched and shattered them with her fists.

Sokka and Rachel rapidly swang their swords at each other, with Rachel easily able to duck Sokka's horizontal slices being at a shorter height. When Rachel swung at his legs, Sokka easily leapt over and tried striking from the back, but Rachel held his sword back with hers as Sokka leapt back, hurriedly running as Rachel chased him around and sliced at rocks, flinging the rocks at her as she swatted them away. Eva and Katara went to go battle on a river, with Eva raising Water Whips to shoot at her, only for Katara to raise a water barrier and block, sending the wave at Eva, who rolled to the side and sent her own wave.

Fanny hurled green fireballs as Suki shielded with her fans, dancing her way over to slap her fans across Fanny's face, but she breakdanced and sent spiraling flames from her feet to knock Suki over. "Hah! Don't you know fans only make flames stronger?" she smirked.

"Believe me, I know." Suki replied, jumping up to kick Fanny several feet away, into a tree.

As Fanny recovered and saw Suki running at her, Abby and Kuki suddenly got in her way. "Don't worry, Fan. We got yo' back." Abby assured.

Suki only lowered her fans for a sec and made a whistle, summoning two more girls in the same wear as her: Mai, who had raven-black hair and wielded daggers, and Ty Lee, a cheerful girl with brown hair in a long ponytail.

"Aw, man. Not more." Abby whined.

"I can't believe you got me to wear this cheesy outfit." Mai said to Ty Lee.

"Come on, Mai, you'll love it." Ty Lee smiled. "Now let's just go and kick these girls' butts." Ty Lee stylishly flipped along the ground over to Kuki, who happily spun-jumped overhead and skipped away while Ty Lee chased her. Mai drew her daggers and shot them at Abby, who looked slightly startled and dodged them, letting them stick perfectly to a tree. She turned back in fright seeing Mai run after her, already hurrying away.

As Fanny stood up and went back to throw flames at Suki, Patton watched them and hurried over to help. "Hold on, Fanny. I'm coming-" But he was stopped when a squad of even MORE girls in the same outfit dropped down and surrounded him, blowing their fans against their faces as Patton gave a cocky grin. "O-ho-kay, ladies, good old Pat Daddy's gonna take it easy on ya. One at a time." Right away, one girl kicked him in the crotch, the second smacked him back of the head, the third kicked the side of his head, the fourth punched him in the gut, while the fifth kicked his behind. "Er, okay, take it slower now. AHH!" Patton screamed when all of the girls piled up and started beating on him. "Fanny! Help me!"

Back with Nigel and Zuko, the Firelord conjured Fire Daggers in his hands and started to swing them at Nigel, who ducked most of them, but was cut across the right cheek. Nigel created his own Fire Daggers and swung back, clashing against his before he was able to slice Zuko across the chest. The Fire Prince jumped away and yelled, "BURN, BABY!", lighting himself on fire and surrounding the bald Brit in a huge ring of fire. Nigel looked around for him before Zuko jumped through the flames behind him, dodging to the side as Zuko tried to Flame Punch him, afterwards jumping back out of the ring and trying to punch Nigel from behind again.

Rachel and Sokka kept throwing swings at the other as Rachel stabbed at Sokka, but the teen jumped onto her sword and leapt straight up. "Flying Kickapow!" he yelled, coming down with rapid kicks that Rachel back-flipped. She swung at Sokka once more, but he held her sword back and jumped several feet away, taking out his boomerang and throwing it while Rachel took out hers and threw it, the two boomerangs coming in contact and knocking against the other as they spun before they flew back and hit their own masters in the head. The two shook the dizziness off as Sokka made a whistle. The sound of a hawk's cry could be heard as a red hawk landed on Sokka's shoulder. Sokka held a finger up, gesturing for Rachel to wait a moment, allowing him to take out some paper and a brush with ink, writing _Claw at blonde girl_ on the paper before rolling it up, and sticking it in a compartment on the hawk's back. "Get her, Hawky!" The hawk, Hawky, made a cry and did as told, flying over to begin clawing its talons at Rachel's face.

Angie and Toph continued to kick rocks at each other before the blind earthbender burrowed beneath the ground. Angie closed her eyes and felt around the earth using Seismic Sense, seeing Toph coming below her and stomping, sending a quake directly at the blind girl. Toph growled as she came back up, rolling along the ground to make some rock armor appear over her body. As Angie approached, Toph sent more rocks at her, but she dodged and jumped onto Toph's armor, beginning to punch and make dents in it, but Toph grabbed and threw her off, using her bending to easily slide up a steep hill where she popped perfectly round boulders out of the ground and sent them her way. Angie yelped and quickly dodged the fast-coming boulders, but the last one that was coming to her, she was able to kick her foot at and hold it back, afterwards pushing it straight up and bowl over Toph.

Katara surrounded herself inside a water bubble and made eight watery tentacles appear around her, trying to swipe at Eva as she tried to get close. Eva just drew out her Phantom Sword and sliced the tentacles, afterwards slicing through Katara's barrier, forcing the Water Tribe girl to back away and make ice shards stick up from the water below her, but Eva jumped and was able to stand on the very tips of the shards. Katara conjured a wave and surfed towards Eva, washing over the Ocean Princess before stopping and turning back, attempting to wash over her again, but Eva rolled away and conjured her Water Fists, and Katara's eyes widened when she saw the fists before Eva bashed and sent her flying away.

Fanny, Abby, and Kuki were still locked in their fight with Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee. Kuki flipped over the circus girl and bounced off her face, but Ty Lee angrily grabbed the Japanese's leg and swung her around before smashing her against the ground. "You are not prettier than we are."

Abby kept trying to dodge Mai's daggers, grabbing some of the projectiles off the ground and sending them back, but they were only blocked off by other daggers Mai sent. "Man, how many of those things do you have?"

"As many as Mushi has those crayons." Kuki replied.

"What's wrong, kiddie getting weak?" Mai smirked, running over to swing daggers at Abby, who barely ducked as part of her ponytail was cut off.

"Man, you sound just like that Danika chick. And just as annoying."

Fanny was having an easier time blocking Suki's fan swipe with her kicks, eventually able to kick the weapons away. Fanny then noticed Rachel on the ground, having her face torn apart by Sokka's hawk, shooting green fireballs at the bird and making him retreat to Sokka's shoulder. Fanny ran over to help Rachel up as Suki went beside Sokka. Rachel held up her shield as Fanny grabbed onto it, lighting on fire as Rachel spun and hurled her at the two, causing them great damage from the impact of the flaming shield and girl. Sokka growled in anger as they both stood up, grabbing each others' arms and doing double-flipping over to the KND officers, stopping so that Sokka could spin and swing Suki around to kick them away.

Angie made her way up the slope, dodging Toph's incoming rocks until she was finally close enough. Toph's eyes widened in shock when she sensed Angie grabbing a boulder with a green energy chain, swinging the Boulder-n-Chain around and bashing her, greatly damaging her armor before it shattered, the rock bashing her again and sending her rolling down the slope.

Zuko jumped through the flame wall again, this time having his dual swords raised as Nigel quickly dodged Zuko's rapid swings. Nigel looked frightfully as he was dodging closer toward the fire wall, and when he was barely touching it, Zuko stabbed his swords, catching Nigel between them as the swords went through the flames. Nigel just rolled under the right sword and got away as Zuko pulled the now-flaming swords out, Nigel dodging even faster to avoid being cut and burned. Zuko also sent flaming airwaves toward the Brit, but Nigel was eventually able to run up, take the blades, and knock Zuko around with them before jumping up and stabbing down, sticking Zuko to the ground by his shirt. Zuko pulled the blades out and jumped out of the ring, using his powers to make the ring close-in on Nigel. The Demon Prince only kicked on his rocket shoes and shot out of there, flying straight up and spinning around, catching himself on fire like a meteorite as he came at Zuko and forced him to the ground with incredible force.

Nigel landed beside Angie as Toph and Zuko recovered and saw the other beat up. "Zuko!"

"Right!" Zuko nodded as Toph shot rocks from beneath them that flung them straight up atop the slope again. Toph made stone soldier statues come out of the ground as Zuko lit them on fire, sending the flaming statues after the kids as they performed spin attacks. Angie just stomped the ground and made statues of KND soldiers come out as Nigel set them on fire and sent them to attack the enemy soldiers. Nigel and Angie exchanged a glance and smacked the others' hand as they switched sides, going after the others' opponent.

Nigel ran toward Toph as the blind bender kicked more rocks, but Nigel jumped high up and kicked fireballs that Toph backed away from. When Nigel landed only inches away, Toph hurled more rocks, but Nigel ducked and performed a breakdance, sending spiraling flames out. "AHH!" Toph screamed when the flames knocked her off her feet. "You burned my feet!" Nigel only stood up and smirked.

Angie was easily able to jab Zuko's face with rocks from the ground before the 7-year-old shot one up from below and sent the prince flying down the hill. "I got 'im ruffled up for ya." Angie said to Nigel.

"Yours, too." he replied as they smacked hands and switched back.

Katara used her water tentacles to hold back Eva's fists until she was able to freeze the Ocean Princess's legs and make her fall over, giving a smirk. But Eva smirked back and made her own watery tentacle come up from behind Katara, grabbing the Water Tribe girl's ponytail and spinning around the air, tossing her away afterwards as Eva unfroze her own legs.

"Ohhh… huh?" Patton awoke after the merciless beating by the girls, finding them all smiling as they still surrounded him. "AHH!" he suddenly noticed he was dressed like one of them, growling angrily as they all giggled. "Why you… oh?" he immediately ripped the clothing off, blushing greatly when he seemed to be wearing no clothes underneath except his underwear. "Wait a second, you girls undressed me? ! …That is just plain creepy."

Rachel rapidly swung her sword around, trying to get Hawky away, and was finally able to strike the bird and make it retreat. "AHHH!" she heard Sokka scream from behind. "SNEAK ATTACK!" Rachel instantly dodged behind the charging boy and struck him back, kicking his butt and pushing him on the ground. "Grrr! SLAPPA-DAPPA-DOO! !" Sokka exclaimed, rapidly swinging his sword around aimlessly as he made his way over to Rachel, the blonde leader holding up her sword in defense until Sokka knocked it out of her grasp, afterwards kicking Rachel on her back. "Haha! Bet you never saw a Meteor Sword!" he smirked, aiming his Meteor Sword at her face. Rachel only smirked back, using her Hookshot to grab his face and pull it closer, proceeding to punch at him before taking his sword and throwing him to the ground. She ran over to pick up her sword, and Sokka woke up eyes-widened when he found Rachel crossing the two in an X as she pointed at his face. "HEELP! CRAZY GIRL WITH SWORDS!" he screamed, dashing away as Rachel ran after him.

By this point, both teams stood on parallel sides, facing their opponent. When Nigel and Zuko threw another Fire Punch, Jeong-Jeong appeared in their way and grabbed their fists. Eva and Katara were about to take another Water Whip swing when they were suddenly encased in water and frozen by Pakku. Toph and Angie were about to send another earthquake until both rock lines were held back by King Bumi. Fanny, Kuki, and Abby were about to charge as Suki, Ty Lee, and Mai until a puff of magic smoke appeared, Facilier appearing in their way. Sokka was able to take his sword back and was about to swing at Rachel until Piandao swung his sword and blocked BOTH of their swings.

"Alright, kids, that's enough!" Iroh yelled, immediately ceasing the fighting. (End song.) "Honestly, can't foreigners come to town for once without some WAR resulting? ?"

Patton got his clothes back as the girls "huffed" and walked away. "Pfft. Girls." The rest of the opponents exchanged glances and gave apologetic looks, sheathing their weapons or powers.

"Uncle Iroh!" Zuko exclaimed. "Where've you been all this time?"

"I'll explain later. Where's Aang?"

"But more importantly, where's Momo? ?" Bumi questioned.

The Avatar was still trying to get away from the pursuing black hedgehog, running out of breath as he dodged Shadow's spears. "You can't run, Avatar!" However, Shadow stopped when a flying white lemur suddenly came down and landed on his face. "Argh, get it off me!"

"Alright, MOMO!" Aang cheered.

"Hnnn!" Shadow grunted, throwing the animal off of him and glaring at Aang. Aang kept his staff raised, expecting an attack, but Sonic and Marine sped over and got in his way.

"Not so fast, Shadow." Sonic told him.

Aang stared confusedly at this, then was caught by surprise when Mewtwo, Clockwork, and Grim appeared between them, too. _"Go. Return to your friends."_ Mewtwo ordered. Without a second thought, Aang sped past the spirits and animals and headed back the way they came with Momo flying behind.

Shadow curled into a pinball and Spin Dashed past the animals, but Clockwork raised his staff to freeze him in time. As a timebender himself, Shadow broke free of the Time Freeze and teleported above them, throwing Chaos Spears which Grim spun his scythe and defended against. When Shadow landed, Sonic shot over and ran the hedgehog over. Shadow got up and saw Marine running over, standing and quickly grabbing her fist to hold back a punch, but Marine alit her other fist with light and simply punched him across the face, knocking him over and causing the yellow Chaos Emerald to drop out. Shadow reached to grab it, but Marine suddenly stood over him and took it, smirking at the hedgehog as she bounced it in her hand. "'ere ya go, Mate!" She tossed the gem over to Sonic.

Shadow stood back up to attack the raccoon girl, but Marine jumped away and punched a Light Sphere at his face before walking back besides Sonic. "You know, Shadow, I know you had your issues in the past," Sonic started, "but there's a better way to stopping your enemies than just attacking any random innocent person. Chaos Control." He raised the Emerald as it glowed and warped him and Marine. The three White Lotus men spared a glance at the hedgehog before teleporting as well.

"Shadow!" Rouge the Bat yelled, running with Omega over to help him back up. "Are you okay?"

"…Hmph." Shadow huffed, brushing himself off. "I'm fine. Let's go look for the others." With that, the Chaos Controlling hedgehog slowly walked off to where the Avatar was headed. Rouge and Omega exchanged worried glances and proceeded after him.

**Back with the others**

"Sooo, wait…" Toph began, "your world has animals… that _aren't_ hybrid?"

"Well, we have some werecats." Angie replied. "But… no hybrids like you have, apparently."

"You guys come from a _weird_ world." Sokka said.

"You wanna see weird, try meeting someone who's never had a chilidog in his life." Hoagie smirked.

"Sounds about as real as someone never trying those _tasty creampuffs_." Sokka said, his mouth drooling.

"But, you guys still have bending in your world." Zuko said. "Does that mean other parts of the universe have benders, too?"

"That's what we believe." Nigel replied.

_"Guuuys!"_ They turned and noticed Sonic and Marine speeding over to them with Aang and Momo by their side.

"Finally, you're here." Iroh said as the other White Lotus men appeared out of thin air.

"So, I see you guys are already acquainted with Aang's friends." Sonic observed.

"We… could've gotten off to a better start." Katara said, sheepishly.

"Hehehe! Oi bet if Nova were here, she'd go all loopy and troppo on you blokes for gettin' in a fight! Hehehehe!" Marine snickered.

"Now, start explaining." Aang demanded. "Who are these people?"

"Patience, Young Avatar." Iroh replied. "Let us head into my teashop in Ba Sing Se. I will set everyone up with some tea and begin explaining."

**The Jasmine Dragon**

The operatives and Avatar worlders sat around Iroh's teashop as Aang tried to comprehend the story just spoken to him by Iroh. "So, wait a second… you're saying there's a universe, parallel to ours… where the mirror opposites of everyone's personalities and traits lives… and there's another Avatar there who… wreaks destruction and havoc?"

"That's right." Iroh nodded. "The four Dark Elements. Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear."

"You sure Fire isn't supposed to be one of those elements?" Sokka asked, earning glares from Nigel, Fanny, and Zuko. "What? I'm only teasing."

"I'd stay clear of the Irish redhead if I were you." Hoagie whispered to him.

"This is bad." Aang said depressedly, shaking his head. "It was hard enough to defeat Firelord Ozai, when it was four elements again one. How am I supposed to be somebody who bends four totally different elements?"

"Is there a way to master those elements?" Zuko asked.

"No. Only the Avatar and Negatar can bend their respective elements. No shared ones." Iroh answered.

"And if one of you is destroyed, the other gets destroyed, too?" Katara asked. "Which was why that hedgehog was after you?"

"Well, maybe you can just use energybending on him, like you did with Ozai." Sokka suggested. "You know, just glow it up, and kick his can."

"Always with glowing it up, isn't it, Sokka?" Katara asked, disbelieved.

"Even if I could go against him, I'm not even sure if I can do that anymore." Aang said. "I feel like energybending was a onetime deal."

"Aang, there's no need to feel worried." Katara replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The answer to defeating Ozai didn't come so simple at first. After a while, we may have a solution."

"Yeah, after a while when the Negatar's probably destroyed everything with these Heartless guys. How do I know if I have time to 'wait for a solution'?"

"You know what I wonder is?" Toph asked. "How come no one else has ever heard of this Negatar?"

"It was always supposed to be the Avatar's and Negatar's jobs to keep watch in their own worlds." Iroh replied. "But the Negatar has always been vulnerable to Darkness throughout the generations. Some have fallen to it… others have conquered. Not Gnaa, however. He is the deepest into it. He retrieved his own Keyblade and reawakened the Heartless."

"Why don't we just block his chi? That'll settle things quick enough." Ty Lee smiled.

"Yeah, 'cause chi-blocking _always_ works fine." Mai sighed sarcastically.

"But Aang should have the strength to defeat him, shouldn't he?" Eva asked.

"There were no guarantees. I cannot remember the last time the Avatar has so much as encountered his counterpart, let alone battled him. But Aang did need to be warned of these dangers. For as the Negatar has the power to awaken the darkness within a heart, the Avatar will be able to bring back the light."

**KND Museum of Artifacts**

"WELCOME, fellow operatives", the Kids Next Door Curator, Numbuh 101 announced to Numbuh 202 and a group of kids as he walked them down an aisle in his museum, "to the Kids Next Door Seriously Cool Museum of Artifacts AND Stuff."

"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it. Got anything good to show us?" a gruff operative whined.

"Oh, just be quiet and let him speak." Numbuh 202 ordered. "Go on, Matt."

"Thank you, Kim." Matt smiled as they stopped beside a pedestal with a curtain over it. "Today, we have an item, SO magnificent and rare, there are only 7 in existence! And each one has the unique ability to alter the fabric of Space and Time! BEHOLD!" He threw off the curtain and exposed them to a glowing white rectangular gem in a glass casing. "A Sol Emerald. Pretty neat, huh?"

"…It doesn't look that good." that same boy said.

"Hel-LOO? This gem is a source of limitless power! If a villain got his hands on it, he could… turn all of our candy supply into broccoli!"

"It still looks kind of lame." another boy said.

Kim noticed the look of worry on her friend's face, unable to think of anything else to say, so she looked around and noticed a larger curtain hiding something else. "Umm… what's behind that curtain, Matt?"

"Oh, that?" Matt smiled, walking and standing in a spot where it was in the kids' eyeshot. "It's an earwax statue I asked Numbuh 191 to build. It's still in the making. It's a statue of the biggest traitor the KND has EVER known! _Numbuh Twenty-three…_ BBY!"

A cricket's chirping could be heard over the quietness of the confused tourists. "What's the BBY stand for?"

"Uh… I dunno."

"Well, what did he do that was so bad?"

"I… don't… remember that either."

"Well, what's 'is name?" a Western-sounding girl asked.

"Um, I dunno, um… Reverend Simmons or something? BUT, what I do know is, he committed his crime sometime before his 13th birthday, and he afterwards quit the KND and ran away before they could capture him! And legend says that he ALSO locked his background files AND his very own DNA booger within the deepest confines of the KND Code Module, so that NO ONE would ever remember who he is OR be able to decommission him! Therefore, he remains a technical operative… _to this very day…"_

"Uh-huh… that sounds totally bogus!" that other boy shouted.

"Come on, guys, let's go to the gift shop." the gruff boy suggested. The operatives gave cheers of agreement and they all walked away, leaving only Kimberly as she approached the curator sitting along a stair in depression.

"Oh, what am I gonna do, Kim?" Matt asked as Kim took a seat by him. "I'll never get anything in my museum that catches these kids' interests."

"The Sol Emerald looked pretty cool, Matt…"

"Yeah, but I sounded like a total moron when I talked about that… whatshisname. It's my job to know all I can about the KND's history and I don't know anything about a simple traitor. Ugh, if only I had that H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. thing that Numbuh 2030 had. I bet I can use that to find the hidden files on this operative. Too bad he took it when he betrayed us."

"Well, it's not really possible to know everything, Matt. Besides, you're still able to catch my interests." She smiled. "And I'm a brainiac, too."

Matt looked up and smiled back. "Well, at least I have still have your support. Hey, tell you what! I'll let you in on a little secret."

The curator led his friend into a secret room under a trapdoor, completely dark except for the only light coming from a humongous green emerald in the center which Kim could only gape at. "Whoaa…"

"THIS, Kim, is the Master Emerald. Said to be the controller of the Seven Chaos Emeralds. Should the Emeralds be lost in this dimension, the Master Emerald would reunite them."

"Whoa… how come you never showed this to anyone?"

"Because this Emerald was given to us by the spirits, and has been resting here for generations. I'm, like, it's currently guardian. With limitless power like this, it's too dangerous to present in a museum." In the background, the sounds of children screaming could be heard, but the operatives here didn't seem to hear it. "This Emerald has enough force to… blow up the entire universe."

"I couldn't agree more…" The kids gasped and turned back to see a familiar chubby scientist walking down the stairs with his evil grin. "So kind of you to lead me to the Emerald, kiddies. Ahh ha ha ha!"

"Wait a second! You're that Eggman creep!" Matt pointed.

"You're only half-right. I am Dr. Eggman Nega, Eggman's opposite from the Negaverse. And I believe you have something that belongs to me. Now… let me have that Emerald."

Matt got in front of Kim and held his arms out in defense. "You aren't going anywhere with this Emerald!"

"And how did you get past security and everyone else?" Kim asked.

"It was easy. A group of children are easily distracted. I gave them my toys to go play with."

The two exchanged worried glances and ran past the scientist up the stairs, finding operatives running and screaming around as a bunch of robots were wrecking the place, each of them bearing the Heartless symbol on their chests. "No! My museum! Quick, 191, hide the statue in the closet!" The big-eared child pushed the wagon holding the curtained statue into a nearby closet.

"What do we do, Matt?" Kim asked as Matt took out two S.C.A.M.P.P.s, handing one to her.

"Let's take them down, Kim! Ayyy-YAH!" Matt cried, jumping down and shooting away at all the robo Heartless around him. A squad of giant spider Heartless robos with four legs approached Kim, but she took her S.C.A.M.P.P. and shot at the eyes of one several times before destroying it, backing away as the others approached, charging electrical spheres and trying to shoot her.

As Matt finished off a few more Heartless, some red Heartless appeared that had no legs, but moved on a single wheel. The bike Heartless charged and ran over the curator, preparing to shoot him with ray guns. "Kim, help!"

A fiery tornado suddenly broke in through the ceiling window, spinning around the floor and destroying the robots before stopping and revealing herself as Blaze. "Stop right there, Nega!"

"B-Blaze!"

A few feet away, a Heartless was flung away when a fist popped from the floor below it, the echidna Knuckles coming up and grabbing a Heartless, throwing it into another one. "This museum doesn't belong to you!" Tails exclaimed, throwing Dummy Ring Bombs at the Heartless.

"Grrr. I don't need this. I'm taking this Sol Emerald and getting out of here." Nega decided, smashing his hand through the glass casing and grabbing the white gem.

"Oh, no you're not!" Blaze declared, kicking a wax statue of Knightbrace at the Negative, blocking his vision and getting him covered in wax. Nega dropped the Emerald as a result, allowing Blaze to run over and grab it. Nega angrily wiped the wax from his face and snapped his fingers, summoning some purple Heartless in knight's armor and holding shields with lion's faces with chomping mouths.

Kim stepped back in terror when even more spider robots approached her and charged electric spheres. Kim noticed the closet behind her and ran in, grabbing a massive bazooka and taking aim at the Heartless. The robots exchanged frightened glances and retreated as Kim smiled. "Uh, Kim, you know that's a giant bubble-blower, right?"

"Yeah, but they didn't."

Knuckles kept his cocky smirk, using his Shovel Claws to punch through the shields of other Defender Heartless and knocking them out. "Heh. This is easy. Huh?…" the echidna noticed a rope coming down from another hole in the ceiling window, reaching into a large hole in the floor, and his eyes widened in shock when a metal claw was pulling up a familiar giant green gem, with Eggman Nega standing on said gem and smirking. "HEY! IT'S THE MASTER EMERALD!"

"The Master Emerald?" Tails replied as they all faced the green gem with shock.

"How did it get here?" Blaze asked.

"EGGMAN NEGA! GIVE IT BACK!" Knuckles demanded, leaping up to punch at the scientist, but some flying robo Heartless flew in his way and knocked him back.

"Ahh ha ha! I'll collect that Sol Emerald later." Nega said as the Emerald was lifted back into their Egg Carrier. "Until then, you can hold onto it for me. Until next time, Blaze. Ahh ha ha ha!"

"With that Emerald… what'll we do?" Tails asked worriedly.

"We gotta go after them!" Knuckles decided. "Come on, let's move!"

**Avatar Realms**

Sonic and Marine, at this time, lied atop the roof of the teashop, gazing up at the starry nighttime sky. "It never really matters which world you're in. Sky always looks the same."

"Sure does, Mate."

"Too bad about Shadow, though. Guess the darkness really has gotten to him."

"Eh, that bloke'll be fine. 'e usually is, isn't 'e? That's what you told me."

"Yeah… but you know somethin'? I kind of feel like the darkness gets to me, too."

"Whatcha mean, Mate? You're the nicest hedgehog I've evah seen."

"Yeah… but I don't know. I feel like I'm heartless sometimes. Careless, anyway. When I was separated from Sonia and Manic, I really didn't seem to care what happened. Does that… make me a bad person?"

"Mm-mm." Marine shrugged, sitting up.

"You ever feel that way, Marine?"

"Oi dunno, Mate. But you know somethin'? I have me own share of worries. Will I actually evah get married. Will people accept me for who I am. You know what I do, Mate?"

"Hm?"

"Oi don't worry about it. I just… go wherever the beauty of the waves takes me… rather. Go with the flow, or some rubbish like that. It don't do ya good to worry about what might happen in the future. You just… blow with the wind, or flow with the waves. Go wherever it takes ya, y'know? And hey, the 'people accepting me' bit turned up pretty well. Maybe that's the bizzo with you and… Sonia and Manic."

"Yeah… maybe it is." Sonic smiled.

"Oh, how cheesy."

"OHH!" The ground suddenly shook, making the animals roll off the roof and fall in front of the shop as the others ran out.

"What's going on?" Iroh asked.

"Ahem!" They gasped and looked up as the fat mustachioed scientist hovered in his Egg Gargoyle craft, with Orbot and Cubot sitting in the eyes' cockpit. "OHH ho ho ho ho!"

"Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed, standing up.

"That old drongo! You followed us here?" Marine asked. "How?"

"Using the Chaos Emeralds, of course. But you and I have a score to settle, Sonic. Same goes for your little snot-nosed sidekicks."

"Oh, great. Another crazy weirdo." Toph moaned quietly.

"Hurrr. Crazy weirdo, am I? Well, listen here, Blindy, since you can't see, then hear me when I say that-" The madman was silenced when Toph stomped a rock from the ground and kicked it at his face, making him dizzy while Orbot and Cubot burst into laughter.

"I may got no sight, but my ears don't need to be perfect to know where your unbearable blather is coming from."

"We have you outnumbered." Aang shouted, aiming his staff. "You stand no chance against all of us."

Eggman's eyes widened at the child. "What's this? ! The Negatar's COUNTERPART? My, my, isn't this an unpleasant surprise? At any matter, Sonic: give me the Chaos Emerald, or else. I need that marvelous gem to enact my ultimate plan to take over the universe."

"Not on your life, you creep. Now where's Sonya and Lee?"

"Ummm, we're right here." Sonya responded.

"Er, sorry, I meant… Sonia and Manic! Man, I get you two mixed up…"

"Sonia and Manic are locked nice and safe on my Death Egg station! As to what I plan to do with them, I'm afraid I won't tell you. Now… give me the Chaos Emerald, and I promise to spare them."

"I don't believe you for a second. Now what are you doing with them? !"

"Ooh, wait, Oi remembah!" Marine spoke up. "Eggman's making some Robotimifizer thingy, and he used that to turn Sonia and Manic into robots, and he wants the Chaos Emeralds to power it up and turn everyone in the universe into robots!"

"WHAT? !" everyone gasped.

"Marine, why didn't you tell us!" Sonic yelled.

"This adventuh's been goin' on a while, Mate. Can't expect me to keep track of everything."

"Well, that's pretty much the gist of it." Eggman said. "So hand me the Chaos Emerald, and I'll spare this pathetic city."

"Who do you think I am, Knuckles? No way you're getting this Emerald."

Eggman let out a depressed sigh. "It's always the hard way with you, Hedgehog. Ahem: HEARTLESS!" At his command, legions of centaur Heartless and floating wizard Heartless appeared out of thin air. "I'll see you later, Sonic." Eggman told him, flying towards the Great Wall.

"CATCH YA LATER, BUDDY!" Cubot screamed.

"Hey! Get back here!" Sonic yelled and ran after them, leaving the others to fight off the assaulting Heartless. The blue hedgehog followed the Egg Gargoyle over to the Great Wall, dashing up the colossal wall and running along the top of it as the winged craft turned and faced them. (Play the Egg Cerberus/Genesis Theme from _Sonic 2006_!)

_Boss fight: Egg Gargoyle_

The Egg Gargoyle sped away from Sonic as it sent airwaves from its wings along the ground which Sonic jumped over. The long neck of the robot smashed against the ground, causing a shockwave that tripped Sonic a little, but he still kept running. The neck lifted up and revealed laser turrets underneath, unleashing blue beams straight ahead and making the hedgehog stay to the very right. Afterwards, the gargoyle flew away from the wall and took aim with its tail cannon, Sonic dashing even faster as it sent missiles out and destroyed parts of the road behind him. The Egg Gargoyle stopped firing and got back on the road in front of Sonic, allowing the hedgehog to Boost and charged into him, doing some damage and forcing him back.

Eggman angrily recovered the device and revealed two lasers beneath its wings. Sonic stayed in the center as the lasers fired down the sides of the road, then quickly sidestepped to the right when the middle lasers fired again. The tail was also launching missiles behind it and destroying parts of the road ahead, forcing Sonic to slide off and run along the side of the Great Wall. Sonic saw the Egg Gargoyle get behind him, dashing faster as the robot tried to snap its teeth at him. Just when it was about to chomp down on him, Sonic dodged around an incoming lump in the wall and caused the robot to bump into it. Sonic then ran back atop the wall as the gargoyle recovered and flew back in front of him. But Sonic performed another Boost and rammed the robot's face, doing more damage.

"Critical system failure." Orbot reported. "Energy levels dropping."

"Grrr! Keep firing!" Eggman ordered.

The gargoyle hovered above the ground and made several slam-downs, making those parts of the road crumble so that Sonic had to quickly jump over them. By this point, they were making another loop around the wall to the parts that were already blown off, so the gargoyle flew far ahead and sent more missiles after Sonic, which the hedgehog used to Home Attack his way over the gaps in the road, then landing along the side of the wall and continued running. The Egg Gargoyle also flew along the side of the wall in front of Sonic, slowing down and tricking Sonic into coming closer so that it could snap its teeth at him, but Sonic saw this quickly sidestepped left. Once the robot was behind him, it aimed its tail and sent three missiles directly at the hedgehog. Sonic saw the first one coming in and dodged to his right, letting it ram the wall. The second one was coming, but Sonic moved toward the center again, letting it crash. As the third one was closing in, Sonic noticed that same lump in the wall and dodged around it, letting the missile destroy it.

When Sonic made it back onto the wall, the Egg Gargoyle flew back in front of him, but when Sonic Boosted, the robot dodged and flew straight upward as Eggman laughed. Now hovering high up in the air, the gargoyle faced down and launched more missiles that came for the hedgehog. Sonic jumped and Home Attacked the first missile, then bounced off the other ones until he made it higher than the Egg Gargoyle. With one final lock onto Eggman's cockpit, Sonic spun into a pinball and straight at the robot's weak spot, sending it flying away.

"Heh. New minions, but same old strategy. Is that the best you got?" Sonic said cockily as the robot exploded on the ground in the distance. (End song.)

"Sonic!" Marine yelled as everyone else hurried over to the wall, looking up at where he was.

"Don't worry, guys!" Sonic yelled down. "Old Eggy never stood a chance!"

"Oh, that's what you think." Eggman retorted, attracting Sonic's attention as he and his robots came back up in his pod, smirking and directing his finger upward. (Cue Eggman's Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_!) Everybody gasped in utter shock when what looked like a planet-sized portal open high up in the heavens, and the space station that bore Eggman's mug came out.

"Oh my…" Sokka looked speechless.

"Uhhh, what's going on?" Toph asked.

"Sonic! It's the Death Egg!" Tails called as he and the others were flying down in his airplane.

"Tails!"

"What? How did you get here?" Eggman asked.

"Sonic! Eggman Nega's stolen the Master Emerald. He's taken it to the Death Egg."

"Oh ho HO! Well done, Nega! It seems that retrieving the Master Emerald was no difficult task." Eggman smiled.

_"Ahhh ha ha ha ha!"_ Eggman Nega laughed via intercom aboard the space station. _"No task is so difficult with superior brains. Stealing a gigantic Emerald from a museum guarded by tiny children is like taking a jewel from a baby."_

"Our museum?" Rachel asked.

_"With this Emerald, our Ultra Roboticizer can exceed to maximum level. We will transform everyone into robots and rule the universe. And what better test run than this peaceful looking planet we've just stumbled upon?"_ Everyone gave horrified gasps at this.

"Nothing could be more eggsquisite. Now… why don't you beam me up so that we can all get started?"

_"With pleasure, Doctor."_ The Negative replied, sending a blue tractor beam straight from the base's mouth, catching Eggman and quickly beaming him up.

"Ooooh! Look at me, Orbot! I'm all glowy!" Cubot exclaimed.

"Tractor beaming always made me nauseous." Orbot said, gripping his nonexistent stomach.

"And when we get up there, we oughta change Cubot's voice chip while we're at it." Eggman suggested.

"He's gonna turn this whole planet into robots? !" Hoagie asked, panickingly.

"Not if I can help it." Sonic said, jumping onto Tails' plane's wing. "Fly us up there, Tails. It's time I cracked that egg once and for all."

"Okay. Let's go!" With that, the plane faced up and shot straight toward the space station.

**The Death Egg**

Within the station's control room, the eggenious opposite watched the previous battle replay on his monitor, chuckling quietly. "I am so glad you enjoy those robots, Doctor…" he said to himself, "because it's high time… you become one. AHHH ha ha ha! WAHH ha ha haaah!"

* * *

><p><strong>AND SO, the KND MEETS Team Avatar! This chapter could've gone better in a few parts, BUT… what can ya do. But next time, we will finish off Sonic's story arc and have our showdown with Dr. Eggman! Won't be as epic as the Bowser battle, but Sonic's story was never a big deal in this story, and his stories in the games are usually about beating Eggman anyway. :P However, I do like what I plan to do with Eggman! ;D So next time, we will face off against Eggman, so we can get back to good times on Avatar Land! Laters!<strong>


	59. Ivo Robotnik Has a Great Big Fall

**O-kay, let's kick Eggman's butt and never have to worry about Sonic's story arc again! And watch me totally fail at trying to squeeze morals in there. -_- Sonic's story was never a big deal, anyway. :/ Alright, let's go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Dr. Eggman Sat on a Death Egg! Dr. Eggman Has a Great Big Fall.<em>**

**Over atmosphere of Avatar Realms**

The X-Tornado sped out of the atmosphere and shot down all of the airships that belonged to Eggman as they made their way straight for the Death Egg. "There's the entrance." Tails reported as they were flying for the mouth. "You ready, Sonic?"

"Hehe. Ain't I always, Tails?"

"Just remember, we have to save your brother and sister and shut down that cannon."

"Yeah, yeah, same old stuff. But whenever Humpty Dumpty sits on a wall, Humpty Dumpty takes a great big fall. In this case, Humpty Dumpty is Eggman, the 'wall' is his evil plan, and the 'great big fall' is me kicking his butt. To clear up what the title's saying. Now let's party!" (Play the "Death Egg MK II" Theme from _Sonic 4: Episode 2_!)

_Stage 53: Death Egg_

_Mission: Put Dr. Eggman in his place!_

_Act 1_

The X-Tornado shot into the base's hangar and ran over some robots as it landed and Sonic leapt off, dashing down the first hall of the base. Sonic destroyed a gang of missiles robots at one point and switched on a bridge that led over an electrical chasm, then crossed it and turned left down a path, to a room where a row of floating fans led to a higher point. Sonic let the fans' winds lift him up so he could run down the next hall, which had no floor over a bottomless chasm and forced him to Home Attack across a line of Bladded Spinners. At the end of the line, a platform stuck out of the wall holding a spring, which Sonic bounced off to reach a rail and grind down the rest of the hall.

He made it to a balcony ledge over a gigantic room that was all a bottomless pit with no way to get across on his own. Thankfully, his sidekick Tails was there to lift him up and fly the hedgehog across. Some robots were firing homing missiles from far ahead, but Sonic curled into a pinball and let Tails throw him around to Home Attack the missiles before returning to the fox. Tails eventually dropped Sonic onto a platform and stood between two poles, spinning into a pinball as an energy tunnel appeared, allowing Sonic to zoom through the twisty tunnel and come out on a walkway along the side of a room, dashing down and passing to another room.

He passed into a large ventilation duct that already began blowing him all around as he made his upward, speeding down another path before stopping in front of a locked door with Eggman's insignia on it, where he met up with Knuckles. "I'll handle it." The echidna offered, jumping off and gliding over a dark pit, grabbing onto a wall and starting to climb up as robots shot lasers down at him from above. He avoided the lasers as he made his way above the wall, seeing an E2000R with two helmeted Egg Hammers guarding a cage with a switch. The Egg Hammers stomped and spun their hammers around to bat him away, but Knuckles easily ducked them as they became dizzy, afterwards punching their legs and pushing them over.

The E2000R took aim at him and tried to fire its laser, but Knuckles stood in the way of one of the Egg Hammers and dodged, causing the Hammer to be destroyed. He then jumped onto the E2000R's head as the other Egg Hammer stood up, about to smash Knuckles with the hammer, but ended up crushing the robot instead. With that done, Knuckles grabbed his Shovel Claw and got onto the Egg Hammer, stabbing through its head and destroying it. The cage opened as a result, allowing Knuckles to hit the switch and open the door that blocked Sonic's way.

Sonic continued on through and dashed up a spiraling path that went around a small tower, then Home Attacked off some Bladed Spinners to reach a higher point, to a another small balcony with a bottomless chasm below. He had to turn a row down the left and narrowly avoided small fireballs that were shot at them from cannons along the side. When he landed safely on the next path along the side of the wall, Sonic continued down and dashed up a few hills, running over more Egg Fighters as he made it to a dead end with a pool of some kind of pink water where Marine waited.

Since he wasn't a good swimmer, he grabbed Marine's hand as the raccoon dove in and used her tail to help them swim through. A squad of robot piranhas were coming to them, but Marine just punched Light Spheres their way and knocked them out. The raccoon and the hedgehog were then sucked by a current into a water pipe, shooting out above the water on the other end as Sonic began skidding across the pink water, reaching a waterfall where he Home Attacked more flying robots and landed on a rail, grinding down and around some parts of the room before it came to a stop on a path that had another dead end, meeting up with Amy.

He noticed the next path was far above the wall where he was, so Amy held her hammer out as Sonic stood on it, letting the pink hedgehog swing and haul him straight up, then forcefully slammed her hammer on the ground to propel herself, then throw Sonic up higher. Sonic finally reached the top, finding a long and straight road for him to dash across, but he soon felt himself being chased by the Interceptor, a large, flying green robot with a laser eye and two hammer-like arms.

Sonic jumped when the robot tried to swings its arm at him, then Boosted to get away when it swung again. He dodged to the right when it fired a laser down the center, then moved all the way on the left when it fired two lasers down the center and right sides. The dashed even faster when it sped toward him, hands turned into buzz saws as they skimmed along the ground, but Sonic slid through a gap under a wall and let the robot crash and explode. Sonic finally arrived at a chamber with a red mechanical eye lodged into an elevator shaft.

The eye had several spiked balls spiraling around it as a shield, but Sonic dodged around the spikes and Home Attacked the eye several times, with each strike destroying a spike ball. When the spikes were all gone, the eye came out of the shaft and hovered over to Sonic, the hedgehog running when it sent various lasers all over the floor and tried to zap him. When the lasers died down, Sonic charged a Spin Dash and struck the eye two more times before he was able to destroy it. With that gone, Sonic got into the elevator shaft and let it take him upward. (Play "What U Need (Blaze)" from _Sonic Rush_!)

_Act 2_

Sonic had made it to the higher levels of the Death Egg, having a magnificent view of the Avatar World below through a gargantuan window as he ran along, stopping in a room in which the doors closed on him, and he was ambushed by a squad of Eggman robots. Sonic Spin Dashed and charged over the robots, but an Egg Fighter came down next, but Sonic dodged its hammer and performed a few Home Attacks before it was destroyed. He continued speeding along the road as the gravity in the next area was acting really funky and switching, making Sonic run along the right wall, ceiling, a diagonal wall, left wall, and back to the ceiling as he sped and grabbed onto a rocket, flying straight ahead and carefully avoiding some spikes as he flew what was technically downwards (but was up to him because of the changed gravity).

He crashed the rocket on a lower path and continued running, getting into a cannon and taking aim at a higher route and fired up there as he kept running. He came over a deep chasm and had Wall Jump his way across some walls that floated in midair, landing and speeding around a Mobius strip before he arrived at a hallway with huge walls of fire. He met up with Blaze at the cat girl used her powers to absorb the flames and allowed Sonic to keep going. The two hopped on a rail and grinded across together as Blaze continued to dispose of more flames in their path.

They flipped a switch that disabled gravity over a chasm, making steel crates hover over so Sonic could jump across. He made it to another rail and grinded across at high speeds, having to jump between three rails as some of them were cutting off. When he made a turn around a corner, he could see a massive station straight off in the distance, designed like Eggman's head. As Sonic grinded across the triple rails, three laser cannons took aim at him from the other end. He jumped to the left rail when the lasers fired along the middle and right, then noticed a bunch more rails along his left and jumped across them as lasers tried to zap at the other rails.

He was finally speeding directly at what seemed like the central station as one of the eyes was charging an enormous pink laser, so Sonic boosted even faster to reach it before the laser fired. To his relief, the rail went downward at one point, allowing the laser to miss Sonic completely. The hedgehog landed on a long roadway that seemed to lead straight for the control station and kept running. (Play Metal Sonic's Theme from _Sonic Generations_!)

Before he knew it, however, missiles were shot down at him from above, but he dodged and kept running as he saw a familiar robotic foe above him. He smirked as Metal Sonic came down on the raceway beside him, preparing to race the hedgehog across.

_Sub-boss: Metal Sonic_

Metal Sonic sped ahead of the hedgehog as it looked back and fired more missiles, which Sonic jumped as he tried to get closer. Metal Sonic spun around and lit on fire as it charged at Sonic, able to damage him a little bit before flying back ahead of him. Sonic recovered from the strike and charged forward, jumping and landing a Home Attack on the metal lookalike before charging ahead of him. Metal flew over the edge of the raceway and conjured a huge electrical sphere in his hands, tossing at the track ahead of Sonic and making him run into it, dealing a powerful shock.

Sonic recovered and continued to chase after Metal, charging a Spin Dash and launching himself forward faster, but Metal stopped and curled in his own Spin Dash, tricking Sonic into ramming the spiky metal and taking a hit, letting Metal keep flying. The hedgehog robo then conjured up a larger rocket and rode it as it came toward Sonic, but he jumped and was able to Home Attack his counterpart and push him back so he could keep running. Metal Sonic hovered high above the track and conjured more electrical spheres in his hands, launching them and making huge explosions appear along the track as Sonic kept dashing to avoid them.

When Metal landed back on track, he began glowing with a dark aura around him as his eyes glowed red and he faced the hedgehog. Metal spun into another flaming torpedo and fired at him, but Sonic dodged to his left and let Metal pass, the robot coming back out and flying after him still. Metal Sonic conjured up dark spheres, Sonic quickly dodging as the spheres came for him at a fast pace. When Metal stopped firing, he was able to get in front of the hedgehog again, with the entrance to the control station dead in sight. Sonic hurriedly ran after him and Boosted, running over the robot so that he could get ahead. Metal glowed with more powers of darkness and spun into a larger pinball, speeding after Sonic with a faster speed. Sonic went at full speed to avoid being shredded by the insane robot, and was finally able to make it first to the station's entrance, causing an electrical door to shut on Metal as a result, making the robot run into it and suffer a painful electrical shock, which eventually resulted in him exploding into oblivion. With the counterpart defeated, and nothing else in his way, Sonic progressed on his way to stop Eggman. (End song.)

Sonic slowly walked along the dark hallway, alit with only a few tiny blinking lights along the walls as he searched around, feeling the "good doctor" himself was close by. He stopped when, right away, a force field appeared behind him and blocked his way back while another force field appeared several feet ahead of him. A spotlight shone on the ceiling behind the barrier ahead, upon the mad scientist himself, glaring at Sonic as he stood at a control panel.

"Hehehe." Sonic smirked and snickered. "The old double-barrier trap. Running out of ideas, Eggman?"

"Now you listen here, and you listen now, Hedgehog, because I have had JUST about enough of you! For so long, I've been trying to build my eggsquisitely evil empire, but you keep ruining EVERYTHING! The Chaos incident, the ARK plan, the Solaris Project. All of my brilliant and eggenious evil plans I've worked hours on have been completely and utterly destroyed by you and your KINDERGARTEN cohorts! You and your ignorant animal friends are no different than those snotty Kids Next Door, having no respect for the devices adults have worked hard to build."

"How do you have time to build all of this junk, anyway? And while I'm at it, where do you find material?"

"Doesn't matter. You've wrecked my wretched plans FAR too often! The only reason I came to this dimension in the first place was to getaway from you. It was bad enough running into those Kids Next Door, but I will not have YOU wrecking everything again! I'm going to make sure you never follow me to ANY dimension EVER again!"

"Good luck, Eggman! You've thrown everything at me, but I'm STILL alright! You'll never find the right weapon to slow me down."

"Heh heh hee!" he smirked. "That's what you think. But now is the day your adventures come to an end. I'll squash you here, and then you can finally join your precious siblings as one of my robots. OHH ho ho hoo!" (Play Big Arm's Theme from _Sonic Generations_!)

_Boss fight: Egg Series_

A laser turret appeared above the hedgehog, and Sonic noticed it and dodged when it fired straight down, evading it as it skimmed along the floor and tried to burn him. Sonic Home Attacked off the laser a little bit as it tried to catch him, but it eventually burned the floor so much, it caused the barriers to malfunction and vanish. Eggman gave a fearful expression when Sonic turned and faced him, immediately jumping in his pod and flying straight down the hall as Sonic boosted after him, ramming into his pod and doing some damage. "GAH! You little… you LITTLE…" Eggman kept flying until he made it into his old Death Egg Robot, taking control and locking onto Sonic before attempting to shoot the robot's arm at the hedgehog, but he jumped back and avoided.

The Death Egg Robot crouched down and performed a high leap over above the hedgehog, but Sonic ran under as it landed, then proceeded to Spin Dash into its butt, knocking it over and causing Eggman to come out of the back. Sonic Home Attacked the scientist before he could recover, continuing to fly down the hall away from the hedgehog. They soon reached an outside area of the base, in which Eggman flew below the walkway and Sonic stopped and waited patiently for him to come back up. Robotnik return to the battlefield, now controlling his Great Eggman Robo, another giant robot designed like Eggman.

The robot tried to crush Sonic under its massive fingers, but it missed and allowed Sonic to Boost through the fingers and destroy them. Afterwards, the robot got behind Sonic and started to chase him as it tore away the path behind him. As Sonic dashed away from it, the robot opened its mouth and released a mega laser, exposing its weak spot as Sonic dodged to the side and Home Attacked it, making the robot explode. Eggman flew out on his pod once again and tried to get away, but failed as Sonic jumped into him and made him fall over the edge. The rest of the runway collapsed anyway and caused Sonic to fall onto a row a floating platforms, which were parallel to another one.

"Get a load of this!" Eggman exclaimed, suddenly coming up in his Egg Viper and zapping quick lasers at Sonic, who jumped and avoided, afterwards running along the short path to avoid the same attack. The Egg Viper came up beside the platform as Eggman stuck himself out of the back end, charging an electrical energy ball from the robot to home in on Sonic. The hedgehog noticed the stairway that was created from the Viper's tail and Home Attacked off the parts to reach Eggman, attacking him afterwards. Sonic landed on the parallel platform row as the Egg Viper rammed through and destroyed the other one. He popped up from the other side of the row Sonic was on and launched out the Viper's two spiked gears. Sonic simply jumped onto one and let it take him over to Eggman's cockpit before attacking him. The Egg Viper spiraled around out of control as a result, attempting to crash into Sonic, but missed and fell to the area below before exploding.

The rest of the platforms exploded anyway and caused Sonic to fall onto the road below, which he already started dashing down as Eggman got in his Egg Emperor, beginning to slash horizontal and vertical airwaves from his sword, which Sonic either jumped or sidestepped to avoid. When the road was cutting off, Sonic noticed a pole at the end and used Sonic Tornado to spiral around and blow himself to the next path, but was suddenly pushed back when the Egg Emperor charged into him. Sonic recovered and continued chase as the robot flew off to the center of a wide, circular battlefield, speeding up a ramp and landing on the field as the robot started to fire missiles. Sonic sped around the field and avoided the missiles before the Egg Emperor attempted to charge at him. When he missed, Sonic turned around and Boosted right at the weak spot on its chest, pushing it back to the center. Afterwards, Sonic ran over and Home Attacked the chest, making the robot explode and release Eggman again.

Sonic chased the scientist over another roadway and Home Attacked his pod before Eggman flew below the path again, coming back up in his giant Egg King robot. The Egg King raised his fist up and tried to crush the hedgehog, but Sonic dodged to the side and jumped the resulting shockwave before attacking the fist. Eggman yelped and went to the right end of the path, punching the ledge and sending more shockwaves, Sonic jumping each one before attacking the fist again, afterwards running up the arm. The Egg King shook its arm around to throw him off, but Sonic held on tight and continued up, Home Attacking the cockpit. The Egg King flew far away from the foothold and started to charge and ram into it multiple times. When it charged its final strike and pierced its arms through the foothold, Sonic jumped and attacked the cockpit, successfully making the robot crumble.

The foothold was destroyed anyway and sent Sonic down below to a floating square-shaped platform. He watched as Eggman was floating into the cockpit of his Egg Wyvern, the robotic bird flying around the platform and launching lasers at the hedgehog, but Sonic quickly avoided them. The Egg Wyvern flipped and charged at Sonic, but he jumped and grabbed the Wyvern's antenna, taking control and making it fly around until he crashed it in one of the base's falling debris parts, jumping back to the platform as the Wyvern's helmet was broken off, exposing the cockpit. The robot launched huge darts at the individual parts of the platform and broke them off, leaving only one tiny square for Sonic to stand on. When the robot charged at him again, Sonic jumped and Home Attacked the cockpit, destroying the bird and forcing Eggman to fly off of it.

Sonic followed the madman and leapt down to another long pathway, starting to chase him some more. Eggman turned and faced him with anger as another floating robot came down and encased him in its cockpit, which Sonic recognized as his Egg Dragoon. The Dragoon swung its sword along the ground and electrified parts of it, but Sonic dashed up a ramp and landed on a rail to grind over the electrified floor. The robot launched rockets at the hedgehog, but he once again jumped them as he made it closer, jumping and Home Attacking the cockpit before landing back on the track. The Egg Dragoon charged power in its drill arm and launched it, piercing and destroying the road and making Sonic dive down below. The Egg Dragoon flew down below him and shot fireballs, but Sonic swerved around them and dove down faster, getting close to the robot's glowing green weak spots and doing another Home Attack, destroying the robot once again and forcing Eggman out.

Sonic took land on another roadway and ran forward as the defeated Dragoon fell below the path and exploded. That's when Eggman came down as well, controlling his most recent creation, the Egg Nega Wisp. The robo Wisp fired dark-purple lasers from its tentacles that Sonic easily jumped over, then had to do small jumps over purple spikes the robot released. Eggman then dropped several rows of purple cubes in Sonic's way, but Sonic proceeded between the rows along the side, dodged left to pass by a central row, then went straight to the right to let the last bit pass. He made close enough to the Nega Wisp and Home Attacked off the tentacles to reach the cockpit, spinning and shooting right at the weak spot to push him back, afterwards Boosting through when it was knocked on the ground.

The Egg Nega Wisp flew behind the hedgehog and used its dark powers to conjure a black hole, Sonic moving his feet even faster as it tried to suck him in. He glanced back and noticed the Nega Wisp slowly sticking its head past the portal, so as fast as he could, Sonic jumped back and struck the cockpit, then bounced away and kept dashing before the portal could catch him. When the Nega Wisp flew in front of Sonic again, the hedgehog finished it off with one last Boost, flinging Eggman off as the scientist hurriedly tried to get away. Sonic Boosted and rammed the floating pod one more time as they were headed into a hallway. (End song.)

"Hnnn! No! Get away!" Eggman yelled as the speed demon was getting closer. "GYAAH!" His pod hit a wall and started to bounce around until it exploded and blew Eggman off into the room ahead, landing on his belly knocked out beside his henchmen as Sonic caught up to him. "Ohhh…"

"Dr. Eggman!" Decoe exclaimed.

"Showed you." Sonic retorted. "Now… where are Sonya and Lee?"

"Huh?"

"Er, Sonia and Manic… dang."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Oh?" Sonic turned his attention toward Eggman's counterpart, smirking and standing by the control panel.

"I can see you've made it here at last. Seems you have a strong heart, Hedgehog. A heart that would be perfect for the Side of Darkness."

"What do you mean? Are you implying you're gonna try and get me to join you? Save your breath."

"Ha ha ha. Strong-willed, yes, but you're doomed to become a Heartless either way. Take a look." With that, he pressed a button, causing the wall to Sonic's left to open and reveal his two siblings, which Sonic gasped at their Roboticized forms. "Yes… take a look. Your precious relatives now under the control of Eggman. And the first of many to submit to our rule."

"Grrr. Change them back!"

"I'm afraid that's not quite possible. The process is the equivalent to… changing people into Heartless. Their hearts were extracted from their bodies, and no longer have any soul to allow them freewill. I have transformed their flesh and blood into that of lifeless robots, who can only act by the command of a controller."

"You'd better have some hidden reverse function, Nega, or I swear-"

"Don't you ever listen, Hedgehog? Your wretched siblings now exist for the Eggman Empire. It was your doing from the start, anyway."

"What?"

"Your lack of care for them has caused them to fall into our trap. If only you had stuck by them a bit more, you would have been able to save them. The cold reality is, you don't really care about anyone but yourself. Always keeping cool, not a care in the world, refusing Amy even everytime she asked you out. Whether I can Roboticize you or not… your heart is filled with the darkness of selfishness. You're doomed to become a Heartless. And should you need another reason…" he pulled out a Darkness Cannon and took aim at the airbender, "how about you try this."

The dark laser fired and zapped the hedgehog as the negative emotions came on. Dark auras suddenly appeared around his form, and the pupils disappeared from his eyes as he shot an evil glare at the Negative. _"Huff… huff…"_

"Sonic!" Tails yelled as he and the rest of Sonic's crew ran in, the dark hedgehog turning to face them.

"He he he. Do you really even care for any of these fools, Sonic? They've always tried to slow you down in the past. You've always had to move slower so Tails could keep up. Knuckles always gets into fights with you because he's been tricked. Amy constantly pesters you for a date and threatens you with her hammer. And need I point out that annoying raccoon girl?"

"'EY!" Marine yelled.

"That's not true!" Tails refuted, shaking his head. "Sure we may slow him down a little, but not all friendships are perfect. Sonic cares about us, and we care about him."

_"No."_ Sonic replied in a dark tone. _"He's right. Why have I ever cared about either of you? You've always been useless at my side. I don't need anyone but myself."_

"Sonic, you're talking crazy." Amy said. "We know how sweet you really are."

"Yeah! You're my buddy. I saved your skin as many times as you saved mine." Tails told him.

"Yeah, and when we aren't fighting, we kick some major butt together." Knuckles said.

"You showed me had to open up and make friends." Blaze followed. "Well, technically Cream did that, but you helped."

"Yea'! Come on, Sonic, teach that ol' walrus-face 'e's wrong!" Marine fist-pumped.

"And if you aren't anything like we say you are…" Amy started, stepping closer to him, "then explain why you saved me countless times before, and why I feel the way I do about you." And with that, she grabbed the hedgehog's head and pulled his face in closer, embracing him in a kiss.

Sonic closed his eyes and couldn't help but kiss the pink hedgehog back, switching back to his normal form and releasing from her lips after a while. "Hehe… you think I'd forget stuff like that?"

"Grrr. Worthless piece of junk." Nega stated angrily at his Dark Cannon, throwing it against Cubot's head and making a couple beeping sounds emit from the robot.

"But soft: why light through yonder window breaks? 'Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun." Cubot said.

"Uh-oh. I think you knocked his voice chip to Shakespearean." Orbot observed.

"Bettuh get Luvbi up here, eh?" Marine asked.

"Thanks, Amy. I appreciate." Sonic smiled at his lover. The crew then noticed some light glowing around Sonic's right hand. Amy stepped away as they all watched a sky-blue Keyblade with an end that was designed like wind appear out of thin air, Sonic taking a tight grip of it in his hand. "He-Hey! Now we're talkin'!" With the Keyblade in hand, Sonic took aim at his two Roboticized siblings and zapped a laser at them. The two robotic hedgehogs burst into a light that blinded the entire room, and when it vanished, the two hedgehogs were revealed to be their normal selves again.

"Wh-What? But how?" Eggman Nega stuttered.

"Their hearts were locked away to prevent them from being used of their freewill. But I _un_locked them."

"How did you know you could do that?" Tails asked.

"Keyblade's gotta have its name for somethin'. Anyway…" Sonic walked over as his siblings shook their heads off from the experience.

"Oh… Sonic?" Sonia looked up at him.

"Dude, what happened?" Manic asked.

"Long story, but listen. I know I didn't quite explain myself very well before, but… there was a reason I didn't look for you guys when you went missing. It's because I knew you guys would be just fine without me. I didn't let myself be worried because… I always kept faith that you would be fine and we would eventually meet up again."

"Oh… hehe, well…" Manic chuckled, "we aren't really mad about that anymore. We're just glad we're finally outta that robotic state."

"And besides, we kind of felt the same way after you went missing." Sonia told him. "So no hard feelings."

"Ahh… thanks, guys." Sonic smiled.

"Hehehe…" Eggman snickered quietly on the ground, pulling out a small button. "HAHA!" (Cue Eggman's Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_!) He slammed his thumb onto it, and the Sonic crew gasped when a barrier suddenly appeared between them and Eggman. "You fools! You fell right into my trap! Now I can finally destroy you all within an inch of your lives!"

"Give it up, Eggman!" Sonic shouted. "There isn't anything you've built that I haven't destroyed already!"

"It doesn't matter, because now I can Roboticize you all! Witness the power of my Ultra Roboticizer! Fire it up at will!"

Eggman Nega gave his smirk and pressed a button. The Sonic team looked up and gasped when a metallic capsule came down… over Eggman?

"H-Huh?" Eggman gasped.

"Surprise, Doctor. I've got my own plans."

"W-Wait! Nega! What are you doing?"

Another wall on the other side of the room opened up and revealed the Master Emerald inside of a chamber, flowing power into the machine as Eggman Nega pulled a lever. "Watts up!"

"NYAAAAAHHHH!" The shock immediately surged through the tube onto Eggman, and the scanner showed his transformation already happening. The barrier vanished and the rube opened up, giving everyone a look at Eggman's new form, his skin and mustache completely turned into a grey metal while his clothes remained there same color, but were turned metal as well.

"Surprise!" Nega exclaimed. "My very own Metal Robotnik."

"Whoa… Dr. Eggman's a robot!" Tails gasped.

"And that's not even the half of it. Aha!" With that, Nega pulled another lever and got the now-Metal Robotnik surrounded by seven beams, each holding a Chaos Emerald, except for the yellow one, which Sonic still had. The beams connected by electricity and caught the doctor inside, giving him another powerful shock and making him wince around in pain.

_"WYEEE!"_ Eggman yelped, falling to the ground and catching his breath after the shock was done. _"Ho HO! I may have misjudged you, Nega! I can feel the power… coursing through my circuitry!"_

"The power of the Chaos Emeralds can do many wonders, Doctor. It has given you magnificent powers. The power to bend machines to your every whim."

_"He he hee! Finally… with this power…"_ he unleashed brightening waves of electricity through his hands, all around the room, _"robots will rule everything, and I'll become the supreme power in the universe! OHH HO HO HOO! !"_

"Quick! Let's get out of here!" Sonic yelled. The rest his friends followed him and dashed out of the chamber, at the same time Eggman Nega and the five robot henchmen retreated to their small escape craft, letting the robotic doctor complete his transformation. (End song.)

The heroes ran a good distance away from the control room, watching as the severed parts from all the robots Sonic just defeated flow back in the direction they just came from. "What's happening? !" Tails exclaimed.

"I don't know, but when I feel the ground shaking beneath my feet and see rubble flying through the air, I usually get a bad feeling." Sonic shouted back.

"What kind of power is Eggman-" Before Blaze could finish, the area where the control room was located exploded tremendously.

_"OHH ho ho ho hoo!"_ From the blackness of the smoke, the image of a massive figure could seen from the distance. Their eyes widened at the sight of none other than Metal Eggman himself, nearly a hundred feet tall now with a body totally piled up of the scrape metal from the robots: his left arm had the fist of the Egg King, his right arm was the Egg Nega Wisp's tentacle, gripping the Egg Emperor's sword, his legs were that of the Great Eggman Robo's, his butt was blinking green just like the Death Egg Robot's, the Egg Viper's tail on its back, as well as its gears on its hips, the capsules containing the Color Powers also from the Nega Wisp on its shoulders, the Egg Wyvern's wings also on its back, and the blinking green weak spots from the Egg Dragoon along its stomach, with the Master Emerald glowing brightly inside of it and giving power to the entire machine. Its head was also that of the Great Eggman Robo, and the real Eggman was inside it as always, controlling it from the cockpit.

"Whoa… he turned into a scrape king." Sonic gaped.

_"Hehehe… my dear good friends… the Hedgehog and his pitiful animals…"_ Eggman began in a dark tone. _"I am going to make mincemeat out of you…"_

Sonic gripped his Keyblade tight as the gang of animals readied for battle. "Not before we scrape you, first. Bring it on! RoBUTTnik!" (Play Perfect Dark Gaia's Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_!)

_Semifinal boss: Egg God_

The giant pile of scrap metal levitated using its wings and flew over the animals, who scattered and ran as it came down with a tremendous shockwave. The heroes were knocked off their feet as the Egg God flew over again, about to slam down on Tails using its bottom, but Sonic got up and Spun Dashed toward the giant, shooting at its butt and knocking him over. _"Get a load of this!"_ Eggman shouted, standing up and zapping rapid lasers, which the hedgehog frantically skipped away from and ran around the field. He directed his attention at Blaze when she tossed fireballs, then stabbed his tail down in attempt to strike the Pyrokinetic.

Three compartments opened along his back afterwards as the Egg God charged the three electrical spheres. Sonic quickly ran over and Home Attacked off the individual parts of the tail and made his way up its back, afterwards hopping up to the cockpit and dealing a few strikes with his Keyblade before he fell back down. The Egg God then began rapidly swinging his sword around and sending multiple airwaves at the hedgehog as he dashed around the field to avoid it some more. He stopped after a while and shot out a bunch of purple cubes from his Wisp tentacle, surrounding the hedgehog by a maze of cubes and then firing a purple laser that ricocheted off the many cubes, but Sonic was able to hurry away from it and find his way out of the maze before it could zap him.

The Egg God started to send out more shockwaves from its Egg King fist, but Amy drew out her Piko-Piko Hammer and smashed it against the fist, stunning it for a while. With it stunned, Sonic hurried over and ran up the arm, but the Egg God shook him off and allowed him to land on the chest, doing a few strikes to the weak spot before curling in a pinball, shooting up above the body, then coming down on Eggman with a powerful strike, with the Keyblade slicing the robo scientist's right arm off.

Eggman Nega smirked as he and the henchmen watched this fight from a safe distance. However, he felt a sudden pain in his right arm, groaning slightly and gripping it as the area where his arm started had a tiny crack of light appear around it. "Oh? What's the matter, Doctor?" Decoe asked.

"My arm hurts a little. It's probably nothing…"

Back with the battle, the Egg God leapt and attempted to crush them with another shockwave, but the heroes leapt and avoided the quake. That's when the robot shot its tentacle down to grab Marine, and the raccoon tried desperately to shake away as he was holding her closer to one of the spiked gears on his hip, about to slice her head off. Blaze immediately dashed up the leg and got between the gear and the hand holding Marine, trying to push the two away from each other as Marine got her right hand free, charging a Light Sphere and punching at the robot's head, making it wince and drop the raccoon girl as Tails flew by and caught her.

The Egg God sped over to Sonic and attempted to stab its sword down at the hedgehog, but missed and got the sword stuck as Sonic used his tornado ability to spiral up and around it. The Egg God just swatted the hedgehog high above him and sent its gears at him, but Sonic grabbed on and safely landed on one and rode it to the robot's weak spot, causing the spinning the spikes to inflict heavy damage upon the glowing green. When it stopped, Sonic Spin Dashed up the body and flew above the head once again, coming down on Eggman and dealing more blows with his Keyblade, chopping the madman's left leg off before jumping back to the ground below.

Eggman Nega winced in pain again, nearly falling over as he felt it in his left leg, but held onto the control table and held himself up. "Hnnn? Something's wrong here…"

_"GAHH! Cocky little freaks!"_ Eggman shouted as the robot waved its arms frantically in anger. The Egg Dragoon's drill was extracted from the Egg King arm as the robot hovered in the air. _"Get ready to be skewered! Take this, Sonic!"_ With that, he launched the gigantic drill and pierced it through the battlefield, destroying the entire thing and sending the crew falling.

Tails pulled out a remote and pressed it, calling his X-Tornado over and safely landing everyone on as Sonic and his siblings rode on the wings, chasing the Egg God as it tried to fly away. The Egg God swung its sword around and sent out more airwaves as the Tornado swerved around and avoided them. Eggman snapped his fingers and sent a squad of Heartless ships at the heroes. As the Heartless flew by, Sonic easily sliced them all with his Keyblade, and the X-Tornado proceeded to fire bullets at the Egg God's weak spot. The Egg God flew to the side and swung its sword, slicing open a rift in space that the plane struggled to get away from as they were being sucked in. The rift eventually vanished, thankfully, and the Egg God flew back in front of the plane, so Tails sped and pierced the plane's tip through his weak spot.

That's when Sonic leapt up to the cockpit and dealt more blows against the Metal Robotnik, making more of his metallic body parts come off, such as a small chip in his head, and the left half of his mustache. As a result, Eggman Nega felt pain in all of those areas, gripping his head and watching part of his mustache come off as more small cracks of light appeared around his body. "Hrrrr. What? What's happening?"

"Oh, don't you remember, Doctor?" Orbot started. "While Positives are meant to be opposite of their Negatives, their lifespan remains the same. Ergo… if Eggman dies, _you_ die with him."

"W-What?" Nega gasped in horror, watching with worry as the Egg God was getting pummeled. "N-No! This is… something I have not taken into account…"

"Ay, what cruel irony it is, eh?" Cubot asked.

"You gotta admit, the new voice _is_ catchy." Orbot smiled.

_"Gah! You…YOOOU… HORRID LITTLE HEDGEHOG!"_ the robo doctor screamed.

"Let's finish this!" Sonic decided. "Are you ready?"

"You bet!" Sonia and Manic cheered. The three Hedgehogs' took each others' hand and spun into a mega blue, pink, and green pinball, spiraling around at a super high speed as they levitated off the plane and shot straight for the robot's chest. Before the Egg God could react, the three airbenders pierced right through, coming out of the back end and holding up the Master Emerald as they landed back on the X-Tornado.

"Got it!" Knuckles exclaimed, grabbing the Master Emerald from them.

"Thanks. Now to scrape this egg head." Sonic said, turning to face the cockpit. He spun into another pinball and shot at the robot's neck, quickly swinging his Keyblade when he zipped back and successfully cut the Egg God's head clean off.

_"GYAHH!"_ Dr. Eggman screamed, flying out of the head on his pod as the rest of the giant robot fell to the exploding base below. _"This… can't be… happening… GYAAAAHHHH!"_ The pod was unable to stay airborne and fell below the doctor's seat, Eggman flailing his remaining arm and leg around as he plummeted to the now self-destructing base.

"Sonic!" Tails yelled as he caught the hedgehog back on his plane. "Knuckles and Blaze were able to hurry back and take the rest of the Emeralds. But with the Master Emerald removed from the machine it was powering, the negative energy seems to be being transmitted back to the station."

"Well then… I guess it's time to get out of here." And with that, the plane soared away and left the colossal station to burn in the depths of space. (End song.)

As many parts of the Death Egg already began crumbling down or exploding, the Roboticized scientist landed back in one of the lower parts of the fortress, lying on his back and watching the flames alight before his eyes.

"Gnnn… Hurrrr…" Eggman Nega groaned, feeling the pain become even more intense as more cracks of light appeared around his form.

As Dr. Eggman watched the massive flames engulf his base, his robotic brain started to play clips, memories of the past.

_When he was going after the Perfect Chaos creature in his Egg Carrier 2, the watery demon unleashed a laser at the airship, causing it to crash and burst into flames as the scientist was sent flying. He was shown a clip of his Eclipse Cannon about to fire and destroy the Earth, but it malfunctioned at the last minute and burst into explosions. His next memory was of himself in his Egg Emperor, being knocked out when Team Sonic ganged up on him, swallowing his robot in flames._

_He was shown the clip of Super Sonic and Burning Blaze, holding hands as they spiraled into a tornado, charging at his and Eggman Nega's Egg Salamander and causing the super robot to be engulfed inside a huge fireball. His memory switched to that of when he captured the Princess Elise. His Egg Carrier malfunctioned and his Egg Wyvern was destroyed by Sonic, sending the scientist plummeting to the ground below as his flagship crashed in the mountain, alighting the sky with fiery-red. He received another clip of him and Eggman Nega, using their Egg Wizard to control the Jeweled Scepter, about to destroy the world, until that annoying raccoon girl stunned them with a Light Sphere and allowed Sonic to pierce through the robot's heart, swallowing it in another fireball. He then watched as he battled Sonic the Werehog in his Egg Dragoon, but the monstrified hedgehog tore his invention bit-by-bit and hurled him into the sky. And finally, his latest memory, of powering his gargantuan mind-control cannon with the energy of the Wisps, until the entire thing malfunctioned and caused the entire galactic amusement park to be swallowed, not in flames, but the dark energy which was what banished him to this dimension and got him involved with Lord Gnaa to begin with._

After reliving the past memories of all his foiled plans, he was watching the very same sight unfurl before his robotic eyes again. Explosions, happening all around him, swallowing every precious creation he's worked tirelessly to build and burning them into wretched pieces of scrape. This same thing has happened, over and over again, for too many years to count. …And it all revolved around one thing. The scientist sat up on his remaining knee and screamed to the heavens, the one thing that's always been on his mind:

_"IIIIIII HAAAAAAAAAATE THAAAAAAAAT HEEEEEEEEDGEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG! ! ! ! !"_

His final words spoken, the station roared and shook, and the burning fires reached and swallowed him as well. From the outside, the planet-size space station flashed with a blinding light, brightening up the entire sky with the greatest explosion imaginable.

"NOOOOOOO!" With his counterpart destroyed, the cracks along his body expanded and completely covered the Robotnik Nega. The henchmen stared beautifully at the sight of the glowing doctor, but their faces switched to pure sadness when he exploded into light and vanished.

"…D…Doctor?" Bokkun quivered, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ay, and just as the actor prances upon the stage, he is heard no more." Cubot stated sadly.

Orbot made a few sniffles and wiped his eyes. "It's just… so sad how terrific villains fall."

"WAAAH! WAAAHHHH!" Bokkun cried, unleashing a waterfall of tears from his eyes as Decoe & Bocoe made the gesture of removing nonexistent hats.

"…AAHHH!" The robots suddenly found their small escape craft caught within the explosion, bursting into flames as well as the X-Tornado quickly flew away to escape the expanding flames.

"Grrrr…. almost…" Tails stuttered, trying to fly their ship away as fast as he could. To their relief, they were able to get far enough away from the flaming sphere's range before it faded away, leaving nearly no trace of the Death Egg's existence.

Down below, the Kids Next Door and Avatar teams continued to battle robots before every one of the mechanical menaces suddenly shut down. "WOOHOO!" Sokka cheered, taking his sword and cutting the parts off every dead robot he ran by. "Team Avatar rocks! Go Sokka! Go Sokka! Haha!"

The Keyblade vanished from Sonic's hand in a flash of light as the hedgehog stared back at where the station once was with slight remorse. "Good-bye, Eggman…" He then walked over to go sit beside Amy on the wing, wrapping an arm around the hedgehog girl as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Come on, guys. Let's go to the beach or something." The X-Tornado flew back to the planet's atmosphere as Sonic just did what he did best, kicked back, and relaxed. (Play "It Doesn't Matter" from _Sonic Adventure_! (Not the crappy remix from _Adventure 2_. :P))

* * *

><p><strong>Sonic's Story: Cast:<strong>

**Jason Griffith as _Sonic the Hedgehog_**

**Amy Palant as _Miles "Tails" Prower_**

**Dan Green as _Knuckles the Echidna_**

**Lisa Ortiz as _Amy Rose_**

**Mike Pollock as _Dr. Eggman_ and _Eggman Nega_**

**Jaleel White as _Sonia_ and _Manic_**

**Bella Hudson as _Blaze the Cat_**

**Andrew Rannells as _Decoe_ and _Bokkun_**

**Darren Dunstan as _Bocoe_**

**Wally Wingert as _Cubot_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Marine the Raccoon_**

**Voice recording studio: _4kids Productions_**

**Characters by Sega and Sonic Team**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**Sonic's Story: _END_**

* * *

><p><strong>OH boy, this wasn't a very good story arc, honestly. Still, I think I made Eggman's death pretty worthwhile. : But the next final showdown will be Kami's with King K. Rool, and THAT should be a lot better! :P But next time, we will do some stuff on Avatar Land, I also wanna throw in some Dani/Nolan romance. Laters!**


	60. The Spirits' Library

**Arrrrrrrghhhhh. Okay, people, I'm just gonna say that, I was sitting at a TOTAL stump for this one. My mind wasn't where it belonged, entirely, so… I can't tell you this one'll be good. Well, we do learn a bit about the last four Firstborn, plus we have a Danolan scene. Sigh, here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Whereabouts of the Last Four. The Ancient Library.<em>**

**Planet Dathomir, Lucinda's Cave**

The decaying swamp remained just as it always has, rotting with dead trees and peoples' corpses, emitting the brown fog as green mist flowed out of the mountainside cave. Within the depths of the cave, Rumpel, Gruntilda, and Lucinda sat around the magic cauldron, throwing items into the bubbling brew as they waved their arms and sang.

_Witches: Double, double, toil 'n' trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble!_

_Double, double, toil 'n' trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble!_

_Lucinda: A fairy's foot scraped with toast_

_In the bubbling, the bread will roast._

_Rumpel: A lollipop shoved up my nose_

_In the boiling pot it goes._

_Grunty: A jar of salty children's tears_

_Really gives ME the cheers!_

_Lucinda: Crusts made from some Irish eyes_

_Watching as their happiness dies._

_Rumpel: Perhaps a pencil, littered with boogers_

_I hear it's tasty to those Moogers._

_Grunty: Eye of newt and toe of frog_

_Have a kitty drop a log._

_Rumpel: Gasping breath, and dying pant_

_May kiddies tremble to our chant!_

_Grunty: A stew that makes the children CRY!_

_Watch their tears flood to the sky!_

_Rumpel: And once they taste our luscious stew_

_Their deaths will be long before due!_

_Lucinda: And perhaps a Rainbow Monkey's chaudron?_

_Rumpel: All the better for our _lovely_ cauldron._

_Witches: DOUBLE, DOUBLE!_

_TOIL 'N' TROUBLE!_

_Grunty: By the picking of my fingers_

_Something wicked this way lingers!_

Their little chant ended when Yuki Crystal walked in. "What the hell are you witches doing?"

"Throwing stuff into a magic cauldron and stirring it up." Rumpel responded. "Why, you ask? We don't know! It's what we do!"

"Well, can you hurry it up? Jagar and his buddies escaped from Bowser's Lair. If I'm gonna destroy the Kids Next Door, I need my ice powers to be stronger."

"Patience, Yuki." Talzin replied. "How I'd love to grant you your wish and make you the most powerful icebender in the world. But even with my lovely shadow, I don't have the strength to do so, and am desperately seeking a way to increase my magic tenfold. And I think I may have found something…"

"What is it, Lucy?" Rumpel asked as the ancient fairy stirred her finger in the brew.

"That little shadow imp that was around Danika looked familiar. And lo and behold. It's just what I suspected." The magic cauldron showed an image of Midna herself. "She is Midna. One of the Eight Legendary Firstborn. The Spirit of Shadows… As you might know, Rumpel, the ability to use magic originated from the Shadow Realm, which is why a good number of magic-wielders, like myself, are shadowbenders. And Midna is a powerhouse brimming with such magic… With her powers, I could easily increase the strength of my wand. I could give Yuki the kind of power he needs to freeze the Moonbase and every last puny operative off the face of the Earth."

"And if Midna is hanging around Danika…" Rumpel started to think.

"Well, let's find that Midna chick already and force her to do it!" Yuki demanded.

"Not so fast, Boy. Let us just see what our little gang is up to…"

**Ember Island**

"Oh, finally." April sighed in relief, lying back on the warm, sandy beach, in her green and black-polka-dotted two-piece swimsuit, as she rubbed sunscreen on her skin. "You know, when you bring an entire city to its knees, a vacation at the beach is just what you need."

"Especially in a world where we aren't on the wanted list." Danika replied, dressed in her black bikini. "Why were the villains sent here, anyway?"

"The Brain said something about… turning some people to the Dark Side or something. I dunno." Nolan answered, merely sitting in his wheelchair in his regular clothes.

"Well, that is what Brain does best." Danika said.

"I just wish we could've picked a different setting." Midna commented, lying under an umbrella a few feet away, wearing a single sunshade on her only exposed eye.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Nolan noticed.

"Are you kidding? I'm a shadow being. This light bugs me."

"Well, I'm a shadowbender, and I find it kind of nice." Danika replied. "'Course, the only light we enjoy is twilight. Right, Cheshy?" Cheshire smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Nolan, how come you aren't dressed for swimwear?" April asked. "I know you can't swim, but…"

"Well, in my current state, getting into swimming trunks isn't the easiest task. …Unless you girls wanna help me." he smirked.

"Uhhh… no." April plainly responded.

"Still, you might get a little sweaty that way." Danika said, and with that, she proceeded to pull Nolan's shirt and boots off, and rolled his pants legs up so that they looked like shorts. "There you go! …Hm. I don't really think I've seen you with most of your clothes off."

"Uh… hehehe." Nolan blushed strongly.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go lie down. Catch some rays." she said as she walked several feet away, lying on her back on the sand.

Nolan couldn't help but stare absentmindedly at Danika as April spoke. "You know, speaking of 'not being on the wanted poster here', I actually heard a bit about this place from Azula. Supposedly, Ember Island gives everyone a… 'clean slate'. 'Like waves washing along the sand…' or something. But putting that aside, it looks like somebody's in love."

Nolan suddenly blushed in embarrassment and looked at her. "W-What?"

"Oh, come on, don't deny it. You're in love with Danika."

"That's crazy. Just because we hang out a lot, you think-"

"I can sense emotions, Nolan, remember? I don't need to tell that it's written all over your face."

"Ah. Well… of course I like Danika. I mean, look at her. She's sexy… she's cool… she's a bender… ever since I joined the Brotherhood, she's felt like the only friend I've had. Besides you and the poisons… Sigh, anyone would be in love with her. And she could date anyone she'd want… _Probably not me though…"_ he stated glumly. "Hey, April! If you can sense emotions… can you tell if she likes me… or not?"

"I can't tell who people are in love with. Just if they're _in_ love, or not. You, it's pretty obvious. Anyway, you need to find out yourself. Go and talk to her."

"I always talk to her!"

"Yeah, but now it's serious." She replied, standing up and grabbing his chair, and facing him in Danika's direction.

"Hey, what are you- HEYY!" The blonde pushed his chair forcefully toward Danika, and he stopped himself just before running over her, but this resulted in him shooting out of his chair, right onto her body.

"Uh… hey, Nolan." Danika blushed as Nolan lied across her belly.

"Hey, Danika! Uh…"

"Let me help you up." She offered, standing and lifting Nolan up, and putting him back in his chair.

"Hehe, thanks." He blushed as she lied back down, closing and resting her eyes. He glanced back at April, who twirled her finger around, gesturing for him to start a conversation. "Uh… nice weather, huh?"

"E-yup…"

"Hehe…" Nolan began to sweat in anxiety, trying to think of something. _Come on, Twenty-thirty. You had a girlfriend before. A bad one, but… just take it slow now. Complement something about her… I dunno… and see where it takes you from there._ "…Cute feet."

"What?"

He immediately shot his head away from her and blushed stronger than ever. _Great, Nolan! You just won the award for 'Most Awkward Things Ever Said To A Girl'!_ "Uh… yeah. Uh, black nail polish… makes you look nice."

"Uhhh, thank you… It is the color for Shadow, after all."

"Hehe." When Danika lied back down, Nolan pushed a button on his chair and extracted the punching glove, which immediately started punching him in the face, then stretched over to grab a stick and used it to whack his head around. When it was done, the glove threw the stick away, tapped Nolan's shoulder, jabbed his thumb at Danika, and pounded Nolan's armrest, gesturing for him to ask her out already. The glove patted Nolan's head and went back in his chair. "Ahem… Oh, hey, did you hear, Eggman died… last night."

"Oh yeah! Gramma Stuffum's gonna be real ticked off about that, huh?"

"Haha, yeah! Um… listen, uh, tonight, you wanna go for a walk around the island? I hear the stars are… pretty beautiful here."

"A 'walk'?"

"I mean, um… you know."

"Heh heh heh! Well, we DO share a common interest in 'stars', so… Sure! I mean… after sunset, of course. I wanna see if anyone's still around so I can turn into a giant shadow and totally scare them!"

"Haha, I'd love to see that! So… see you then?"

"I guess so."

"Hehe… well, later." Danika lied back down to rest while Nolan rolled back to April.

"So… is it a date?" she asked.

"It… looks like it."

"Great! So, just stay clear of the random awkward comments, just be yourself, and everything should be good from there."

"Since when do you know how to set people up?"

"Eh, me and Sonya share some qualities. Family trait? Also, you might wanna give her something special. Like… a flower or something." She then handed Nolan a flower with long, red petals. "I picked that up earlier, it's a Fire Lily. Just something to get you started, for good luck."

Nolan studied the bright-red flower for a minute before stuffing it in his pocket. "Hm. If only luck was always in my favor…" he said before turning and rolling up the hill.

**Forest area, outside of Great Wall**

"You know, guys, I gotta admit, despite the problems I had with that Katara chick, this world isn't half-bad." Eva stated as she walked with Kade and Dimentia in a forest, letting Manaphy swim in a river beside them.

"Lucky people can bend in this world, too. Or else we'd have to face more anti-bender hate." Dimentia noted.

"Still, if this is a different world, I wonder if bending ways are a little different here, too. I wouldn't mind getting a bit better with my waterbending."

"Well, why don't you ask that Katara girl? She seems pretty good with it." Kade said.

"I'd assume Kade to keep track of every detail in a catfight." Dimentia remarked.

"H-Hey! I was just saying, they both look equally skilled… or something." Kade blushed.

"Yeah, she was good and all, but I'm sort of looking for someone of the mastery level." Eva replied.

"Well, what about Pakku? His mission was to ambush and 'train' you to begin with."

"Hmm, I guess he could-"

"Uwaah!" cried an elderly voice.

"What was that?" Eva whispered as the three and Manaphy hurried behind some bushes. They found a squad of red and blue bell-like Heartless surrounding some elderly woman, with ghostly-white hair and tan-colored raggedy clothing.

"Heartless!" Dimentia yelled, alighting her hands with lightning.

Eva ran forward and jumped in front of the old lady, Phantom Sword drawn. "Stay back." Some of the Red Nocturnes rung their bells and shot flames, but Eva bat them away with her sword and sliced them. The Blue Rhapsodies conjured and launched ice balls, but Eva was able to grab them with her bending and send them back. When bigger versions of the Red Nocturne appeared, Eva grabbed some water from the river and splashed it over them, making them dissolve. Manaphy also pounced onto one of the Blue Rhapsodies and pulled it down, proceeding to beat it.

As Dimentia and Kade fought some of the Heartless, Soldier Heartless appeared, dancing around in blue garb and wearing silver helmets. "Ugh. These things really get annoying." Dimentia commented.

"Then let me go for a spin." The old lady smirked. The kids stood with mouths agape when the woman jumped in the river, and spun a watery cyclone around her, sending it at the Heartless and freezing them. She then snapped her fingers and caused the ice to shatter, destroying the Heartless.

"Whoa! That was amazing!" Eva beamed.

"Thank you. I may be an old woman, but I know my water." She smiled. "I would've had them done sooner if they hadn't startled me. Say, you're not from around here, are you?"

"Hm hm, nope." Eva shook her head. "We're from someplace… far away. My name's Eva. Those are Dimentia and Kade."

"Mm, but who's the little guy?" she asked, noticing Manaphy.

"Oh, that's Manaphy. He's…"

"The Prince of the Sea?" she asked in slight shock. "I've heard about him. The Firstborn himself… But that must makes you-"

"THEEE Princess!" Kade exclaimed brightly.

"Well, I am deeply honored to be in the presence of royalty." The woman bowed. "My name is Hama. A fellow waterbender, much like yourself."

"So I've noticed. I wonder… just how good are you? Like… a mastery level? Something?"

"I've been told I'm pretty good. For years, I've been studying rare and unique ways to use water. You might say I qualify as a master."

"Really? Well, then… I hope it wouldn't trouble you to maybe… teach me a few things. I'm already pretty good myself, but I'm curious to see how people do it in this world. You could say I have a natural curiosity."

"Then I think we're going to get along swimmingly. Let us have a little… walk-n-talk…"

**The Jasmine Dragon**

"Okay, so what did the firebender say after setting his crush on fire?" Sokka asked Hoagie. "'Hey, Baby. What's smokin'?'"

"PFFAHH HA HA HA HAH! !" Hoagie exploded with laughter. "Okay-okay, here's one! Why did the timebender jump out the window?"

"Hmmm…"

"He wanted to see if he could fly! Haha! Get it? ! 'Cause time FLIES? !"

"AaaAAHH HA HA HA HAH!" Sokka laughed hysterically.

In the corner of the room, Suki and Fanny sat and smoothed their fingernails with annoyed expressions. "Pfft. Boys."

"Tell me about it." Suki agreed.

Atop the roof, Aang was playing with Momo, spinning an airball around and moving it as the flying lemur tried to catch it. "Hey, Aang." Morgan greeted, levitating herself atop the roof.

"Hm? Oh, hey. Uhhh… Morgan, was it? You're Nigel's cousin."

"Hm hm, that's me."

"Hehe, right. I heard that you… spoke to the Negatar."

Morgan frowned a little. "Yeah… Aang, I was wondering. Have you… ever been… tempted by the darkness?"

Aang looked confused. "Um… I don't quite understand."

"You know… been manipulated into doing something you… normally wouldn't wanna do?"

"Well… there is my Avatar State. Back when I was in… Avatar training, I guess, whenever I became physically or emotionally distressed, my Avatar State would trigger and wreak all this havoc, and I'd have no control. It's scary… like when I found out my people died, or when I thought Katara was… well, you know. My anger would get so out of control, and… I'd lose control. I guess I have been manipulated by darkness at some points. But I've always been able to let it go. And I have control over my Avatar State now, so… there isn't much worry."

"Hmm… interesting…" Morgan looked away in thought. _He's supposed to be a lightbender, but from what he's saying, I guess his heart isn't all light. Which means… the Negatar's heart isn't all darkness._

"Hey, Morgan, if you've spoken to the Negatar… how much do you know about him?"

"Hmm… not much, I guess. Only he always sees the dark side of things. And… people have strong doubt that his heart is anything but Darkness. But I…I see differently. No one else may think so, but I think there's a speck of light in there somewhere. He just needs someone to help find it."

"Well, maybe there is a speck of light in there. If someone has faith in him…" Aang smiled at her.

Zuko, Nigel, and Rachel were eavesdropping slightly, leaning on the restaurant's wall. "I still don't understand how Gnaa was able to stay alive so long without aging."

"I think I have a theory." Rachel replied. "From what you guys told us, Aang has been frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years. As a result, he was prevented from aging. And as Aang's mirror self, Gnaa was prevented from aging, too. But here's where the opposite part plays in: while Aang was frozen in time, immobile, Gnaa was unfrozen and free to roam the earth."

"Which means he had plenty of time to master those elements." Nigel followed.

"Hehe… talk about an unfair advantage, huh, Aang?" Zuko chuckled.

"Don't remind me." Aang sighed.

At this time, Toph was lying against the wall below the stairs to the shop, happily picking her nose and flicking boogers away as Angie came by and sat with her. "Hi, Toph!"

"Hey, Angie!"

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Picking my nose… It's a hobby of mine."

"Heehee! …Hey, Toph? If you're blind, how come you were able to see me when we fought?"

"My eyes don't work, but I see using Seismic Sense. I feel vibrations in the earth with my feet and see where everything is."

"Cooool!"

"I know, right? I was even taught earthbending by badger-moles. They're blind, just like me, so we connect. But still…" she frowned.

"Still what?"

"Even though being blind gives me an advantage sometimes… sometimes I wish I could see like everyone else. The waves washing along the beach, the grass blowing in the wind… the sun lighting up our world."

"I don't think the sun is something you wanna look at."

"Ha ha! You know what I mean. But… I just wasn't born that way. And not to mention my Seismic Sense doesn't even work on ice or wooded areas."

"Well, it's okay, Toph. All you REALLY need are great friends! Even if you can't see them!"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, who taught you earthbending?"

"Some creepy stalker voice in a dream of mine." Angie replied.

"Voice in a dream?" Aang asked, hearing this as he jumped to where they were, using airbending to slow his fall.

"Yeah, his name is Chronicler… or something."

"The Chronicler? Me and Eva had a dream with him, too." Nigel replied, walking down with Zuko and Rachel. "And he taught each of us a certain element."

"Well, that's weird. Maybe it was some kind of spirit." Aang figured.

"I had a dream, too, one time!" Harvey exclaimed, hurrying over. "Before my sister and my friends saved me, I had a dream with this GIANT turtle, only he had a lion's head!"

"The Lion Turtle!" Aang exclaimed.

"You know him?" Rachel asked.

"He's the one that taught me energybending. He taught me the Power of Light."

"Strange… no doubt this Lion Turtle thing and The Chronicler are… somehow related." Nigel said.

"Or probably the same person?" Rachel inquired.

"I've actually gotten a bit curious about who this Chronicler guy is." Morgan said. "He _did_ send me a book that one time…"

"I bet I know who can tell us about him!" Angie perked. "GRIIIIM!"

The bony reaper appeared out of a puff of smoke, wearing no clothes except a shower cap on his head. "WHAT is it? ! Can't I take a sponge bath just once without interruptions?"

"Uh, Grim, we were wondering if you knew anything about this… Chronicler that people keep dreaming about." Rachel told him.

"How should I know? All I know is he's some mystical spirit that resides in peoples' dreams with immeasurable wisdom. If you want to know more, you should go to the library."

"What kind of library would have information about some otherworldly spirit?" Nigel asked rhetorically.

"Well, there was that one spirit library we went to out in the desert." Toph remembered.

"A spirit library? Maybe that would have something!"

"We can't go there!" Katara stated. "The library's buried beneath the sand. Plus, the librarian there… isn't the friendliest guy."

_"He's a giant, angry owl."_ Sokka whispered.

"Oh, I remember him!" Grim smiled. "Wan Shi Tong. We went to college together. He was always about gaining knowledge, everytime you'd see him, he'd be buried in those books. He's become so consumed with the desire, he's become judgmental, attacking anyone who'd 'abuse' such a 'precious gift'. I bet I could reason with him. Get that library out of the sand, too."

"Well, in that case, we oughta head over to this library and see if it has anything about this Chronicler." Rachel suggested.

"I'm still not so sure about this." Katara said.

"Ah, relax, Katara, he's a librarian." Sokka replied, nudging her arm. "Those guys are all about this 'forgive and forget' thing, we'll be fine."

"Well… okay."

"All right, hold on, kids." Grim ordered, raising his scythe as the Gaang piled around him. "Teleportation ain't easy, so keep your arms and legs inside the warping zone." And with that, he punched his scythe down, and the crews vanished in an instant.

**Underground dungeon, unknown location**

"Swing lowww, sweet chaaariot. Coming forth to carry me hooome." The elderly demons, Grandfather and Cole hung with their wrists chained to a wall within the damp, cold dungeon, littered with skeletons and rats gnawing from their empty eye sockets. The only sounds heard were tiny drops of dripping water, and the singing of the two demons as they swung back and forth. "I looked over Jordan, and what did I see? Comin' forth to carry me… HOOOOME."

"QUIET!" Ganondorf yelled, banging his fist against the wall. "Don't you demons know how to stay quiet when locked in a dungeon?"

"Oh, come on, Ganon. It just gets so LONELY in here." Grandfather moaned. "And we can't go anywhere since you taped these chi-blocking symbols on us. Sooo lonely."

"LONELYYY. I'M MR. LONELYYY." Both demons sang. "I have nobooodyyy. For my oowww-OOOWN-"

"SILENCE!" Ganondorf punched the wall and shook the room again, stepping over and touching his sword to Grandfather's neck. "The only reason you're alive now is because I want you to see your precious Demon Realm tremble to my rule. But when it's over, you and the rest of your family are going straight in the Sanzu River where you can rot."

"Hm… crazy demons." Lehcar commented, standing at the cave's entrance beside Scarlet.

"And you're a half-demon. I'd hate to be you." Scarlet remarked.

"Don't sell yourself cocky, I have more power than any other demon, and far more competence."

"Do you now…" Ganon replied gruffly, coming over.

"U-Uh… n-not a-as much as you though… Father." Lehcar stuttered in fear.

"I should hope not. Now… I have some business to attend to in another world. You stay here… so you can stay out of my way." And the bad-skinned man walked out of the cave as the girls sat against the wall.

"Sigh… sometimes I wonder if this whole world domination thing is even worth it." Lehcar sighed.

"If it weren't for this flame curse, I'd've already ditched him by now." Scarlet replied.

"So… why didn't you kill Violet back there?"

"I don't know. Part of me would've _loved_ to taste her blood off my claws. But another part of me thought… something just didn't seem right about it."

"I've seen you kill a bunch of people before."

"I know. But with Violet… it felt different, ironically. I feel like… she's the only person I wouldn't kill. And I feel like if her boyfriend left her… I would kill _him_ just for that. But either way, I just feel so… _weak_ for not being able to do that."

"…Maybe it isn't weakness." Lehcar said thoughtfully. "Maybe it was… inner strength. Or something."

"Hm, you sound just like her." Scar chuckled.

"Well, you'd be surprised." Lehcar smirked. "But, it's just like when Rachel wouldn't destroy Ghirahim. It wasn't because she was weak… it was because she had the strength and the willpower not to do it."

"But I thought _you_ held the Triforce of Power?"

"Hehe, I do. But the whole thing is pretty confusing, really."

"But how come you suddenly think she's strong for not doing it?" Scarlet cocked a brow.

"…I…" Lehcar frowned, "I don't know… maybe her influence is rubbing off on me."

"And maybe…" Scarlet looked away, "Violet's is rubbing off on me…"

**Forest area, outside of Great Wall**

"The most important thing about water is that it's everywhere." Hama explained to Eva as the two walked through the forest. "You must always be resourceful in dangerous situations. There's water in places you'd never think." With that, she spun around and made water appear on her fingers out of thin air, freezing them into icy fingernails.

"Wow, that's cool!"

"And the best part about it is, it can be used in many different ways. Like freezing, whipping, or even cutting."

"Or punching! Check this out!" Eva bent the water from the bottles around her sash into Water Fists.

"Ooh, impressive! You and I see eye-to-eye when it comes to creativity. Tell me, Eva, how is life like for you in your world? I bet you are a well-respected young maiden for having such a gift."

"Well… not all the time. I get picked on a lot at school. My only friend was Kade, even before I found this power."

"Mmm. The old thing with bullies. I was picked on a lot myself during my time. Not everybody accepts us benders for who we are. But thankfully, I found the _perfect_ way to teach them wrong."

"Really? How?"

"Meet me at this spot around midnight, Eva. Then, I will teach you the ultimate waterbending technique, which can only be done under the full moon. It's the kind of power that would make any waterbender feel invincible."

"Wow, sounds pretty neat! I guess I'll see you later!"

"Take care now." Hama waved as Eva was headed back for the city.

That's when Kade ran by and started to walk beside her. "Eva, are you sure you should be trusting that old woman? I feel like our meeting up with her was… a little too random."

"Ah, relax, Kade. She's just a sweet old woman, going for a walk in the woods, probably for exercise, and was… ambushed by Heartless. Nothing majorly suspicious about her."

"…Hmm…" Kade only glanced to where Hama was suspiciously.

**Si Wong Desert**

Grim and the crew reappeared in the middle of a vast, scorching desert, next to some gaping crater in the sand. "I don't understand, this was the spot."

"It's been buried, remember?" Sokka reminded.

"In fact, we're standing right on top of it." Toph pointed out.

"No problem. Step back, kids, and let Uncle Grimly show you how it's done." The heroes stepped several feet away as Grim rose his scythe and stuck it to the ground again. The earth began to quake and the sky turned dark as a tower slowly rose from the crater in the ground. It was followed by a colossal building, in which sand fell out of the windows as it emerged from the earth, eventually stopping once the front entrance was up.

The children stepped inside and started to view the colossal library, which seemed to go up several stories. "This better not be like that library we found in that underground school!" Wally shouted.

"But like any other library, you're supposed to stay _quiet_." Numbuh 5 whispered.

"So where do they keep all the books about spirits or whatever?" Hoagie asked.

"_That_ is none of your concern." The kids readied their guard when a gigantic black owl with a white face suddenly landed in their path, his neck stretching high above them as he looked like he was going to bite down. "I thought I've seen the last of you kids. But it seems you've returned with some friends. Now I can mount _all_ your faces on my wall."

"Gross!" Kuki shouted.

"Hold on, Wan Shi Tong." Grim raised his hand in defense. "These kids are with me. We aren't here to harm anyone."

"Hmm. Grim. It's been a while. What are you doing nowadays?"

"Demon King."

"Mmm. Impressive. Regardless, no human is permitted in my library. If you refuse to leave, I shall be forced to… Oh…" The owl's neck shrunk back to normal as it began to tremble. "What is happening? Oh!" The world dimmed to a shady black as a vision appeared before his eyes: the image of a figure with a silver body, golden head, two tails, and closed eyes.

_"What do you think you're doing?"_

"M…Master Uxie. I-I was just-"

_"I did not place our Grand Library in your care for you to shun people away. Knowledge is a treasure all beings must share. Including the humans."_

"You don't understand. Humans desire knowledge only to-"

_"Not all humans are alike, are they, Wan Shi Tong?"_ Uxie asked, getting in the owl's face, her closed eyes furrowing. _"Some humans are good spirits. They desire knowledge for other reasons. And I sense no evil from these beings. It is clear that, by diving yourself into so much knowledge, you've become overprotective of it. Your desire for it is blinding you to trust. You _will_ let these mortals read the knowledge they desire in your library. Unless you'd rather… lose all of _your_ knowledge yourself."_

"N-No… Master Uxie… I don't. The humans… may use my knowledge…"

"We can? Great!" Aang cheered, the vision suddenly vanished before Wan Shi Tong's eyes.

"Oh? …Yes, well… what was it you wanted to learn?"

"Umm, got any books on spirits?" Sokka asked.

"The Spirit Section is right over there." He directed a wing to their left, showing a hall which was labeled 'Spirits'. "There's information on every spirit within that hall. You'll find nearly anything you wish to learn there. Enjoy the library." With that, the owl flapped his wings and took off to a higher floor.

The team entered the hallway as Nigel held a flame up by the book shelf, searching the titles of the books alphabetically in the dark. "It should be around here somewhere…" Rachel spoke.

"…Ah, here it is!" Nigel perked, discovering a book titled _Chronicler_. "The Chronicler." The Brit took the book down and began skimming it as everyone else looked over his shoulder.

"What does it say?" Sokka asked.

"The Chronicler is an ancient and knowledgeable spirit who is said to exist within peoples' dreams and can see within the hearts of mortals. It says that, many eons ago, during a meeting with the Order of Deities, it was The Chronicler who proposed to Supreme God, Arceus that mortals should be able to bend elements. That whenever a mortal shall be born, their heart would be studied to see which element would befit their personality. For example, a passionate heart would bend Fire, a free heart would bend Air, and a heart who hides from humanity would bend Shadow."

"Wow. Wait, did he skip me or something?" Sokka asked.

"After the Supreme God was destroyed by the very first Negatar, along with the many other evil benders that followed him, the Underworld God, Malladus, and Nightmare God, Darkrai, deemed Chronicler a traitor, for the idea of allowing mortals to bend elements being his in the first place. They proposed that Chronicler be banished. And sadly enough, the majority of gods agreed."

"Is there anything your family HASN'T ruined?" Harvey remarked.

"Harvey." Rachel glared.

"Sorry."

"What else does it say?" Toph asked. "Where does he live?"

"It's said that The Chronicler makes his home on a lost island somewhere among the oceans of the Spirit World." Nigel read as the book showed a picture of an island of jagged, prickly rocks, with two crescent moons hanging above it. "Many mortal benders have traveled to the Spirit World and ventured to this island, in the hopes of training with The Chronicler to becoming stronger with their element. But each have failed to pass the tests on the island and have met their ends. It is told that only the people who were deemed worthy enough would be able to pass the tests. And the ones whom The Chronicler deemed worthy, he would speak to through their dreams. Oh…"

"Does that mean WE'RE deemed worthy?" Angie asked.

"I…I don't know."

"Well, let's find The Chronicler's island and see if we can pass the tests!" Angie beamed.

"It would help to know what kind of tests we're dealing with. Either way, I don't think so. I think we should just focus on finding the Firstborn until we learn otherwise."

"If this library has information on spirits, it may have something about the Firstborn, too." Rachel figured, already walking to the "F" section and skimming around. "Hmm… nothing on Firstborn. That's funny."

"He did say 'nearly anything we wish to learn'." Katara noted.

"I figured 'nearly' would mean he at least had a book on the Firstborn."

"It's probably because of how important they are." Zuko figured. "The Eight Firstborn are all-powerful beings, so the spirits had to take away any information this place had on them. In case evil beings were to get curious."

"There's gotta be something good we could use…" Rachel rubbed her finger along the book rows as she skimmed their titles. She gasped when she found a book titled, "'The Triforce.'" Rachel took the book down and began to read through it quickly. "The Triforce is a sacred relic, divided into three parts, Power, Wisdom, Courage, _blah blah blah_… Let's take a look at the 'Origins'." She skipped to a section labeled 'Origins'. "The three Triforce pieces were each designed by three different… Firstborn Spirits…" she read that part quietly. "The Triforce of Wisdom was designed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Uxie, who designed it so that only someone of truly great knowledge of right and wrong would be able to use it. Pfft. Picked the wrong choice there." she mumbled. "The Triforce of Power was created by Azelf, Goddess of Willpower, who designed it only for someone who possessed the 'true, absolute strength' within. …Hm. Guess it depends on what kind of strength it is. And finally, the Triforce of Courage was designed by Mesprit, Goddess of Emotion, who designed it so that only someone with the courage to face their fears, and determination to never give up on anything… would… be able… to wield it…"

"Hm, guess it picked the _right_ choice in that case." Nigel smirked.

"Hehe." Rachel blushed, then continued to read. "However, it is told that Azelf and Mesprit added a dose of their magic to the others' Triforce, in order for it to be wholly complete. The holders of Power and Courage would be connected the strongest by the thread of fate. And one would not truly know the powers of their own Triforce without the others' support."

"So, in other words, Ganondorf needs _your_ help to completely comprehend the powers of his Triforce?" Nigel asked.

"I…I don't think it's talking about Ganondorf. I think it's talking about… Lehcar."

"But if these three Firstborn were the makers of the Triforce… does that mean the Triforce holders are the Guardians?" Abby asked.

"It says that… according to the prophecy, despite whomever would hold the pieces of the Triforce… these Firstborns' Guardians would be people of other descent… with the exception… of the Holder of the Triforce of Courage! BINGO!" she fist-pumped.

Wan Shi Tong, at this time, was glumly walking down another aisle, alphabetizing books. "Feeling okay, Wani?" The owl turned and noticed Grim.

"Oh. Hello, Grim."

"You haven't changed a bit." Grim smiled, stepping closer.

"Perhaps I haven't. For so long, I've had my beak buried in these books. I've become so… accustomed to knowledge. It's been such a great honor, being put in charge of this very library by the Goddess of Knowledge herself. My desire to increase my worldly knowledge… has led me too protective of it."

"Ah, Desire… one of the Seven Deadly Sins, yes? The seven emotions which lead people on the path to the Dark Side. We demons are the inventors of such things, yes?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Grim, but I thought there were _Eight_ Deadly Sins?"

"Well, technically, the eighth one comes from Desire. And in reality, it could turn up good, or very, very bad, depending on where it flows. When bad, it could be the deadliest sin of all!"

"And… what is it called, again?"

Grim gave a mischievous little smirk and tapped the owl's beak. _"Love."_ At the instant of the touch, the owl fell unconscious.

The Avatar Gaang arrived just in time, mouths agape for what Grim just did. "Oh, relax, this touch never really kills anyone. It just puts 'em to sleep. It's easier to drag souls when they're DEAD! AHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

**Ember Island**

As the sun was setting over Ember Island, and the sky began to turn a bright orange, Danika was getting her summer clothes on over her bathing suit, a black bellybutton tank-top, black skirt, and black sandals as Nolan rolled over. "Hey, Danika! You ready for, um… our date?"

"Date?"

"I mean! That is…"

"Hahaha! Just kidding! Yeah, I'm ready. Just… hold on a second." She looked over at the many kids still playing a game of volleyball, and noticed how long her shadow had gotten because of the sunset. She and Cheshire exchange a smirk as Cheshire pulled her into a Shadow Veil. Nolan and April watched as the goth grew nearly 10 times as long. The kids playing volleyball suddenly noticed the ground become pitch-black, and beneath their feet was a great, wide Cheshire-cat like grin. _"Hellooo, myyyy prettieees…"_

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! ! !" The kids immediately hurried away as Danika shrunk back to normal and came out of her Veil. "Well, that was fun." She smiled. "Come on, Nolan. Let's get rollin'. Haha! Get it? Nolan? Rollin'?"

"Ha ha! Good one!" Nolan laughed as Danika pushed him up the hill.

As they were leaving, Midna floated beside April as the two smirked in their direction.

About half an hour passed, and the sun was nearly gone over the sea. The stars were already lighting up the blue night sky as Dani and Nolan were venturing some old ruins on the island, passing by five statues of previous Firelords of the Fire Nation, including Iroh and Zuko. "Stars really are pretty here… huh?" Nolan asked, the two gazing from over a stone railing.

"Just like our world…"

"They say that… when people die, their star gets placed up in the heavens. And… that star shines down on their other friends, still in the living world, and gives them hope. I've always wondered… if Dillon's or Corey's stars were up there. Guiding me…"

"What made you so interested in learning about stars?"

"Hehehe. I dunno." Nolan chuckled. "…Maybe our little trip to that lake was what got me interested."

"Oh yeah. Haha! That's a night to remember." Danika glanced down and noticed the two scars on Nolan's wrist. "Hey, where'd you get those scars?"

"Oh, these?" Nolan looked at them. "They're…They're nothing."

"Come on, Nolan. What, did Brain give them to you or something?"

"No, I… can you keep a secret?"

"Well, yes…"

Nolan kept his head down as he spoke. "Sometimes… I cut myself."

"What?" she gasped.

"Well, you know how I always get confused and have nightmares about stuff… right?"

"Yeah?"

He sighed, "Sometimes… it's just too much. Sometimes, I wish I could just… end it. I feel like the pain just… takes my mind off things."

"But Nolan, suicide isn't the answer-"

"I know." He stopped her. "In fact… even though I had plenty of good reasons, I've always had something to keep me going."

"What?"

"You…" He looked up as a blush appeared on her face. "You're my best friend, Danika… You've been by my side this whole way. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I'd do."

"…Well…" she gave a light smile. "I'd be pretty lost without you, too. You're the only… _normal_ human that's grown to accept me. Not like Chad."

"Right… Danika? Do you and Chad… have something special?"

"Hm? You mean like in a crush?"

"W… Yeah."

"Hmm… I used to. But he never could accept me for who I was. Couldn't with April either. It's the whole reason we could never join KND in the first place, because nobody accepted us. And you included."

"Right…" Nolan remembered that he was among the kids that made fun of Danika before. "Danika, I'm sorry, I-"

"Relax, Nolan." She smiled, squatting down to his eye level. "You've changed now. You're being my best friend. You're cool now."

"Hehe." Nolan blushed as Danika ruffled his hair. "It's just that… I didn't want to at first. But my ex-girlfriend- Gwen… she kinda got to me. She hated freaks and didn't want me involved with them. But… then look what happened. I became leader of the most distorted bunch the KND's ever seen. Now Gwen wants to kill me."

"It sounds like things went pretty rough between you and her… ever feel like… you want her back?"

"Hm hm. No. I really don't think I loved her at all, in that sense. I feel like…" he turned and smiled at her, "maybe I deserve something better." **(A.N. Reference to my one-shot! :D)**

"Yeah… maybe you do." Danika smiled back.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, nervously blushing and scratching their necks. While watching this, Cheshire suddenly thought up an idea and snuck away from Danika, going behind the shadows of the Firelord statues.

"Um… Well… it's been a long night." Nolan finally said.

"Not long enough, I don't think." Danika joked.

"Hehe. I feel like we should head back to the beach. We can… probably continue on from there."

"Hmm… I think I wanna stay here for a bit. You good to get back on your own?"

"Sure! But, um…" Nolan reached into his pocket and pulled out the Fire Lily April gave him earlier. "I want you to have this."

"What is it?" Danika asked, taking and studying the flower.

"It's a Fire Lily. Grows all over this place." Nolan turned and began to roll his way back. "Keep it as a lucky charm."

By the time Nolan left, Danika couldn't help but stare closely at the flower. After this night, she feels as though a strong burst of light suddenly erupted from her heart. It was a feeling too precious to let go. However, she shook it off and sat on the stone bench beside the railing. "Oh, what am I doing? You'd think a girl would learn by now. Or not, 'cause it's time for a copyrighted song."

_Danika: If there's a prize for rotten judgment._

_I guess I've already wooon that._

She got up and walked by the Firelord statues as Cheshire peeked out from behind Zuko's, giving a smirk and going back behind.

_No man is worth the aggravaaatiooon._

Cheshire instantly popped out with four more shadows behind the statues, with the one behind Iroh's looking really chubby.

_That's ancient history, BEEN there, done that!_

_Shadows: Who'd ya think you're kiddin'?_

_He's the Earth and Heaven to you!_

_Try to keep it hidden_

_Honey, we can see right through you_

_Dani: Oh NOO-OOO!_ Danika dropped the flower and sat on the ground.

_Shadows: Girl, you can't conceal it!_

_WE know how you feelin' and_

_Who you're THIIIN-king OOOF!_

Cheshire dangled the flower in front of Danika's face, but she waved it off and walked away.

_Dani: Ohhhh!_

_No chance! No way! I won't say it, oh no!_

_Shadows: You swoon! You sigh! Why deny it, uh-oh!_

_Dani: It's TOO cliché!_

_I won't say I'm in looove._

_I thought my heart had learned its leeessooon_

_It feels so good when you staaart out._

She walked by five stone columns holding up a roof of some ruins, where each of the shadows were watching from behind.

_My head is screaming, get a grip, Girl._ She shot her head toward the shadows, who immediately stood up straight and hid.

_Unless you're DYING to cry your heart out!_

_Shadows: You keep on denyin'_

_Who you are and how you're feeling_

_Baby, we're not buying_

_Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling!_ The shadows lifted the stone roof up from under it, and the fat, shorter shadow was lifted off the ground, wobbling her legs.

_(OOHHH!)_

_Face it like a grown-up!_

_WHEN ya gonna own up_

_That ya GOT, GOT, GOT IT BAAAD!_

_Dani: Ohhh!_ She hopped across some stones floating along a pool.

_No chance! No way! I won't say it, oh no!_ She tripped on the last jump, but Cheshire grabbed her hand and pulled her up, transforming into Nolan's shadow and smiling at her.

_Shadows: Give up, give in!_

_Check the grin, you're in love!_

Danika smiled at the shadow, but shook it off and smacked her, changing Cheshire back.

_Dani: This scene won't play!_

_I won't say I'm in looo-_

_Shadows: Doin' flips. Read our lips._

_You're in love!_

Danika skipped past the shadows and sang-

_Dani: You're way off base, I won't say it. (She won't say it, no.)_

_GET OFF my case, I won't SAY it!_ Danika went back to lie down on the bench.

_Shadows: Girl, don't be proud_

_It's OK, you're in love._

They slipped the Fire Lily into her hand as Danika looked at it once more, giving a smile.

_Dani: Ohhh!_

_At least… out loud… I won't say I'm in_

_Looooove_

_Shadows: Sha-la-la-la-la-la… Ahh…_

The shadowbender pressed the flower to her chest and drifted to sleep.

Standing behind the ruins of another building, The Brain secretly watched them, and in his mind, the Sith Lord was smirking. A shadow crept up behind him as Lucinda stepped out. "Oh, Darth Genious! How great that you should be here…" The witch bent down so her head was at Brain's level, watching Danika with him. "I have learned something extraordinary about that… Danika girl."

Danika continued to lie there and sigh happily. "So have I, Talzin." The Sith Lord turned and faced the witch. "So… have I…" The old hag faced him back and exchanged smirks.

**Ava's Heart Star, somewhere over Earth**

Team Alien and Team Psychic flew after Lucario in their ship as the aura fox dashed across the ground, eyes closed as he tracked the aura of the Kong Family. "There they are!" Ava exclaimed, pointing at the family of apes ahead, who were shouting and waving their arms for their attention.

The five kids landed and hopped off the ship, hurrying to the Kongs. "Where have you guys been?" Dixie asked.

"Shrunk down and trapped inside a hamster cage at a castle, where've you been?" Kami remarked.

"Well… after Kroctus stole the Firstborn and they all left after the invasion, we decided to fly back to DK Isles and see if Cranky had an idea what he would be doing. …And boy, is it not good."

"What's he doing?" Kweeb asked.

"He's going to awaken the Leptys!" Tiny responded, making the six gasp. "Cranky said that Mew was the final key K. Rool needed to finally awaken the source of all diversity. He's powered up his Blast-O-Matic machine again and he's going to use it to transfer Mew's energy into the tower."

"Wait, what's the Blast-O-Matic again?" Kami asked.

"A machine with a cannon K. Rool used long ago to try and destroy our island." Diddy answered. "We shut it down, but he's powered it up again, and he's going to shoot the tower with Mew's energy."

"The Leptys needs one of each animal spirit for it to work." Dixie continued. "And supposedly, Mew contains every animal spirit within him. The only other thing he needs is to wait for the full moon to shine directly at the eyes of the tower. And according to Cranky, this is the one night a year where the full moon is in perfect alignment with the eyes."

"He really knows how to think things through, then." Ava said.

"And that's not all!" Diddy spoke up. "Cranky didn't wanna wait, so he went to K. Rool's island base by himself to stop him!"

**Hideout Helm**

"At long last…" K. Rool spoke calmly as the Kremling Kops placed Mew into a chamber on the machine, watching with many other Kremling and Tiki soldiers. "My revenge is nigh. This Firstborn will give my machine the power it needs to awaken the Leptys. Once I have control of the Leptys's power, I will be able to get rid of ALL diversity! No one will ever be different, and EVERY one will be the same! And I will be the supreme ruler of all Animalia! HAA HA HA HA HAH!"

"Eeeee-WAH!" An old man leapt down and bashed the Kremling with his cane.

"OW!" Kroctus rubbed his head and turned, facing Cranky Kong. "Ahh! Well, what a surprise. Seems our good friend, the ape couldn't stay out of the show."

"You bet your bippity, Krocky! I hope you enjoyed this while it lasted, but it's over now! Ol' Cranky here's gonna teach ya what-for!"

"Hmmm… how imposing… give it up, old man. Your time in the videogame spotlight is up. DK Isles is gonna see a new star now, and his name is King Kroctus."

"Yeah? Well I might be old, now, but I gotta 'nough strength in this bod to whack the jaws outta yo' mouth with this old cane!"

"Really? Well then… perhaps it's best I call for backup." With that, Kroctus stuck his fingers in his mouth and made a whistle. (Play "Tiki Tong Song" from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

Cranky Kong looked as a gigantic Tiki hovered about K. Rool, a crown on its head, fiery-red eyes, shaman-like feathers along his side, and two disembodied floating hands beside it. "Harr… wah hah hah hah!" the Tiki laughed.

"Cranky Kong, I would like you to meet Tiki Tong." Kroctus introduced. "The source of all Tikis and the one Tiki who can truly activate the Leptys's power. Many years after I was banished from your island, this marvelous creature came to me, and we struck a deal. _I_ would help him rob the island of its bananas and bring his people back to life… and _he_ would allow me to control the Leptys. Of course, such a task was impossible with those filthy apes still frolicking around. But to my utmost relief, Lord Gnaa required my services. I knew that his forces would prove useful in our mission, right, Tiki?"

"Ar-har!" Tiki nodded.

"Now…" K. Rool rose his finger and pointed at the elderly Kong, "Finish him!"

The Tiki Tong rose his right hand and smacked Cranky into a wall. When the old Kong tried to get up, Tiki took his left hand and smashed him, laughing as the Kong lie there squished. "HAHH hah hah hah hah!"

"How sad for you." Kroctus said to the Kong. "Now then…" he clapped his hands, "fire up the weapon! Target lock on Tiki Volcano and… FIRE!"

From outside, the floating base sailed and faced directly at Tiki Island. The chest of the base opened as an electrical rod stuck out and took aim at the volcano.

"He he he…" Kroctus laughed, the Tiki Tong lifting the King to the top of the machine, where there was a big, red button. "HAH!" He stomped the button, and Mew started to scream as the electricity surged through his body, causing the rod to fire a powerful blue laser directly at the volcano. The animals on the island watched with eyes wide as a humongous tower started to rise from the magma, with a terrifying face with large eyebrows and an angry frown.

"MEW MEW MEWW!" Mew kept screaming.

"HAH HAH HAH!" the Kremling King laughed, now holding and raising a staff that had a skull with shaman feathers. "FRIENDS! This is the moment we've been waiting for! The Kremling Krew's most glorious day! Worry no more of being overpowered by your enemies! For once the Leptys is fully powered, we will have all the strengths and benefits to survive anything! The winters will never be freezing, the summers will never be boiling, and you'll NEVER go HUNGRY AGAIN!"

"YEEAAHH!"

"Now begin the final countdown!"

At his command, a Kremling troop tapped a button, causing a bunch of digital clocks to appear around the base, all starting at 50 minutes and proceeding to count down.

_"Leptys awakening in: 50 minutes and counting."_ The computer spoke.

"MWEH heh heh har! Soon, the power will all be mine!" Kroctus exclaimed. "'Tis a shame Kami didn't wish to join me. But, perhaps I'll wait and see if she decides differently at the last minute. But the clock's a-tickin'. And soon, it will be too late. Ahh ha ha ha! Ahh ha ha ha! Wahh ha ha hah!"

* * *

><p><strong>Eh, I guess this wasn't TOO bad. But boy, is it hard to think straight. But next time, we will do Kami's final stage and have our showdown with King K. Rool! Unlike with Eggman, this showdown should be pretty epic! Maybe as good as Bowser's was, or maybe almost. And lastly, the song comes from <em>Hercules<em>. :P Later!**


	61. Kam 'n' K Rool Duel

**O-kay, let's kick K. Rool's Kan! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Kami vs. King K. Rool! The Center of All Animalia!<em>**

**Heart Star, approaching Hideout Helm**

"Oh no! We're too late!" Ava exclaimed, seeing the powerful blue laser from the island base attach to the Tiki Tower.

"He's already trying to revive the Leptys." Dixie observed. "We have to stop that cannon!"

"On it!" Ava instantly fired some lasers at the island base, but it didn't appear to be doing any damage.

_"It's no use. He's got the place protected by a force field."_ They looked over and noticed another Flying Krock ship.

"It's the Chaotix!" Kami pointed out.

_"Quick, meet us down below."_ Espio told them, flying and landing on the sea while the Heart Star landed beside them. The teams stepped out and stood on their ships as Vector spoke.

"Listen, there's an entrance we can sneak in to under the base. But we's gots to hurry! That Leptys thingy's gonna be powered up any minute."

"We estimate about 30 more minutes until it's complete." Espio said.

"Well, no time to waste." Mika decided. "Let's get in there and stop it!"

"We'll stay here and keep them distracted from the outside." Vector offered.

"Yeah, they won't know what hit 'em!" Charmy fist-pumped.

"I'll stay out here and help them, too." Rainier offered.

"You sure you know how to fly this thing?" Ava asked him.

"Actually, I'll stay out here and help him." Funky Kong said. "I flew it to you guys, didn't I?"

"Hmm… I guess so." Ava shrugged, though she didn't like trusting anyone with her ship.

"Okay, guys, we have our mission." Kami announced in a leaderish tone. "Let's shut down this doomsday… whatever thingy… and kick K. Rool's butt away from this island! Ready?"

"Duh!" Ava agreed.

"You bet!" Kweeb exclaimed. "Just save more room for me when we get there!"

The group dove below the surface and quickly swam toward the floating island, finding a barred gate that led into a waterway. Mika used psychic to bend the bars open and allowed them to swim through, resurfacing in a sewer area of the base. They were about to head up to the first hall until they were stopped by a large, buff Kremling with a spiked club. "Halt, ye landlubbers! Nobody gets past 'ere while ol' Blast-O-Matic is in motion, aye?"

"Klubba?" Dixie questioned. "Is that you?"

"Oh? Ohh!" Klubba beamed at the sight of them. "If it isn't me old mateys, Diddy and Dixie! Here to stop ol' K. Rool's plans again, are ye?"

"Uh, yeah. So, if you could just let us pass…"

"Oh, sure, sure, go right ahead." Klubba offered, stepping aside. "K. Rool makes us eat dung for dinner! Punch him one real good for me, aye?"

"Will do." Kami smirked and saluted him as they ran past. "Thanks for letting us by!" (Play "Hideout Helm" from _Donkey Kong 64_!)

_Stage 47: Hideout Helm_

_Mission: Shut down the Blast-O-Matic in 30 minutes!_

The group went up some stairs to the first hall of the base, where a group of Klumps immediately saw them and chucked Orange Grenades their way. Donkey and Diddy jumped and knocked the first Klump on its back, and while it was down, Kami took one of his grenades and dropped it in his mouth, exploding in his stomach and making him burp out smoke. Kweeb leapt onto another one's nose and jumped before it tried to punch him, making it punch itself out. The last one tossed a grenade at Ava, but she caught it stuck on her sword, flipped over, and slid it down his pants before it blew up.

They hurried around the halls of the base, seeing a swarm of Kasplats run their way. One of them tried to grab Kami, but she ducked his arms, kicked his crotch, and punched him upside the head while another one kept trying to grab Kweeb and Tiny Kong, the two bite-size creatures leaping all about and confusing the croc before they got behind his sunglasses and poked his eyes. Two Kasplats tried charging at Lanky, but the orangutan stood on his arms and stretched to the ceiling and tricked the two into running between his arms and missing. When they looked back at him, he performed a little peekaboo gesture before starting to run over the walls and ceiling on his hands, the Kasplats trying to chase him, but ended up falling when they ran up the ceiling.

Chunky easily punched and knocked out a couple more before they hurried forward, getting to a room with some computer monitors where some Kops stood up and approached them with electric sticks. Diddy shot peanuts toward them, but they swat the peanuts away with their rods, but Chunky drew out his bazooka and shot pineapples, the heavier fruit able to knock the shock rods away and allowing DK and Lucario to run over and start pounding on them. Afterwards, Chunky shot a switch in the wall and caused the wall to open and reveal a passage with a lava river. Mika noticed some metal barrels floating in the river and used her psychic to hold them up and allow the others to jump across. When they were all across, she dropped the barrels and floated across herself.

They arrived at a room where some Tikis ambushed them with fire arrows, the group taking cover behind some steel beams when the Tikis started firing rapidly. Donkey rolled out and was able to avoid the arrows, jumping and bashing one of them in the head and destroying it. The ape grabbed another Tiki and threw it into another, but the last Tiki cowered and fled down a hall, the kids trying to chase it, but the Tiki flipped a switch and sealed a door. "Crud. What now?" Dixie asked.

"I could probably get in through those vents." Tiny guessed. "Wait here." The pigtailed monkey climbed up to the vent and shrunk down to squeeze through the bars, hurrying across the windy air duct, not too far before she reached a vent above the hall on the other side of the door. She jumped down and re-expanded to flip the switch and let the others pass.

"Finally, someone who really gets me!" Kweeb exclaimed.

"You said it." Tiny agreed, the two exchanging a knuckle-touch.

After turning a few corners of the hall, they finally arrived at the center and found what they were looking for: the massive machine which seemed to take 3 stories of the base, with several wires attached to it from the walls, control tables at the bottom where Kremling officers were at work, and five different pipes in which yellow, red, blue, purple, and green lasers flowed through their own ones. "There it is… K. Rool's Blast-O-Matic." Dixie pointed out.

"Hey, I remember that. I saw it when I was brought here the first time." Kami remembered.

"MEW MEW MEEW!" They could see the Firstborn trapped in a chamber on a higher level, screaming in pain from the terrible shocking.

"Mew!" Lucario grit his teeth in anger, about to run and puncture the device, only to be painfully zapped by a barrier and thrown back. "No! They have this guarded by a barrier, too."

_"20 minutes until completion."_ The computer announced.

_"MWEH HEH HAH HAR!"_ K. Rool's evil laughter echoed throughout the base.

"I coulda sworn we had more time when we started this." Kami said.

"Either way, we have no time to lose. How did you guys stop it the first time?" Ava asked.

"Um… ooh!" Diddy perked up. "We had to shut down a generator in each of those 5 rooms." They looked and noticed five different hallways around the room. "And each generator was activated by two switches."

"Okay, here's what we'll do:" Kami began, "Donkey and Diddy, you take that one. Tiny and Dixie, take the one over there. Lanky and Chunky, take the one up there. Mika and Lucario, fly up to the one WAY up there. And Ava, Kweeb, and I will take that other one on the second floor. And, BREAK!"

The eleven heroes scattered and went to their predestined targets. Donkey and Diddy entered the chamber of the yellow generator and knocked out the Kritters guarding the room. They split up and entered two different rooms beside the generator. In Donkey's room, the ape found a series of floating barrel cannons leading across to a platform with a switch. Donkey got in the first cannon as it moved up and down, but two spiked Tikis were floating in a circle between him and the next cannon. Donkey waited until both were above or below him and fired between them. The next cannon moved left-and-right as flamethrowers sprouted flames from down below, but Donkey waited until the flames died down to shoot over. The last cannon only went around quickly in a circle, but Donkey focused and watched for it to aim at the switch, firing and hitting it perfectly, landing on the floor below afterwards and climbing the ladder that led out of the room.

In Diddy's room, there was a large cage protecting the switch in the center, with four other switches around a higher part of the room, with numbers 1, 8, 4, and 9. Recognizing these numbers, Diddy threw on his jetpack and flew around the room, hitting the buttons in the combination of 1984. The combination was accepted as the cage was lifted off the floor, allowing Diddy to go and press the switch. With both switches pressed, the two Kongs met up and watched as the yellow generator was shut down, grinning and doing a high-five.

Lanky and Chunky found the room with the blue generator and knocked out a Klump before splitting up into their separate rooms. Lanky's room was some kind of maze, with the switch in a cell on the other side. Lanky found a switch beside him and pressed it, causing the cell to open for a short time. Lanky stood on his hands and quickly started sprinting across the maze. He took two lefts, but found a dead end, went straight, took a right, then a left, but another dead end. But when he took another left path, went right, then one last right, he found the switch just in time and pressed it.

Chunky's room appeared to be littered with tons of huge boxes. The gorilla grew into his giant size and started to rampage around the room, destroying every box in his path until he found the switch. By the time every box was wiped out, he couldn't find anything. But he shrunk back to normal and found some kind of loose tile in the room's entrance. He lifted the tile and found the switch hidden beneath, smacking himself in the forehead before stomping it. The two Kongs regrouped and watched as the blue generator vanished, and Chunky grabbed Lanky's hands and swung him up in the air in victory.

Tiny and Dixie found the purple generator and took out some Krooks before splitting up. Dixie's room was nearly nothing but a long, bottomless pit, with a couple of winged Tikis flying over it and the switch on a foothold on the far other end, guarded by a Koin. The pink-wearing Kong jumped and twirled her hair, gliding across the pit and bouncing off the Tikis along the way to get a better boost. When she landed on the ledge, the Koin kept his shield raised to protect the switch from her. Dixie thankfully found a metal barrel and tossed it over the Koin, rolling along the ledge, bouncing off the wall, and coming back to knock the Koin out, allowing Dixie to press the switch, afterwards using the nearby barrel cannon to shoot back.

In Tiny's room, the switch was behind a glass window, but she had to get around under a tiny pathway under the wall. She minimized and made her way under, having to fight her way past giant spiders. After clearing the spiders, the rest of her way was protected by mousetraps, so she carefully made her way around them to avoid being snapped. She carefully climbed onto the side of one of the traps to see how far she had left, but tripped and accidentally fell on the snapper, but to her fortune, it only flung her away like a catapult, landing her on the switch as she grew back and pressed it down. The two sisters met back in the generator's room and watched the purple energy vanish, cheering and doing a few flips in victory.

Mika used her psychic to fly all the way to the room at the very top while Lucario just scampered up the walls, finding the room with the red generator as Lucario knocked out some Kasplats. They split up, and Mika entered a room full of boiling lava with the switch on the other end. It was inside another cell, and there were four switches beside it, with letters D, M, L, and R. Smiling at these numbers, she used psychic to pick up some metal crates and hurl them at the switches, in order of M, L, R, and D. The combination worked as the cell opened, allowing her to float over and press the switch. "Those are the first letters of some of my favorite Pokémon!"

In his room, Lucario was ambushed by a swarm of grey Krushas. They came at him from all directions, as he dodged left, dodged right, grabbed one and spun around before hurling it at another. He conjured an Aura Sphere and smashed it to the ground, exploding it and blowing another bunch away. He leapt up and started to kick a few more away before starting to dash around the walls of the room, then rapidly leaping from wall-to-wall faster than the eye could see, swinging his hand spikes as he zipped past the Kremlings and knocked them out. He landed stylishly after he was finished, but one more dashed up from behind to try and smack him, but he punched behind him and stuck his spike in the Kremling's face. A cell protecting the switch opened up as a result, so he ran over to smash it. He and Mika met up in the outside room as a result, doing a knuckle-touch as the red beam shut off.

Finally, Team Alien entered the chamber of the green generator, knocking out the guarding Kops before Ava and Kweeb both took the door on the right, while Kami took the left. Ava and Kweeb's room seemed to go a few stories high up to where the switch was. Ava tossed a sword at the wall, then tossed her other one a bit higher in the parallel wall. She tossed the tiny alien onto the first one and let him jump to the second. As he got higher, she kept pulling the previous sword back and tossing it higher than the one Kweeb was on, allowing him to jump high enough to reach the switch. The alien was too small to push it down, however, but he simply pulled out his shrink ray and minimized the switch so he could press it easier. Apparently, that worked.

Kami entered the final switch's room, facing ahead as the big, blue button sat on a pedestal. _"10 minutes until completion."_ She spared a glance at the timer on the wall and took a breath before she walked over to press the switch and finish their mission. But before she could get close to it-

"TURTLE POWER!" Four turtles in different colored masks suddenly dropped down and began circling around her, each wielding different weapons.

"What the—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? ?" Kami questioned in total confusion.

"We needed some money after our shows went sucky, so we got a job workin' for K. Rool, Dude." Leo said.

"Totally radical!" Raph said.

"Totally rad." Mike said.

"Ugh. Fine, let's just fight." Kami tried to punch Leo, but the leader turtle jumped back and rapidly kicked her face, knocking her dizzy before doing an aerial spin-kick, knocking her away. She quickly got up and dodged to avoid Raphael's daggers, leaping around and continuing to dodge before she grabbed his hand, flipped over it, and kicked him in the face, knocking him out. Donatello leapt over and tried to bash her with his staff, but she kicked the staff and broke it before punching his nose and knocking him out.

"Gnarly, dude…" he said dizzily before fainting. Mikey wrapped his nun-chucks around Kami's legs and flung her at a wall, pulling them back as she stood up. She dodged left when he whipped them at her again, and when they came at her a third time, she grabbed it and pulled the turtle over, pounding his face a couple times before throwing him against the wall.

"Not cool, Dude." Leonardo told her, readying his sword.

_"30 seconds until completion."_

"Okay, there is SOMETHING wrong with that timer!" Kami shouted. She kept her guard up and slowly backed out of the room as Leonardo slowly followed her, keeping his sword raised and ready to strike. Kami backed up until she was very close to the green energy beam, then smirked and kicked the air toward the remaining turtle. Leonardo jumped back in surprise, and Kami quickly rolled to the side when he charged and tried to slice her. She hurried behind the turtle as he faced her, too late to strike as she punched him upside the head and made him fall back into the green beam. The turtle screamed and shook, enduring the painful shock, until he was finally zapped into oblivion. With 10 seconds remaining, Kami hurried back into the room, past the unconscious turtles, and stomped her foot hard on the final switch.

King Kroctus sat in his throne at this time, happily drinking away his swamp water as he watched the display of the blue laser zapping the Tiki Tower on his screen, and petting his Klaptrap. _"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Completion aborted. Shut down initiated."_ (End song.)

"Huh?" Kroctus watched confusedly as the laser suddenly shrunk down and vanished.

The Kremling officers around the machine all panicked frantically as the entire machine, and the barrier, shut down. "No! Quick! Start this thing up again so we can-" Before the chief could finish, Ava already ran in and sliced all the Kremlings across the stomach with her swords.

"Mew…" Mew whispered quietly as Mika and Lucario helped him out of the chamber.

"It's okay, Mew. You're safe now." Mika assured him, returning him to the Spirit Ball as the others came over beside them. "Well, Mew's saved. We headin' outta here or what?"

"Not yet." Kami told them. "You guys go ahead. We still have to stop K. Rool."

"Very well. Best of luck to you." Lucario told them before he and Mika ran off.

The apes and aliens watched as a door with Kroctus's visage opened above a staircase in the room. "Let's go." Kami ordered, hurrying past the door and down a few halls with the others. They passed by the room with the giant ship-wheel that controls the island's movement and hurried up some stairs, and the heroes spotted the King himself up ahead.

"There he is!" Ava pointed. Kroctus immediately slammed his fist on a button on his armrest as they ran toward him, closing the door to his throne, but Kami stylishly slid under the tiny gap before it shut all the way.

"You aren't keeping me out that easy."

Kroctus only smirked and waved at the blonde girl before tapping another button, causing his chair to levitate upward into a hole on the ceiling.

"HEY!" Kami tried to run after him, but to her surprise, a pitch-black spot of darkness appeared in the spot where the throne once stood. She stepped back in utter shock when a dark-blue version of herself with glowing yellow eyes emerged from the darkness, smiling creepily as the two readied to fight each other. (Play "Shrouding Dark Cloud" from _Kingdom Hearts_!)

_Sub-boss: Anti-Kami_

Kami tried to punch the dark figure, but it grabbed her fist and hurled her to the other side of the room. She got up and saw the anti form walking over, and flipped her way over to start kicking at it, but Anti-Kami kicked back and grabbed her foot, throwing her against the wall. Kami jumped back up and rolled beside the anti, able to kick the back of its head and push it away. When it turned to face her, Kami punched it a few times across the face before it was splat into dark-blue gooey substance, dissolving and reemerging behind her to kick her away. Kami jumped on the fiend's head and tried to twist it, but Anti-Kami grabbed her by the leg and started bashing her around the floor, spinning around rapidly and hurling her headfirst at the wall.

Kami recovered and saw Anti-Kami jump over, rolling away just before it could kick her face. Kami charged at the anti to tackle it, but it simply grabbed her arms and tried to keep her back, kicking up at her face while Kami did the same. Anti threw her to the side, but Kami stayed on her feet as the shadow ran over, jumping when it tried to grab her and bouncing on its head, getting behind the creature and punching it a couple more times before it dissolved into the gooey substance. Kami saw it reemerge a few feet away and ran to punch it, but the shadow turned 2-dimensional and became flat at the floor, breaking into three copies that ran around before they became 3-D again. Kami punched the first clone and caused it to vanish, then hurried and punched another one, but it was also a fake.

The real Anti-Kami then went below the floor and vanished. Kami kept her guard up and watched where it would appear, but the anti popped out right below her feet and flung her away. As she recovered, the anti vanished again and popped out below her again. Kami quickly recovered the third time and started running around the room to avoid when the copy would pop up. When it finally stopped, she took this time to go over and punch it. It turned flat and split into three again. She went for the one sitting atop the picture of Lanky's visage in the room and kicked it, but it vanished. She saw another one smiling at her from atop K. Rool's TV, but instead went for the one walking around the room, dealing a few punches before it dissolved in the substance again.

Kami heard the door to the room make a creaking sound, looking to see a pair of fingers below trying to lift it up. "Ooh!" Donkey hauled the door to the throne open as all the others ran in.

"Kami! What's going on?" Ava asked. That's when they noticed the shadow pop out right behind her.

"Let me borrow this." She insisted, taking one of Ava's swords. While the clone readied her guard and waited to strike, Kami ran over and performed a diagonal spin strike right through the clone's middle. (End song.)

The Anti-Kami gripped her chest, stepping back in pain as darkness leaked out of the crack in its body. They saw the portal of blackness open up on the same spot behind her, so the clone jumped in as the portal shrunk and vanished. "…Well, that was random." Kami commented. That's when K. Rool's throne came back down on the spot where it vanished. "It's time to take K. Rool down!" she declared.

"Ooh-OOOH!" Donkey pounded his chest in agreement. Both he and Kami jumped on the throne and pushed the same button, letting the chair float them into the ceiling hole above. It brought them to a room with tiny camera monitors, showing rooms of all areas of the base. They heard a door slam behind them and looked all the way down the hall to see one. The two exchanged a nod and walked that way. The automatic door opened and allowed them entry into some kind of gymnasium. In the center, they found the Kremling King himself, his back facing them as he lifted a metal bar, with the two weights at the end of it being barrels of Golden Bananas. To the left of the fat king was Cranky Kong, barely holding himself up with one knee and his cane as he panted heavily.

"HURRR." The croc grunted loudly from lifting the heavy weights, putting it back on the floor as he brushed his hands off and turned and faced the duo. "Well, I must say, Kami, I _am_ impressed. Making it all the way to my lair and ruining my machine just as your meddlesome father did." The two only glared at the reptile, keeping their battle-ready poses. "By the way, how did you like that Anti-Clone I sent after you? I created that from the energy in the Darkness Cannon. You see, anyone who gets shot by a Darkness Cannon, their data gets extracted into the cannon, and is able to download evil anti copies of themselves. Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

"Hm. Kinda is. But your plans are through, K. Rool! We stopped your machine before the Leptys was complete. There's nothing you can do now."

"That's where you're wrong, Child. You may have stopped my machine, but the Leptys already has enough animal spirits to work to a fine extent. I can easily find the last of the spirits myself, and then diversity will once and for all be ancient history. But before it happens, I have decided to give you one last chance: leave these fools and join me. Together, the Powers of the Leptys will be _ours_ to control. We can easily rid the world of accursed diversity together."

"Dude. You are one, seriously crazed up Krockpot. I told you, that is _never_ gonna happen. Not very good listening skills, do you? Now if I were you, I'd stop this whole crazy plan myself unless I wanted my other eye reddened."

"Hmm… 'tis a shame, Kami. A pity that you wish to go against me." With that, the Kremling readied for battle. "Very well. I'll celebrate my golden moment by finally ridding you AND that miserable monkey's faces off the face of what will soon be my world! MWEH HEH HEH HAR!" (Play "King K. Rool/Ship Deck 2" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: King K. Rool_

Kroctus immediately grabbed his gold crown and hurled it at Kami, sticking her to the wall by her shorts. With his head exposed, Donkey leapt and slammed down on him with both fists, but Kroctus pulled his crown back and charged headfirst at the Kong, blowing him against the wall. Kroctus saw Kami running for him, so he spun and tried to bat her away with his tail, but Kami grabbed the tail and bit down on it, making him yelp and fling her away. Kami landed on her feet as Kroctus picked up some weights, hurling them at the Drilovsky as she rolled and dodged. When the King dashed at her, she grabbed a weight and tossed it at his head, knocking his crown off and knocking him dizzy as Donkey rolled over, jumped, and bashed his head again.

Kroctus grabbed the ape's fist and spun before throwing him at a wall. He saw Kami run at him just in time and grabbed her fist when she tried to punch him, but she held onto his fist as she flipped overhead and made him punch himself. Angered, the Kremling sucked in some breath and charged at a wall, the impact making the whole room shake and causing a net holding a bunch of cannonballs on the ceiling to crack open and drop a bunch of them down, Kami rapidly dodging to avoid being bumped in the head by one. The croc lifted up a couple cannonballs, and Kami ducked when he hurled them her way. She grabbed a banana barrel when the King charged again and threw it at his head. He was dizzied a little, but kept the crown on his head when Donkey leapt and tried to slam down, ending up being spiked by the sharp crown.

He shook his hands from the pain and ducked before K. Rool could toss another cannonball, then the ape grabbed a weight and spun around before tossing it straight at his face, pushing him back a bit further. The King jumped up and down a few times before performing a Super Jump straight to the ceiling, spinning and shooting down fist-first, causing a tremendous shockwave that knocked the two over. It also caused the poles that were tied on the ceiling to fall, so the Kremling King used them to climb to the ceiling and afterwards swing across the pull-up rings that were on the ceiling, making his way to a cannonball net and reaching in to grab and throw cannonballs down at them.

Donkey avoided the cannonballs and climbed the poles himself, holding onto the rings at the top as he swung and dodged the incoming cannonballs. He got close enough to K. Rool to kick the croc and send the reptile plummeting to the floor on his back, his crown coming off in the process. With his head exposed, Kami hurried over and kicked his scalp like a kickball before he could stand up. Kroctus angrily stood up and started jumping in the same spot again and quaking the room. To his misfortune, however, this caused the cannonball net above him to break open and drop the tons of cannonballs right onto his skull, knocking the Kremling King incredibly senseless before he finally fell over unconscious.

Donkey Kong dropped back down and gave Kami a high-five, doing a little dance after their victory.

**Kredits:**

**Koding: Klaptrap**

**Karacters: Krusha**

**Kolouring: Kritter**

**Koncept: Klump**

**Kommander: King K. Rool**

**Kami's Story: _END? ? ?_**

**_…PSYCHE! !_**

Kroctus got back on his feet and jumped at DK, the force of his golden belly sending him across the room, afterwards doing the same thing with Kami. "Hey! The credits were rolling!" she yelled.

"Fake credits. Gets them everytime." He smirked. The still-conscious croc then started bouncing all across the walls at high speed, spinning like a torpedo as he came down and knocked Kami over again. He continued to bounce around as Donkey recovered, the ape unable to protect when he was hit by the incoming King again. The two stood up and kept their focus as the King rapidly bounced all over the place. However, Kami suddenly noticed a huge golden glowing banana sticking out of one of the closets, walking over to pull it out, seeing it had a sticker with some kind of "R" symbol (the Rareware logo). She struggled to lift the heavy banana up, but was able to, smirking as she held it in front of her when K. Rool came. The bounce-happy croc gulped in horror as he was homing in on the banana, stopping completely when his face came in direct contact.

A few of the reptile's teeth fell out as he began wobbling dizzily around the room, having just rammed his head into pure, solid gold, full force. After a few seconds, the Kremling King finally fell unconscious, his tongue sticking out as he lie on his side. (End song.)

"Phew." Kami sighed in relief, tossing the banana away before running over to Cranky's aid. "Cranky!"

She helped the bearded Kong up as he weakly opened his eyes. "Heh… nicely done there, Kami."

They heard the door open just then as Ava and everyone else hurried in. "Cranky!" Diddy and Dixie yelled.

"Ooo-ooh-oooh. (It's okay, Little Buddy. We showed K. Rool who's boss just in time.)" Donkey assured his nephew.

"Arrgh…" Cranky weakly stood up. "I thought I still had a little fight left in me. But K. Rool still had a few more tricks. Ah'm lucky y'all came just in time."

"Gah!" They switched their attention when K. Rool suddenly recovered again. Breathing heavily, weakened from the fight, Kroctus ignored them and hurried out of a back door.

"The Leptys will be ready soon." Cranky told them. "Listen, Kami, he's got the Tiki Tong working for him. He's the big boss Tiki that controls all the others. He decides who should get the Powers of the Leptys, and it looks like he's chosen K. Rool. Whenever it's ready, old Tiki Tong just needs to sing a little song and they'll be rarin' ta go. Ya've got to hurry up and stop them."

"But what about you?"

"Oh, I'll be fine. Just so long as K. Rool doesn't get the Leptys. Now, go! Before Ah decide ta beat you again."

"Okay." Kami nodded. "Thanks for everything, Cranky." The other Kongs waved good-bye at the old man before hurrying after Kami through the back door.

The door led to a hidden staircase which the team hurried up, finding their selves at the very top of the floating base, atop K. Rool's crown. They held their eyes closed as very strong winds blew past them, coming from a massive Flying Krock that was getting ready for lift off. "Hey! Come back!" Kami yelled at K. Rool, who was boarding the vessel.

"Look at the Moon, Kami." Kroctus yelled at them, the team directing their attention upwards at the bright-blue full moon. "It's a real beaut tonight, isn't it? And pretty soon, the Leptys will get a good view of it, too. Once the eyes face directly at the Moon, the Leptys will be partying like a thousand werewolves! And I'm going to watch it all from the coziness of my Flying King Krock! Good-bye…" With that, the hatch closed all the way as the vessel took off, the heavy winds stopping as a result.

To their fortune, however, the Team Chaotix crew landed beside them on their Flying Krock, alongside Funky Kong in the Heart Star. "What's up, dudes! Looks like K. Rool got away, huh? But ya stopped the machine!" Funky noticed.

"Yeah, but only barely. K. Rool doesn't need it now." Kami replied.

"Listen, you three get inside and help Cranky out." Dixie ordered to the Chaotix, jabbing her thumb back the way they came. "The rest will go after Kroctus."

"You can count on us." Vector saluted, the trio of former Kremlings hurrying inside.

Ava jumped in the cockpit of her ship as everyone else took a seat or stood on the roof. "Let's go!" The Heart Star lifted off the ground and immediately went after K. Rool's ship. The Flying King Krock was merely flying around the Tiki Island, awaiting the Leptys Tower to face the Full Moon. It saw the Heart Star flying behind them and started firing homing missiles, but the Heart Star easily dodged around them and fired its own missiles at the turrets. The Flying King Krock's engines burned brighter and tried more desperately to get away, but Ava's ship boosted after them as well, staying on their tail.

"There's a weak point in the down-left corner." Kweeb pointed out.

"On it." Ava responded, taking aim at the marked weak spot and firing another missile, shaking and blowing a hole in the ship. "Got it! All right, team: prepare for landing." With that said, she moved the Heart Star faster and rammed right into the hull, landing in one of the interior corridors. The team could hear cheering sounds from down the hall as they stepped off their ship, slowly walking down and viewing around the rather dark ship.

The heroes eventually reached the center of the ship, and to their surprise, found the stadium of a wrestling ring with hundreds of screaming Kremlings and Tikis in the audience, with also a few monkey Heartless. The ring had a red corner, yellow corner, green corner, and blue corner, as well as Kroctus's visage in the middle, and "K. Rool's the King" written around the side. Above the ring were four stage lights alighting the place, and also a ceiling fan in the middle of the lights. Atop one of the areas of the audience was an announcer booth. Ava, Kami, and Kweeb proceeded to climb into the red corner of the ring, parallel to the blue corner, watching a 15-year-old boy in a tuxedo, long brown hair to his shoulders, and a slight mustache walk out in the middle.

"LADIIIEEES and GENTLEMEN! Welcome to the main event of Kami's storyline in _Legend of the Eight Firstborn_! We bring you a grand 3-on-3 tag-team boxing match for the heavyweight championship of DK Isles! Brought to you by Fanfiction and Gamewizard2008, in association with Emma Industries and Rareware Enterprises!"

"Who the heck is this guy?" Kami asked.

"I remember him." Ava replied. "A while back, this weirdo kidnapped us for some silly Truth or Dare game in another dimension. Then later, he was hosting this intergalactic race across Galaxia. This guy here was his assistant."

"Now, let's meet our contestants!" Nick announced, stepping over beside Ava.

_"In the red corner."_ The speaker announced.

"All the way from Planet Glomour, the alien of a thousand tongues, pro at dual swords, introducing Avalagrogaline Ragasquirina!" The Glomourian smiled and waved as the crowd booed. Nick then walked over beside Kweeb, picking and holding the tiny alien up. "Next, hailing from Planet Kateenia, the alien that's small as a grape, but quick as a flick and stings like when Peter pees-"

"Ew." Kami commented.

"Give it up for Kweeboleemolbo Lypbynopbolus!" Kweeb quickly leapt off Nick's hand when the audience started shooting spitballs. "And finally…" Nick went over beside Kami. "All the way from West Virginia, a nerdy videogamer with a stone-hard heart. Put your scaly hands together for Kamilla! Melody! DRILOVSKYYY!" The audience booed and hissed even more, still throwing trash. "Now let us meet their opponents!"

_"AND in the blue corner!"_

"Third highest ranked in the Kremling Krew, the brains of the K. Rool Brothers with complex marriage problems." Team Alien looked toward one of the entryways on the other side, seeing Baron Kolamitous walking in and desperately rubbing his gloved hands for warmth after being trapped in Arctic Prison. "Scream and shout for Baron Kolamitous Roolenstein!"

The Kremling scientist climbed into the ring, smiling and waving to the applauding crowd.

"Next, entering the ring, second ranked in the Kremling Krew, biggest Kaptain of croc captains, and survivor of shark-infested waters." They watched as Kaptain Kruckers entered in another entry, completely dripping wet as he poured water out of his hat, squeezed it out of his clothes, and picked piranhas off his skin as he got in the ring, afterwards shooting fish out of his blunderbuss. "Kaptain KRUCKERS!"

The pirate waved his gun in the air as the crowd cheered.

"AND FINALLY! The King that everyone came to see! Big boss of the Kremlings and mastermind behind this whole plot!" The three operatives looked up and gasped when the Kremling King himself was lowering down on a chain, dressed up in blue shorts, blue sleeveless shirt, red rubber boxing shoes, brown belt with a golden buckle, and red boxing gloves. "King KRUSHAAAAA Kroctus Rool!"

"YEAH! THANK YOU!" the King cheered, waving at the many screaming fans. "Thank you!" Nick looked up in terror when he saw the croc directly above him, looking at the camera with his mouth agape, too late to move as Kroctus released the chain and came down, squishing Nick flat under hit butt. Kroctus stepped back to the blue corner with his brothers, allowing the flattened 2-D Nick to stand up and blow into his thumb, filling him up with air and making himself 3-D again.

"HOO! Anyway… the rules are simple, kick your opponent's butt any way you can, I know it's supposed to be boxing, but, eh. But only one person from each side is allowed to fight, which means there should only be 2 people in the ring at a time. However, fighters are allowed to call for backup if necessary. My partner, Zach and me will be watching the fight from the booth up there, and we'll be ringing the bell whenever the time is up for a round. When the time is up, the person who is currently fighting has to tag another person to fight. So, that's it. Now if each team would just decide a person from their group to go first."

"Arrgh, roast these children onto a silver platter, aye?" Kruckers exclaimed as he and Baron patted Kroctus's shoulders, leaping out of the ring.

"Good luck, Kam." Ava said, smacking and pushing Kami forward as she climbed out.

Kweeb climbed onto Kami's shoulder and said, "I have total faith in you!", patting her shoulder and jumping off after Ava.

"WELL-P, looks like we have our first two combatants. ANY questions or CONCERNS before we begin?" Nick yelled into the microphone.

"Umm…, I do?" Kami rose her hand.

"Yyes, my dear?" Nick replied smoothly, wrapping an arm around Kami and giving a handsome grin, to which she was creeped out at.

"Uhh, I don't really box."

Nick seemed to ignore her statement and rolled his eyes back-and-forth between her and the camera, still keeping his smooth grin. "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLE!" Kami rubbed her ears from Nick's deafening shout as the announcer jumped out of the ring and headed to the booth above the audience, taking a seat by his partner, Zach.

Kroctus fixed the gloves tight on his hands before facing Kami, punching the air a couple times before waving to his fans once more. "Yeah! Thank you!"

"That's gonna get annoying…" Kami mumbled.

"Then hit 'im hard enough in the mouth so he'll shut it." Ava told her.

"Right." Kami got in her battle-ready pose and faced the Krem King.

In the booth, Zach was happily shaking the golden bell in his hand and ringing it. Nick smacked the boy and took the bell back, sticking it onto their microphone stand and smashing a button. The button made the bell ding, and the first round began. (Play K. Rool's Battle Theme from _DK64_!)

_Boss fight: The Three K. Rools_

_ROUND 1_

Kami and K. Rool ran right at each other, but Kroctus was the first to attack, punching Kami in the face and pushing her back. She tried to punch him back, but Kroctus's longer arms made him the quicker puncher, dealing a few blows to her stomach before she dodged one and ran to his left. K. Rool kept turning and watching her until she was able to run and slide between his legs, grabbing his tail and about to bite it again, but he quickly spun around and flung her away. She landed in the green corner as Kroctus ran to punch her against the pole, but she climbed the pole and leapt right over him, hurrying away as Kroctus gave chase. She ran to the other side and grabbed the rubber ropes, holding on tight as Kroctus grabbed her legs and tried to pull her away. The King struggled to pull Kami off the rubber ropes as she kept a tight grip, but the Drilovsky smirked and let go on her own, causing the force of K. Rool's pull to allow her to kick him hard in the nose, making his head spin.

"OHH! Looks like K. Rool got burned on that deal!" Nick exclaimed.

"No kidding. That musta been painful." Zach commented. K. Rool shook the pain off and rubbed his teeth before walking in the center and jumping, slamming the floor on his butt to create shockwaves. Kami stood on one of the corner poles as he did so to avoid them, but Kroctus saw this and decided to charge straight at said pole, making Kami fall off and causing the ring to shake.

Outside the ring, Kweeb noticed that the stage light above Kroctus was shaking loose, smirking as he got an idea. "He did say we could call for backup." With that, he carefully aimed his Tri Gun and fired a mini laser, successfully burning the beam that held up the light and causing it to fall. After shaking the dizziness off, Kroctus looked up and gasped when the light came down on him, getting it stuck on his head as he endured a painful shock. The crowd booed and hissed and began to throw garbage at Kami while K. Rool walked around aimlessly, unable to see.

"Yeowch. The audience isn't too happy about that." Zach commented.

Kami was then hit in the face by a banana peel, but she pulled it off and smirked, having her own idea. "Hey, Krocky, over here!" Kroctus heard this and cried as he ran to where her voice came from, so Kami threw the banana peel in his way and caused him to slip, flinging up in the air and coming down on his bottom, but the stage light came off in the process.

"Alright, who threw that banana? !" he shouted to the audience.

One of the Kremlings blushed and confessed, "Uh… I did-" Right away, Kruckers shot him in the chest with his gun.

Up in the booth, Zach noticed Nick had fallen asleep, and that the time for the round was up. The boy smirked and slammed his hand down hard on the button, making a loud ring that startled Nick awake. "TIME'S UP!" Zach yelled. "Both combatants, tag another person from your team."

Kami leapt out of the ring and said, "Your turn, Ava.", patting the alien's shoulder as Ava nodded and climbed in.

"Teach her a lesson." Kroctus ordered to Kruckers, the pirate nodding and climbing in.

_ROUND 2_

"Looks like it's Ava's and Kruckers' turn now, folks!" Nick announced. "And the Kremling Kaptain is already blazin' with his blunderbuss!" Like he said, Kruckers kept firing cannonballs from his gun as Ava ran around and avoided the shots. He switched the rocket on in his gun and shot over to her, swinging at Ava and batting her across the ring. She rolled away when he performed the same tactic again and quickly ran when Kruckers spun in a tornado, trying to whack her again. He became dizzy and allowed Ava to run over and deal a few strikes from behind. Kruckers yelped awake and turned to swing his weapon, the huge gun coming in contact with the dual swords as both weapons pushed against the other. Ava pulled her swords back and struck, but Kruckers jumped back and shot homing spiked balls.

Ava carefully dodged past the spiked balls, but that's when Kruckers fired the purple gas from before, which caused Ava to do the opposite of what she wanted. Ava remembered this, so when Kruckers switched on his rocket and shot over, Ava stabbed behind her, so the gas made her stab in front and strike Kruckers. When the gas wore off, Ava did a spin-kick and knocked him off his feet, but Kruckers simply switched the rocket on again and zoomed around the ring, so Ava got onto the pole in the blue corner to avoid him. Ava kept an eye on him and jumped, landing on the speeding Kaptain and taking control as they zoomed around the ring, flying straight up and coming back down, Kruckers headfirst as they crashed and Ava jumped off.

In the booth, Nick was happily kicking back in his seat while Zach watched the timer, seeing it was close to the end of the round. He glanced back-and-forth between Nick and the bell, feeling like Nick wasn't gonna ring it. This was his chance, Zach thought! Zach was just about to ring it himself when Nick instantly sat up and smashed his hand on the button, beating Zach to it. "AND this round is up! Players, pick a teammate!"

Ava climbed out of the ring and picked Kweeb up, placing the little alien in and saying, "Be careful, Kweeb."

Kruckers climbed out and said to Kolamitous, "Argh, swab the deck with him, aye?"

_ROUND 3_

"Let's see what this Krockhead can do!" Kweeb exclaimed cockily. Kolamitous started off by switching on his jetpack and hovering in the air, throwing a bunch of tiny beads around the ring that all connected with electrical beams.

"This ought to give you a shock." Baron said, switching out the electric rods on his pack and zapping huge electrical beams at Kweeb, forcing the alien to carefully hop around the ring in between the electric beams. He bounced his way over to the pole behind Baron, jumping up the rubber ropes and getting atop the pole, shooting his stun gun at the jetpack and making it switch off, causing the scientist to fall and get zapped by the electric floor. He became stunned, and Kweeb noticed the stage light wobbling above him. That's when Diddy pounced over and grabbed the alien on his tail, tossing him up above the stage light so he could creep into a crack and get inside.

Like he usually does, Kweeb went around the stage light and started shooting and cutting wires. Eventually, the stage light broke free of its beam and fell onto Kolamitous's head, giving him a shock so painful, they could see his skeleton. Baron pulled the light off and tossed it away, then pressed a button on a remote that caused the corner poles to electrify. Kolamitous hovered around in his jetpack again as snaky lines of electric moved around the floor, trying to catch Kweeb as the alien ran around to avoid them. To Kweeb's luck, Lanky ran and tossed a metal barrel into the ring, which Kweeb zapped and shrunk down with his shrink ray, hiding behind it as the electric snake hit it and vanished. Kweeb grabbed the barrel and tossed it above him, shooting it with his ray gun to force it up a lot higher, afterwards zapping it with the shrink ray's reverse setting. The barrel re-expanded and came down on Kolamitous's jetpack, making him drop down and take a shock from the electric snake.

Baron then tried to switch on his jetpack, aimlessly walking in the center of the ring. Kweeb looked above him at the spiraling ceiling fan and got an idea, running and jumping into an opening on the jetpack. The alien moved around inside and tinkered around with some of the wires before hurriedly jumping out. As a result, the jetpack switched on instantly and zipped straight up, breaking the blades off the ceiling fan as the jetpack was stabbed into it. Before Kolamitous could shake himself free, the Kremling scientist endured a brightening, painful shock, exposing his skeleton stronger than ever before the light died down, knocking the croc unconscious as he just rotated from the fan's post, covered in soot.

"Who's idea was it to put a CEILING fan thar? !" Kruckers asked.

Another Kremling, next to the previously shot Kremling, blushed and raised his hand. "Uhh… that was me-" Kruckers immediately shot him as well.

Nick and Zach exchanged quick glances between each other and the microphone, both of them grabbing for and fighting over it. Zach wrapped the phone's wire around Nick's neck and started to strangle him, but Nick grabbed the bell and bashed Zach with it, taking the microphone and speaking, "Looks like Kolamitous is down for the count. Both teams must now pick the next person." Zach then got up and bashed Nick's head with the bell.

_ROUND 4_

"Arrr… it's time I be mountin' yer heads on a wall." Kruckers said, getting back in the ring with Ava. The Kaptain began shooting cannonballs with built-in buzz-saws, moving around the ring along their spinning blades, so Ava held on one of the corner poles to stay away from them. Kruckers took this moment to shoot at her, so Ava had to jump and carefully balance her way across the rubber ropes. When Kruckers shot a cannonball at the rope she was standing on, she jumped ahead to a pole and caused the ball to bounce off the rope and bash Kruckers's face. The croc fell over and screamed when one of the buzz-saws went over him, slicing his shirt and skin a little bit.

The buzz-saws stopped as Kruckers recovered, switching on his gun's rocket and hovering over Ava. The white-skinned alien ran as he unleashed flames down below, burning a trail of fire as he followed Ava around. By the time he stopped and landed, a good portion of the ring was covered in flames, giving Ava little room to dodge his spiked cannonballs. She could barely dodge left or right as they zipped by and scratched her dress, but was able to crouch and duck a few of them. Thankfully, Kruckers released ice from his gun and put out the flames, but made the floor too slippery for Ava to walk over. When Kruckers shot spike balls that rolled along the floor, Ava got away by stabbing her swords in the ice and was able to crawl away before the spikes could stick her. Eventually, Kruckers just decided to switch on his vacuum and prepared to suck her in.

Ava kept her swords in the ground and held on as the powerful gust was pulling her away, but she saved herself by tossing her left sword back, getting stuck in the vacuum. The sucking stopped as a result, and Kruckers flicked the switch on-and-off to get it to work. The sword shot out as a result, but to his dismay, the rocket activated and went out of control, zooming the Kaptain all around the stadium until he finally flew straight out of the airship. He zoomed around the Flying King Krock until crashing on the roof, dropping his gun and rolling over the side of the ship. He ended up caught in the ship's side propeller, desperately trying to crawl away for dear life as the massive fan was quickly sucking him in. He glanced back and watched in total horror as his jacket was already caught up in the blades, screaming, "ARRRRR! !", before he himself was sucked in.

This caused a whole chunk of the ship to explode, and the audience and everybody onboard screamed as the ship began spiraling aimlessly, making the whole stadium spin around and around, upside-down to right-side-up, over and over. In their booth, Nick and Zach held their arms wrapped around the other as they cried, but eventually, the ship came to a crash-landing along the beach of Tiki Island, right-side-up. The whole ship came apart as a result, exposing the boxing ring to the outside atmosphere. Teams Psychic and Chaotix, who were currently resting on the island, saw this and went over to watch the match, alongside Cranky Kong.

"WHOA-HO!" Nick shouted into the mike. "Looks like it's down to Kroctus 'n' Kami! Who will win, folks? !"

As the aforementioned combatants got in the ring, incredible hatred and anger brimmed in Kroctus's eyes, snarling at his opponent with pure lust for revenge. "I offered you the chance to be my apprentice… I waited patiently at the last moment to see if you would change your mind… but now…" the King threw off his rubber gloves, "you've gone too far." A squad of Kremlings then ran in and slipped new gloves onto his fists, metallic gloves with spiked, electrified knuckles. "With these, I will tear you apart limb-from-limb. And all of your guts will be decorations for my brothers' graves, as memory of their sacrifice."

_ROUND 5_

Kami looked slightly terrified at the enraged and torn-up croc, but kept her guard up. Before she could counterattack, Kroctus charged and punched her across the face, the sharp and electrical knuckles doing serious damage as he continued to punch, leaving several bruises and bloody holes. She did her best to keep standing, but that's when Kroctus ran into one of the rubber ropes and started slingshotting all around the ring, belly-bashing Kami several times as he passed her. She recovered just in time to punch his gut, but forgot that his stomach was made of gold underneath, paining her knuckles as Kroctus smacked her away, hearing the audience give louder cheers at their King's triumph.

Ava and Kweeb watched in pure worry as the reptile grabbed her by the shirt collar and started rapidly punching her face, swinging her around before finally slamming her body against the floor. She barely lie conscious on the floor as Kroctus climbed onto the ropes, getting ready to jump and smash her bones to pieces. "YEAH! THANK YOU!" he waved to his fans first.

Ava quickly ran over to their side and slipped a sword beside Kami. Feeling it, the Drilovsky's weakened expression became serious again, grabbing the blade and aiming it upward as Kroctus attempted to crush her under his bottom. His butt came in contact with the sharp blade, making the croc cry and leap into the air, gripping his bottom. Kami quickly rolled away as he crashed back down, both opponents standing up and facing the other. Kami then spotted K. Rool's previous boxing gloves and hurried over to slip them on. When the King charged and punched at her again, she was able to hold the electric fist back with the rubber glove. She added more pressure to keep his fist back and was finally able to toss him on his back, running and punching him across his face.

Kroctus rubbed his aching teeth and stood up, attempting another charging punch until Kami held his fist back again. This time, K. Rool added the other fist, and Kami began struggling to keep both of them back. Tiny Kong shrunk down and hurried onto the ring while he was distracted, dashing in the hole in Kroctus's left shoe and firing her Feather Bow at the Kremling's toes. Kroctus hopped around on the other foot, being tickled, allowing Kami to grab Ava's sword again and strike at his behind. Kroctus leapt into the air and landed on his front as Tiny dashed out, the King standing up and facing Kami again. He got back in his blue corner while Kami got in the parallel red corner.

"Hey, Kami!" Kweeb yelled and waved, aiming his Tri-gun at her right fist. He fired the growth ray directly at the gloved fist and made it grow to about K. Rool's height.

"Whoa!" she yelled, barely able to raise her enlarged fist. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"Yeah! When he comes at you, just punch him!"

She faced back ahead as the Kremling King snarled, getting ready to charge at her full force, struggling to hold her enlarged fist up, but still did so and was prepared to punch. Finally, Kroctus dashed straight at her, arms flailing all about, but was instantly stopped when the giant punching glove came in contact with him. Kami started punching Kroctus from all directions using her hugified fist, until finally bashing him straight in the air and twirling her arm for one final punch. She leapt straight up to him and dealt the final punch straight in his gut, sending the Reptile King soaring to the heavens above. (End song.)

Kami stood there and only panted heavily, completely worn out from the battle as Kweeb shrunk her hand back down, and the audience fell into silence. Before she knew it, the whole of the Kremling audience began crying and cheering for their victor, Kami brushing a hair strand off her face as she gave a smile and waved. Ava and Kweeb climbed in the ring and stood by her as well, waving as the fans cheered them on.

"And the winner is: TEAM ALIEN!" Nick announced to the crowd.

"SHE DID IT! HEH HEH, I KNEW SHE WOULD!" Cranky yelled as the Kongs and their other friends smiled and waved.

"Thank you, one and all for attending this epic storyline finale! This is Nick Klouse and Zach Guiles, reporting live from through the 4th wall! THANK YOU and GOOD NIGHT! And if any ladies out there would like to request a date with me, please don't hesitate to-" Kami just walked over and bashed him with the metal glove that K. Rool dropped. The announcer wobbled around in dizziness before falling on his back, his eyes spinning as birds flew around his face.

"Uh, peace." Zach said before running off.

The Tikis and Heartless, however, all exchanged glances and nodded before moving away from the crowd. Team Alien's moment of glory ended when they saw the Kremling King fall back down from the heavens, crashing straight in the Leptys Tower's head. Hearing this, the audience silenced and looked up at the tower. The eyes of the tower suddenly started to glow a bright red as its huge, frowning mouth opened. By this time, the tower was directly facing the Full Moon.

"Oh no! The Leptys is happening!" Kami exclaimed.

"Aw, dagnabbit! This whole boxing match was just a trap to stall for time." Cranky yelled.

"Then we have to hurry up there and stop him."

"Quick, dudes! Use this rocket to get up there." Funky ordered, bringing out a rocket barrel.

Team Alien immediately jumped in as the rocket fired up, starting to fly them straight toward the Leptys's mouth. A couple of Tiki soldiers were riding on blimps and firing arrows to try and stop them, but they easily dodged around the arrows and blimps and kept going. It didn't take long until they reached the colossal tower, but the rocket barrel was already dying out. They were able to jump into the Tiki's mouth before it crashed, but the mouth closed tight and sealed them in.

The trio weakly stood up and found their selves in a pure dark chamber, with the only light coming from the moon through the eyes. The walls of the chamber suddenly alighted as well, and the three stared with awe at the silhouettes of animals moving across the jungle-decorated walls. They faced dead ahead toward the room's center, where the moonlight shone down upon King K. Rool.

"Can you feel it, Kami? The Moon's power?" Kroctus asked, raising his shaman staff as he kept his eyes closed and bathed in the light. "Finally… after so many long years, the Leptys is finally awakened. With the power of the Tikis, I will be the ultimate ruler of Animalia, and diversity will come to an end. Nobody will EVER have to worry about being bullied for being different! This is a golden moment, Kami. You should be pleased. No more taking crap from Olivia Johnson because you hang out with 'freaks'."

"So what? Who really cares about any of that stuff? Sure fish aren't able to breathe on land, humans can't fly, and Kweeb is _very_ easy to squish… but people are supposed to be different! I mean, the differences in people, cultures, and even animal habitats is what makes the world so unique. It's what makes people… y'know… special." Kami tried to tell him. "And you will NEVER get away with taking away what makes people special."

"That's very noble of you, Child, but the King _always_ calls the shots in his kingdom. And as ruler of Animalia, I hereby decree that diversity is: no more! Begin the ritual." (Cue the Tiki Tong Song from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

A squad of Tikis of different instruments appeared around the room, surrounding the King as they all played their music. The team gaped when the Tiki Tong himself came down, starting to sing deep and mystical vocals. The Tikis all tossed Golden Bananas into his mouth as he chomped down on them, letting the squashed, glowing substance poor all over on K. Rool's form. Notes also flowed from the Tikis into the Tong, who then let the notes flow down onto Kroctus. The King immediately felt the power surging in his veins, growing even larger as his transformation was coming on.

His right arm became furry like a gorilla's, his left arm became like a cat's and grew claws. His right leg became an elephant's and his left leg became a bird's talons. His tail turned into that of a snake's, a turtle's shell appeared along his stomach, porcupine spikes grew along his back, gills appeared on his cheeks, spider legs appeared around his body, many eyes appeared on his face, also spider's, but the rest of his head remained that of a croc's as the golden crown grew longer and sharper, the King now 5 times as big as he normally was.

_"Finally… with the Power of the Leptys now in my control, I have nearly enough strength to finally end the wretched diversity. All I need now… is the fresh spirit of… A HUMAN!"_ His neck stretched like a snake and got his face into Kami's, who jumped back in fright. _"And a couple aliens wouldn't be bad either."_ Ava and Kweeb gasped. _"ROOOAAAR!"_

Kami suddenly felt some light energy around her right hand, watching as a brown Keyblade appeared out of nowhere with teeth designed like bones. "Um, okay… I'll take it!" Kami gripped the weapon tight as all three readied for battle.

_Semifinal boss: Animal King (Kingus Animalius)_

The kids scattered when Animal King punched his gorilla arm at them, running around his body to look for weak points. Ava tried to strike the bird leg, but its skin was too hard, and Kroctus slashed the talons at Ava and pushed her away. Kweeb tried to climb one of the spider legs, but Kroctus spat a web and tied him up, making Kweeb drop off, but he was able to shoot his ray gun and burn the web. Kami dodged as Kroctus shot water out of his nose like an elephant would, running and striking the elephant leg with the Keyblade. She ran away when he rose the elephant foot and tried to stomp her, running behind and throwing strikes at his snake tail.

The tail wrapped around and squeezed her a bit before hurling her away. Afterwards the Animal King crawled up to the ceiling and was able to weave a spider web, hanging upside-down from the web and spitting webs down at them. Ava twirled her swords around like a helicopter and hovered upward, floating beside where the web attached to the wall and slicing the strands, eventually causing the incarnation to plummet down below. His head was down at the floor as a result, so Kami was able to deal a few strikes against his many eyes with her Keyblade.

Kroctus quickly stood up and rubbed his eyes of the throbbing pain. He then transformed his gorilla arm into a crab claw, trying to snap at Kami, who was able to dodge and whack his claw back. He snapped his cat fingers and caused the whole tower to fill with water. The operatives held their breath and swam around while K. Rool had the benefit of his gills and fins, his teeth becoming that of a shark as he swam around and tried to gnash on Kami and Ava. Kweeb was able to swim past the teeth before they could bite down at one point, getting inside the mouth and blasting the uvula with his laser. Kroctus shook around and coughed the alien out, but Ava took this time to swim over and strike his eyes a bit.

Animalius swam away and made the water drain out of the tower, afterwards sprouting some bird wings so he can fly around. From the air, he turned his back to them and shot the porcupine spikes out, but Ava and Kami twirled their swords/Keyblade and protected, while Kweeb easily slipped between the spikes. Kami noticed his tail dangling and ran over to grab and start climbing it. Kroctus felt this and made more spikes appear along his back, but Kami sliced them away with the Keyblade and continued to climb, getting over the monster's head and on his nose, throwing more strikes against his many eyes.

Kingus fell back down with a thud and threw Kami off. Angered, he stood back up and snapped his cat fingers, summoning the Heartless that were designed like blue chimps. The Heartless frantically danced and ran about the room, scratching the heroes with their sharp finger and toenails, but Kami performed a few spin strikes and sliced the Heartless back, releasing the captive hearts from their forms. She rolled away when Kroctus tried to crush her under his elephant foot again, getting behind him with Ava and slashing at his snake tail.

Animalius summoned a few more chimp Heartless, this time red female ones with bows on their head. They scampered even faster around the room, throwing banana bombs, but Ava was able to toss her swords like boomerangs and sliced them, destroying the creatures as her swords came back. Animalius made his cat arm into an octopus tentacle, wrapping it around Ava and strangling the Glomourian. Kweeb zapped the tentacle with his stun gun and released Ava, who exchanged a nod with Kami before the two jumped and sliced the tentacle clean off with their weapons. They each grabbed a severed piece and shot a glare at Kroctus, biting and chewing away the tentacle like it was a squidburger.

Kingus gasped in horror at this and cowered inside his turtle shell. Kami and Ava exchanged another look in disbelief before stabbing their weapons into the holes where the arms and legs crouched in, making the beast yelp and come out. With that done, Kami leapt off Ava's hands and onto the nose, and Kami dealt more strikes against the eyes.

_"GAHH!"_ The mammoth screamed, panting heavily from the pain as he looked up at Tiki Tong. _"Tiki Tong! I need more power!"_

"Hnn. Arr-ar." He shrugged, gesturing "alright." With that, the Tiki grabbed Ava and Kweeb in both his hands, starting to squeeze them.

"Guys!" Kami watched in grief when her friends' bodies vanished into thin air, their hearts coming out and floating into the Tiki Tong. "NOOO!"

Tiki Tong absorbed the hearts' energies and transferred it into the Animal King. _"Yes! Now, the added powers of TWO aliens!"_ Kami nervously waited for what transformation he'd go through next. _"W-What? What's happening?"_ they both noticed Kroctus's chest was beginning to pump larger and larger. _"NOOOOOO!"_ To Kami's utter shock, his chest exploded like a pimple, and a humongous beating heart popped out and landed merely inches from her, looking totally grossed at the severed organ. She then looked up at Kroctus, his shocked expression totally frozen, yet lifeless. Without anything to give him breath, his body fell dead to the ground.

"…Hm. I guess the power was too much for his heart to handle." She figured.

"AHH HA HA HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tiki Tong burst into uncontrollable laughter at the King's death, crying a little and wiping tears from his eyes.

Kami smirked up at the monster and said, "Why are you laughing? You're next."

"HUH?" Tiki Tong gasped at the statement, giving an evil grin and rubbing his hands together. He sang more of his majestic vocals and sprinkled some kind of magic dust on the beating heart. Kami stepped away as something started to grow inside the heart, and before her very eyes, a giant, purple lizard emerged from the heart, with a Heartless insignia on its chest, and Kweeb's antenna on its head. Tiki Tong's hypnotic vocals started to hypnotize the creature as its eyes began to swirl. "Hnn, HUR!" Tiki Tong ordered and pointed at Kami.

Kami kept her Keyblade raised as the Heartless approached, getting ready to scratch at her. "Uh… s-stay back, Ava; Kweeb, er… Kweeba. Stay back, Kweeba. You two are my friends, now. I don't wanna hurt you." Right away, the Heartless spun and whacked her away with its tail. "Sigh, alright, then. Guess I'm gonna have to hurt you. HAAH!" She ran and started dealing strikes against the Heartless as it fought back by swiping sharp claws. She also had to dodge as Tiki Tong tried to smash its hands on her and struck his hands back as a result, the Tiki rubbing the struck parts with his other hand.

"Ooh-OOOH!" Donkey Kong suddenly dropped down from the hole K. Rool left earlier, facing the Tiki Tong.

"Donkey Kong!" Kami exclaimed. She quickly guarded when Kweeba swung its claws at her, keeping its arms back with the Keyblade. She kept swinging at the Heartless until it was knocked dizzy, but Tiki Tong grabbed her in his right hand and started to squeeze her tight. Kami was able to get her right arm free and bash her Keyblade against the hand, making him release her and shake it from the pain. That's when Donkey Kong leapt and grabbed the hand, holding on when the Tiki tried to shake him off, then leaping at the other hand. He then jumped onto Tiki Tong's crown and started bashing his head, knocking the Tiki senseless.

This caused the hypnosis to break for a while, and Kweeba came to his/her senses. Kami smiled at the Heartless, who smiled back and let Kami get on its back. They both faced the Tiki Tong as his mouth hung open in dizziness, noticing the golden orb that was in his throat. They guessed this to be his vocal chords, so the lizard pounced and grabbed his lower lip, forcibly pulling it open wider. Kami climbed up Kweeba's back and got into Tiki Tong's mouth, then proceeded to strike at the golden orb and caused it to crack a little.

Tong immediately coughed Kami out and made Kweeba release. He gasped in horror when he noticed cracks of light appear on his right hand, which then exploded after a few seconds and released some bananas. "AAAUUUUNGH!" he screamed, angrily pounding the floor with his other fist. He sung his hypnotic vocals again and hypnotized Kweeba, the lizard shaking Kami off right away and facing her.

Kami looked up as Tiki Tong's left hand hovered over, about to smash down, but as she was getting ready to strike back, the Tiki pulled the hand away and wagged its finger at her, gesturing "No, no, no", and bursting into laughter. Kweeba continued to scratch at Kami, but she smacked its claws away with the Keyblade and struck back. The Tiki Tong only focused its attention on Donkey Kong, about to slam the ape into the wall, but Donkey only jumped the hand. Before Tiki could pull it back up, Donkey rolled over and grabbed the back of it, so Tiki tried to shake him off. He did shake him off, but ended up flinging him onto his crown, allowing the ape to bash the head again.

His control over Kweeba was broken again, so Kami was able to ride its back. Once again, the lizard grabbed the bottom lip of his mouth and forced it down, allowing Kami to climb up and deal more strikes against the golden orb, making even huger cracks appear visible. Tong coughed Kami out of him and smacked Kweeba off, but gasped when he saw his left hand cracking. "AAUUUNGH!" he cried when it exploded into more bananas.

Tiki Tong lit on fire with anger, deciding to screw the hypnosis and fight on his own. He flew above Kami, still riding Kweeba, and smashed down, but the lizard got them out of the way, only to have its feet burned by the flaming shockwave he released. Kami saw his crown come off during the attack, exposing the red weak spot on his head, but he flew back up before she could do anything. He went above her and attempted another Ground Pound, but she dodged and jumped the shockwave, getting on its head and stabbing the weak spot.

Tiki Tong yelped from the pain and shook her off, hovering around in the air and spinning around, sending flaming Tikis down at Kami. He sent a storm of flaming Tikis down her way, but she kept rapidly swinging her Keyblade and destroying the Tikis before they could burn her. Kweeba recovered as Donkey got on its back, letting the lizard kick him up and land on the Tiki's crown, bashing his head and making him dizzy again. Kami smiled when Kweeba threw her back on its back and leapt up to pull the Tiki's lower lip down again. She climbed up and into his mouth, dealing more strikes against the vocal chords. With one final strike, she swung and successfully shattered the orb to pieces, falling out of the mouth as the music came to a stop. (End song.)

Kami recovered from the fall and watched as Kweeba wobbled around, gripping the spot on its chest with the Heartless insignia before falling over. A big, blue heart was released from the Heartless's chest, vanishing in the darkness. The body of the Heartless faded away into nothingness, and Kami smiled and ran over beside her restored alien friends.

"Ava! Kweeb!"

"Hnnn… huh? What happened?" Ava asked, rubbing her head.

"You guys just got mixed in with that… thing. K. Rool's heart popped out and turned into a lizard. But me and Donkey stopped the Tiki Tong and saved you."

They heard some crying grunts and looked up at Tiki Tong, trying to get some vocals out, but his chords were broken and prevented him from doing so. Unable to sing anymore, the Tiki burst into tears and wailed. The three heroes exchanged another glance and shook their heads in disbelief at the creature. "OOH-OOOH!" That's when Donkey leapt high above and slammed his fist hard on the weak spot on his crown. The Tiki was forced to the ground as cracks of light appeared around his body as well.

"Umm… uh-oh." Kami could only say, sensing danger as the Tiki swelled up. In seconds, the Tiki finally exploded in a burst of light, sending the four screaming and flying toward the heavens. They shot off faster and faster and were actually flying right out of the planet's atmosphere.

"OOH!" Donkey screamed when they looked down and noticed they were blown all the way to the moon. Donkey got an idea and gestured for the others to grab his hand, so they did so as the ape charged and began spinning at super high speeds. The four caught on fire as they were shooting straight for the moon, the ape's fist coming in contact with the surface, and causing the entire moon to shake. The three operatives couldn't be more shocked when the force of the punch caused the entire moon to FALL straight down to the planet, landing right on top the Tiki Tower's head and squishing it, causing its tongue to stick out. The weight of the moon eventually pushed the tower all the way back in the volcano.

The volcano shook a little bit and spat the moon straight back to the heavens.

**Moonbase**

All of the Moonbase workers got on their feet after the incredible shake. "Umm… anyone else feel that?" Herbie asked. Everyone shrugged.

**Tiki Island**

The volcano suddenly erupted an incredible supply of Golden Bananas. The bananas rained all around the island as the animals smiled with glee, each one grabbing a handful of bananas and proceeding to eat them. The four heroes came down for a crash-landing right on the island's beach, beside the Kongs, Chaotix, and Team Psychic. As the bananas continued to drop around the island, they were all still trying to comprehend the fact that the moon just FELL. "…I… will NEVER understand how we just did that." Kami could only say.

"If it's not a common thing on your planet, I won't either." Ava said.

"So I'm guessing that's the end of the Kremling Krew." Kweeb figured. The sun began to shine over the horizon as the dawn appeared. The many animals felt the warmth of the daytime light and already knew that the darkness on their island was long gone. As the Tikis' eyes were exposed to the warming sun, their bodies dissolved, and the energy was gone.

"WAHEEEY! YOU DID IT, YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS!" Cranky yelled and limped over to them. "You beat that no good bunch of reptiles and brought peace back to DK Isles! I doubt old K. Rool will be showing his face around here anymore!"

"Well…" Kami folded her arms, "it's not everyday someone survives having their heart jump out of their body, and afterwards having their remains being crushed and burned in a volcano by the moon."

"Ah, yes, yes, defiance of logic. That's a pretty nifty Keyblade you got there." He and Kami observed the Keyblade in her hand. "That's Jungle King. The jungle's Keyblade. And my guess it came to you because you knew the true meaning of diversity. You've become as big a hero as I, Kami." Kami could only smile sheepishly as he spoke. "DK Isles thanks you greatly."

"So, we stopped K. Rool." Ava summarized. "What do we do now?"

"Hmmm…" Kweeb already began to think. (Play the Credits Theme to _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

**DK Isles**

"OOH-OOOH!" Donkey Kong cheered and swung on his vine, doing a cannonball into the hot spring and splashing the other Kongs while Ava, Kweeb, and Kami relaxed on lawn chairs, in bathing suits and sipping milk out of coconuts around the side of the spring, and Team Chaotix played and danced to their music.

"You know, you guys might be aliens… but you're the best friends anyone could ask for." Kami told them.

"Hm hm, I feel the same way about you humans." Ava remarked. "Just because you dissect us in movies, doesn't make all of you bad."

"I'm actually a bit curious about this 'Olivia' person." Kweeb said. "I suddenly wanna find her and give her a few shots to the rear end."

"Hm hm, maybe later." Kami laughed. "Now that we took out one of Gnaa's main guys, I just wanna relax."

"Er, say Kami, I got a little somethin' for you." Cranky came by and told her. "Come to my cabin."

"Hm. Okay, then." She shrugged, getting up and walking away with him. "Later, guys."

"…Hm. Wonder what he wants?" Ava said to Kweeb, who shrugged.

"O-kay! This one is brought to you by the department of potassium and Vitamin D!" Vector announced into his mike.

"Yay, for healthy colans!" Charmy cheered.

Inside Cranky's Cabin, the elder and Kami were engaged in a 2-player battle in _Skyrim_ (yes, _Skyrim_ has 2-player in this series :P). "Er, I gotcha!"

"Think again, Missy!"

"You're mine, now!"

"DAHH! YOU! !"

"Haha!"

"TURTLE POWER!" the Ninja Turtles cheered, dropping from the ceiling.

"Come on, dudes, let us play!" Leo pleaded.

"Only two people at a time, guys!" Kami told them.

"Aw, huge bummer."

"Totally lame."

"I want some nachos."

"Go get some, Dude."

"Aw, where's the soda?"

"I'm starving…"

"Eat this, Cranky!"

"Aw, that's it! You'll get yours, Missy!"

"Ow!" Cranky started bonking her head with his cane again.

* * *

><p><strong>Kami's Story: Staff:<strong>

**Emma Mason as _Kami Drilovsky_**

**Tara Strong as _Ava_**

**Rickey Collins as _Kweeb_**

**Ben Campbell as _King Kroctus Rool_**

**Mark Hamill as _Kaptain Kruckers Rool_**

**Frank Welker as _Baron Kolamitous Roolenstein_**

**Takashi Nagasako as _Donkey Kong_ and _Cranky Kong_**

**Tress MacNeille as _Dixie Kong_ and _Tiny Kong_**

**Peter Cullen as _Lanky Kong_**

**Cather Cathcart as _Vector the Crocodile_**

**David Wills as _Espio the Chameleon_**

**Amy Birnbaum as _Charmy Bee_**

**Characters by Gameverse Studios, Emma Industries, and Rareware**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**Kami's Story: _END_**

* * *

><p><strong>And SO ends another story arc. A lot more epic than Sonic's, huh? I dunno, this was probably better than Shaunie's. Also, I just HAD to add that scene where the moon falls! It happened in <em>DK Returns<em>, it should happen here! Go ask the creators of that game how that's even possible! Now to finish up Jagar's story, who won't have AS great an ending, but y'know. Next time: Dani and Nolan's relationship gets a little rocky! How's this even possible you might ask? Well, we'll find out. ;D Until next time! See ya later!**


	62. Shadows of the Moon

**Hello, everybody! Watch as Dani and Nolan's special friendship is torn apart! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Evil Shadows: Night of Blood and Gloom.<em>**

**Ember Island**

Danika's short date with Nolan was over after a while. After he and April went to bed, the goth shadowbender was happily walking across the beach under the full moon, humming a merry tune with the only other sounds being the waves along the beach. "Man, tonight was wonderful, Cheshire." she said to her shadow. "I'm normally all gloomy and depressed. But… around Nolan… I dunno, things just feel different. Like… there's a sun in my heart somewhere. I feel like… we might actually have something… special…"

_"I still don't trust him. He used to have a hatred against metahumans and you, you know."_ Cheshire told her.

"Yeah, but that's over now. Now he's… special. Troubled, but… there's something great about him. I…" she stopped and turned at her shadow, "I love him."

_"Hmm… Well, as long as you're happy, My Master, I'm happy."_

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Danika gasped and jumped around, seeing Lucinda.

"Lucinda! What a, um… pleasant surprise. You kind of startled me there."

"Oh, don't be frightened, Child. Wherever I go… happiness is _sure_ to follow…" the fairy told her in a creepy whisper. The glow from the full moon made her form more frightening.

"Right. That's just what happened in _Ella Enchanted_, isn't it?"

"Oh, Danika. No need to get so critical." Danika jumped again at this robotic tone, and faced the one person she really didn't want to see.

"You!" she yelled at Darth Genious. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just happily enjoying my vacation like the rest of you when Lucinda has brought me some rather intriguing news. It seems that little shadow imp that's been hiding in your shadow is a _Firstborn_."

"A…A Firstborn?" Danika stuttered.

"And _you_ are her Mortal Guardian." Lucinda followed, bending down and placing a hand on Danika's cheek.

Danika looked down for a minute in thought. "…Hm… What are the odds of that?"

"I have also made my own little discovery." Brain followed. "When I made you and Nolan partners, I never expected… _this_ partnership."

"You just stay out of our business!" she yelled through her teeth, touching a dagger to Brain's dome.

"Patience, my dear. I would not wish to get involved with _your_ affairs. While I knew Nolan's mind was full of dark thoughts… I never pictured him as the _emo_ type."

"He's not 'emo'. He's just a little confused, is all. Any idea why?" she asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps. But Nolan already has _two_ strikes on himself." Unbeknownst to them, Midna, the shadowy Firstborn herself was watching from behind a rock. "I'd hate to imagine what would happen if a _third_ strike were to happen. But as far as I'm concerned, the only one preventing him from reaching that third strike… is you."

"What are you trying to do anyway, kill him? ! Last I checked, you've been practically RAPING his mind just to make him your apprentice."

"Lockers and lasers may break his bones… but words are the ultimate weapon. I assure you, I have no intention to kill him. But rather… to further accelerate his path to the Dark Side."

"And what's your angle in all this?" she asked Lucinda.

"All I desire is the Firstborn. But while I work on my plan, I figured I'd help Darth out with his."

"Well you can forget it!" Danika yelled and waved her arm. "I love Nolan. And I'll _never_ betray him no matter what. And you know what?" she asked Brain with an excited smile. "He loves me too! He'll _never_ let you do anything to me. Because he'll tear you to shreds! He'll take that jar of yours and smash it into a million tiny pieces! He's gonna roll his wheelchair RIGHT over you and squeeze every ounce of intelligence out of that mushy brain of yours! He's gonna-" Lucinda touched a finger over her mouth and silenced her.

"I think… you're right, Danika." Dani's eyes widened in terror when Brain pulled out a Darkness Cannon using his psychic. "I honestly think… you're right." Before Danika could avoid, the cannon fired and zapped directly.

_Danika suddenly found herself in the Moonbase audience chamber, feeling the glares of thousands of operatives. A shudder ran down her spine, feeling absolutely all of the hate and fear in their souls. The legions of children started to hurl food and garbage as Danika raised her arms in defense. There were many negative shouts and comments like "Go away, Freak" and "Nobody wants you." It was then that Supreme Leader Numbuh 274 spoke, "I'm sorry, but your kind is not allowed in our organization. Pack your things and go back where you came from." Every operative around the stand gave cries of agreement, and one of them was Nolan York._

Danika stood still after her vision. Any positive feeling she might've had up to 'til now, about Nolan York or anybody, was washed away. Her dark-brown eyes seemed to fade to a pale-grey. The happiness completely left her heart as she looked down, her face emotionless. From behind the rock, Midna gasped at this, immediately trying to fly away, but Lucinda's shadow, Maleficent, popped out of the ground in front of her and grabbed the Firstborn between her hands, binding her arms as she presented the spirit to her master.

"Why, look what we have here, Brain." The fairy spoke with joy, approaching and bending to Midna's eye level. "The Firstborn herself. I knew she couldn't stay away from her Guardian. They are usually just as protective as they are."

"You! You'll never get away with this!" Midna declared, trying to shake free of Maleficent's grasp.

"I think we will." Genious replied, facing the emotionless Danika. "Thanks to my Darkness Cannon… she has completely forgotten every joyous feeling she might've had. About her friends, family, and even the crush she had on Nolan York. Her true 'goth' colors are unveiled. She is finally back to her emo side. Rather than being the hyper and energetic shadowbender she once was, she now believes life is dull and full of misery. In short… she now sees the truth about life! AH ha ha ha ha! And once Dear Nolan sees this magnificent change, the same thing will become of him. Danika was the cause of anymore light in his heart… ergo, she will be the cause of his darkness. Such was decided by the Goddess of Emotion herself. Right… Midna?"

"Grrr!" Midna gritted her teeth.

"And… with your marvelous powers added to my wand, my magic will become even more powerful." Lucinda told her. "Lord Genious and I will be able to kill both our birds with the same stone on this deal. And it'll be glorious."

"Hmmm." Midna shot the witch a glare.

"Now, I hope the other villains will be finished with their business soon." Brain said. "I am dying to see Nolan's reaction to this change…"

**Si Wong Desert**

The sun was beginning to set over the vast desert as the Gaang and KND finished learning what they needed, and were walking out of the library. "So Rachel's the Guardian of one of those three Firstborn." Nigel thought aloud. "But which one?"

"And who're the Guardians of those other two?" Hoagie asked.

"Gee, what is this, 20 Questions?" They stopped and searched for the source of this female voice. "Aren't you a nice bunch of friends Zuzu's run into." They dodged when some blue flames launched and nearly burned them, directing their attention to a 14-year-old girl in black armor and black hair in a bun, smirking as she readied blue flames in her hands and stood beside men in dark-green robes.

"Azula!" Zuko shot her a glare, drawing his dual swords.

"Who?" Nigel asked.

"Wait a second, wasn't she at the race on Secco?" Hoagie recalled.

"Her name's Azula, and she's my sister. My father decreed her Firelord, and she was about to accept the throne. Until me and Katara stopped her."

"After the war, she was taken to an insane asylum on some island." Katara followed. "How did you escape?"

"You don't know? Why, with the help of Lord Genious, of course. He might not be as good as Father, but he is a fine ruler who cares about his subjects. So, what's going on with you lately, Zuzu? How is being Daddy's runner-up playing out?"

"Just great, thank you for asking. It's amazing how much the people love you when you call off a war that's been happening for a century."

"And you may be working for a new master, but that doesn't change the fact that we'll kick your butt." Toph assured, stomping a ball of sand from the ground with Angie.

"I don't think so. Soon, you'll all be fallen to Darth Genious's rule. Once he enacts his ultimate plan involving that crippled 'apprentice' of his, there'll be no safe haven for you do-gooders. Dai Li Agents, attack!" At her command, the robed earthbenders scattered and began launching sandwaves at the heroes.

Toph and Angie grabbed a few of the waves and bunched them into a giant sandball, dropping it on top two of the agents. Sokka and Rachel swung their swords and cut the waves in half as they passed by while Abby and Wally ran behind and grabbed the agents' heads, blocking their eyes as they wobbled around and tripped on Hoagie's leg. Four agents were surrounding Aang, but the Avatar spun around and made a sandy tornado, blowing them all away. Both Nigel and Zuko were working together to fight Azula using fire daggers, but Azula grabbed their wrists and tossed them away, but the princess was suddenly grabbed in two Water Fists, wielded by Katara.

"So, you learned a new move." Azula observed. "I'm guessing the little Ocean Princess taught you that. Actually, speaking of Eva, I believe an old friend of yours has come to see her."

"An old friend? Who?" Katara asked.

"Don't you remember her?" Azula smirked. "She was an excellent teacher for you, from what I hear. She taught you a rather powerful waterbending move. And now she's teaching it to her!"

"A powerful waterbending…" Katara thought aloud, then her eyes widened in realization. "Hama!"

"Hama? You mean that witch lady?" Toph asked.

Katara released Azula and stuffed the water in her pouch, saying quickly, "We have to get back, now."

"But what about Azula?" Aang asked.

"I'll stay and handle her. You guys go help your friend." Zuko decided, facing the princess.

"Oh, how unsurprising." she could only say.

"Let's leave him to it." Grim ordered, zapping a portal out of his scythe. "Let's go, kids."

"Be careful, Zuko." Katara cautioned as they all piled in and warped. Rachel was the last one to enter, but she stopped to listen to Zuko and Azula for a minute.

"You're gonna pay for stealing what should be mine." she told him through gritted teeth.

"Why couldn't things be different between us?" Zuko asked, almost sympathetically.

"Some families aren't meant to get along."

Rachel looked down sadly, feeling the same was with her and Mandy. But that's when Grim reached out and pulled her through the portal before it vanished, leaving the prince and princess to have their duel.

**Forest area, outside of Great Wall**

It soon came midnight over the land, and the only light that shone and made the land visible was that of the bright Full Moon, hanging largely over the heavens as an eerie wind brushed through the trees. Eva Roberts and Manaphy felt a tingling through their skin as they frightfully walked through the forest, to the river where Hama wished to meet them. "M-M-Man-a-a…" Manaphy quivered.

They met the aforementioned woman by the river. The area was pretty clear of trees, and the moon, along with the wind blowing past her clothes and hair, made her ancient form terrifying. "Can you feel it, Eva? The Moon's Power…" the elder spoke quietly and creepily. "The ultimate source of waterbending, hanging bright over your head. That which gives all of the People of the Water… the absolute Power of the Sea." Eva looked creeped when the woman stretched her arms and her wrinkly skin shriveled up a little. "I never felt so alive…"

"Umm, okay… So what's this waterbending move you wanted to show me?"

"Listen, Eva, there's something I haven't quite told you yet… Back in my day, during the Hundred-Year War, I spent most of my days as a prisoner, trapped within the deepest confines of the Fire Nation. Why, you might ask? For my power. Many years I spent in that lifeless dungeon, completely free of any hope of escaping. Until I looked out the window, seeing the Full Moon shining down on me. I could feel the Moon Goddess, Cresselia looking down during my desperate hour. And it was then that she blessed me with the ultimate technique of waterbending. The one move which allowed me to control the guards and make my own escape. _Bloodbending…"_ Eva gave a look of pure horror. "Controlling the water in another's body. Mending them to your will. Moving every muscle in their body. Can you think of any more extraordinary power?"

"Controlling peoples' blood? And mending them to your will? That's horrible! I-It's just like…"

"Psychicbending, yes? The Dark Element. Psychic and Water are closely related elements. And bloodbending is proof of that. The Force keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth, and the Moon controls the waves of the sea on the Earth. _All_ elements are related someway or another. But that's beside the point. It's time to teach you the power which has kept me alive for decades."

"H-Hold on. From what you're saying, this is a Dark Art, so… why would I ever wanna bloodbend?"

"Come now, Eva. You said it yourself, you were bullied for being different. My situation was… a little more extreme, but still very similar. We aren't accepted for our power, so the only way to gain any respect is by force. You need this power, Eva."

"There's a better way to gain respect than by enforcing power over people: you can earn it. Playing the 'Stop hitting yourself' game isn't the way."

"It's the only way. To insert your dominance over the fools who dare think themselves more powerful. This is the only way to make them see the error of their ways! It's the only way to make them learn!"

"No!" Eva waved her arms in refusal. "I don't need other peoples' approval. I'm good just the way I am and I don't care what people think. So I won't use bloodbending to force their respect, and I won't bloodbend PERIOD."

"Katara learned this same technique from me some time ago. She could not resist the temptation… and neither will _you_."

"Hurr!" Eva knelt down in pain, her arms and legs bending against her own will.

"Mana-Mana!" Manaphy shouted. The Prince was about to jump at Hama, but the witch simply grabbed and held him in midair with bending.

"Ah, the all-powerful Sea Prince. A body of 80% water does not NEED bloodbending to be against his own will. The two of you… are completely in my power."

"EVA!" Kade and Dimentia hurried over from behind her.

"Kade! Dimentia!"

"Haha!" Hama released Eva and gripped the two with the same technique, twisting and turning their arms and legs.

"No! Release them!" Eva demanded.

"Your friends make excellent puppets, Eva. I'm sure your bullies would make better ones. If you… submit."

"Forget it! I'm never going to give in to it!"

"Then may your friends pay the price." With that, Hama levitated the two struggling kids in midair and twisted them even more while they grunted in pain.

"Let them go!" Eva still demanded.

"Isn't this great, Eva? Just wait: in the future, people won't even NEED a Full Moon to bloodbend! It'll be that popular! Ah hah hah hah!"

Eva hesitantly looked between Hama and her bloodbent friends, grasping her own head as she failed to think of a solution. But before either of them knew it, Dimentia and Kade were suddenly bent back to normal, their muscles held by another force now. Eva watched and smiled as Katara stepped out of the bushes, followed by Nigel and the others as Katara used bloodbending to gently place them back on their feet. "Nigel!"

"Eva!" Nigel hurried over and helped her up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Nigel. Thanks for coming." She drew out her Phantom Sword as they both faced Hama.

"It's over, Hama." Katara declared, readying for battle. "Your bloodbending days are over. You're going back to jail."

"Yeah!" Toph followed, stomping out a boulder.

Hama frowned in anger at all of the kids surrounding her. But her frown grew into an evil grin as she burst into maniacal laughter. (Play "The 13th Dilemma" from _Kingdom Hearts II_!) The elderly woman threw her arms in the air as a cyclone of water from the river began to encase her in a bubble. Water flew out of several plants and trees around the area and circled her form. The witch smirked evilly at the group as a battle followed suit.

_Boss fight: Hama_

"Feel the Moon's Power." Hama said, already sending powerful water gushes at the heroes. She moved slowly as her water shield stayed with her, making geysers pop out and knock Eva and Nigel away. Toph and Angie both sent rocks at the shield, but the water barrier proved stronger as the rocks bounced back, tentacles reaching out of it to grab the earthbenders, tossing them away. Eva and Katara conjured Water Fists and began to beat the barrier and were able to harm it, eventually breaking it. Hama simply jumped and surfed a wave over them and knocked them over, then did this again when they tried to stand up.

"UUWAH." Hama screamed when Dimentia started zapping her with Space Lightning, the water mixed with electricity making her hurt more. Hama only wiggled her eyebrows, grabbing the Zathurian's blood and shaking her around, bashing her against the ground. Kade ran to throw a punch at the woman, but Hama grabbed his blood and started throwing him against the Sector V gang. Aang swung his staff and blew a wind gust that pushed Hama a little, making her drop her control as Eva dashed over and started kicking Hama across the face, knocking her off her feet.

Hama did a breakdance and sent a watery shockwave that blew the kids around her away, standing back up and producing another water barrier. This time, she made tentacles pop out of the river around her and started grabbing anyone nearby, swinging them in the air before throwing them a great distance. Eva and Rachel took their swords and tried slicing the barrier, creating a crack which they jumped through before it closed, but Hama disabled the barrier and sent waves to push them back. Rachel was pushed back, but Eva dashed around them and ran to grab Hama's arm, but the woman smacked and pushed Eva back before surfing away with a wave.

"It kind of feels wrong attacking an old woman." Eva commented as Kade helped her up.

"Just remember, when that lady is an evil hag who abuses her power, it's okay to make an exception." Kade replied.

Nigel dodged another wave and jumped to aerial-kick the woman, but was instantly grabbed by her bloodbending, making him dance like a puppet as he was brought to Eva, forcibly kicking his cousin while she defended with her arms and leapt up, forcing Nigel to the ground. "Don't hurt your friends, Eva." Hama smirked, glancing behind herself at Sokka and Rachel. "And don't let them hurt themselves." The witch grabbed the two swordsmen in her power and made them raise their weapons, both struggling to hold their own sword back as they were about to slit their own necks. Katara quickly made Water Fists and punched the lady away, making her drop control, but Hama quickly got up and grabbed Rachel again, too late to react as she forcibly raised the Master Sword and pierced it through her chest.

"RACHEL! !" Nigel cried.

Rachel sealed her eyes tight from the stab, but squinted them open to see the blade merely phase through her form. "Huh?"

Fi jumped out and explained, _"Master, as the blade of evil's bane, the Master Sword is incapable of killing good beings, let alone by force."_

"Oh! Well, that's convenient!" With that, Rachel raised her sword again and ran to deal a few blows against the waterbending witch, but Hama surfed back with a wave and got water in Rachel's face. She rolled to the side before Hama could surf over her, but was immediately pelted by rocks in the face by Toph. She, Aang, and Sokka stood by each other as they tossed their respective elements toward the woman, and Sokka his boomerang. Hama fought past the attacks and gripped them all in her power, levitating them off their feet as she greatly began twisting their limbs.

Katara punched Hama upside the head with Water Fists and began throwing more punches, sending her flying a few feet. "BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE SEA!" the witch cried, suddenly making a huge cyclone circle around and lift herself off the ground. She looked down at the heroes and sent smaller, but still quite large, cyclones toward them, catching Toph and Aang in one and spinning them around as they were blown away. The Sector V kids tried to shoot weapons at the woman, but ended up caught and blown away in a cyclone as well.

Eva was caught up in some cyclones, but used her bending to fight and force her way through, making her way to Hama's cyclone. She dove and began to swim in the cyclone, going around and around as it went, but still made her way up and wrapped her arms around Hama's waist, pulling and making them fall to the ground with a thud. They both stood as Hama waved her arms up, making a huge water wall surround her and Eva, keeping everyone else out. Eva drew her sword and ran to strike the old witch, but Hama instantly grabbed and started controlling her.

"It's no use. I control every muscle, every vein in your body! You can't escape my grasp. Bloodbending is the ultimate technique! You have no free will!"

Eva began to forcibly kneel before her, feeling totally powerless as the woman made her own arms completely unmovable. But she slightly and arduously turned her head left, seeing the worried expression of her little blood-brother. Remembering she had an important duty in this whole quest, determined to protect Manaphy as his Guardian, she fought against the hag's hold and stood straight up.

"You aren't the only one who draws power from the moon. I am Evangeline Roberts, daughter of Kyogre Neptune and Princess of the Sea. My bending is far more powerful than yours, Hama. If I resist the Dark Arts, I can fight them. Your technique is useless on me!" With that, she grabbed a wave and sent it at the woman, who dodged as Eva dashed forward and swung her sword. Hama kept the blade back and jumped away, throwing her arms up and making dozens of water geysers pop out around her. Eva swiftly began slicing the geysers with her sword, making her way closer to Hama as the woman desperately tried to keep her away. She failed to do so as Eva made it over, dealing several blows across her form. She rose her blade skyward, or rather moonward, for she aimed it straight at the Full Moon and let it charge power. With that done, she gave one final swing and pushed Hama off her feet, onto her back.

"UUUHH!" she cried, gripping her aching hip. "You MISERABLE-"

"Mind if I cut in?" Grim smirked, Hama glancing to her right in his direction.

"Huff." Hama stood up and attempted to bloodbend the reaper, but her face turned to horror when she was unable to.

"Trying to bloodbend me, Hama? I'm a SKELETON! I gots no blood flow to go on!"

"No! Stay back!" she yelled, sending huge bubbles at the reaper, only for Grim to swat them away with his scythe.

"You know, Eva may not want to do the Dark Arts… but in MY position, it's okay! Say your prayers, you filthy witch." Hama stepped away in fear, but ended up tripping on a rock in the river. She looked in absolute horror as the reaper stood over and reached his arm down, touching her chest. She began squirming and shaking around, seeing some kind of energy flow from her form onto his arm, and also feeling her own blood drying away and her skin shriveling even more. The lady's skin shrunk more and more as her blood was fading, exposing only the bones through her skin. In a few moments, all of the life seemed to vanish from her eyes, and the energy flow stopped as Grim let go. (End song.)

The heroes watched as the old woman fell to the ground, skin completely shriveled up into a bloodless skeleton, her expression totally frozen with shock and fear as she lay dead. "A simple tap may only knock people out… but ye don't want these hands on ya for too long, Mon." Grim said.

"Phew. Glad that's over." Eva sighed in relief.

"Eva…" Katara smiled and walked over to put a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't bloodbend. I'm so proud of you."

"Hm hm, thanks, Katara. And don't be upset that you did. It's not easy for people to resist temptation."

"I know. That's why I really admire how you didn't. You've really proven yourself as Manaphy's Guardian."

"Mana-Mana!" the Prince cheered. "PHYYY!" He then used his Heart Swap, connecting the red beams to Sokka and Toph, switching their bodies for no reason.

The two felt around and studied their new forms, taking a moment to sink the change in. "AAAAAHHHHH!"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME? ! I'M BLIND!" Sokka screamed.

"I can see!" Toph cheered. "But I have something in my pants. Ewww!"

"My feet feel so dirty! Plus, they stink!"

"Never insult the feet, Sokka." Toph warned. At that instant, their bodies were switched back.

"Phew… thank goodness." Sokka sighed.

"Mana-Mana!" Manaphy clapped.

Sokka shot him a glare. "You probably LOOVE doing that, don't you?"

"Is everything okay out here?" Iroh asked as he and the other White Lotus men arrived. "We saw a huge cyclone from the distance."

"Everyding is fine." Grim assured. "Just had to take another soul."

"Good. Everything is settled here." Clockwork replied, his eyes closed. "I can see a vision of the Kids Next Door's world. Terrible things will be happening soon."

"Then I guess we've spent too much time in this world." Rachel figured.

"Listen, guys, we hate to leave, but we have to check up on our world." Nigel told the Avatar Gaang.

"We understand." Aang replied. "Make sure your friends are okay. Come back as soon as you can."

"Aw, man. Me and Hoagie were just getting to making some good jokes." Sokka whined.

"Don't worry, Sokka." Hoagie smiled and waved his arm. "I should have a fresh batch of jokes when we get back."

"Oh, I'll hold you to that." Sokka smirked.

"Uuh. That'll be pleasant." Abby remarked, quietly to Eva.

"Still, at least it isn't on the news." Eva said back.

"Come on, let's get everyone else and get the Gummi Ship ready to leave." Rachel ordered as they all started to walk off, waving good-bye to the Gaang. "See you later, guys."

"Bye! Take care!" Aang smiled and waved, along with Momo.

**Ember Island**

The sun began to rise over the island as Nolan York started to wake up in their small shack which they were staying in, rubbing his eyes and getting himself into his wheelchair. He rolled over and looked out the window, the sun blocked by the gray, cloudy sky. He looked at the bunk-bed above him and noticed it empty, then looked over at April, still asleep in her bed. Nolan rolled over and shook the Dickson girl. "Hey, April, wake up."

"Mmn, uh, huh?" April mumbled, eyes weakly opening.

"April, do you know where Danika went last night after our date?"

"Mmn, I think she went to go for a walk. Why?" she yawned.

"She isn't in her bunk. Come on, we have to go look for her." He rolled toward the exit as April rubbed her eyes and got out of bed.

"Nolan, I'm sure she's fine, she probably went out for-"

"Ah, you're awake." They went out of the shack and ran into General Immortus, beside his ship. "Come on. The Brain's ordered all villains' return to base."

"Now? But Danika's missing, we need to go-" Nolan tried to tell him.

"Danika was picked up beforehand. She is probably waiting for you at the base. You'll meet up when we get there."

"Um, okay." Nolan decided to roll and enter the aircraft, followed by April. General Immortus gave a smirk as he boarded as well, starting the ship up and taking off.

**Gummi Ship, parked on grassy plain**

It didn't take long until the dimension-traveling craft arrived back at Planet Earth. The heroes were currently asleep for the night, resting after their unexpected battle with Hama. Eva, however, was sitting atop the ship's roof and looking up at the moon. She twirled her Phantom Sword along the exterior in thought as Kade climbed up and sat by her. "Hey, Eva. Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just… this has been one crazy day today."

"Have any other of our days been less crazy, lately?"

"Hm hm hm! Point taken. But still… it's great that I didn't bloodbend and all… but I can't help but think what might've happened if I didn't, and those guys didn't come. You and Dimentia might've been…"

"Well, if you had to bloodbend to save us… we wouldn't hate you. Ever since we met, you've always been the prettiest girl in my eyes. Not just on your outside, but your inside, too. Even if you had to give in to darkness… you're too full of light to lose your way back."

"Hm…" Eva smiled. "Thanks, Kade. Having somebody like you around, I'd probably never give in to darkness."

"Yeah… Yawn, well I'm going to sleep. Don't stay up too late. Y'know, like the author."

"Hm hm, good night!" she waved 'bye' as Kade climbed down and went back inside.

Eva continued to gaze up at the moon, watching as it glowed ever brighter. A gorgeous white light began to shine from the moon as a mystical figure came down, a yellow and pink birdlike being with crescent-moon wings and crescent-moon head. _"The Moon goes through many changes and phases, just as water can become many forms."_

"You…" Eva recognized the bird as the Moon Goddess.

_"People change, just like water. Their hearts can become caring and warm, just like steam. Or turn hateful and cold, much like ice. From Spring rains, to Winter snows… the seasons change from hot to cold. The Light shines bright, then it fades away. As it does in peoples' hearts. But as the Cycle of Seasons change, so do the feelings of peoples' hearts. From Light to Darkness… Darkness to Light… but unlike the seasons, they find an ultimate path once their cycle is complete."_ And Cresselia flew back to the moon, fading as she shrunk in the distance.

Eva stared up at the moon, watching as it dimmed to a shadier color. She took a moment to understand what the spirit just said, then gave a nod.

**Final Brain**

Once all the villains had returned to the Brotherhood's homebase, Nolan began roaming around in search of Danika. He was currently rolling around the outside of the base, hearing thunder booming in the grey skies above. While the sky was always gloomy at Brotherhood Base, it felt even darker to the crippled boy now. He was coming to the front area of the base, seeing three of the most-hated bullies to the villains: Jamie Dillon, Rabakkah Heartthorne, led by their all-too stuck-up leader, Olivia Johnson. **(Lol and I find it kind of hilarious that one of their last name's is Dillon. :P)**

"So I pushed him against the locker and made out with him, when his girlfriend showed up, and she totally…" Olivia stopped in her sentence when they encountered Nolan. "Oh, hey… it's that cripple boy that Brain likes for some reason."

"Nice to see you, too." Nolan told them sarcastically. "Hey, any idea where Danika is? I've been looking for her since…"

"Oh, goth freak? She's right over there, playing with her knife thingies." She pointed several feet away, at Danika sitting on the bench around a statue of Brain, turned away from them as she appeared to be scraping her daggers against each other.

"What's she doing?"

"Beats me. She's been there since she got back."

Nolan looked to his friend with curiosity and left the girls, rolling closer to the goth while the girls watched them. "Danika? Is… everything okay?"

"…So many voices… only the wind… only dust in the wind…" she spoke in a quiet tone.

"Huh?" Nolan could detect the sadness in Danika's voice. "Danika, what's wrong?"

"Never any friends… nothing but misery… an ocean of heartless souls…"

"What do you mean? You do have friends, Danika. And you're my best friend…"

"Just like the rest of them… can't be trusted… can never truly care."

"Danika, please. You're my friend. I-" Nolan reached over and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. But the moment he did, Danika spun around and swung her dagger. The three bullies in the background gasped when she sliced a cut across Nolan's cheek. "AAHHH!" Nolan felt the pain surge through him quickly, gripping the huge gash on his cheek as blood began to spill.

Nolan's heart already began breaking, but the sorrowful goth sat back down, continuing to scrape her daggers. "Nothing but pain… never happiness… always betrayal…"

Nolan felt slight tears welling in his eyes, turning away and rolling back inside the base as thunder began to sound, and the bully girls ran a little closer to Danika. "Hey, Danika, what's the matter? Afraid you can never get to wear the ugliest goth clothing the world's even seen?" Rabakkah yelled, and the girls laughed.

"Hey, Danika, nice hair. Did you wash it with doggie shampoo? Fresh from the barn?" Jamie taunted. The girls laughed even more, and even began throwing trash while the shadowbender just sat there.

"Oompa Loompa, doopity doo. I got a nice little friend for you." Cad Bane sang to himself as he filled his gun with powder, standing beside Aurra in the base's hallway. "Oompa Loompa, doopity dee. If you are wise, you'll not run from… huh?" He and Aurra noticed Nolan rolling past them, holding his cut cheek as he kept his head down. "…What's his problem?" Aurra shrugged.

Mother Talzin and Darth Genious sat at the mini table beside his holographic projection of Earth, drinking cups of tea. "You know, Darth, on Planet Avalar, I was the creator of Mushroom Tea."

"Oh, really? During my father's reign as Chancellor, he always favored…" Brain stopped himself, seeing his apprentice roll in. "Nolan?"

Lucinda gasped in shock, seeing his bloody hand and the gash on his cheek. "You poor dear!" she yelled, walking over. "Let Mother fix that awful cut for you…" She puled the magic wand from her sleeve and aimed at Nolan's cut, uttering some kind of incantation which slowly caused the blood to flow all the way back into his cheek. _"Omera Sempentor… Omera Sempentor… Omera Sempentor…" _Once it was all inside, she pulled out some stitches and started to sow the cut back together, making Nolan wince a little, leaving only a scar once it was fixed. "There we go… that should make things better."

"Now how did you come by that gash, anyhow?" Brain asked.

"It was… Danika…" Nolan still couldn't believe what he was saying. "Brain, there's something wrong with her. She's acting all… gloomy, and…and miserable."

"Now, what news is that? Danika was gloom and misery the moment I found her. She has always been that way, Nolan."

"What? But, er… come and see!"

Nolan led the two villains onto one of the base's higher walkways, where Nolan directed them down at Danika's miserable, upset form. "My, what ever is wrong with the dear?" Talzin asked.

"You see that? She wasn't like that before!" Nolan insisted. "Before, she was all… happy and joyous… okay, maybe not EXACTLY like that, but she was more lively than she is now!"

"You seem to be exaggerating a bit, Nolan. Danika has been this way from the beginning." Brain refuted. "She thinks life to be all nothing but betrayal and misery. I'm certain you could relate to that, couldn't you?"

"Yeah, but… auugh!" Nolan started to get frustrated. "I know she wasn't like that before! She's been my partner this whole time! We went on missions together, we hung out outside the base, like going to restaurants… she's my friend. Well, MORE than that really, she…"

"Let me speak with him…" Lucinda told Brain, bending to Nolan's eye level and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nolan… I understand perfectly what you're going through: you had a strong partnership with this girl, and developed feelings for her. As such, you saw her as somebody different than what she truly is."

"I DID NOT!" he smacked her hand away. "Danika WAS different! Something made her miserable all of a sudden, and I… wait…" Nolan began to think of a possibility. "MADAME ROUGE!"

"Vhat?" the woman in question was just coming down the walkway, smoking a cigarette. "I vas just going for vone of my valks. Dampy days like zis are ze perfect weather."

"W-What? But then…" Nolan looked down at Danika, unable to think of any other explanation.

"Nolan… don't you see?" Brain asked. "Your feelings for her have kept you from the truth. Just like with Dillon… you have gone out of control with your emotions."

"My boy… I am a Fairy Godmother." Lucinda said. "I know this better than anyone. It's obvious that any happy events you may have shared with Danika… were nothing more but simple dreams."

Nolan began to well with tears again. All the remaining happiness from his life had been taken away. "But I…I love her."

"You must remember, that you are a KND exile. The world has shunned you away for your crimes. As long as the world despises you… you will never truly have a happy ending. You can never know… true love."

Nolan's lips finally began to quiver, rolling away from the three as tears began to drip down. "Hmph… pitiful boy. I almost feel sad for him." Madame Rouge remarked, blowing another puff of smoke.

"Look at him, Talzin. The perfect apprentice. Unveiling right before our eyes." Brain smiled in his mind.

"You've done a fine job raising him, Genious. Your father would be proud."

"All I really need to complete my plans now is-" The Brain was interrupted when the Hispanic maid, Consuela approached.

"Misser Brain. We no have no more lemon pledge in Final Brain."

"It is not my concern what the maids are responsible for."

"Nno, you go out and buy."

"If I gave you the money, why don't you go out and buy?"

"Nno, is going to rain; acid rain. I stay."

"…I will be right back, Mother." The Sith Lord told Lucinda, and rolled away to go out and buy more lemon pledge.

"Hm… persuading little maid." The fairy mumbled. "But perhaps it's time I attend to my own… _projects_." She glared evilly and disapparated.

Nolan miserably rolled to his room in the base as April ran into him from the opposite direction. "Nolan, what's wrong?"

"Hey, April. Danika…" he sniffled, "everything I did with Danika was all a lie."

"What?"

"It never happened. Everything just… it was all a dream."

"Whuuuuuut?" April didn't buy this one bit. "Nolan, there's got to be some mistake. I know for a fact the two of you went on a date last night, and had a great time."

"B-But Darth Genious and Lucinda said-"

"Lucinda? Honestly, I'm not exactly sure if we can trust that witch. Same goes double for Brain. There's something fishy going on here, I can just taste it…"

"I don't know… I mean, Brain always-" Nolan stopped himself, seeing some kind of blue light behind April. "What's that?"

"Huh?" April looked behind her, but saw nothing.

"That light."

"What light?"

"That light, come on, let's chase it!" he yelled, hurriedly spinning his chair's wheels to chase the evading light.

"Wait!" April hurried after him.

The two moved faster and turned down various hallways as the light continued to evade their grasp. "Grrr. What is it?" Nolan asked himself, desperate to catch it and find out.

Lucinda reapparated in some kind of laboratory in the base, seeing her loyal shadow still binding Midna's arms. "Well, Midna, these certainly are depressing times, are they not?"

"You know, for a Fairy Godmother who thinks she knows what's best for kids, you sure are full of crap."

"I know that my intentions don't seem the friendliest at the moment… but I assure you, things will all be better soon enough."

"And just where do I come into play?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucinda pulled out her wand. "You are Midna of the Shadows. The Firstborn Spirit of Shadow and Princess of the Twilight Realm herself. Your body is filled with unlimited magic, the kind passed down from your people."

"You might want to check your math. I have only a small fraction of my power now. Ever since Maleficent's little Shadow Demon henchmen attacked and robbed me of my Fused Shadows."

"A small fraction, but incredible nonetheless." She raised her wand. "The rest of the Fused Shadows may be lost, but you still contain enough magic to give me the strength I need to use my power to my near-fullest potential. You know what they say, Midna. Work with what you have." And before Midna could do anything, the space-witch touched the tip of her wand to Midna's right cheek. She began to mutter another incantation, in which Midna already felt herself throbbing with pain.

_"Ancient Shadows of the Night… give me the power to truly make blight. Let the nights and suns be shunned away… and let blackness fall and cloud the day!"_

"OHH-uh! OHH-uh!" Midna grunted from the pain. "OOOOAAAAHHHHH!"

Nolan and April chased the blue light nearly halfway down another hall when it suddenly vanished near a door. "It's gone!"

"Wait." April heard something coming from that room, the two quietly moving closer and taking a peek inside. They gasped in horror at the sight of Midna being totally sucked of her power. The thin light-blue lines along her body vanished, and all of the black parts turned into white parts, and the white parts became black. Her orange hair had also faded to a pale color, and Lucinda removed the wand and stared intently as it brimmed with a black and orange color.

"Many thanks to your contributions… O Twilight Princess. Ah hu hu hu hu hu hu." The witch cackled and became a shadow, flying out of there.

After being sucked of her energy, Midna was left on a table to pant and gasp heavily for air, weakly able to hold herself up as Nolan and April dashed in. "Midna!" Nolan yelled, holding Midna in his arms.

Midna could barely open her eye and look at him. "Nolan… please… Danika… Must… save… Danika…" she told him in-between gasps. (Note that every "…" means that she's trying to breathe.)

"Save Danika? What do you mean?"

"Darth Genious… Darkness Cannon… He… stole her emotions."

"A Darkness Cannon. I KNEW something was wrong!"

"Yes… listen, Nolan. I've been watching over Danika for some time now. Ever since her parents vanished… she's felt lonely and depressed. But her sisters were always there… to make things better. And… she had… you…"

"M…Me?"

"Nolan… she loves you. Darth Genious knew this… and shot her with a Dark Cannon… to make her forget her happy feelings. He did this… to take you further down the Path of Darkness. That stuff he may have told you… before… he lied. Everything Darth Genious told you… has been a big lie."

"He… but…" Nolan felt the realization coming. Although, since he believed everything Brain said up to this point, it was hard for him to totally believe Midna. However, considering what just happened with Danika… he could no longer deny. "But why didn't you tell me earlier? !"

"Because… I knew you would never believe me… until you saw something… you KNEW wasn't right…"

He then started to feel extreme guilt and stupidity. "Oh my God… I can't BELIEVE I let this happen! Danika really was a sweeter person before, but he…"

"It's okay, Nolan… there's no changing the past… but Danika's future depends on you. You have to take her… to the Anderson home… Her sisters will help you... And April." She turned to the Dickson girl. "Take me to… Doctor… Facilier… he'll know what to do."

"Okay." April took the child from Nolan's hands.

"Hurry, Nolan… she may not have much time… the negativity will consume her… until she's nothing… the Shadows eventually fade away… if there isn't a light to keep them whole… ironic as it sounds."

"Okay. I won't let you down, Midna." He assured and rolled away.

"Please… hurry…" Midna breathed once more as April hurried and carried her off.

Once the room was totally clear, that same blue light appeared and floated in midair. A bunch of other blue lights appeared as they all transformed into the spirits of various alien beings; an old human man with a white beard and brown robe, a short, green alien with pointed ears in a white robe, an African-American man with a baldhead and tan robe, and many other Jedi as well.

_"So, Obi-wan… a strong believer of the prophecy, you are, I see."_ Master Yoda spoke.

_"But as spirits, we're not supposed to disturb in the affairs of mortals."_ Mace Windu said.

_"I'm not disturbing. Simply guiding his path. He is the one the prophecy speaks of, yes?"_ Obi-wan asked.

_"Always unclear, the prophecy is."_ Yoda replied. _"True, it speaks of the non-bender who will end the reign of the last living Sith Lord… but Young Master Nolan, we are not sure it is."_

_"How do we know we didn't just let a normal mortal person see you?"_ Mace asked.

_"I believe he is."_ Another Jedi Spirit walked out of thin air, a rather young and handsome man with brown hair and black clothing. _"I can really relate to that boy. A troubled mind, mended by a man who only wants for himself. He's a boy trying his hardest to follow the path he believes is right. If he's anything like me… he'll mark his place in the prophecy, and fulfill his destiny."_

_"Hmm… very well, Master Anakin."_ Yoda said. _"I trust your faith."_

* * *

><p><strong>Oww, my head hurrrrts. And so, Nolan finally sees the truth. But will it be for long, we'll find out. But it shouldn't be long until we've finally found another Firstborn, who is obviously gonna be Midna. But next time, Lucinda will begin to enact her grand plan, and we'll get to finishing Jagar's story… which will take two more chapters. Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MIKAELA CORELLA! It's her sweet 13! ;D Later!<strong>


	63. Wicked Deal

**Arr, and so we begin the pre-finale to Jagar's story. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Yuki Crystal's Death: A Wicked Deal Is Made.<em>**

**KND Moonbase**

The main team parted ways with the White Lotus after a while and were headed up to Moonbase on Sector V's S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. After taking land in the hangar, Nigel followed Rachel up to her office, where Bartie and Virginia took immediate notice of them. "NUMBUH 362!" the temporary leader exclaimed, embracing Rachel in a hug. "Oh, thank Christ your back! This means you're staying to be leader again, right?"

"Heh heh, don't get too excited, Bartie. I may need your help again later. But I'm back at the moment."

"Great! You owe me BIG!" he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give you all the Yipper Cards you want. And you can take some time off, if you like."

"Great! Come on, Ginny, let's hit the Goobers!" Bartie grabbed his friend's wrist and dragged her off.

"Ah, feels good to be back in the office, doesn't it?" Nigel asked.

"Heh, compared to everything else, being back here is a breath of fresh air. I need a footbath…" she sighed, rubbing her legs.

"Hm, tired, aren't you?"

"Well, Hama did twist my legs pretty bad when she bloodbent me, so yes. Anyway, let's check and see what's been going on since our leave." The leader said as she typed on her computer. "Oh, look, Kami called. She said they defeated K. Rool."

"All right! So that makes Bowser, Eggman, and now him. We've already taken out 3 of Gnaa's top allies!"

"Then that only makes 3 to go, right?"

"Rumpel, Brain, and Ganondorf. Yep. And that Lucinda woman, too. Somehow, I don't think stopping them will be as easy."

"Yeah. …Hey, Nigel. Can I ask you something?"

"Something that relates to your duties as 'Hero' in some way?" he smirked.

"You know me all too well, Soldier. But back in that desert, before we left Zuko to deal with Azula… I overheard them talking. And, well… do you think it's true that… not all families are able to get along?"

"You're asking the boy who's the Demon King's great grandson. But it is true that not everybody is perfect, and some don't even get along at all. Still, that doesn't mean you and Mandy will stay the same. If you could save Harvey from his darkness, I know you can change Mandy for the better. After all, that's what the 'Hero of Time' is destined to do, right?"

"Heh heh. Yeah, I guess." Rachel gave a light smile. "Anyway, onto more pressing business. Didn't Dr. Eggman say something about stealing the Master Emerald from a museum protected by kids?"

"My thoughts exactly. We should probably head down there and make sure nothing else got stolen."

"Hm, at the risk of having Matthew bug and beg us for our gold-colored autographs?"

"We went against a giant fear cloud demon, we can brave the annoyingness that is 101."

"Heh heh heh. I'll be ready in a minute. There's something else I wanna look over right quick."

"Okay. See you when you're ready." Nigel waved 'bye' and walked out.

Rachel sat quietly in her office for a few moments before looking around in her desk, finding a folder of laws passed in the KND. Like the one about being decommissioned at age 13, the one where you have to be at least 7 to join the KND… and then the one which she was looking for: saying that benders or metahumans of any type were not allowed in the KND. "Why would we have this law?" she asked herself. "As Supreme Leader, I really should trash this… but I really wanna look into this more." She then removed the paper and began to skim it, and one particular codename got her attention. "Numbuh 23 BBY? Odd. Don't remember an operative like that in the KND files… but then again, there was Numbuh Zero. I think I should look this up." She did so and typed the operative's Numbuh into her computer. But when she clicked 'Enter', it only read, _The data is corrupt_.

"Corrupt? Hmm…" Rachel already began to feel suspicious. "You know, somebody like Matt would know about operatives like these. I have a feeling we're gonna learn a bit more out of this visit than we intended." And she stood up and walked out of her office, after Nigel.

**Zuzu's Valley**

The snow continued to pour onto the ice-cold wasteland as the Aurora Borealis glowed colorfully in the starry sky. Rumpel Stiltskin had just arrived at the frosty realm with Yuki Crystal, inhaling the chilly air through his pointy nose. "Ah, Zuzu's Valley. Bitter cold, frozen and lifeless… truly a marvelous place, isn't it?"

"Hmph." Yuki huffed and folded his arms.

"Mother Talzin should be here pretty soon. I'll just go and get ready until she does. Meet you later, okay?" he winked and walked over to climb onto his goose.

"What are we doing here, again?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, just laying another siege upon a certain… workshop." Rumpel smirked. "Hm hm, wait 'til you see it. Until then…" Rumpel waved to the icebender as his goose lifted off and flew toward an icy hill in the distance.

Left to himself, Yuki just slowly walked forward, kicking his feet around in the snow as he looked down in thought. "How in the world did I get stuck with these old hags, anyway? Sigh, what's the point? I've completely lost interest in wanting to stop KND. I oughta just ditch these weirdoes and go back home. After all, I got control of these awesome powers." He smiled evilly. "They really aren't half bad once you get the hang of 'em. Huh?" He suddenly saw a bright, white light glowing above him, looking up as the Northern Star lit up the night sky, and seeing the Ice God, Polaris himself, lowering down.

_"So… I see you've returned. You've gotten control of your powers, after all."_

"Yeah, no thanks to you or those annoying Ice Climbers. Told ya I didn't need your help."

_"But, you mastered your powers by the will of another. A magical being. That is not the true way to gain mastery over an element. To truly master an element, there are two sides which the bender must gain control of. The physical side… and the spiritual. You have mastered your physical side, but completely ignored the spiritual. And mastering the spiritual side is what truly gives you control over the physical side to begin with. It's the entire origins of your powers. When insults are thrown at poisonbenders, it stings, hurts their feelings. They are mentally poisoned, and are able to create physical poison. And airbenders are free-spirited people. They let their minds not be taken by worry, and just keep going with life, like the wind. As such, they are able to control wind. You must understand why you really have these powers, not because of some silly weapon."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. They're because of my 'coldhearted feelings.' But you know what? I'm not 'spiritual', not like those monks or whatever. I just don't have it in me to… 'look inside my heart.' Not everybody does. There're probably thousands of elemental benders in the universe, but there are only so many masters. And not everybody is cut out to be one."

_"You claim that you do not know how to 'look inside your heart'… but what you were just saying beforehand, with not wanting to destroy KND anymore. Perhaps your heart is telling you something? And perhaps… you feel there is something else you feel you're missing?"_ Yuki glanced away in thought. Deep down… the spirit had a point. He was losing interest in destroying the KND… but he felt there was something else he felt guilty about. _"If your heart knows best… then so will you."_ And the god faded back to the heavens.

_"Yuki!"_ the icebender heard somebody cry, looking to his left at Jagar, the timebenders, and the Ice Climbers running over.

"Jagar? How did you find me here?" Yuki asked. "Timebender magic?"

"Actually… I sort of followed my instincts. Somehow, I knew you'd be here. Unless that's where master timebenders get that ability. Hehe. Anyway… what _are_ you doing here?"

"Hm. Rumpel brought me. He ran off just now, but said that they had something planned for me. …Listen, Jagar, I've been thinking… I'm not sure if what I've been doing is working out."

"What do you mean?" Olive asked.

"Well, working on the Dark Side, destroying KND… I thought it's what I wanted, but I feel…I feel like I'm missing something from my life."

"Like…?" Jagar drew out.

"Like… some real friends. 'Cause hangin' out with these witches sure isn't a walk in the park. Hehe." He chuckled. This made smiles appear on the five heroes' faces. Yuki scratched the back of his head and continued sheepishly, "Listen, Jagar… I'm really sorry about this whole mess I've been putting you all through. I may be the most powerful icebender in the world now… er, second to Polaris, at least… but you know, I'm not sure if I want it. I think… I just wanna go home. Hang out with friends. …Well, if I had any friends to hang out with."

Jagar walked over and put a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "I may be dead, technically… but I'm your friend, right?" Yuki looked up at him, and smiled.

"And so are we!" the Ice Climbers cheered, jumping over by his sides.

"So, how about we just put this whole incident behind us?" Olive asked. "Something tells me you'd really like to kick the can out of those witches."

"Heh heh. You know that."

**Somewhere else in the North Pole**

Rumpel soared over the freezing windy skies of the icecap on his goose, alongside Gruntilda on her broomstick, followed by his army of witches. "I'm getting frostbites, it's so cold. Tell me, Rumpel, what business have we to behold?"

"The dawn of a new era, Grunty. A new era of witches galore. WITCHES! Lay siege upon that waste of a workshop!" The witches swooped down and began throwing spells and pumpkin bombs upon a strange and colorful factory in the middle of the snowy fields. One that belonged to none other than Santa and his elves.

The many little, colorful creatures began screaming and cowering as all of their presents and factory contraptions were blown to smithereens. "I say, what is going on here? !" Santa Claus shouted, walking out in the middle of the destruction. "Is Superman mad that I beat his record time again?"

The roof was suddenly blown off above him, giving him a good view of Rumpel and Gruntilda flying down. "Hey, hey, Sandy! How are those claws lookin' tonight?"

"RUMPEL! You're behind this, you snide little elf. But why attack us now? It's the middle of Summer."

"Maybe, but thi-… Wait, what do you mean the middle of Summer, in some countries, it's actually… never mind, ANYWAY, I didn't HAVE to attack this place, but someplace needed to be wrecked, and this was the closest in mind. So, get ready, Sandy Man, 'cause by the time we're through here, you'll have to make ready for HALLOWEEN." And he and Gruntilda flew around and started attacking.

"Brrroooooo. Elfa Strike! Move out!"

"OH YEAH!" Wintergreen cried, leaping out of nowhere with his Elfa Strike Squad, all ready for battle. "Elfa Strike, send these hags back to their original holiday!"

The candycane-clawed elf leapt up and grabbed one of the witch's robes, clawing and tearing it down as the witch crashed into a wall. Nutcracker rapidly warped to various witches and gnawed down on their heads, making them crash into a present-wrapping machine, where they were then squeezed into colorfully wrapped boxes. Snow Angel flew around, controlling snow from the outside and making it into huge waves that buried a few witches. Coniferous simply let a couple witches crash into him, allowing him to rub them against his prickly armor, afterwards carrying them to their kitchen oven and shoving them inside, brushing his hands off afterward.

"It's over, Rumpus." Wintergreen aimed his claws up at Rumpel. "Your little hag worshippers ain't a match for us REAL elves. Ya shoulda stayed with us when ya had the chance."

"Oh, it would just be a DREAM to go back and work with you all." Rumpel rolled his eyes in sarcasm. "But a word of advice: surrender now. It'll save you A LOT of grief."

"NNEVER!" Wintergreen swung his claws and jumped, attempting to scratch the elf's goose until Rumpel zapped a spell that sent him falling back.

"If I can't teach you simple elves a lesson… I'm certain _Mother_ surely will. It's only a matter of time now…" He smirked in the direction of Yuki and the others.

**Back with Yuki and the timebenders**

The six of them watched from the distance as smoke rose out from behind the hill which Rumpel had flown behind. "Yuki, what did Rumpel say he brought you here for?" Jagar asked.

"I dunno. He said they would be attacking some… workshop or somethin'. Don't know who'd set a workshop up all the way out here."

"A workshop…" Jagar began to think, then gasped in realization. "Santa's Workshop!"

"What?" Yuki asked in disbelief. "Even if Santa WAS real, it's the dead of Summer, why would he-" He was interrupted when a certain witch reapparated out of thin air.

"Sorry I'm late, Yuki."

"LUCINDA!" Jagar yelled as everyone gritted their teeth.

"Oh, look, some uninvited guests. Be off somewhere else, dearies. Reducto!" she cast a spell that made the ground beneath their feet explode, sending them flying far off in the distance.

"YOU!" Yuki yelled and pointed at her in anger. "Listen, I've HAD IT with you! I don't wanna do any of this revenge crap anymore. I wanna go back home with Jagar."

"Jagar is dead now, Yuki. He has been for some time. And besides, why would you wish to? He has abandoned you for exile, just as they all have. And now is the time to show them all your FULL potential!"

"W-What?"

"TRANSFIGURIO!"

"AAHHHH!" Yuki felt intense pain as the blast from Lucinda's magically enhanced wand struck his chest, feeling the power surging and a transformation coming on.

Several miles away, the time and icebenders rubbed their heads as they recovered from the crash, looking around where they were. "Where's Yuki?" Jagar asked.

"Over there!" Misty pointed out in the distance, seeing a bright white ray of energy. The heroes could only step back and gape as a colossal figure emerged from the distance: it looked to be a skeleton-type figure, but was completely made out of ice and nearly 50 feet tall, as big as a treehouse. Its feet were merely huge chunks of ice, like icebergs, his fingers looked to be extremely sharp claws, his skeletal-like ribs were exposed, he had icicle-sharp teeth in his open mouth, just below his vicious glowing red eyes. But what really tipped Jagar off was the icicle-spiky hair along its head.

"YUKI! !"

"And now for the final touching!" Talzin cried, looking simply like an ant to the monster's vision. The ancient fairy drew out a Darkness Cannon from under her robe and took aim at the head, launching a ray of darkness straight into the monstrified Yuki's mouth. The colossus roared and cried to the heavens, becoming fueled with the powers of evil. Now totally overcome by his darkness, the demon turned about-face from Lucinda as the witch used Shadow Glide to fly onto its head, pointing the direction ahead. "And now, my Crystal Colossus: to Santa's home!" The demon saw the invaded workshop clearly ahead from his height, proceeding to stomp forward, creating powerful quakes along the ground where his feet stepped and leaving huge chunks of ice wherever he stepped.

"Yuki's turned into a monster!" Olive exclaimed.

"He's going to attack Santa's workshop!" Popo and Nana cried.

"We've got to stop him! Come on!" Jagar ordered, and ran ahead of the others in attempt to catch up with the freezing demon.

**Santa's Workshop**

It wasn't long until the Elfa Strike defeated most of the witches, and had Rumpel and Gruntilda knocked out on the ground as Wintergreen aimed his candy-cane claws. "It's over now, Rumpel! You and your witches are going straight to the permanent naughty list. Either ya surrender now, or be buried in a thousand pounds of-" The group of elves suddenly heard a great roar in the distance, looking up through the broken ceiling in terror as Rumpel gave a happy smile.

"You might wanna double-check that list!"

"It's a monster!" a girl elf screamed at the Crystal Colossus. All of the elves cowered and panicked about while the Elfa Strike faced the monster with fierce expressions.

"HEY, YUKI!" The ice demon stopped and looked down behind him, seeing the five benders. "How about picking on someone your own size?" Jagar shouted.

"Or maybe someone your own match?" Misty asked.

"How did you 5 get back here so quickly?" Lucinda asked.

"We slowed time down so we could get here quicker." Misty smirked.

"Our legs are actually sore from running, even though we don't look like it." Olive said.

"And now, you're going down!" the Ice Climbers cheered, aiming their hammers.

"Lucinda, it all ends here." Jagar finished.

"Indeed it will, Jagar, in more ways than you know. Dinner time, Yuki. Show them your power." The witch became a shadow and flew away. The Crystal Colossus roared at the five heroes and proceeded to attack them. (Play "The Deep End" from _Kingdom Hearts_!)

_Boss fight: Crystal Colossus_

The five scattered when the Crystal Colossus hurled icicles their way, which the Ice Climbers were able to send back with their hammers, striking the beast's head. The colossus stomped the ground and created quakes that knocked the icebenders over, then turned to where Misty and Olive were, sending icicle missiles their way, but the two froze them in time and simply let them drop on the ground. The Crystal Colossus smashed his hand to the ground and burrowed his fingers beneath, making them pop up from beneath the girls and fling them around.

"Gutentag, mein frauline!" Nutcracker suddenly appeared beside the head of the Crystal Colossus, who tried to chomp down on him, but he teleported behind his head. "Over here, frauline!" Yuki tried to bite again, but the elf once again vanished. "Still missed me!" He tried again. "Over here!" The colossus kept trying to snack on him, but he kept warping all over the place. He looked around for the elf, not noticing that he reappeared on his butt. "This will be one chunky bite! But I'll need to brush EXTRA hard tonight!" And the elf chomped his teeth down and bit a huge chunk of the ice.

The Crystal Colossus desperately tried to shake the Nutcracker off, but couldn't, and Jagar took this time to shoot a Blast of Time at his right knee, causing the titan to wobble and topple over, holding himself barely up with one of his hands. His head now close to the ground, the timebenders hurried over and unveiled a barrage of Time Blasts upon it. After a while, the colossus recovered and stood back up. The timebenders hurried away as the demon unleashed a swarm of icicle missiles, which the Ice Climbers rapidly swung their hammers to send them back, but ended up taking a few strikes.

The timebenders evaded the icicles, but the Crystal Colossus then started to cough out huge chunks of ice, bashing the spirits in the head and knocking them over. Popo and Nana sent mini icebergs at the monster's feet, but they did little damage and he sent bigger icebergs their way. They tried to run separate directions to avoid, but Lucinda's curse on them pulled them back together, and they were pushed away. Yuki turned to the timebenders and sent more icicles flying, but they used their power to freeze them in time. That's when the titan decided to hurl BIGGER icicles, which broke through the frozen ones and struck the benders, doing heavy damage.

The Crystal Colossus then found Snow Angel flying around his head, unleashing her own icicles at his eyes. He swat the angel away, but she avoided and started flying around his body. She used her icebending to grab snow from the ground and make it follow her as she circled around his body upward. Once it was nearly wrapped around him, she made the snow close in and tie up the monster, making him fall over again. The Ice Climbers hurried over and dealt a few strikes against the head, but Yuki broke himself free of the binds and stood back up, swatting the children away.

The Crystal Colossus started coughing more ice chunks around the area and unleashing more icicles which the children hurriedly dodged. He spotted Snow Angel fly down beside Nutcracker and blew out some Ice Breath, freezing the two in place. He faced back at the timebenders with anger, charging power in his hands. "Run!" Jagar yelled, and the spirits did so and ran before Yuki released a powerful storm of ice, which froze Misty and Olive's legs as they barely made it away. The monster tossed icicles at the two, but Coniferous jumped in the way and shielded them from the pointed ice chunks, then shot his own pinecones at the monster's eyes.

As Yuki rubbed his eyes from the strike, Wintergreen ran towards the monster and dashed up his right leg, jumping between the two legs and dealing scratches on his body. He grabbed his chest ribs and ripped them out, then leapt onto his back, piercing his claws right into his skin, the beast feeling the pain and screeching. "YEH!" The muscular elf flipped onto the head and stabbed right into his scalp, making the titan fall over once again.

"Now's our chance." Jagar shouted. The girls nodded and hurried over to his head, the ice titan too late to stand up before the spirits used Time Stop and froze him in place. (End song.)

"Hoo…" Jagar tried to catch his breath. "There… that should end it."

As it turned out, it did NOT end it, as the Stop wore off in seconds, and the monster smacked the timebenders away. The colossus stood up and ripped off the rest of Santa's factory's roof, the elves screaming as it was about to tear the whole building. "Oh no! We gotta do something!" Misty yelled. "Can't you guys do that whole '12 Days of Christmas Attack' thing?" she asked Elfa Strike.

"It can only be used once a Christmas, and it's the middle of Summer!" Wintergreen yelled back.

"Actually, in some countries, it's still-" Olive tried to say.

"Forget about that." Jagar interrupted. "We have to stop that thing."

Santa grabbed a rectangular-shaped wrapped present and said, "Sorry, Tommy. I'll make it up to you next year. …Actually, Christmas isn't until months away, so, I have plenty of time." He pulled a missile launcher out of the present and took aim at the titan's chest.

"No, wait!" Santa didn't hear Jagar's cry and fired the missile, coming in contact with the chest and exploding the colossus into tons of pieces, which began raining all around the area. "YUKIIII!"

"What kid wants a missile launcher for Christmas?" Olive asked.

Jagar gasped when Yuki's monstrified head landed several feet from them. He hurried over and studied the severed head, trying to find any signs of life. His eyes and mouth were frozen in place, not seeming to take any notice of Jagar's presence. The young timebender assumed the worst and fell to his knees, rubbing his sleeve against his eyes as tears began to form. The female timebenders looked at him with pity.

"Boohoo, poor, poor Jagar." Rumpel cried mockingly, flying over the weeping boy beside Grunty. "How sad that your poor wittle monster died. Maybe you oughta make better choices on who to hang out with!"

"Over the mountains, the monster blows! Pick your friends. Not your nose! AHH HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gruntilda cackled to the night sky as she, Rumpel, and all the witches took off.

Jagar glared after the despicable witches and gritted his teeth in pure anger. He looked to his right and noticed Lucinda standing a few feet away. "It's so tragic that things like this happen... It's a good thing I'm always there to make things better." The fairy laughed evilly to herself and disapparated.

Jagar fell to the ground and started to cry some more. Misty and Olive walked beside their friend as Misty kneeled down and put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry, Jagar. But I guess… there are some things in the world… that just can't be changed."

Jagar looked up, his expression more fierce and serious. "Yes they can…"

**Planet Dathomir, Lucinda's Cave**

"Oh, Maleficent. Sure is a real shame, the fate of poor Yuki." The old fairy spoke, dumping stuff in her cauldron. Her shadow nodded. "But just look at this!" She observed her wand, still glowing with the powers absorbed from Midna. "That magnificent monster is just the start of all the wonderful things I can do with this wand! So many gifts! Oh, but I still have this curse… but it'll be dealt with soon enough. Imagine how powerful I can become if I find the other three Fused Shadows! And you are certain of their locations?"

Maleficent smiled and nodded, speaking to her master telepathically.

"I see. They are being guarded by Three Families of Shadow. One of them being the Faciliers… and another being the Sommers. And the _last_ one, as I've suspected… lies with-" She stopped herself, hearing her cave door open and seeing none other than Jagar King standing by himself at the entrance. "Oh! Jagar King!" Talzin gasped with glee. "What an unexpected surprise. Come, come right in, it's rude to stand in the doorways, Dear." Jagar did so and walked forward. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Jagar angrily kicked the witch's cauldron. "It's YOUR fault that Yuki's dead! He's gone because of you!"

"Temper, temper, boy." Lucinda wagged her finger. "I'm afraid Yuki was killed of his own actions. His and yours… if you hadn't left him for exile, he probably would've chosen to stay. He wouldn't have gotten mixed in with us… but what do I know? I'm not a timebender… not like you are."

"I know what you're implying, Lucinda, and I'm not changing the past."

"How simply droll. And just why did you make your way all the way out here?"

"…Because… I want to make a deal."

"Oh." Lucinda's expression lit up with interest.

"I know I can't trust Rumpel… but deep down, you do know what's best. Your methods aren't the best… but your intentions, however… you really do mean good."

"Ahh… finally. A child who truly understands me." the fairy smiled. "My child… I would be happy to help you _any_ way that I can." She gently rubbed the boy's hair. "After all, that's what I live for. To help unfortunate children like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to." She turned and walked away as she began to sing.

_I admit that in the past I've-_

"Okay, okay, can we PLEASE not do 'Little Mermaid'?"

"What? I've rehearsed this song for hours…"

"I-I know, it's just… do we REALLY have to?"

She sighed in depression. "No… anyhow, what is it you would like me to do?"

"To bring Yuki back to life. If Maleficent is your shadow, then you must have connections with the Underworld."

Lucinda looked at her loyal shadow and smiled, and she smiled back. "My boy… I would be _honored_ to bring your friend back from the dead. However, it's just… not in my power. …But with YOUR power-"

"Lady, what did I just say?"

"Come now, Jagar, you must see reason. The only _other_ way to bring your friend back from the dead… is to stop him from dying period. Oh, but don't worry: you'll not need to worry about breaking your promise to Clockwork. Because I will change time for you!"

"What? You're not a timebender."

"Ah… but I have this." The witch reached into her cauldron and pulled out a necklace with a clock on it. "This little charm is what timebenders in training use to help on their way. While it is meant for timebenders, anyone can use them. I seem to recall you having one. But I'm afraid this one has been long since sucked of its power. In order for it to work… a timebender must _willingly_ give up their power. In other words, you must sign your bending over…" she reached into her sleeve and pulled out and unrolled a contract, presenting it to Jagar, "_to me_."

Jagar felt strongly unsure about this, reading over the contract. He wanted to save Yuki, but… giving up his bending?

"It's all valid, plain and simple. You sign over your bending to me, and I will use it to stop Yuki's unfortunate incident with his curse AND… prevent your SELF from dying. However… I wanted to add a little extra touch of my own."

"What kind of touch?"

"Trust me, Child, you'll love it. All I wanted to do was… tinker a little with poor Yuki's personality. I wish to change him so that he isn't a coldhearted, selfish little child, but rather kind and caring. It's a reasonable change, no? And that way, he will NEVER hate or be hated by anyone. And he will have all the friends in the world."

Jagar took a moment to think about this. Having a nicer Yuki would make things better for both of them… but it didn't feel right changing somebody's personality against their own will. However, if the idea was about changing the past, then it wouldn't really count, would it? …No, it shouldn't. But he didn't quite trust Lucinda… not yet. He nodded and made his decision, "I'll do it. But on one condition: you make the Unbreakable Vow."

"Ooooh. You don't play gently, do you? Very well then… let us begin." The two reached out and took the other's hand. Maleficent breathed some green fire around the interlinking arms, which then formed a green magical chain around them, marking the Vow.

"Do you promise to only use these powers to prevent my death, and prevent Yuki from getting his curse, and to change his personality as stated in the contract, and nothing more?"

"I will."

"Do you promise to stay out of mine, his, and our friends' affairs after doing said changes?"

"I will."

"And… do you promise… after using these timebending powers to establish said changes… that you will bring that necklace, and those powers, to another timebender who so rightfully deserves it?"

Lucinda's smile grew into a wicked grin. She may have had no other choice but to make a deal she couldn't go back on… but she still had this boy right where she wanted. "I will." With the Vow made, the chains sunk into their skin, and their arms released. "The Vow is done. Now… sign the dotted line, and all of your troubles will be gone."

The fairy held the contract, and the pen, in front of the timebender. Jagar hesitantly looked back-and-forth between her and the contract, feeling this whole deal may have been too easily made. But Jagar knew that Lucinda did mean well. Even if what she was doing WAS evil in reality, all she intended was to do good. Plus, the two even made the Unbreakable Vow. Even if she survived it before, she couldn't possibly survive breaking _another_ Unbreakable Vow. He snatched the pen from her hand and signed his name, _Jagar King_, in gold ink on the dotted line. The name brimmed with light upon the piece of paper, as the magical deal was taking effect. Jagar felt himself covered in light-blue glow, which all shrunk down into his chest and came out in the form of some floating light, with the image of a clock, the symbol for timebending. His timebending power flowed into Lucinda's clock necklace, closing it tight as she embraced the mystical object in her fingers.

"So… what now?"

Lucinda Talzin held the necklace by the string, letting the clock dangle back-and-forth as she waved her other hand. "Have a nice life, Jagar. Hmhmhmhahahahahahaha!" The fairy burst into laughter, vanished as a ghastly-green tornado engulfed the entire cavern. Jagar screamed as the tornado forcibly sucked him to the sky, and everything around him faded and vanished into blackness.

* * *

><p><strong>And so, Jagar gives up his bending, and makes a deal with the devil. What will be the result of this? Will she trick him? Will she live up to her promise? Judging by the evil laugh, I wouldn't be too sure. BUT, you never know. Also, the Crystal Colossus is basically a remake of the Ice Titan from <em>Hercules<em>. He was also in _Kingdom Hearts_. Next time, we will see the result of this magical deal, and do the finale of Jagar's story. Later.**


	64. Bing Bong, The Wicked Witch Is Dead!

**Hey, everybody! Time for the end of Jagar's story! What's the result of Lucinda's deal? Let's find out!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stolen Time: Jagar's Regretful Decision.<em>**

Jagar groggily woke up after his magical ordeal, finding himself lying in a bed of some dark, yet strangely familiar bedroom. He rapidly shot his head up and asked, "Where am I?" as he looked around.

"Hey, Jagar! You're awake!"

"Ahh!" Jagar screamed slightly when somebody barged in his room. It was a scrawny boy in a blue T-shirt, tan-colored khakis, black shoes, and smooth white hair. "…Yuki?"

"Hey, the guys are all going to the Hunger Burger. Let's go with 'em! Come on, Numbuh 1:00!"

"Numbuh One-O…" Jagar confusedly threw off his blanket and ran out of bed, pulling his window curtain open to look outside. His mouth dropped at the vast fields of his homeland of Iceland, the mountains towering past the clouds in the distance, and seeing he was back in his old room at Sector IC. "I… it worked. The spell worked."

"What worked?" Yuki asked.

Jagar jumped over in front of him and started shaking Yuki by the shirt collar. "Yuki! Do you remember anything? ? Ice powers, timebending, magical elves… anything?"

"Uhhh…"

Jagar could plainly see Yuki's confusion, and his mouth immediately grew into a wide grin. "I DID IT, Yuki! I… CHANGED the PAST! WOOHOO!" The excited boy started aimlessly jumping around the room. Yuki only stood confusedly, twirling his finger by his head, gesturing that Jagar had gone crazy. "I'm not dead! And YOU don't have ice powers! Annnd… our sector likes us, right?"

"Erm, last I checked, yeah. They're sort of waiting for us."

"And you aren't mad at me… right?"

Yuki chuckled, "Why would I be mad at you? You are my best friend."

"OH YEEEAH! !" Jagar started playing an invisible air-guitar.

"Um, are you okay, Jagar? You musta had a pretty bad dream."

"Oh, I'm BETTER than okay! I'm ALIVE, Yuki!" he yelled happily, jumping beside his friend again. "And best of all, so are you!" With that, he embraced Yuki in a hug. "Boy, wait until I tell Misty and Oli-" He stopped himself and released Yuki, remembering what he did. "Oh… yeah."

"Misty and who?"

"Um, nothing. They're nobody."

"Uh…huh. Anyway, come on, Buddy! I'm gettin' hungry! Maybe a nice cheeseburger's what you need to get the CRAZY outta your system." He playfully nudged Jagar's arm.

"Heh, sure thing, Dude. Just let me get dressed." Yuki did so and left Jagar alone, leaving the timebender to slip on his socks and shoes. Jagar looked to his nightstand and studied the picture of him, Yuki, and the rest of his sector. Smiling at the happy memories they used to share, he quickly threw on the rest of his regular clothes and hurried after Yuki, eager to relive those happy memories.

And for the next several hours, that's just what they did. Jagar and Yuki did everything they could to make up for lost time; as far as Jagar knew, from having lunch at the Hunger Burger, going on a mission to kick Ice Cream Man butt, ringing doorbells of adults' houses and running away, and so on. And Yuki seemed to be a much funner person to hang out with, likely due to the spell Lucinda cast to make him a better person. Jagar had to admit he did kind of like this new Yuki, and because of this change, lots of other people did, too… but deep down, Jagar didn't feel right about what he did. Changing peoples' personalities like that is really what got Lucinda so much hate in the first place. And Jagar was even beginning to feel remorse for Misty and Olive, having left them to create this alternate timeline.

After a while, the two broke up with the rest of their sector and went to hang out at the park, simply sitting on the swingset and letting their feet dangle as Jagar still kept to his thoughts. "Hey, Yuki? Ever get that feeling where… you make this really important decision that you can't go back on, because you wanted to get back something you lost, but then… you feel like it was the wrong choice because you gave up something else?"

"Umm… not that I recall. Why? Did you?"

"Er…" Jagar shook his head, "it's nothing."

"Come on, Buddy. You can tell me, right?" Yuki smiled.

"Um… I… augh!" Jagar angrily stood up. "No, I can't! Because that isn't the real you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The way you act all nice and…and cool and stuff. That isn't how you're supposed to be. The real you is… well, maybe not AS good, but…"

Yuki only stared at him and blinked in total confusion. "You SURE you're feeling alright, Jagar? I mean… earlier, you tried to stop a group of bullies by… 'freezing them in time', or something…"

"Umm… maybe I still need to cool down from that dream last night. Hey! Why don't we go to Lime Rickey's down in Virginia? We can take the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. there!"

"Uh… are you sure you wanna go down to Virginia? Aren't you afraid of getting cursed?"

"Cursed? What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? A few days ago, the witch-demon that's been terrorizing the towns of other sectors appeared there and started casting her little hexes. Thank God she hasn't come down here, yet. I'm not really looking forward to getting one of her 'gifts'."

"'Gifts'?" Jagar gasped. "Oh no!"

**Cleveland, Virginia**

The two were passing over the town in their shabby camper, already catching sight of the mysterious black cloud that was looming over. "Is that…" Jagar noticed the upper half of some figure atop the cloud, throwing energy blasts down from a huge wand in its hand, with a big, golden star on the wand's rod. Jagar gasped as he recognized the being right away. "Oh no…"

Lucinda Talzin's wicked cackle echoed to the skies as the supersized witch threw spells all over the place. _"At long last! A thousand years of exile have been worth it! Time to make up for lost time!"_ She looked down at the playground behind Gallagher Elementary, noticing Kuki Sanban. _"YOU! I bestow the Gift of Obedience! IMPERIOLOSO!"_ Kuki screamed when the spell zapped her dead-on.

Ace watched them from a few feet away and smirked, approaching Kuki. "Hey, you. Kiss me." And against her own will, Kuki embraced the Hispanic boy in a kiss.

The witch turned her attention to the Cleveland Park's playground, seeing Sector W and some other kids having a butt-busting competition, in which Angie Granite was able to make a HUGE crater in the ground. "BUHUNDRED METERS!" the referee called.

"Aw, man! That totally cheats!" Harvey McKenzie yelled in anger, folding his arms as Sonya, Lee, and Paddy snickered at him. Lucinda caught notice of him right away.

_"Oh, you poor dear."_ Harvey looked up at the witch, now quaking in terror. _"A boy as troubled as you deserves a more simple life. Mikauhama rama, what a quirrel. Turn this poor boy into a squirrel."_ And the magical blast fired and zapped the boy, transforming him into… _"A skunk? Darn. I can never get that right."_

"Aww. He's so adorable!" Sonya smiled, picking her leader up and hugging him to her chest. Harvey glared at her and released gas from his tail, and Sonya immediately covered her nose.

Talzin then caught noticed of Nigel and Lizzie, the bald Brit wincing at the sound of his chubby girlfriend's shouts and complaints. _"My, aren't you two the unhappy couple?"_ The two looked and gasped in horror at her sudden appearance. _"But I'll have that fixed soon enough. I give to you… the Gift of Eternal Love!"_ She cast the pink spell and zapped the two. Nigel and Lizzie looked into each others' eyes, becoming totally infatuated and embracing in a kiss.

Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb were in their backyard at this time, kicking back and catching rays in their lawn chairs when Lucinda appeared over them. _"Well, aren't you two the happiest couple? I give to you: the Gift of… um… not… being able to separate! Wow, I gotta come up with better names."_ With that, she cast the spell on the two adults and vanished, and they continued to relax in the sun.

"…A waste of a spell, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Wink?"

"A waste of a spell indeed, Mr. Fibb."

"Mother Talzin!" Jagar exclaimed, pressing his face to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. window. "What is she doing? !"

"She appeared out of nowhere almost a year ago." Yuki explained. "Since then, she's been going around and casting these awful spells on people. Just last week, she gave Numbuh 101 the Gift of Intelligence. He started to know everything there was to know, including the future. Now he's going into despair of not being able to be surprised ever again. Heck, he's even going as far as to beat himself up and drink those adult drinks, hoping it'll make him dumber. It's… not looking well for him."

"But that's impossible. She shouldn't be able to grant gifts at all. What could've happened?"

"AHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" came another wicked and unnerving cackle.

"What the… RUMPEL!" Jagar noticed the devious elf riding his goose outside their ship.

"If you want an explanation, meet me on top of the school." Rumpel instructed, riding down to the top of Gallagher Elementary as the two operatives followed. After landing, the two stepped off their shabby camper as Rumpel climbed off his bird, blowing bubbles out of a pipe in his mouth as he stepped over to the kids.

"Alright, Rumpel, start explaining: what's Mother Talzin doing granting curses?"

"Oh, Jagar. It's so sad, really, that you never realize when you've been tricked."

"What?"

"I had this entire thing planned from the very beginning. Although my powers are under suspension, _I_ am a timebender, TOO! Everything from Yuki joining with me, to you making a deal with Lucinda was all MY intention! Several months ago, I was sitting all alone and bored in my carriage when I stumbled upon a rather interesting passage in a book I was reading. A passage that tells how to take away someone's bending and claim it as your own! How would this be possible, you might ask? Why, if the bender WILLINGLY gives away his bending to the other person!"

Jagar gasped.

"Here's the story: after the lot of you left poor old Yuki to himself at the North Pole, _I_ came up to him with an offer he couldn't refuse, involving giving him total control over his powers and revenge against the KND. After he _did_ join me, the next thing on the agenda was to pay a visit to poor Mother Talzin, so she could give Yuki the strongest icebending powers the world's ever seen. In which, of course, we had to recover that stupid shadow of hers from Dr. Facilier. Then after we did, and we gave Yuki his gift, that's when I finally explained this ingenious plan to Talzin herself. You already know this next bit: we turn Yuki into a monster, he gets destroyed, and you crawl into Lucinda's cave and make the deal that led to this very alternate timeline. All because of your misguided faith toward Lucinda and her ways. And BOTH of us know that fairy could never do any REAL good, even if it WAS her intention to do so. Anyhoo…

"After you made the deal to sign away your bending, and forced her to make that Unbreakable Vow… well, that's just what she did: she went back in time, stopped Yuki's accident, stopped YOU from dying, and of course changed Yuki from a selfish and uncaring brat to someone kind and sweet." Rumpel shuddered at this thought. "But when the part came where she had to give the timebending power to a timebender who so 'rightfully' deserved it… well, what person would deserve it more…" Rumpel's smirking face turned to one of madness and anger, "than someone who wasted YEARS of his life SLAVING to a factory of HAPPY, SINGY, ANNOYING ELVES? !"

"YOU?"

"THAAAT'S right!" Rumpel pulled out the clock necklace which contained Jagar's power. "A timebender who was wrongfully suspended of his own powers deserves it more than any other. And now, I am the only living timebender in this entire world!"

Jagar growled and grit his teeth in anger.

"Oh, but it doesn't stop there! Unfortunately, bestowing the power to me was considered a 'gift'. And for breaking her previous Unbreakable Vow THREE times, Lucinda met with a terrible… well, you know. But it didn't matter. With my new timebending powers, I went back in time to the very date where little miss strong-willed Ella and that good-for-nothing maid of hers, (who I believe was actually her real mother), pressed charges against poor Lucinda. So when she was taken to Fairy Court, and Mr. Big-and-Powerful Jorgen von Strangle was about to plant that curse upon her, I FROZE time in place and swiped Jorgen's King Wand."

_"Lucinda… for your crimes against Planet Avalar, this Fairy Court finds you guilty." The Fairy King spoke, raising his huge wand as it brimmed with powerful energy. "I sentence you into exile, and you will never-" Before he could fire the spell, his wand vanished into thin air. "Vhat? Vhere is my wand?"_

_"Oh… you mean…" Jorgen looked and gasped at Rumpel Stiltskin, aiming his King Wand directly at him, "THIS WAND?"_

"So I took Jorgen out with his own wand and presented it to Talzin. Then, I proceeded to explain this entire complicated and convoluted plan that led to such. And with her banishment stopped, she was FREE to roam the galaxies, granting her wonderful gifts to all the bratty children of the world! And Yours Truly was free to use timebending as he pleased! It _all_ worked out for everybody, did it not?"

"AAUUGH!" Jagar angrily grabbed Rumpel by the shirt. "You lying little sneak! FIX everything right now!"

"TOO BAD!" Rumpel smacked his hands off. "I didn't create this timeline! YOU did! After you signed away your bending to Talzin so she would change the past. In that sense, you technically broke your promise to Clockwork. DOUBLE WAMMO!"

Jagar's fist trembled, resisting the urge to punch the elf in the eye. "I can't believe… You had this planned all along!"

"Oho, more than you know, Jagy. I'm the one that GAVE Yuki his curse in the first place." Jagar gasped again. "Santa has the power to grant any gift, including bending. He created that special little invention specifically for someone who wished for an element to bend. However, granting somebody such a power only resided in the decision of the spirits, so he decided against using it and tossed it away. Thankfully, I found it in his trash and chose just the right person to zap. But sadly, he no longer has his bending, so the invention has gone to waste."

Rumpel then climbed back onto his bird and kicked her hips as Fifi flapped her wings and started to lift off. "Oh, hey, almost forgot! Every time Lucinda grants one of her gifts, it actually builds up magical energy in her wand! That little spell she placed on Kuki was only the start! Once she has enough power, she'll be able to cast her Grand Imperio on ALL the kids on this entire planet! And EVERY bratty kid in the world will be forced to live the marvelous life of obedience!"

Hearing this shocked Jagar the worst of all. _Every_ kid in the world would be robbed completely of their freewill and live as slaves if Lucinda kept doing what she was doing?

"And THAT includes Iceland, too!" Rumpel exclaimed. "Since you guys didn't make an Unbreakable VOW in this time, there's nothing holding her BACK! Wah ha ha! I still can't WAIT for when it happens! Catch ya later, Jagar King!" The maniacal elf cackled away and flew off to the heavens.

"NOO!" Jagar fell to his knees and punched his fist to the roof. "I can't believe it! I fell right into their trap… like an idiot!"

"Jagar… what was that guy talking about?" Yuki asked.

Jagar sighed and stood up to face his friend. "Yuki…"

_Some time later…_

"So, I had these powers to control ice, you could control time, and that Lucinda lady turned me into a monster that Santa destroyed, so you went and made a deal with Lucinda that she would change our fates in exchange for your bending, which she gave to Rumpel Stiltskin?"

"Um… that about sums it up."

"Just one question, why would Santa make a missile launcher for someone?"

"I don't know!"

"Okay… Still, that all sounds pretty cool! …Except that part where I wanted to destroy you. I can't believe I was like that."

"Well… you were. And now, because of me, we're both powerless, and Lucinda's going to turn every kid in the world into will-free slaves."

"Well, what're we gonna do?"

"We've got to find her. We've got to find her and make her fix everything. Er, the real her. Not that holographic projection. Argh, but where could she be?"

"I bet that Facilier guy knows. Ever since that witch showed up, he's been working nonstop. Everyone wants a charm from him to help get rid of their curses."

"Well… he's going to have more work on his shoulders, now."

**Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium**

"H-Hey! Calm down! One at a time, now, o-one at a-" Facilier tried to say as dozens of kids gathered around his table.

"Dr. Facilier, I can't take another drop of that alcohol stuff!" Numbuh 101 exclaimed, his eyes baggy and his expression panicky. "You gotta have some kind of stupid potion!" Nigel immediately shoved him out of the way.

"DR. FACILIER, HELP! I can't stopping thinking about LIZZIE! She's just so magnificent. YOU'VE GOTTA HELP! AHH!" Sonya shoved him away, holding the skunk Harvey in her arms.

"M-Mr. Facilier, can you please change Harvey back to normal?"

"'Scuse me, I was here first." Roger the Alien said, moving Sonya aside. "Hi, I'm not 'cursed' or anything, but I'm trying to screw this lady. You have any sleeping pills I can borrow?"

"Hey, Buddy, those are for me! Giggity!" Glenn Quagmire told him, pushing the alien aside. Soon, everyone in the room ended up in a brawl, swallowing the room in a puff of smoke which Facilier was unable to control.

Jagar and Yuki hurried in there and looked around the brawling crowd, seeing no clear way around. Jagar gritted his teeth and closed his ears in annoyance of the screaming children. "STOOP!"

Right as he said it, everybody came to a complete stop. Some kids were frozen in midair after being thrown, Sonya was on the ground, being strangled by skunk-Harvey, and some kids were frozen as their fists came in contact with other kids' faces in a punch. Jagar and Yuki could only stare in amazement, exchanging glances before both stared at Jagar's hands. Their attention was then drawn to Clockwork, who appeared out of thin air with his hand raised and glowing.

"Clockwork!" Jagar's smile grew wider when Misty and Olive appeared beside the ghost as well.

"Miss us?" Misty smirked.

"Guys? But how-"

"We're Time Spirits. It's not easy to erase US." Olive told him.

Clockwork went around to the Sector V members in the room and tapped each of them with his clock staff, making a tiny light sparkle. Once he was finished, the spirit snapped his fingers, and the five fell to the ground unfrozen. "Uuuhhh…" Abby groaned, holding her head. "What the-? How did we get here?"

"And why is everybody frozen?" Hoagie asked.

"You are in an alternate timeline," Clockwork explained, "where Lucinda controls the world using her curses. Each of you are here because you hoped that Facilier would have something to heal a curse Lucinda has placed on you. For example, Wally has been cursed with politeness, Hoagie was cursed with being so great a pilot, every other pilot is terrible, and any candy Abby eats tastes like vegetables."

"NOOOO!" Abby screamed.

"I have just used my powers to restore each of your memories from the original timeline, whose events have not quite happened in this time." Clockwork then drifted to Facilier, tapping the witch-doctor with the staff and releasing him.

"WHOA! What the 'eck happened?" he panicked frantically.

"Yeah… how did this happen, anyway? Er, if I may ask." Wally asked, politely. Misty, Olive, and Yuki's eyes focused on Jagar, so everyone else looked at him, too.

"I…" Jagar scratched his head in embarrassment, "I may have made a deal with…"

"Aw no! Y'all made a deal with Rumpel Stiltskin, didn't you? ?" Facilier asked.

"Worse… Lucinda."

"! !" Everyone gasped. "Aw, no… why'd ya do it, Jagar?" Abby asked.

"I-"

"Why he did it doesn't matter now." Clockwork interrupted. "What's done is done. What's important now is that we stop her. Lest the Kids Next Door itself become a fragment of the past."

"Alright, so how do we stop Lucinda?" Facilier asked.

"If I might make a suggestion, perhaps we should go and beat her brutishly and see if she would like to fix everything?" Wally suggested.

"Man, polite Wally is so boring." Abby said. "And yet still the same as ever. Numbuh 5 don't see how that would work."

"It's never really failed before." Hoagie shrugged.

"But how do we find where Lucinda lives?" Kuki asked.

"I'm sure Clockwork knows." Olive guessed, shooting a sarcastic stare at the spirit.

"Yes, but I'm not the one who needs to fix everything." Clockwork smirked.

"Well, who else in the entire universe knows everything? !" Misty shouted.

"Wait a minute… knows everything! That's it!" Jagar's mind alit with another idea. "Clockwork, unfreeze Matt!" Clockwork faced the museum curator and snapped his fingers, making the child mobile again.

"I mean, just last week, I wasn't even surprised when-…" Numbuh 101 stopped himself, remembering that everyone was frozen. "Oh."

"Matthew, I need to know how to stop Lucinda." Jagar told him.

"Oh, that's easy." Matt smiled knowledgably. "The best way to beat that old witch is to redirect her own curses back at her. Preferably that Imperioloso one that takes everybody's freewill. You can probably do that using your Rewind ability. But you better be careful. Her magic is more powerful with Jorgen von Strangle's King Wand."

"If we zapped her with her own curse, she'd have to fix everything, I bet!" Misty perked. "Good thinking, Jagar!"

"Heh, don't thank me. It was Matt's idea." Jagar smiled proudly.

"But where can we find Lucinda?" Yuki asked.

"Lucinda lives in her Enchanted Domain, an ancient castle along a mountain range on Planet Avalar." Matt explained. "However, it's protected by a powerful magical barrier. But that shouldn't be a problem, because Hoagie's Gift of Expertise Piloting skills will allow him to ram the barrier so fast, it can break through!"

"That sounds kind of dangerous." Hoagie replied.

"Well, if Matt knows everything, then it should work, right?" Kuki asked.

"Okay, team, let's take the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., get over to Planet Avalar, and put that witch in her place pronto!" Numbuh 1 ordered. "Because the sooner we get back, the sooner I get to be with my darling _Lizzie_!" Nigel made a goofy expression.

"How 'bout we hurry up so we don't have ta listen to yo' constant pining over Lizzie?" Abby remarked.

"Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!"

"I'm coming, too!" Matt yelled as everyone gave battle cries and ran to board the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

Meanwhile, everyone else in Facilier's voodoo shop remained frozen in time. With the exception of Roger the Alien, who glanced around before dropping free himself, brushing himself off. "What they _didn't_ know was _I'm_ a timebender, too." He smirked. The alien then noticed the time-frozen skunk-Harvey, and picked him up from Sonya's neck. "Well, aren't you a cutie." He smiled, tapping Harvey's nose. "…I'm gonna take this home with me." With that, he carried the immobile child out of there.

**Above atmosphere of Planet Avalar**

After zooming out of hyperspace (because Hoagie apparently found out how to do that), the air-worthy school bus was closing in on the fairytale-themed planet. During which time, Misty noticed Jagar sitting glumly in one of the back corners, leaning his head against the wall. Misty went to sit beside him for comfort. "What's wrong, Jagar?"

The boy sighed and sat up straight. "It's this whole thing. I promised you guys that I wouldn't use my power for the wrong reason… and I totally broke it."

"No you didn't. You were willing to sign away what made you special just to save somebody important to you. You didn't really do anything wrong. If anyone's misused their powers, it's Lucinda. And that's why we need to bring her down."

"But she wouldn't even be where she is now if I hadn't fallen into her game."

"Jagar, everyone makes mistakes. But even though we're timebenders, we can't linger on the past or try to change it. We have to make the best of things for the future."

Jagar only sighed in depression.

"Tell you what: would it make you feel better if I told you my true name?"

"Your… true name?"

"I never tell anyone my true name, except for people I can trust. And right now, I can tell you feel that you can't be trusted for anything. That's why I'm asking."

"Hm… well… if you want to."

Misty smiled. "My true name… is…" she put her mouth beside his ear and whispered, "_Ukonatolious_."

She pulled away as Jagar turned and smiled at her. "Hehe… nice name." Misty gave a wide grin, showing her sparkling white teeth.

"Look! There's the castle!" Kuki screamed suddenly, pointing ahead as they were entering the planet's atmosphere. There was a massive castle surrounded by a mountain range, protected by a huge bubble-shaped barrier, with some kind of energy flowing through the top and into the highest tower.

"Hang on to your underwear, kids, 'cause we're in for a bumpy landing!" Hoagie exclaimed excitedly, stomping the ship's gas pedal and making it zoom faster. The strong momentum forced the riders against the backs of their seats, with their mouths jiggling back and exposing their gritted teeth, and Kuki was literally gripping her underwear due to Hoagie's technical order. "Here it comes…" The heroes shielded their eyes from the incoming impact. "Steady…" They squinted their eyes open a crack to see it coming. Finally, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. came into contact with the shield, struggling to push its way through the magical barrier, but was eventually able to do so, the ship wobbling a little before Hoagie came for a landing upon the long bridge which led to the castle. "And voila." The pilot said simply as they all stepped off. "Told ya I could make it."

"So, this is Lucinda's castle…" Jagar spoke as everyone's eyes were transfixed on the colossal fortress. (Play "Enchanted Dominion" from _Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep_.) The castle was colored a yellowish-white, decorated with pink ribbons and curtains. The outer walkways upon the walls were patrolled by strange pig-like demons, and monkeys with wings sat perched atop the towers. The castle had several outer courtyards with hedge statues of various princesses, and had many towers. The tower that caught the heroes' attention was the center one, which was highest of all and had the strong magic flowing into it from the sky.

"Lucinda's chamber is in the highest room of the tallest tower." Matthew spoke.

"Uuuuugh." At this, Hoagie and Wally moaned and slumped against the other, not wanting to go up all those stairs. "Please excuse my moaning." Wally said.

"Well, we can't just stand here." Jagar reminded. "We have to get up there and stop that witch."

"Jagar's right. Let's do it, team. For Lizzie!" Nigel cheered, earning stares from all his friends. "Ugh. Let's just go."

While everyone else proceeded across the extremely long bridge toward the castle, Jagar remained in his spot, looking worriedly at the tower. "Something wrong?" Clockwork asked.

"I…I'm not really sure if I can do this. She took my bending away, Clockwork. I'm not really any good without it."

"Jagar… it's not the power, but the heart which makes someone strong. Remember there are two sides to every element: the physical side and the spiritual. She may have taken your physical side… but your spiritual side remains intact. Jagar… you have always been strong with the Element of Time. Your happy memories with Yuki and all of your friends in the Kids Next Door… those are what kept your spirit alive. You became so fueled by the power of friendship those memories bestowed upon you, you would've sacrificed everything to keep that friendship. Lucinda can take someone's bending, or rob someone of their willpower… but she can never take away what really makes a person strong. And it's that inner strength which will allow you to defeat her."

This gave Jagar the boost of confidence he needed. He faced the castle with a look of determination. "You're right. It was friendship that gave me the strength to make amends with Yuki, and it'll be friendship that will allow me to save him! Thanks, Clockwork." He nodded to the spirit. "Now if you'll excuse me… I have to teach a certain witch a lesson." With that, he dashed to the castle after the others.

Clockwork remained floating in his spot, smiling after Jagar before looking down at the staff in his hands. "Look at him, Chrono Staff… the perfect apprentice to take my place. I'm going to miss you… but nothing lasts forever." He looked back toward Jagar's direction, his face serious. "Not even this old spirit…"

_Stage 55: Enchanted Domain_

_Mission: Teach Lucinda Talzin a lesson!_

The heroes arrived at the front gate of the castle, closed tight as the Pig Goons spotted them from above, throwing spears at them. Facilier drew out his green flubber and tossed it to a torch hanging on the wall below their station. He hauled himself up to reach the station and cast spells to stun the goons, afterwards flipping the lever which made the gates rise open. He dropped back down to the gang as they entered the first courtyard, where some witches spotted them and started throwing spells. Facilier and Nigel fought back with spells and firebending while Yuki grabbed some water from a nearby fountain, throwing it over to melt the witches.

They hurried into a door in a wall on the side of the garden, entering a room where some gargoyle statues came to life and started slashing their wings at them. Wally and Abby punched and kicked the gargoyle statues and shattered them as Wally remarked, "Sincerest apologies, old chap.", then continued into the next garden. Some witches hid behind hedge statues of Snow White and Princess Aurora as they fired spells to the heroes, but Nigel set the statues on fire and made the witches fall out, allowing the timebenders to freeze them in place. As they were headed toward the door on the other side, a spell shot down from a higher point and zapped the two sunflowers beside the entrance, the plants growing to their height and coming to life as they began beating on Hoagie and Wally. Nigel and Facilier easily defeated the flowers by shooting fire on them, the plants running around with their heads aflame before they bumped the wall and fell over.

Inside the next room, they found and climbed a ladder which took them to a higher floor, where Hoagie drew out his Diffusion Rifle and started shooting the goons patrolling the outer walkway. Some flying monkeys spotted them from above and swooped down, drawing out bows and arrows and shooting at them, but Facilier cast stunning spells and made the monkeys drop down. They continued to one of the towers, where the next walkway appeared to be rolled up. Facilier tossed his flubber to a wooden handle sticking from the tower and used it to haul himself up, where he knocked out a goon and flipped another lever, which made the walkway bridge extend.

As the kids hurried across, some witches spotted them from higher floors and swooped down to ram them, but Misty and Olive froze them in time with their bending, then Rewound them to send them back up. Jagar tried to stop the witch coming at him, but because of his loss of bending, the witch rammed and knocked him over. Misty and Olive helped Jagar up when the witch tried to come back, only for Facilier to cast a spell and stun her. "No bending. Remember?" Misty asked.

"Uh… right…"

They finally entered a door which led into the castle, finding their selves in a huge, wide hallway aligned with several giant columns. A bunch of dark portals appeared around the room which Heartless came out of, designed like dark-purple floating balls with three stubby tentacles and scary faces. Kuki and Matt pulled out a T.H.U.M.P.E.R. and S.C.A.M.P.P. respectively and began shooting at the Darkball Heartless, causing them to splat into dark gooey substance. They kept going and turned a corner of the hall, going up some stairs where two knights' armor statues stood guard at the top.

The armor came to life and drew swords, the kids jumping back before they struck down. Kuki gracefully flipped behind one of them and kicked it down the stairs, where Abby then kicked its head. Yuki ran up to the second one and was able to kick its right leg off, causing it to trip and fall down the stairs. They then continued down a dark hallway to their left, decorated with several gargoyle statues which Kuki couldn't help but quiver in fear. "This place is scaring me…"

"Don't worry. The tallest tower is just up-"

_"Help!"_ Matt was interrupted when a cry came from a door to their left. They hurried in there to find a dungeon chamber, finding none other than the Ice Climbers. Nana appeared to be trapped in a cage on the ceiling, and Popo was trying to get up the stairs along the side of the room which led up to the cage, only their curse was preventing him from doing so.

"Popo? Nana?" Jagar questioned.

"Yuki! Guys! You're here!" Nana smiled.

"How do you remember us?" Misty asked.

"We followed Jagar when he went to go make that deal." Popo answered.

"We ended up caught in that tornado thingy and taken to this other timeline, too." Nana followed.

"We landed in Lucinda's castle and she trapped us. Get us out!" they both shouted.

"Ah got this." Facilier told them, heading up the stairs to Nana's cage, aiming his cane at the lock. "Alohomora." At his command, the cane fired a spell which broke the lock, allowing Nana to jump down to Popo.

"Phew. Thank goodness." The male Ice Climber sighed in relief.

"So, what's going on?" Nana asked.

"We're on our way to stop Lucinda." Jagar answered.

"And if we don't hurry, she's going to curse our entire planet." Nigel said.

"Then we have no time to lose!" Popo said, his expression serious.

"Come on. Her tower should be just up ahead!" Nana told them, already running ahead as the others followed.

"I knew that!" Matt yelled after them.

The team hurried down the hall until they finally reached the bottom of the highest tower, a golden room alit with a mystical light. There seemed to be no way to go, except for five doors around the room. "Aha. We aren't reaching her room that easy." Matt announced.

"Might I ask why not?" Wally asked.

"To make the stairway to Talzin's chamber appear, we must clear these five trials."

"Ugh. What is with villains' evil lairs havin' trials we need to pass?" Abby complained.

"Well, there're plenty in our group." Nigel said. "It should be easy."

"Yes, but the best option would be for certain people to attempt these trials." Matt explained. "Abby, you take the one on the right. Kuki, the one next to that. Nigel will take the very left one, I will take the one beside that… and Yuki can take the middle. Let's do it, gang." With that done, they heroes split up into their predestined rooms.

Hoagie went with Abby into her room, where there appeared to be some kind of chocolate popsicle on a table in the center. Lucinda's mother-like voice echoed to them. _"Welcome, kiddies, to the first of five tests. What you must do here is simple: the key is inside the fudgesicle. Eat half of the fudgesicle to retrieve it _without_ becoming overpowered by its extreme coldness."_

"Oh, Numbuh 5, you can't do-" Hoagie tried to say.

"Says who? Step aside, Hoagie, and let Numbuh 5 show you how it's done." With that, the choco-skinned girl stepped over and grabbed the popsicle, proceeding to bite the treat in half. Hoagie shielded his head, expecting Abby's head to explode, but squinted his eyes open when she didn't.

"H-Hey… you're alright!"

"Ah wish. This vegetable curse comes in handy… but it still tastes awful! Blech!" She coughed the key out and walked out of there.

Wally went with Kuki into her room, which appeared to be some kind of cave with a key on the other side. _"Welcome, kiddies, to your test."_ Lucinda's voice sounded._ "I call this one 'Hall of Memory'. Just make it to the other side and retrieve the key without falling into one of the traps."_

"Oh, Oi see what this fair maiden is doing: a bit of _Indiana Jones_ rubbish, eh wot?" Wally observed.

"But I never watched that movie!" Kuki whined.

"Not a problem. Kuki: I command you to get through this obstacle course without being hit by any of the traps." And so, Kuki's curse forced her to do so. She ran ahead, slid under the spikes which emerged from the walls, jumped the spikes on the floor, flipped over the arrows from the wall, paused for a minute to let flames shoot down from the ceiling, waiting for them to stop before continuing. She kicked a secret switch in the wall to make an ax fall down, which she used to kill a skeleton guard. She leapt across a trapdoor, onto a piano on the ground, jumping across the correct keys which glowed, and made it to the key on the other side. After grabbing said key, she quickly dashed back down the hall as a giant boulder chased her, and she and Wally slid under the closing door before they were crushed. "Phew."

In Matthew's room, the know-it-all entered a similar hall, where the key was on the other side of a bottomless chasm. _"To reach this key, you must answer 5 riddles correctly. Answer 3 wrong, and you will fall. Question 1: In a year, there are 12 months. 7 months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?"_

"Pfft. That's easy. They ALL do, of course."

_"Correct."_ As a result, part of the floor appeared to make a path. _"Question 2: Two U.S. coins total 55 cents. One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?"_

"A nickel and a half-dollar. Duh."

_"Correct. Question 3: How many animals did Moses take aboard the ark?"_

"Ah, my favorite number: Zero."

_"Correct. Question 4: You are driving a bus. At the first stop, 2 women get on. At the second, 3 men get on and 1 woman gets off. Third stop, 3 kids and their mom get on, and a man gets off. The bus is grey, and it is raining outside. What color is the bus driver's hair?"_

"Mm-hm?" Matt picked a strand of his hair and studied it for a second. "Orange."

_"Correct: Question 5: What are the 3 missing letters in this sequence? J, F, M, A, _, _, _, A, S, O."_

"M, J, and J."

_"Congratulations. The key is yours."_

Matt walked over to pick up the key as he scoffed cockily. "Easy as that."

When Nigel entered his room, he smiled at the sight of his lover, Lizzie standing over on the left side. But he also noticed Numbuh 362 standing on the right side. _"Your test will be the Test of Love. The key resides with the maiden you cherish the most. Choose wisely… for your answer may impact your fate."_

Nigel was already ready to step over to Lizzie, but he stopped when he suddenly remembered his relationship with Rachel. Since he had his memories of the original timeline, he knew he was in love with Rachel… But he couldn't bring himself to go beside her because of how much he loved Lizzie. It was unwillingly, true, but he still loved Lizzie to no end. But it wasn't true love, so he should go with Rachel. He was beginning to get a headache from having to make this tough decision. He looked back-and-forth, Rachel, Lizzie, Rachel, Lizzie, Rachel, Lizzie. He gripped his head in aggravating pain… but he sucked it up and made his decision.

Lizzie's happy expression turned to extreme sadness when her crush walked over beside no one other than Rachel T. McKenzie. "Sorry, Lizzie. I love you… but my heart belongs to Rachel." Lizzie burst into tears and faded into nothingness. Nigel turned and smiled at his REAL girlfriend, who planted a kiss on the Brit's cheeks before handing Nigel the key, waving and fading away afterwards.

All that was left was Yuki's room. The former icebender entered a dark chamber with two doorways on both sides, looking up as a giant pair of hands hovered over him. _"Your mind has been twisted and mended by magical power. Allow me to restore your original memories."_

The pair of hands sprinkled some sparkling dust on Yuki, and the boy began to remember everything from the previous timeline. From getting his curse, being banished, his hatred toward Jagar and the KND, and his involvement with Rumpel and the witches.

_"Now… Question 1: When you hear the words 'Eight Firstborn'. If 'Important deities' comes to mind, go left. If 'Powerful mortal benders' comes to mind, go right."_

Yuki was about to go right… until he suddenly remembered just what the Firstborn were, hearing them from the witches. So, he went left into an identical room.

_"Question 2: When you hear the words 'Darth Genious'. If 'KND' comes to mind, go left. If 'BOE' comes to mind, go right."_ Yuki definitely remembered this. So, he entered the right door, into the last room. _"Question 3: When you hear the words 'Jagar King'. If 'revenge' comes to mind, go left. If 'friendship' comes to mind, go right."_

This one made Yuki think for a minute. Now that his previous memories were restored… he remembered the anger and rage he felt toward the timebender. His strong desire to take revenge on him and all of the KND. However… he also remembered his most recent thought: feeling that joining with those witches wasn't worth it, and wanting to make amends with his best friend. It was then he made his decision: he entered the right door, and found the key sitting on a pedestal. (End song.)

Once everybody completed their assigned trials, they all met back with Facilier, the timebenders, and Ice Climbers. "So, did you solve them?" Jagar asked.

"Easy as cake!" Nigel smiled, raising his key.

The crew then watched a Yuki stepped out of his room, his face slightly shocked. "I…I remember everything."

"Oh… you do?" Jagar asked, a tad startled by this info.

"Yeah… the trial kind of made me do that."

"Hmm… what parts come to mind?" Olive asked.

"…Wanting to beat the living crap out of that witch." Yuki fist-palmed.

"Yay!" the Ice Climbers jumped for joy.

Yuki held his hands out and open as small snowy flurries appeared in his hands. "Hey! I have my icebending back!"

"Well, that's strange. How is that possible?" Misty asked.

"Because he never lost it…" Clockwork spoke, appearing out of the shadows. "In truth… Yuki has always had his bending. It just needed time to awaken within himself, and Santa's invention speeded that process. As a result, his powers were uncontrollable, and he never took the time to try and control them."

Yuki conjured the ice sword in his hand and observed it.

"And due to Yuki's restored memories by Lucinda's hand, her Gift of Mastery was restored to him as well."

"So I don't need to master it then…" Yuki figured. "Heh. Well, that's just perfect." He smirked.

"He's right." Misty said. "The only reason we were able to get here was by the advantage of our… er, YOUR curses."

"Except for Wally's." Hoagie reminded.

"Well said, there, good fellow." Wally nodded.

"Then that means it's time to use Lucinda's own spells against her." Nigel stated, back in his leader mode. "Who's ready to teach her a lesson?"

"YEAH!"

"Present your keys." Clockwork instructed.

The five trial-winners did so and raised their keys to the ceiling. The keys sparked with light and caused a spiraling staircase to lower down from the ceiling, leading all the way to the top. The heroes began their long journey ALL the way up the tallest tower, the spiraling stairway seeming to go on for eternity as Hoagie and Wally were starting to grow tired, desperately gasping for air. When they were almost at the top, they finally came to a stop at a floor, where Wally and Hoagie moaned loudly. "Oh, thank heavens. I apologize for my moaning, terribly sorry, but it is soo stressful." Wally moaned.

"Ah, save your apologies for the fairy. After we get done beatin' her butt." Abby said.

"Not so fast. There's somebody trapped in that room." Matt said, pointing to some double-doors across from them. His statement appeared true as there was a groaning sound coming from the other side. They slid the doors open, finding a rather tall, scrawny figure chained to a wall by his wrists, wearing a small, golden crown on his head.

"Er… kids? Tell me: have you seen my rubber ducky?" the man spoke in a deep, German-ish accent.

"Who is that guy?" Wally asked. "…Excuse me for asking."

"Oh, that's the Fairy King." Matt answered.

"HE IS?" they all shouted.

"Yes. I am Jorgen von Strangle. Toughest fairy in the universe. A thousand years ago, an evil elf swiped my King Wand when I vasn't looking. He delivered it to Lucinda Talzin, and she used it to become… the _new_ most powerful fairy in the universe. She roamed the universe and used its incredible power to deliver her 'enchantments' upon innocent children. But zey are not enchantments. They are horrible curses. She has always been Fairy World's most wanted because of her crimes. And when I vas finally about to have her expelled, my wand was taken. Please… you must stop her. My muscles… my beautiful muscles grow weaker by the minute. I can't go this long… without having somebody… to punch!"

Dr. Facilier cast his previous spell and broke Jorgen's shackles. "Don't worry, Man. We'll get yo' wand back."

"But in the meantime, you can punch Wally!" Olive exclaimed, pushing the Aussie over to Jorgen.

"Now, if I might have a say-" Wally tried to speak.

"Ooh! A baby kangaroo!" Jorgen exclaimed, picking the shorty up by the head. "I have always WANTED to beat a baby kangaroo mercilessly!" With that, the militant fairy started bashing Wally against the floor, twirling him around before tossing him against the wall on the opposite end of the room. "Aha. Yes! Even with my scrawny exterior, I still have the strength to deliver a beating! I have the strength, and the energy, to keep going on!"

"Hehe, well ya won't have ta wait for long." Numbuh 5 assured. "Come on, guys. Let's go kick some witch booty."

"Ooo-hoo! Please hurry up!" Jorgen yelled as they started leaving down the hall. "When I get my wand back, merciless beatings for each of you!"

The crew went up another small staircase before reaching a pair of white, massive double-doors. "Here we are. Lucinda's behind this door." Matt told them.

"Alright, team. Let's do this. But be careful." Nigel ordered. The bald Brit went first inside, pushing open the double-doors that led to Lucinda's chamber. (Play "Sinister Shadows" from _Kingdom Hearts 2_!)

After finally reaching the highest room of the tower, they found the witch herself standing in the center, a powerful ray connecting her King Wand to the ceiling as magic flowed in. "She must be absorbing the magic." Olive guessed.

"Not for long." Jagar said, about to run and attack her.

"I wouldn't if I were you." At this, Jagar stopped and directed his attention at Rumpel and Gruntilda. "She's safely guarded by a barrier conjured by Yours Truly."

"Rumpel!" Facilier aimed his cane at the elf.

"Who's that other one?" Hoagie asked.

"Gruntilda. One of Rumpel's many girlfriends from Hogwarts. Looks like Talzin got her her skin back." And it was true; the witch that was previously a disembodied skeleton head on a lifeless body was back in the ghastly-green flesh, pitch-black robing, black witch hat, and purple scarf.

"Funny thing is, Grunty didn't originally have a role in this little plan." Rumpel explained. "But seeing as I needed her help after getting involved with the Dark Master anyway, I figured, why not let her in?"

"So, you've found your way up here." The witch spoke. "But this is where it all ends, dear. The children lose their will tonight. Come now, Rumpel. We must fight!"

_Sub-boss: Rumpel Stiltskin & Gruntilda Winkybunion_

Dr. Facilier tried to zap Rumpel with a spell right away, but the elf jumped away and called, "Avis!", launching birds from his wand that got in the voodoo man's face, Facilier too late to shoo them away before Rumpel slid between his legs and kicked him in the crotch. The Ice Climbers tried to bash him with their hammers, but Rumpel got to his feet and skipped away backwards, throwing out some goose eggs which exploded around them. The Sector V group had Gruntilda surrounded, aiming their weapons as Gruntilda only smirked and cackled. The witch ran and dodged most of the shots, some of them hitting her butt, before turning and hurling green energy blasts from her hands. Nigel dodged the blasts and got closer to the witch, shooting fireballs at her while Grunty also threw fireballs. Nigel jumped one of her blasts and kicked a flame from his foot at her face, making the witch roll back before she recovered and hurled more flames.

Jagar tried to run at Rumpel, but the elf smirked and took out his clock necklace, using it to freeze the boy in place. Rumpel cackled at this, but Misty and Olive suddenly jumped beside him, punching him in the eyes a few times before throwing him against the wall. Rumpel spat at the ground and glared angrily before standing up, spinning around as the girls ran at him and shooting magic rays from his wand. Facilier tried to whip him with his flubber, but Rumpel stylishly flipped behind and kicked the back of the shadow man's head, pushing him over before landing, then using combat to spin and kick the Ice Climbers away. Jagar jumped to try and grab him, but Rumpel jumped away, then was too late to avoid when Yuki ran over with his ice sword and dealt a few strikes against the Elfin.

Grunty shot a flame at Nigel's legs and was able to knock him off his feet, but yelped when she was zapped in the behind by Matt with his S.C.A.M.P.P.. The witch gritted her teeth before making a whistle, flipping to the air as her broomstick; which had a face, swooped in through the window and caught her on its back. Rumpel also made a whistle and leapt out the window, allowing Fifi to catch him on her back. The two soared around the outside of the room, the heroes keeping their guard up for them to strike, and Grunty swooped in through a window behind them, knocking the group over. Before they could stand up, Rumpel flew in and zapped a spell at them, keeping them down. Grunty tried to swoop in again, but the witch's broom malfunctioned, so Kuki was able to shoot her butt with her T.H.U.M.P.E.R..

The witch hovered to the ceiling and chanted, "Magic spell, seek thy prey. Let old Grunty win the day!" At her command, a charge of electrical energy appeared in her hands, which Grunty released to start homing in on Nigel. The bald Brit kicked on his rocket shoes and started flying around the area, but the spell continued to stay on his tail. Facilier kept trying to shoot magic shots at Rumpel, but his loyal goose was swiftly able to dodge. However, that's when Nigel came back around from the door behind Rumpel and shot past the Elfin, causing his goose to be zapped by the homing spell, and for Rumpel to fall down on his butt.

Nigel landed and shot a fireball at Gruntilda's broom, setting it on fire and making Gruntilda drop to the ground. Rumpel tried to raise his wand again, but Facilier called, "Expelliarmus!", flicking the magic wand out of Rumpel's hand. (End song.)

"Huff… you're very persistent, Harvey." Rumpel panted.

"Ah'm also better than you, right, Shadow?" Shadow Facilier nodded.

"We… would've made a great team, you and me."

"Yeah… but I had something better." Facilier then waved his cane and called, "Petrificus Totalus.", casting a spell which binded Rumpel's body, the elf falling to the ground on his back.

With the Elfin now unconscious, Jagar took this time to approach and reach into his pocket, pulling out the watch which contained his timebending power. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The clock was suddenly pulled away from Jagar's hand, over into Lucinda's.

The fairy finally ceased absorbing magic into her wand, the barrier now disabled as she faced Jagar. "Jagar King… what a pleasant surprise. Tell me, Child… are you enjoying my generous gift to you?"

"Lucinda! Stop this right now! Give back my timebending, take back all your curses, and FIX everything to the way it was before!"

"It's not a child's place to give the orders. But don't you see the _wonderful_ things I've brought to your world? My gifts are generous offerings from my heart. They have brought peace and good times."

"No they haven't! Your gifts are destroying our world! Forcing people to fall in love… obedience? You need to let people be who they are. You can't just make everything go YOUR way."

"I beg to differ. My way is the only way. I finally have the power to put bratty children in their place, to lead them on the true path to adulthood. And with this King Wand, ALL ungrateful children will see the TRUE good nature of my Imperioloso!"

"Lucinda… you really don't get it, do you?"

The fairy's mouth grew into a smile, turning to face her apprentice. "Rumpel, dearie…" She began to wave her wand again, zapping the Elfin with a powerful ray of magic. "I give to you another of my gifts. Blenders and ovens, very appliant. Become a combination of ogre, Elfin, and Giant." The ray of magic went away as the Elfin stood up, already feeling the transformation coming on. (Play "The Encounter" from _Kingdom Hearts 2_!)

Rumpel's body started to become a lot more muscular, his clothes ripping apart as he grew to nearly as high as the room. His ears and face became like that of an ogre's and his hands became all bulky, and the giant smirked at the heroes as he stomped and quaked the ground, the team getting ready to battle him.

_Boss fight: Lucinda Talzin & Ogle Frumpskin_

The monster tried to crush them under his right foot, but the heroes scattered and shot their own weapons back. Rumpel's buff skin protected him from most of the damage, and he reached down to grab Wally and Kuki in his right hand. He saw Jagar and Yuki running for Talzin, so he tossed the two at the benders, knocking them away. Rumpel looked up as Nigel flew over him with his rocket shoes, raising an arm in defense when Nigel tried to kick down. Nigel kicked the arm, but then flipped under it to kick a fireball at Ogle's eyes. He landed back on the floor before charging over to swing fire daggers at Rumpel's feet, making the giant ogre-elf hop around before falling over, nearly crushing Lucinda before she jumped out of the way. With her helper knocked out, the operatives proceeded to charge and attack the witch, who used Shadow Veil to slide away from them.

Lucinda came out and starting casting stunning spells at Sector V, but Facilier flipped over the attacks and countered with his own magic. "SLEEP!" she cried.

"Expelliarmus!" Facilier called, both wands connecting by a magical ray in which the two struggled to fight against the other.

"UWAHH!" Lucinda ended up zapped by the magic, drifting into sleep. That's when Yuki took this time to run over and start slashing the fairy with his ice sword, dealing serious damage against the hag before she recovered and disapparated, appearing at the center of the room. "Healios." She called, sprinkling some magic onto Rumpel's unconscious form.

_"Thank you, Mother."_ Rumpel told her in a deep voice before standing up. He stomped in the way as the heroes tried to get to Lucinda, then the kids tried to get away when Rumpel began to strongly inhale them through his lungs. He was able to suck Nigel and Matthew inside, chewing them a bit before spitting them out at the Ice Climbers. The ogre-elf shoved a finger up one of his nostrils and shot boogers out the other, which rose into blob monsters that started jiggling toward the team. Wally and Abby kicked and splattered some of the blobs, but were quickly overpowered.

Facilier attempted to flip up to Rumpel's head, but the monster grabbed his leg and started to rapidly swing him around. "Kuki, help mah uncle!" Abby ordered. The Japanese nodded and ran for the monster, dodging before Rumpel could stomp her and climbing up his back, getting atop Rumpel's head and blocking his eyes.

_"Hey, hey, get off!"_

"No, stay on!" Facilier ordered, as Rumpel took a break from swinging him around and allowing the witch-doctor to shove his cane up Rumpel's nose. "Stupefy!" The spell fired and stunned the dimwitted monster, making him fall back and nearly crush Lucinda again.

The witch danced away before Yuki could punch her, then zapped a spell which turned him into a mouse. Jagar angrily ran to try and pull the King Wand from her grasp, but Lucinda kept her grip and smacked the child away. She grinned as she was about to throw a spell, but the mouse-Yuki crawled up her dress and started roaming around underneath, making the witch try and shake him off. She disapparated away and launched a spell to change him back, but the Ice Climbers ran past her, holding both ends of their rope to trip her. Wally leapt at her while she was down, but Lucinda batted him away with the wand before standing up.

"Crucio!" she yelled at Misty, the timebender started to groan and scream in intense pain. This made Jagar even more angry, as he grabbed Facilier's cane, shoved it back up Rumpel's nose, and swung the huge booger at Lucinda's face, getting her head covered.

"Ooh! I found something!" Kuki yelled, finding a bucket of water. Right when Lucinda wiped the booger from her head, the cheerful girl dashed over and dumped the bucket all over her head.

"…What was that?" Lucinda asked, dripping wet.

"Huh? You're not melting."

"Well, it worked in _Wizard of Oz_." Hoagie shrugged.

"RAHH!" Lucinda angrily shook the water off and zapped a stunning spell at the Japanese.

"STOP!" Olive yelled, jumping in the way and freezing the blast in place. She tried to Rewind the shot back, but Lucinda proved stronger as she fought the spell past Olive's power and stunned the timebender. But Talzin was unprepared when Yuki ambushed her from behind, freezing her solid in his ice. Nigel made a few stylish flips before kicking double fireballs toward her, pushing her out of the ice and doing heavy damage.

Lucinda warped back over to Rumpel and revived the Elfin once again. The monster raised both fists, but Nigel and Facilier shot fire at his face and made him step back. Yuki and the Ice Climbers unleashed ice beams to freeze his face, and Wally and Abby both punched and kicked his crotch. Lucinda kept her wand raised as she slowly stepped away when the monster was backing over to her. She was too late to avoid when Misty and Olive both threw a Time Blast and struck the monster dead in the chest, pushing him over and crushing the witch under his back. (End song.)

_"Ohhhhhh…"_ Ogle Frumpskin groaned, slowly shrinking back to his regular size, his clothes ripped and tattered as he lay there unconscious.

"Had enough?" Yuki asked, snarkily.

"My, my… you really _are_ persistent, aren't you?" the fairy asked, standing to brush herself off. "It's obvious I may have misjudged you kids. But just one question: Yuki… why do you continue to be around Jagar? Now that your memories are restored to you, someone of your nature would want your revenge."

"Yeah… but that was the past Yuki. I'm a new person now, with a new purpose: beating the living daylight out of you."

"Don't you see, Lucinda?" Jagar spoke. "It doesn't matter how powerful your magic is. You can never stop people from being who they are. Only they can decide whether to change or not. And if you want the pain and suffering to REALLY stop, you'll stop everything right now."

"Stop the pain and suffering? The only pain and suffering around here is the troubles caused by you miserable children! What you speak is a lot of nonsense. I WILL bring order to this world! IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" The roof immediately blew off from the building as a bright ray of lightning struck from the stormy heavens, striking the tip of Lucinda's King Wand.

"What's going on?" Nana yelled.

"That spell I casted on Rumpel… was the LAST gift I needed to give to power this wand to its FULLEST potential! Now, MINE will be the dominant power in the universe!"

Hoagie quickly pulled out a remote, pressing a button and summoning the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. The heroes hurried onto the 2x4 aircraft and zoomed off, watching from a safe distance as Lucinda began her transformation. Their mouths dropped agape as the witch grew twice as high as the castle. Her previously ugly, pale form was replaced with beautiful flawless skin, with clear-blue eyes, golden-blonde hair, and a flowing blue dress as she faced the children, the immense power flowing into her wand. _"The galaxy and all its spoils… BOW TO MY POWER! ! !"_ (Play "Boss Battle Theme 2" from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!)

Jagar then felt some light glow around his right hand, watching as a blue Keyblade spawned in a flash of light, with a clock-designed handle and clock hands for teeth. Jagar smiled and gripped the Keyblade tight, flipping onto the roof of the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. with Olive, Misty, and Yuki, all ready to fight the supersized fairy.

_Semifinal boss: Wicked Godmother_

Hoagie used his expertise piloting skills to fly around the evil witch as Lucinda released energy balls from her wand, trying to home in on the kids, but Hoagie was able to evade them before they exploded. Some of the energy balls came for Jagar, but he was able to swat them back using his Keyblade, exploding them on the fairy's face. _"Meteors of heaven: UNLEASH THY FURY!"_ At her command, a storm of flaming meteors began to rain down from the sky, the timebenders trying to freeze and hold them back, but more meteors came and overpowered them. Yuki was able to freeze one of the meteors, and Jagar was able to bash it back, hitting Lucinda dead in the nose.

Lucinda rubbed her nose as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. zoomed in closer to the witch, quickly dodging as the fairy tried to smack them out of the sky. Lucinda used her powerful lungs to try and suck them in, but Hoagie shot missiles from his C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. into her mouth, making Lucinda hack and cough as they exploded inside her. She reached an arm out to grab the tiny aircraft (to her size), which allowed Jagar to dash up her arm. He jumped when she tried to smash him with her other hand, landing on that hand as Lucinda raised it above her. She looked up as Jagar slid down and kicked off her arm, landing on her face to deal several strikes against her eyes. She shook her head and grabbed the tiny boy in her right hand, flicking Jagar away and landing him back on the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.'s roof.

_"Insolent fools!"_ the giantess fairy yelled, attempting to shoot them with a massive laser from her wand, missing them by a few inches. She disapparated and reappeared at a further distance ahead of the gang, swinging her wand to release magical airwaves. Hoagie evaded the waves and made their way closer to her, but Lucinda vanished once again and reappeared right behind them, causing them all to scream in surprise. Lucinda tried to grab their bus, but Yuki swung his ice sword and struck her hand, Lucinda rubbing her pained hand as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. got away. She glared after the children and fired a double energy laser from her eyes, successfully striking the rear of the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

Hoagie was able to keep the craft airborne and started to circle around the giantess again, still keeping a safe distance. Lucinda began swishing saliva around in her mouth until she made her teeth sparkly white, giving a wide grin and blinding the crew with a powerful burst of light from her teeth. Despite the blinding light, Yuki was able to conjure an icicle missile and launch it, striking the teeth and forcing Lucinda to cease smiling, and she now had to rub her sore cheeks from the grin. While she was distracted, Hoagie took this time to fly by her face and allow Jagar and Yuki to begin striking her with their weapons, quickly flying away before Lucinda could recover.

_"NOW I'm angry! Time to teach you some respect!"_ The fairy raised her wand skyward, striking dozens of lightning bolts from the clouds that dealt heavy damage against the aircraft.

"Ow! Didn't see that coming." Misty yelped.

"I did." Matt said.

"Be steady, Hoagie. She should be getting weaker by now." Nigel ordered.

The fairy began throwing more energy balls which Jagar hit back with his Keyblade, hitting the witch's face a couple times before she made more lightning strike down, but Hoagie was able to evade this time. "I have an idea! Get me in closer!" Jagar yelled. Hoagie did so and flew them closer to her face, zipping right past so Jagar could strike with his Keyblade before Lucinda was about to strike more lightning. "STOP! !" At his cue, Misty and Olive combined their powers to freeze the giantess in place. With her wand still raised skyward, the lightning struck down, flowed through the stick, and induced the fairy with a powerful shock.

While she quaked from the electricity surging through her, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. flew by her face once again, and Jagar and Yuki dealt more strikes against her face. _"ENOUGH!"_ The fairy exploded a magical barrier around her, blowing the aircraft away. Humongous bright-pink wings grew on her back as she used them to soar high in the heavens, seeming to charge a powerful ray of lightning.

"Uh-oh. This doesn't look good." Kuki commented.

"What now?" Jagar asked.

Before he could get an answer, lightning zapped down and struck the boy, sending him falling and screaming off the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. To his relief, he was caught in the arms of Clockwork, who then tossed him up onto his back. "Clockwork!"

"Need a hand?" the ghost smirked. "Let's finish this together. I'll handle the front, you watch out from behind." With that, the ghost shot straight up into the cloudy cyclone as Lucinda made more meteors rain down. Clockwork used Roars of Time to blow the meteors away, and also bat some away with his staff, while Jagar had to bat away energy balls coming from behind. He nearly fell off the spirit's back, but he grabbed onto Clockwork's ghost tail, swinging himself back on as they reached Lucinda's level.

The giantess fairy smacked Clockwork between her hands, but Jagar leapt off and began running down her left arm, then jumped to her right when she tried to smack him. Clockwork was released as a result, and the spirit shot rays from his staff at her eyes, Jagar continuing to hold onto her right arm as she tried to smack Clockwork away. Jagar jumped to her left arm and made it to her shoulder, then leapt to her right shoulder before she could crush him. "Let's do this!" he yelled to Clockwork, kicking off Lucinda's face and grabbing Clockwork's staff as he held it out. He held the staff as he swung around the ghost before pulling it out of Clockwork's hand and attaching it to his Keyblade.

He stayed floating in midair as both the Chrono Staff and his Keyblade combined energy to charge an incredible power at their tips. "Tiiiimme… OUT! !" A gargantuan laser emerged from the combined weapons, swallowing the giantess fairy inside of the deadly beam, and doing incredible damage on her form. "REVERSE!" Jagar snapped his fingers, and as the ray of time continued to swallow the witch, Lucinda already felt her powers fading away.

_"AAHHH! NO! Why doesn't anyone… APPRECIATE MY GIFTS? ! AAAAAAHHHHHH! !"_ When the beam had finally faded, the witch felt completely depowered, falling all the way back to the earth as she began to shrink down to her regular form. Jagar landed back and exchanged a smile with Clockwork before they all flew back to the top of the ruined tower. (End song.)

Soon, everybody on the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. had stepped off the craft, finding the witch unconscious on the tower floor and her King Wand lying in the middle. The heroes looked up and noticed a small object falling toward the tower. Once it was close enough, they could see it was Lucinda's clock necklace which absorbed Jagar's bending. The watch shattered to pieces as it crashed onto the ground. The light that was Jagar's timebending was released from its prison and flowed back into Jagar's body, the boy smiling as he felt the power surge back through him. "Hey! You got your bending back!" Misty smiled.

"Yeah!"

As Lucinda was weakly recovering, she looked in pure terror when Jorgen von Strangle made his way onto the tower, proceeding to pick up his King Wand and let the magic revitalize him. "Yes! At long last! I can feel it! My beautiful muscles! Ha! Ha ha, ha ha! My precious King Wand. I have missed you so! Mwah, mwah, mwah, mwah." He happily smooched his wand.

"Uhhh…" Hoagie looked weirded out.

"Since you children have helped to recover my wand, I have decided to make each of you honorary fairies! Second-class!"

At this, they all exchanged confused glances.

"Vhat? Why not first-class? Ha! I could tell you how to make first-class. But if I did, I would have to turn all of you into fire hydrants! Vhat? Don't believe I will? Well, it's true! This is not some story on FanFiction! This is real LIIIFE!"

"…"

"Ehhh… I'll just be on my way now." With those last words, the Fairy King vanished.

"NOO!" Everyone looked back at Lucinda, now on her feet and looking more furious than ever. "My wand! My precious wand! This is all YOUR fault!" She pointed at Yuki. The boy gasped as Lucinda drew out her own wand and began to conjure a spell. "Good thing I've been saving enough magic for this. IMPERIOLOSO!"

"Not my friend, YOU BITCH!" Jagar screamed, and immediately jumped in the way of the spell, quickly using his timebending to freeze the shot in place. The boy shielded his eyes, expecting the worst, but then smiled when the spell had successfully frozen merely inches from his hand. He then faced the witch with a deadly glare, and Lucinda looked terrified at what he would do next. "REWIND!" Lucinda's eyes brimmed with fright as the Imperioloso Curse came back at her.

"AAAHHHH!" Too late to react, the spell struck her right back, and she stood up, angrier than ever as she gritted her teeth at the timebender. "You miserable-"

"Stand up straight."

"Whoa!" Lucinda instantly did as told.

"Wrap your hands around your head." Yuki ordered, and Lucinda did so.

"Stand on one foot." Misty smirked as Lucinda forcibly did so.

"And hop all around!" the Ice Climbers cheered.

"Gah! What is the meaning of this?" the fairy asked, hopping around on one foot.

"Okay, now-" Wally tried to say.

"That's enough for now." Jagar cut him off. "Alright, Lucinda: with the Curse of the Genie now on your hands, you have to grant 3 wishes."

"HAH! I will NEVER grant any wish from the likes of you."

"Heh heh…" Jagar only smirked and folded his hands behind his back. "My FIRST wish:" he held up his right hand, holding up one finger, "put Yuki back in his regular clothes."

Lucinda tried to resist the urge to obey the order, but her wand-hand began trembling against her own will. "Wh-What is… GAAAH!" And she forcibly fired a spell at Yuki, restoring his black clothing and spiked hair.

"Ah-halright!" Yuki cheered.

"My second wish: take back all of your enchantments."

"N-N-… No… NAAAAAHH!" A powerful ray unleashed to the heavens, flowing all the way to Planet Earth.

**Planet Earth**

The many children of the planet smiled as the golden magic began to rain down from the heavens. At Patton's house, while Margaret was playing with her older brother; transformed into a doll, a ray struck and changed him back to normal. "YEAH-HA!" Patton cheered, stomping Margie's dollhouse and running out of there.

In her room, Lizzie stared lovingly at a picture of Nigel, until a magic ray hit her and made her forget all her feelings toward the bald Brit. "Blech!" she stuck her tongue out at the picture and shoved it off her nightstand.

In his attic, Roger the Alien had the still-time-frozen skunk-Harvey dressed in a white dress and blonde wig, about to do something with him, until a ray zapped and changed Harvey back to normal, also unfreezing him. "…AHH! AHHH! AAHHH!" Harvey screamed at the sight of the alien, jumping out the window.

Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb continued relaxing in their backyard as a magic ray hit them. They looked around, not feeling any change, and shrugged before lying back down.

**Enchanted Domain**

The magical energy from the enchantments flowed out of the operatives, Ice Climbers, and Yuki Crystal, and back into Lucinda's form, causing her flawless skin to begin wrinkling again. Magical energy also flowed out of Gruntilda, making her body dissolve and transform her back into a bodiless skull. "Aw YEAH!" Matthew fist-pumped, finally free of his unlimited knowledge.

"B-But I-" Lucinda stuttered.

"My THIRD wish!" Jagar spoke up, raising three fingers. "Lucinda… I command you… to SEE THE LIGHT!"

The order took effect right away. A spark of realization erupted in Lucinda's mind, and she saw the error of her ways. "Good lord… is this what I've been doing to people? I'm… a monster…"

_"No, Master!"_ her shadow denied, rising from the ground to face her. _"There is no harm to what you were doing. If anyone's a monster, it's the kids. They deserve the marvelous gifts you've brought for them."_

Lucinda only shot the shadow a glare, her moment of realization allowing her to see what Maleficent's powers _really_ did with her.

_"M…Master?"_

The fairy raised her wand and called, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The heroes shielded their eyes as an enormous ray of light erupted from the wand, totally swallowing and paining the shadow.

_"M-MASTER! What are you doing? ! WHY, MASTER? WHYYYYYYY? !"_

The shadow faded into nothingness in mere seconds, and the light faded away as Lucinda began to study her form. Her skin began to shrivel and wrinkle even more. "At long last…" she quietly spoke, placing her hood over her head as she stepped toward the tower's edge, "I've been freed…"

Rumpel was awake just in time to see this, watching in absolute sadness as his mentor stood on the very edge of the floor. Before having a chance to say anything, Lucinda allowed herself to fall over and plummet down the colossal tower. Falling hundreds and hundreds of feet toward the surface below as she lay wrapped inside of her dark cloak. The heroes peeked over the edge just as she was seconds away from the ground. And when the black cloak finally landed, it spread out, empty as a pile of dust scattered along the ground, and blew away in the breeze.

"…Hmph… so all this time… she was merely a victim to one of her own gifts." Clockwork observed.

"The deadliest gift of all." Jagar followed. "The Gift of Power…"

"NOOOOO!" Everyone turned and faced Rumpel Stiltskin, the elf gripping his head in a panicky fashion. "You miserable brats KILLED poor Mother Talzin! How… could you DO THIS? ?"

"Hate to break this to you, Rumpel, but it was your plan that led up to this." Jagar told him. "Your misuse of your timebending power is what led to her demise. And now it's over."

That's when the heroes suddenly felt the ground shaking beneath their feet, looking around for the cause. The entire castle suddenly began crumbling as the entire world around them turned into an endless sea of golden oblivion. A tornado came down from the sky and began to suck everything inside, leaving the floor of that chamber as the only foothold for them to stand on. "Whuh… uh, AHH!" Matt screamed, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"Matt!" Nigel yelled.

The severed head of Gruntilda suddenly felt herself being sucked in by the cyclone, desperately trying to bounce away, but ended up flying and spiraling around the strong winds as her wicked scream echoed in the distance. "Grunty!" Rumpel yelled after her.

"What's going on?" Abby asked.

"This entire alternate timeline was one of Lucinda's gifts." Clockwork explained. "With all of her enchantments disabled, this entire dimension will fall. We don't have much time. Quick. In here." Clockwork zapped a laser from his staff and opened a portal several feet away, projecting an image of their original timeline.

"Let's go, let's go!" Nigel ordered, hurrying into the portal, followed by Jagar, Misty, Olive, and the Ice Climbers.

"Hey! Whoa-oh, AAH!" Rumpel tried to get away, but ended up being pulled away by the winds.

"GOTCHA!" Facilier yelled, quickly running to grab the elf's little arm.

"Let go of me, Harvey! I don't need your help!"

"Sorry to displease you, Rumpel. But Ah'm takin' you back to the North Pole!"

"NO! I'm NEVER going back to that dump! All those singy and dancy happy elves! I'll spend the rest of eternity in the GAP BETWEEN DIMENSIONS! !"

"RUMPEEEEEEL!" The elf shook free of Facilier's grasp, glaring at the witch-doctor as he peacefully fell to his doom in the spiraling cyclone, vanishing in a flash of light. "Rumpel…" Facilier looked guiltily at his empty hand after failing to hold onto his archenemy.

"Come on!" Numbuh 5 yelled, grabbing her uncle's other arm and dragging him into the portal, just before the foothold shattered to pieces by the tornado's power and destroyed the remainder of that entire dimension.

**Cleveland, Virginia; Nugget River**

_"Jagar… Jagar? Wake up."_

"Oh?" Jagar opened his eyes, seeing Misty's beautiful face hovering over him. His friend helped him to stand, finding Olive, Yuki, Clockwork, and the Ice Climbers with them. "Guys? Where's everyone else?"

"Sector V went back to their treehouse, and Facilier's gone to check on his voodoo emporium." Olive answered.

"What about Rumpel? Is he…"

"Rumpel has chosen to remain in the alternate timeline, now in ruins." Clockwork explained. "He won't be escaping anytime soon."

"Oh… so I guess it's all over as far as that thing, huh?"

"Almost." Popo responded, directing their attention to Yuki Crystal, the icebender staring intently at his hands.

"Yuki… you feeling okay?" Jagar asked.

"…I understand now… my powers over ice." Yuki spoke. "They aren't a curse… they're a symbol… a symbol of my cold nature. My harsh feelings towards my friends. And because of my harsh feelings… I almost got them killed." He turned and faced Jagar and the Ice Climbers. "Guys… I'm really sorry about everything. I should've forgiven you when I had the chance."

"Apology accepted!" Jagar fist-pumped.

"Anyway… I got my icebending back. And with Lucinda's gift gone… I'm going to do what I should've done in the first place: master my element the old-fashion way!"

"Heh." Jagar smiled.

"I'd… appreciate it if you… helped me."

"Hehehe…" Jagar grinned as both friends raised their fists. "I'd be glad to." With that, the two friends did a knuckle-touch, and Jagar ended up frozen solid.

"Uh… oops. I can fix that." Yuki blushed. The timebenders and icebenders all burst into laughter while Jagar stood frozen solid with his shivering expression. (Play "Dreams of an Absolution" by Lee Brotherton!)

* * *

><p><strong>Jagar's Story: Cast:<strong>

**Scott McGregor as _Jagar King_**

**Olivia Hack as _Misty Greene_**

**Hynden Walch as _Olive Pioji_ and _Wicked Godmother_**

**Peter Bayham as _Yuki Crystal_**

**Susanne Blakeslee as _Lucinda Talzin_ and _Maleficent_**

**Walt Dohrn as _Rumpel Stiltskin_**

**Chris Seavor as_ Gruntilda Winkybunion_**

**David Carradine as _Clockwork_**

**Sanae Kobayashi as the _Ice Climbers_**

**Characters by Emma Industries, Divagirl Corp., Dani's Dynamites, Nickelodeon Studios, Rareware Enterprises, and DreamWorks**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**Jagar's Story: _END_**

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><p><strong>WOO! And so Jagar's story ends! …Eh… it was actually kind of good, from a certain point of view. Not as good as Kami's or Shaunie's, but way better than Sonic's. But hey: am I glad to finally teach that witch a lesson! Also, this whole alternate timeline actually takes place sometime before Nigel went to GKND, which is why he was hanging out with Lizzie. Ay, time-travel is so confusing. : But NEXT TIME, we will actually be looking for another Firstborn! Oho, and guess what comes after that? ? NOLAN'S STORY ENDING! ! Oh my GOD, that is going to be so epic! In fact, most of these next chapters will be about him and Team Brotherhood. It'll be difficult to type, but by GOD, will it be worth it! ! See you when it happens! Hehe, later!**


	65. The Dawn's Arise

**Okay, first off, why did everybody like Matt so much last chapter? ? x) O-kay, peoples, it's time we saved Danika! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Dawn's Arise: Danika Anderson Sees the Light!<em>**

**Delightful Mansion**

A band of Teen Ninjas burst into the currently-deserted mansion, guns ready as they aimed around a bedroom with a king-sized bed. "Yeah, this was the Delightful Children's room all right." The leader said. "You sure it's in here?"

A shadow being slithered in and faced the leader, smiling and nodding. This shadow was none other than Maleficent, Lucinda's shadow. The being slid under the bed and found a secret compartment in the floor, pulling out a box. She presented the box to the Teen Ninjas and opened it, revealing what looked like half of an old helmet.

The Teen Ninjas tapped their BRAs and concealed their armor as Olivia Johnson and her henchwomen gave smirks. "Perfect. Now to wait for the freaks to deliver the rest."

**Final Brain**

"Are you sure about this, kid?" Cad Bane asked Nolan as he and Aurra were fixing their ship for take off. "Not that I have any problems with acting behind Brain's back, but YOU could get in a lot of trouble."

"To heck with Brain. I need to help Danika." Nolan told them.

"Whatever you say, kid." Aurra replied. "Ship's ready for take off. Where to?"

"The front of the castle; we need to get her."

Bane did as told and lift the ship out of the hangar, landing at the front part of the castle where Danika still sat, lost in her depressing thoughts. "Danika!" Nolan called, rolling to her. The goth glumly looked up a bit to face him. "Danika, come on. We're going to get you help."

"No one can help… no one wants to… no human on Earth wishes for selfless desires…"

"Danika, just come ON! For me… please…"

The two were several feet away, but Danika could plainly see the strong pleading look in his eyes. "Okay, then…" she sighed depressedly, standing up and slowly walking toward the ship. Nolan turned and rolled in beside her as Bane and Aurra began to lift off again.

"Alright, guys, let's get to Virginia." Nolan ordered as they took to the sky.

From one of the base's many balconies, Darth Genious watched them, smirking in his mind.

**Cleveland, Virginia; rainstorm night**

A Brotherhood ship landed a few feet outside the city as April Dickson dashed out, carrying the sickened form of Midna in her arms as the cloudy sky roared with thunder. "Hurry up!" Gary the Stormtrooper called after her. "I don't wanna miss poker night with the guys."

The streetlights were the only light visible in the pitch-black rainy city as Midna kept trying to gasp for breath. "It should be… just around there…" Midna panted, weakly raising her arm to point to an alleyway not too far. April hurried down and made another turn right, finding Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium, the parallel torches above the doorway burning bright despite the rain, as well as the flames in the skull.

After his whole ordeal with that alternate timeline, the witch-doctor was busy fixing up the artifacts in his shop. He heard his door suddenly swing open and jumped around, immediately raising his magic cane when he recognized April Dickson. "You! Stay back, now. Chad told me about you, and I ain't lookin' to be robbed again."

"Please, I'm not here to hurt you, but this creature needs your help." She held up the dying Midna.

"Holy…" Facilier gasped, "The Firstborn of Shadow! I…" He hesitantly looked around his shop, then grabbed some kind of cup off a shelf. He pulled a lid off and reached into his pocket, where he pulled out a dim-red fruit which he squished the liquids out of, into the pitch-black drink in the cup, which he stirred with his cane. "Here, drink this." April sat the Firstborn on the table as he poured the drink into her mouth. He pulled away after Midna drank a good amount, still trying to breathe.

After a while, Midna's color returned to normal. She stopped trying to breathe as she felt herself healing. "Thank you…"

"What was that?" April asked.

"The Drink of Shadows, best healing potion known to Twilight Realm. All shadowbending mages know how to make one. It's imbued with Shadow Chi, so it gives chi back to shadowbenders who've lost it. What happened?"

"It was Lucinda. She… sucked the life force out of her… or something."

"Ahh. So that's how she did it."

"Did what?"

"Just earlier, Lucinda made a deal with someone and changed the timeline with her magic. She ended up destroyin' herself, and this time was changed back to normal. Good thing ya got Midna ta me when ya did. She's a god, so she can't really die… but just lyin' there, extreme pain, barely able to breathe at all… it's a fate worse than death. Sometimes, April… the immortal life really is a life of suffering."

"Sounds like it… Anyway, I know we're technically on supposing sides… but Danika is Midna's Guardian. And she-"

"Ah know everything. Clockwork told me. He wanted me to give you this." He pulled out a Spirit Ball and placed it in April's palm. "And you'll also…" he reached under his table and opened a secret compartment in the floor, pulling out a box which he placed on the table and opened, "need this."

The two studied the item inside; it appeared to be part of a helmet designed just like Midna's. "What is it?" April asked.

"A Fused Shadow." The Firstborn replied, picking the helmet piece up. "One of four of them. This is the second one, the first one's on my head. Each of the pieces are guarded by families of shadowbenders. Facilier's was one of them. The other two are the Andersons and Sommers."

"The Andersons? Danika's family!"

"Right. We have to get over there and retrieve the third one. Hopefully, Nolan is already there with Danika, getting things fixed. We should head over and meet up with them. I'll explain more then."

"Okay… Thanks for the help, Dr. Facilier." April waved good-bye as they hurried off.

"No problem. You be careful now." Facilier told them, and the door shut on their way out. "Ay, Shadow… I guess that's five of the Guardians found." he said to his shadow. "Now to go about searching the other three… and I think I have an idea who they are…"

**Anderson Household**

Cad Bane's ship parked not too far from Danika's home as Nolan was the first to roll out, followed by Danika, slowly behind, then Bane and Aurra, the rain continuing to pour from the storm. "Let's go. Midna says Danika's sisters would help. Let's hope she's right…"

Nolan knocked on the front door and heard Danika's youngest sister, Payton on the other side. _"Who IS iiit?"_

"It's us, Payton." Nolan answered.

The 5-year-old Anderson pulled the door open and gave a wide smile. "Danikaaa!" She excitedly ran back inside as the four proceeded to enter. "Brianna, Victoria, Danika's here! And she brought her boyfriend!" Nolan froze where he was as his cheeks blushed red with embarrassment.

Brianna Anderson was lying on the couch in the living room as the oldest sister, Victoria walked in, smiling at seeing her third youngest. "Danika!" She ran and bent over, embracing the shadowbender in a hug. She released Danika after a while, and her smile turned to a frown when she noticed Danika's glum expression. "What's wrong?"

"Your sister's a hopeless sap." Bane replied.

"Huh?"

"Er, what he means is, she was hit by a Darkness Cannon." Nolan said.

"A what?"

"It's a weapon that… awakens darkness inside a heart, or something. Now Danika's turned all… well, gloomy and depressed."

"Oh no…" Victoria quietly gasped. "She was like this before… after our parents went missing. She was so upset… not a speck of happiness in her."

"I've noticed…"

"So, you got anything or what?" Bane asked.

"Hmm… I might." Victoria began to think. "Our parents always used to sing a song to us whenever we felt depressed… It worked before. I'll try to remember it. Here, Danika." She led her sister onto the couch, and Brianna sat up and scooted over so Danika could sit down. Victoria knelt before her depressed sibling and started to sing. "Ahem:"

_Across the distance clouds…_

_The dusk and sadness falls_

_Like withered autumn leaves_

_Succumbing to the cold…_

_But never let yourself..._

_Fall to the darkness of the night_

_For across the sky, the rising dawn_

_Brings forth… the light…_

This song touched a spot in Danika's heart. Any negative feelings she may have had, from her parents' disappearance to simply people shunning her, have been replaced by warming memories, of her happy times with her parents beforehand, having fun with the rest of her family, and falling in love with Nolan York.

Nolan spotted the tears welling up in her eyes and calmly rolled over, touching a hand to her shoulder. "Danika?"

Danika burst into tears, throwing her arms around Nolan and burying her face in his chest. "Nolan…" she sniffled. "I'm so sorry… for what I did to you…"

"Danika… don't worry about it." Nolan smiled, rubbing Danika's back. "It's just a scratch. No big deal."

She sniffled some more. "I don't know what I was thinking… how could I ever do that to you."

"Sometimes, we all do things that are out of our control. The darkness overcomes the brightest hearts. But I don't care about any of that now. All that matters to me is… I have you back."

Danika's crying slowly came to a stop. She lifted her head up as she and Nolan exchanged warming smiles. "Hm. I can't believe that actually worked." Aurra chuckled.

"Yeah, I only sang what I remembered." Victoria smiled, scratching the back of her head as she laughed.

The front door was suddenly kicked open, and the lot of them directed their attention as April Dickson hurried in with Midna, dripping wet. "Sorry I'm late." she panted. "…Oh, I see you've already got things settled."

"Yeah… we did." Nolan blushed at Danika.

"O-kay, no time to waste, we got business at hand." April clapped her hands and pulled out the Spirit Ball, handing it to Danika. "I got it from Dr. Facilier. He also told me Lucinda is dead."

"Finally! Good riddance to her." Nolan exclaimed.

"The Spirit Ball! Okay! Now I can-" Danika was about to throw it to catch Midna when-

"Not so fast now." The Firstborn stopped her. "We still need these." Her orange ponytail hand held up the Fused Shadow.

"What are those?"

"A Fused Shadow!" Brianna recognized, crawling under the living room table and opening a secret compartment, with a box that had another helmet piece.

"Then that makes three." Midna smiled. "The Fused Shadows are ancient artifacts from my world. Dangerous items which can, if touched, awaken the monstrous side of a mortal being that's been long concealed within their very form. Similar to Darkness Cannons, except these things turn you into actual monsters. It's only safe for shadowbenders to touch them. They're objects brimming with incredible powers of shadow, and each one was entrusted to a different family of shadowbenders, and one to me. The only other one we're missing is the one that belonged to the Sommers Family. I can't say I know where that is…"

"I can answer that." Clockwork spoke out of nowhere, suddenly appearing in the corner of the room.

"Clockwork?" Danika spoke, surprised.

"Are you familiar with the blonde female of Sector Z?"

"You mean Ashley, the Delightful Girl?" Nolan asked. "Yeah…"

"Although she didn't always know it, she was a shadowbender, and she was in charge of protecting the last Fused Shadow. She even remembered this duty while in her Delightful state, and hid it within the mansion. And shortly before her revert to an operative, she learned and mastered her shadowbending powers."

"So the Fused Shadow is at Father's mansion?" Nolan asked.

"Not anymore. While Lucinda was destroyed, in both this timeline and the alternate timeline, her shadow remains alive in this timeline. She has found and stolen the Fused Shadow, and has taken it to the Twilight Realm. Without all four Fused Shadows, Midna cannot fully awaken herself as a Firstborn."

"Then we have to go to the Twilight Realm and get it back." Midna declared.

"But how can we get there?" Nolan asked.

"We have something that may help…" Victoria replied, leading them upstairs.

The eldest Anderson brought them to a dim, empty room with nothing but a circular mirror on the other end. "A mirror?" Nolan asked.

"The Mirror of Twilight." Victoria explained. "It's something we've had in our family for generations. To get into the Twilight Realm, a shadowbender would require the Book of Shadows. The only other way… was through this."

Midna drifted toward the mirror and gave a gentle tap with her tiny fingernail. The mirror glowed and erupted to life, spiraling into some kind of portal as it shone upon the center of the room. "Guess that's our cue to go in." Nolan figured.

"Careful." Clockwork cautioned. "Although she is a bodiless spirit, Maleficent's powers are still a consider. You must brave the dangers of the Shadow Realm and face her."

"I'm not afraid." Danika scoffed. "Are you guys ready?" Nolan and April nodded. "Then let's go." The three Team Brotherhood members and Midna all stood on the glowing circle as they were dissolved into Shadow Matter, sucked into the vortex.

"Well, they're gonna be awhile." Cad Bane figured, pulling out a cigarette, lighting it up, and beginning to smoke. "You girls smoke?" he asked the Andersons. The girls all shook 'no' and stared at him weirdly.

"Actually, Bane," Clockwork began, "I have a small task for you."

**Twilight Realm** (Play the "Palace of Twilight" Theme from _Twilight Princess_.)

Their disinterred matter forms came back together after coming out the other end of the portal, and the anti-heroes began to skim the unusual realm. The Twilight Realm was a vast plane of floating islands, most of them shaped weirdly as the same features appeared on the tops and bottoms of them, parallel to each other. The sky above appeared to be an image of their own world, and down in the abyss below, the same image was reflected, only it appeared daytime down there, and nighttime up above. Legions of shadow beings drifted across the endless realm as the only light was that of the setting sun in the horizon, hundreds of miles from where they stood, giving the entire dimension a bright orange glow.

"Not quite what you'd expect, huh?" Nolan asked.

"When the gods were designing your Positive World above, they created the Negative World below to balance the light sides and dark sides of the dimension." Midna explained. "This world, the Twilight Realm, was the link connecting the two worlds. It keeps both sides of the coin together. If something happened to one world, it could affect the other. The same rules apply to this Realm Between Mirrors, where the shadows of the world were meant to drift, hiding from the light of day and the dark of night. Living as mixed beings of day and night in the twilight."

"Wow… sounds kinda sad." Danika commented.

"People have always thought of this place as a realm of darkness… but that makes it seem unpleasant. The shadows here are harmless creatures… Well, they were."

"Were?" April asked.

"When Malladus Uno laid his siege upon the world about 30 years ago, he sent his minions to invade this world, too. The Shadow Demons that you may remember who served Malladus were all shadows who were cursed by his influence. It did them great pleasure to finally drag his soul to the depths and never return. But despite his death, Underworld influence remained in the Twilight Realm, and most of the shadows are cursed monsters. He didn't want me interfering with his plans… so he had me banished across the galaxy. Eventually… I wound up on Vaporia. Ho…" Midna sighed in sadness.

"What's wrong?" Danika asked.

"It's always been my job to watch over the Twilight Realm, as the shadows' princess. I've always felt ashamed of myself for failing to protect them from Malladus. Danika…"

"Hm?"

"A majority of shadowbenders draw their power from the twilight. But the dusk occurs when the sun sets on the world, bringing the darkness of night. You possess a different power. Your friendship with Nolan, and the happiness shared with your family… You possess the Power of Dawn. When the sun rises to bring the light of day… that power resides within you."

"Hehe…" Danika gave a smile.

"Anyway… let's go. We have a witch to stop."

_Stage 56: The Realm of Shadows_

_Mission: Find the Fused Shadow and stop Maleficent!_

The anti-heroes started their journey down a curved path, getting ambushed by some Shadow Babas – shadowy Piranha Plants – from the ground as two of them gnashed their teeth at Nolan's legs. Nolan tried to back away, but Danika saved him by simply cutting the plants' stems off. April shook her arm free of another and used her powers to make the plant's brain ache, eventually making it wither away. After Cheshire ripped the other plants off using her teeth, the group continued to an area where the path became all twisty.

"Whoooaa…" Nolan moaned dizzily, the group suddenly turning upside-down as the path twisted that way. "What's with the messed-up gravity…?"

"Don't forget, the Negaverse is the upside-down to the Universe." Midna mentioned. "And as such, the gravity here is kind of twisty."

"I thought the underside of the world was supposed to be China." April joked.

"Hm hm, yeah, but we're talking about dimensions here. Even if this place is the origin of the Shadow Element, the rules of Space apply as well. Just be careful where you step, and you'll be fine."

"Yeah, if my eyes stop spinning first…" Nolan remarked.

The crew reached the end of the twisty road, still upside-down as the abyss to the Positive Realm was below them. There were branches hanging from a wall beside them, so they held onto Nolan as he used his grappling hook to swing them across by the branches. They swung off the last one, but no ground appeared below, but the gravity pulled them right-side-up and they fell onto a new path. They were on their way to some kind of floating temple as some Shadow Kargarok birds were flying around, swooping down to snap their demonic beaks at them. Danika swung her daggers and killed one of the birds while Nolan shot his grappling hook around the other's legs, releasing the hook from his chair so the monster bird would be pulled down into the abyss.

They proceeded to enter the dark building, having very little light to guide their way. They entered a room where they stood on a high ledge, overlooking a floor covered in some kind of black fog. "Careful." Midna cautioned. "That's Shadow Fog, made from the Shadow Crystals of our realm, overflowing with Shadow Chi. Mortal beings who enter the black fog end up becoming overfilled with Shadow Chi, becoming shadows themselves."

"Yikes. How do we get across?" Danika asked.

"You should be safe, Danika. You see that ball of light on the other side?" Midna pointed at the other end of the room, indicating a sphere glowing with light. "That's a Sol. Like the sun of day, it's used to shun the shadows away. Use it to make the fog vanish." With that, Danika stepped down into the fog and was able to cut through without being cursed.

She picked the Sol up and walked back across the floor, the black fog evading it as a result. April and Nolan got within range and stayed there as Danika led them into a secret hallway, covered in the blackness. Some Shadow Keese, demon bats turned into shadow, awoke from their slumber on the ceiling and swooped down, starting to bite them. Nolan and April tried to shoo them away, but Danika was able to slice them with her daggers. They arrived at another room where Danika cleared the way in the center, noticing a hole, fit for the Sol. She placed the glowing sphere inside, causing all of the blackness to vanish, and a staircase to arise from the floor, leading to a door. (Soooo many rhymes.)

Before they could head up, they were suddenly caught inside a twilight barrier from the ceiling, and a trio of Shadow Soldiers dropped down. April distorted the mind of one of them and Nolan shot the second with a laser. The one that remained, however, erupted a deafening screech which brought the others back to life. "Yeah, that's not gonna work." Midna said. "Try a shockwave." Danika extended a shadow energy field around them, catching the beasts inside, then sent Cheshire to gnash at all of the monsters, too late to revive themselves as Cheshire was able to take out all of them quickly. With them defeated, the barrier disappeared, allowing them all to head up the stairs, and make it outside again.

They stood upon a balcony, overlooking a distant chasm with the next island far on the other side. Light-blue lines emitted a glow along a square in the floor, and rose out into a platform. They all gathered on the platform and allowed it to slowly carry them across. Some Shadow Bulblin Archers riding atop Shadow Kargaroks tried to shoot fire arrows at them, but Nolan countered by shooting missiles their way, exploding the birds and sending the Bulblin falling. The platform was coming toward a floating wall that would likely push them off, but Danika grabbed her friends and used Shadow Veil to squeeze them all into her shadow, easily slipping under the wall as the platform passed by.

They soon stopped above the ledge of another island as the platform vanished, letting them fall to the safe ground. Ahead of them was a series of similar platforms, one column moving up, the next going down, while the third also went up. They jumped across the first column, but the gravity switched them upside-down when they landed at the second column. They remained that way at the third column, but saw no other way to go then, until a platform hovered over above them. They jumped off, and the gravity switched back to right-side-up, landing them on the platform. It carried them quickly across the chasm while another platform was coming over from the other side. The two stopped when they became parallel to each other, and the group jumped to let the gravity drop them onto the other platform before it sped further across the chasm. They repeated this maneuver and dropped to another platform, which finally carried them to another ledge, where they hopped off.

They continued along the road and entered another large building, the interior seeming to go up many stories as they gazed up. "Wait a second, couldn't Danika just use her Shadow Glide?" April asked.

Danika became a shadow and tried to do so, but was only able to go up a few inches before she changed back. "Guess not."

"Spirit locations." Midna said. "What can ya do? But we should be able to continue. Use Shadow Breath on those four orbs."

Danika noticed the four orbs on the floor, lined up in a circle. She stood in the center of them and released Shadow Breath from her mouth, spreading it to the orbs. The orbs reacted and alit with light, causing a platform to appear beneath Danika. The others gathered onto the platform as it began to rise up, stopping partway up the ground when four other platforms appeared around it. Three of them seemed to lead to Shadow Fog, but the other looked safe, so they hopped onto it as it carried them further up. It stopped when two more platforms appeared beside, and once more, they got on the one that didn't lead into fog. They jumped off at a ledge and went up a couple stairs, arriving at a dead end, seeing the way out of there still one more floor up.

Nolan shot his grappling hook to the ceiling and stuck it, the girls holding on as he reeled them all up. "You know, with a chair this good, I'm not sure why you'd even need legs." Midna commented. Once they were level with the ledge, the group started to build up momentum as they swung the chair, and Nolan eventually released the grappling hook for them to swing over and land. They passed a door to another outside area, seeing the next building very close to them, but the entrance too high. Danika was able to use Shadow Glide this time, carrying the group up toward the entrance and landing, proceeding to enter. (End song.)

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Nolan said as they entered a darker chamber. "Where are we?"

The group noticed the empty prison cell with broken shackles, and Midna immediately recognized this place. "This is the Twilight Realm Prison. This is where Lehcar EiznekCm was imprisoned. Until Ganondorf released her months ago."

"Boy, she really must be dangerous. Keeping her in a place like this." Danika figured as they progressed down the hall.

"Just what are the Negatives, anyway?" Nolan asked.

"I guess your world can be thought of as the Realm of Light." Midna explained. "The Negaverse is the Realm of Darkness. Each Negative is basically the dark side of each person in the universe. They're total opposites, but they're two sides of the same coin. Two halves of one whole person. And if both halves were to combine their forces, the results would be incredible. The mix of powers of light and darkness…"

"Heh. Imagine if the Negatar combined with his opposite." Nolan chuckled.

"That'd be so crazy, the universe would explode!" April laughed.

"The purpose of the shadows, in this central realm of twilight, is to serve as that wall of blackness that shields both sides from the dangers their opposites could bring." Midna continued. "But it also binds the two together. Showing how even the most opposite forces could bind together for the greater good."

The four arrived at another outside walkway, stopping to gaze at the magnificent view of the sunset.

"Just take a look… be it the dim light that shines before the fall of darkness… or the light that rises to bring the day to the world… such a serene beauty. Shadows have always been such misjudged creatures. People have always deemed them monsters for having come from such a 'dark' realm… but if only they knew. The true beauty this realm possessed… it has always been a pleasure. Ruling over this realm…" Midna shook her head and said, "Sorry. Reminiscing and all that… hehe. Let's keep going. The Fused Shadow is near, I can feel it."

The four found their way to a large, rectangular field, seeing the final Fused Shadow in plain sight in the center. Danika exchanged a nod with Midna, about to retrieve it, until they heard some kind of creepy whispering. A shadow suddenly swooped by and spiraled around the two before flying toward the Fused Shadow. She revealed to be Lucinda's shadow as she let the other two Fused Shadows, which she just swiped, float in midair beside it. "Maleficent!" April exclaimed as they readied their guard.

The shadow flew back when three Teen Ninjas landed in front of each of the Fused Shadows, who were none other than Jamie, Rabakkah, and- "Olivia Johnson." Nolan glared.

"Well, lookee here, girls, the three biggest weirdoes in the BOE." Olivia taunted.

"What are you doing here?" Nolan asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We're, like, going to destroy this place." Jamie said.

"WHAT?"

"Uh, shyah." Olivia followed. "This is the center of, like, goth freaks everywhere. Any decent normal person would know that your kind doesn't belong, Danika. The girls and I tried to, but couldn't think of a way to do it. When, thankfully, this shadow freak showed up out of nowhere and brought us to this place. Apparently wanted revenge against these shadows or something."

"We stole the Fused Shadow from Father's mansion and used it to lure you here." Rabakkah told them. "All we have to do is destroy them, and no more freaky shadowbenders!"

"But you can't destroy this place." Nolan tried to reason. "If you did, things would completely fall off balance."

"Oh, like, we're gonna listen to some legless weirdo?" Olivia scoffed. "I don't care if you're The Brain's favorite. These Fused Shadow thingies are going down, so if you'll excuse me-" She was about to reach out and touch the one in front of her.

"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Midna screamed.

"GAAHH!" Olivia was suddenly met with a painful shock once her hands came in contact with the Fused Shadow. The shadow Maleficent gave a wicked cackle before jumping right into Olivia's body, beginning to fuse with the teenager.

"Uhhh…" Both Rabakkah and Jamie stepped back in worry. "Well, we'll just let Olivia handle things here. Okay with that, Jamie?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here." The girls turned and tried to run away, but they were suddenly surrounded by a squad of bomb-designed Heartless. A timer started at "3" on the Heartless and began to count down, and just when the timer reached "0"-

_"AAAHHHH!"_ Team Brotherhood shielded their eyes from the bright explosion. They uncovered to see the henchwomen were blown into nothingness.

"The darkness overtook them…" Danika spoke.

As for Olivia, the Fused Shadows were absorbed into her body as she and Maleficent began their transformation. (Play "The Encounter" from _Kingdom Hearts II_!) Her body erupted with green flames as she quickly grew 5 times her height. Red wings appeared on her back, a red tail extended from her bottom, and her skin became red and scaly as her hands and feet transformed into dragon claws. Her mouth also became longer, like that of a dragon, and purple horns grew on her head as she erupted a loud roar.

The dragon flapped her wings and lifted off the ground, soaring far away from the field before turning and coming right back. The four stood their ground when the dragon zipped right over them, the resulting strong winds causing Danika to scream and fall over the edge. "Danika!" Nolan yelled.

"UUH!" Danika landed with a thud on the back of another dragon, with several black parallel wings, a black body, and some golden and tan-colored armor. "W-Whuh…"

"It's… the Guardian Spirit of the Twilight Realm. Giratina!" Midna exclaimed.

"Giratina…" Danika looked up and faced ahead as the dragon was flying after Olivia's monstrified form. She drew out her daggers and readied for battle. "Let's get 'er!"

_Boss fight: Olivia Dragon_

Giratina soared after the evil dragon as Olivia coughed green flames their way, but Giratina barrel-rolled and avoided while coughing his own green flames back. Olivia took a few hits before flying to the side of the dragon, flipping and charging straight at Giratina, and nearly knocking Danika off from the impact. Danika grabbed the side and climbed back onto Giratina as the Shadow Dragon still kept pursuit of Olivia, eventually getting above her and coming down, wrapping his legs around her and starting to squeeze her tight. Olivia's wings were binded as a result, so Giratina was able to shove her head into a floating island, making Olivia a little dizzy.

Olivia quickly shook the dizziness off and continued to chase Danika and Giratina. Danika ran to Giratina's tail and spewed Shadow Breath all over, getting it on Olivia's face as the female dragon tried to shake it off. Giratina took this time to turn around and ram the dragon's chest, pushing her away before flying off. Olivia recovered and kept after Giratina, gaining more speed as she raised her mouth open and bit down on Giratina's tail. Danika ran down the tail and leapt onto Olivia's head as a result. The monster released Giratina and tried to shake the goth off, but Danika held on to Olivia's horns while Cheshire wrapped herself around the upper mouth, pulling it open.

As the monster was shaking, Danika was able to force it to turn towards the field. With a clear shot of Olivia's open mouth, Nolan was able to lock on and fire a missile, flying straight into the mouth, and down to her stomach where it exploded. Stunned dizzily, the Olivia Dragon fell and came to a crash-landing onto the field, very close to Team Brotherhood. With the dragon stunned, Nolan, April, and Danika proceeded to strike the beast's head with their weapons or powers. After a while, Maleficent rose from the beast and smacked them all away before going back in. Olivia rose to her feet and coughed green flames at the Brotherhood members before taking off again. Giratina soared over the team and blew the flames out with the wind as Danika leapt and grabbed back onto his body.

They continued to chase as Maleficent was using magic to make small bolts of lightning strike down from above, but Giratina evaded and spat a bigger green fireball toward them, burning Olivia's butt. She angrily shot down below and popped back up below Giratina, striking and making the Shadow Dragon spiral around, causing Danika to drop to the abyss. She quickly used Shadow Glide and recovered, flying back up to land on Giratina's back. Giratina kept pursuit after the witches, still dodging more of Maleficent's lightning strikes. Olivia's spiked tail shot out further behind her and struck the spirit hard, but Danika leapt off to grab the tail, holding on tight as Olivia tried to shake her off.

Danika failed to keep hold as Olivia swung her straight upward, but she used Shadow Glide once again and dodged a breath of fire just in time. She rapidly flew around while dodging the green flaming balls, making her way to Olivia. She was able to land on the evil dragon's back, running up with daggers drawn as Olivia was charging a stronger breath of fire, but Danika leapt onto her head and shoved her daggers into her mouth, and through her upper lip. Olivia ceased charging and tried to shake her off, but Danika forcibly turned her body to face the others again. Nolan once again shot a missile into Olivia's mouth, exploding in her stomach and causing Olivia to crash on the field again. With her unconscious for a short time, the three quickly began striking the dragon's head again.

Once enough damage was dealt, Maleficent smacked the three away and recovered Olivia. The dragon flapped her wings and took to the sky again, and Giratina flew by to pick up Danika again, too. The Olivia Dragon turned and faced them as Maleficent used magic to zap more lightning at them, and also fire green energy balls. Giratina was barely able to move as all the attacks gave him a rough pounding, and he was suddenly bashed away when Olivia charged over and struck him. Danika kept hold, and Giratina recovered and kept flying, still going after Olivia as he spat his green flames back.

Olivia took some hits, then flew under the spirit dragon, coming behind and closing her teeth down on his tail. Once again, Danika charged over and dealt a few blows against the eyes with her daggers, forcing Olivia to release. The two dragons then flew side-by-side as they each started ramming the other, Danika keeping her grip as one of Olivia's rams made Giratina spin around, but the Shadow Dragon flew above her head and bashed it with his feet, sending Olivia falling fast down in the abyss. But right away, Olivia shot back up so fast, she sent Giratina flying, and Danika lost her grip and began falling once again.

Danika saw Olivia charging to her from the side, mouth wide open, but she thankfully missed, and Danika grabbed onto her tail. She hauled herself to her feet and ran up the dragon's back again, but when she jumped to her head, Olivia quickly spun and clapped Danika in both her hands. Giratina was flying back to Danika's aid, but Olivia shot her tail at the spirit's chest, and Giratina gripped his heart in pain before taking the fall. Danika tried to shake away from Olivia's claw, but the dragon kept a tight grip, holding Danika close to her face and giving a deafening roar before hurling Danika straight down below.

Team Brotherhood gasped in horror as Danika was falling fast to the chasm with no way to recover. "Danika!" Nolan cried.

After enduring Olivia's tight squeeze and loud cry, Danika was barely able to move, weakly opening her eyes and seeing how far she was into the abyss, still miles from the Negaverse. As her eyes fixed onto that opposite realm, she could see the sun of that world beginning to set, rising to light up the Positive World. Her eyes then narrowed to the eternal twilight sun of the Shadow Realm, and memories started to flow back into her head.

_When she was in her room one day, singing a song about Leo after he accidentally almost killed her, brightening Leo's day. When she and Leo went to the dinosaur-themed park, getting scared together. When she and her sisters scared Leo with Danika's shadow, sharing a laugh. When she and Nolan captured Marine on the beach, then decided to relax. When she and Nolan tried to capture Cosmo, Nova, and Kami together. When she and Nolan went swimming in that nighttime lake, gazing at the stars. This whole adventure, journeying with April and Nolan to many strange places, like Vaporia or the dinosaur jungle, and finally going on that date with Nolan on Ember Island. She then remembered bursting into song about him, her true love._

Danika shot her eyes open and turned her form upside-down while continuing to fall. She kept her gaze focused on the twilight sun and felt a change of color around the realm, a different light emitting from the sun. The Light of Dawn. She felt the power of dawn flowing inside her from her happiest moments, and she could feel her Shadow Fury coming on.

Meanwhile, Nolan and April looked into the abyss with sadness, feeling that Danika was long gone. Before he knew it, Nolan was grabbed in the claw of the Olivia Dragon as she passed by, holding the former operative by her face as she prepared to burn him to ashes. Olivia ceased, and they redirected their attention when an unfamiliar roar was suddenly heard. A blinding light rose from below the chasm, and everybody gaped at the sight of a gigantic Danika, in the form of her Shadow Fury. But rather than the pitch-black darkness that was her color the first time, her form was now purely white, emitting a strong and powerful light. Olivia appeared quite small to her, but she charged her green flames and unleashed a massive ray of fire at the giantess shadow.

The flames were blocked by one of Danika's many shadowy tentacles, and the goth grabbed and squeezed the dragon tight in her left hand. She lightly gripped Nolan in her right thumb and index finger, gently placing her friend back on the field beside April. She gave a smile at Nolan before glaring back at Olivia, stretching her arm all around to bash the monster's head against any floating island. One of the bashes sent Olivia falling from her hand, and the dragon recovered as Maleficent stuck her form out, preparing to charge a powerful spell while Olivia was charging another super-flame. Danika only chuckled and smirked, blowing a cloud of Shadow Breath that was as bright as she was now.

Totally stunned by the blinding light, Danika gripped the two in her hand and spiraled them around before smashing them straight against the floor of the battlefield. The Fused Shadows flew straight out of their weakened forms, and Midna went with them as they absorbed themselves into Danika's body. Danika held her right arm out as a humongous spear, forged of twilight energy, appeared out of thin light. She rose the spear high above the evil dragon and pierced. (End song.)

The entire realm was swallowed in a flash of light as Danika reverted back to her normal form. She stood beside Nolan and April as they watched the shadow of Maleficent sizzle and burn in the light. The Shadow Demon drifted to the sky as it faded into nothingness. The light went away afterwards, and the dimension was back to its original color. With the magic gone, the Olivia Dragon began to shrink back down, until Olivia was back in her regular human form, rubbing her aching head. "Ohhh…"

"I have been WAITING to do this!" April exclaimed. She reached her arm out and began to close the grip in her hand, using her powers to grab Olivia's mind and giving her archrival an unbearable headache. April's visage seemed to show only anger, continuing to make Olivia suffer and watching her shake and scream in total pain.

"Okay, April, that's enough." Nolan told her. April only huffed and released her archenemy, and Olivia fell to her knees as Nolan approached her. "You know what your problem is, Olivia? You're too obsessed with 'good looks' and popularity to realize what really matters is on the inside. Danika may look like a freak, but deep down she's sweeter than you could ever be. And even if looks DID matter… she's prettier than you could ever be, too. All you are is a pig."

"Hehehe…" Dani giggled.

Sinking all this in, Olivia filled with pure anger and rage, weakly standing up straight as she faced the victors with a fuming look, still trying to catch breath. "I… will not… be called out… by a bunch of… LOOSERRS! !"

The group then looked around and noticed several clouds of Shadow Fog creeping over, guided by legions of shadows as they were all surrounding the stuck-up teenager. "Wh-What are you-" Olivia tried to speak, and was unable to shake free when the many shadows began wrapping their arms around her. "Augh! Get off me! No! I'm…I'm fading! Not now! This isn't how… I wanted it… to end! So many lives to make miserable! So many boyfriends to steal! No! I can't… not right… _AAAAAHHHHHH!"_

The shadows and the fog all broke away after her entire form was covered. Olivia was now one of them as they all faded into the distance, leaving the entire field empty except for Team Brotherhood. "Well, girls…" Nolan sighed, "now is as perfect a time as any to say… 'twas beauty killed the beast."

A drum solo could be heard in the distance, that plays whenever a joke is told. Nolan gave a wide grin, but the girls only shot him glares as April smacked the backside of his head. Midna then came back down with the Fused Shadows, the three mystical items spiraling around her before they each shot into her body. Midna studied her skin when she could feel the powers return. "Aw, yes!" she fist-pumped.

"Well, Danika." Nolan smiled to his crush. "You can do the honors."

Danika nodded and approached Midna with the Spirit Ball in hand. She readied her throw, and tossed the Spirit Ball at Midna's form, the Firstborn transforming into light and being sucked inside. The sphere fell to the ground and began shaking and beeping like they normally do. Danika walked over to pick it back up, and held it to her face as she sang quietly.

_Across the distance clouds…_

_The dusk and sadness falls_

_Like withered autumn leaves_

_Succumbing to the cold…_

_But never let yourself..._

_Fall to the darkness of the night_

_For across the sky, the rising dawn_

_Brings forth… the light…_

The Spirit Ball hovered in midair and erupted with light, now glowing black on the top and white, with some light-blue lines, on the bottom. The ball lowered gently into Danika's hand as she raised it in victory.

**Danika captured a_ FIRSTBORN_! Just 3 more! !**

The other two heroes went to stand by Danika and focused their attention on Giratina, the dragon coming down and quaking the field as it landed before them. _"The time has come for you to choose."_ The guardian spoke. _"Will you follow the Road of Light…"_ he directed to the Positive World above, _"or the Road to Darkness?"_ he directed to the Negaverse below.

Nolan didn't need much time to think. He looked straight up at the Positive World, seeing the treehouse of Sector V through the reflection. "Neither…" he spoke, rolling past Giratina. "I'm taking the middle road."

_"The Twilight Road to Nightfall?"_ Giratina asked, raising a brow.

"No…" Nolan turned and faced the eternal sun in the distance. "The Road to Dawn…"

April and Danika smiled and faced the rising sun beside him. "And we'll come with you…" Danika said. (Play "Wake Me Up Inside" by Evanescence.)

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><p><strong>YES, we finally captured another Firstborn! Lol I just wanted this song to play because I feel like it fits Danika; I picked it as her theme song! Normally, I play a song during a story arc ending, but even though this is just a Firstborn get, I felt like it fits here. Anyhoo, with Midna found, and Lucinda and her shadow destroyed, that means there are only 3 Firstborn left, and only two villains (excluding Gnaa) are left to take down! And the main one we'll be focusing on is Brain! Next chapter will begin Nolan's arduous path to redemption, and eventually the showdown with Darth Genious! And THAT is going to be the best one YET! Why, you ask? Let's just say… I hope you liked "Titans Together". ;D Later, mah peeps!<strong>


	66. Path to Redemption

**Hello, everybody! The beginning of Nolan's path to redemption! Here we go!**

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><p><strong><em>Path to Redemption: Nolan York Apologizes.<em>**

**Final Brain**

The storm was finally clearing around the Brotherhood base as the primate assistant, Monsieur Mallah, was going for a walk, finding his master gazing over the horizon upon a balcony. "Master," Mallah approached him, "your apprentice and his allies are gone. Should we not-"

"I know." Brain cut him off. "They have gone off to retrieve another Firstborn. By now, Danika should have awakened herself as the Guardian and captured Midna."

"Zere is something else. Some of our Teen Ninjas have reported zat Nolan… may be changing sides…"

"It is all part of my plan. To win at chess, you must be cunning and vigilant, and never let your opponent see your pieces. Even on this path to righteousness, Nolan's true calling will awaken in him. And he will bring the Kids Next Door… to its knees."

"And vhat of our _other_ ultimate plan?"

"Azula has just returned with Zuko. And he will be the first of many. If things go accordingly with Nolan… then the Firstborn of Stars will be in our grasp once again. We will be able to cross over into the many other worlds. And the heroes of every world will meet their fall, and evil shall dominate all."

"And vhen it happens," Mallah smirked, "you shall reign as the most powerful Sith Lord, and the universe will be yours to command. Your father would be proud."

"I can already see him, now. His immortal soul, looking down, watching over me. Ever since I was a child… working for that accursed organization; the same one I rescued Nolan from. I have always worked to please him; to make him proud. And I have…"

"And now… Nolan is following in your footsteps."

"Indeed."

Meanwhile, Azula had dragged the defeated Zuko to the humongous chamber of the frozen captives, shoving the handcuffed prince onto the treadmill, beneath the Freezer 5000. "Well, isn't this something? The mighty Firelord beaten by his baby sister." The wicked princess spoke, standing by her Dai Li Agents. "Any last words?"

"You must be pretty happy with yourself." Zuko said. "Banished. Hated by everyone. You're so perfect, you don't even need your family, huh?"

"Sorry, Brother, but everyone knows _I_ am the only one fitting for the throne of Firelord. And once we're through with the rest of your friends, I'll be taking it back."

"Even if you are Firelord, you think that'll get you the respect you want? You're mean and heartless and cruel. The people will never accept you as their ruler."

"Poor, simple Zuko. Any _real_ ruler would know that the only way to earn respect is by fear."

"But any person with a heart would know that a better way to gain respect is by love and trust. And if you apologized for everything you did, and changed your ways, maybe the people _would_ respect you."

"Pfft. Don't make me laugh. Freeze him!" The Dai Li soldier at the controls nodded and pressed the button, freezing Zuko completely solid in an ice sculpture.

As the princess glared at his motionless form, Zuko's words began to sink in. "Is there anything else we needed to do, Princess?" an agent asked.

"N-No. We're fine for now. Let's go see what Gramma Stuffum's made for dinner." The villains then proceeded to exit the huge, dark room, leaving the frozen captives, but not before Azula spared one last glance toward Zuko.

Once Azula and her agents were long gone, Nolan and Team Brotherhood came out of hiding in Danika's shadow, sneaking into the massive room as Cheshire flew to one of the higher shelves of frozen captives, grabbing Gwen and Doug's frozen forms and carrying them back down. "Nolan, are you sure about this?" Danika whispered. "I'm not sure if the two people who probably hated you the most would be willing to help you redeem yourself. I mean, if anyone, why not that Lance kid? You said you and he were pretty good allies one time, didn't you?"

Nolan looked up at Numbuh 10-Speed's frozen form, the boy still girlified from when Margaret zapped him with a Girlifyer. "Yeeaahh, I don't think he'll be able to help much. Besides, these two were the ones who let me go in the first place. So I could get a second chance. Plus, I figured these two would get the ultimate satisfaction with finally dragging me to be decommissioned. This is the best way."

"If you say so…" Danika replied, unsure.

Nolan extracted a small flamethrower from his chair and started to move the fire up-and-down along Gwen's frozen body, the girl slowly returning to her normal color as the ice melted away. She fell to the ground and panted heavily after she was freed, so Nolan went to start unfreezing Doug, and he started breathing as well. After shaking their heads from the dizziness, they remembered where they were and faced Nolan. Before Nolan could say anything, the two had already grabbed the boy off his wheelchair, shoving him to the ground and cuffing his hands behind his back.

"You got a lot of nerve setting US free, Nolan." Gwen said.

"But now that we're out, we can finally finish what we started." Doug followed.

"Wait!" Danika shouted. "At least give him a chance to speak."

"Yeah!" Nolan grunted, his face shoved against the floor. "Don't you think I wouldn't be letting you out without a reason?"

"Oh, and what reason would that be?" Gwen asked. "You and your little freak friends threw us in there to begin with. By the way… nice scar."

"Err. I don't want to work for Brain anymore! I want to redeem myself and go back to KND."

"Pfft. Like we'd let YOU back in. How do we know this isn't some trap?" Doug asked.

"It isn't, I swear! Please… just take me up to Moonbase and I can explain everything to everyone."

"Okay. We'll let you do that, and THEN we'll have you decommissioned." Gwen said, lifting Nolan back onto his chair.

"Good. We have a captured S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. outside. We can ride in that."

"I really hope he knows what he's doing." April said as she and Danika followed the three to the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. outside.

**KND Museum of Coolness**

"Oh my God. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm so gonna die." Matt mumbled to himself, sitting on a step at the museum as he rapidly pressed buttons on a 3DS.

Numbuh 202 entered the museum and smiled once she saw her friend, walking over to greet him. "Hi, Matt!"

"Not now, Kim. Come on, come on, come on! Kill the phoenix, kill the phoenix, KILL THE PHOENIX! ! …Phew! I killed the phoenix! So, what's up, Kim?"

Kim giggled. "Nothing much. I just I had a dream where I was killed by this rouge operative."

"You mean 'rogue', Kim."

"Oh… have I been saving it wrong all this time?"

"Eee-yep."

"Oh…" she blushed. "So, what's up with you, Matt? The museum's fixed, I see."

"Yeah, but you won't believe it. Me and Sector V were just sucked into this alternate timeline where I gained the power to know everything!"

"Wow! Bet that doesn't happen to you everyday." Kim smiled.

"I'm serious, Kim. I tried poisoning myself to get rid of the kajillions of brain cells! …But it was kind of cool when you think about it. Still have a headache from it, though." He rubbed his forehead.

Kim heard the entrance to the museum open, looking ahead and smiling at who was entering. "Hey, Matt! Sector V's here!"

"Say what? !" Matt jumped excitedly, dashing to greet his most-admired sector and Numbuh 362. "Numbuh 362! Pleasure to make yours and Sector V's acquaintance." He bowed. "Boy, you should've been there! Me and Sector V went on this awesome adventure in another universe, where a witch took over the world, and-"

"Okay, Matthew, save your breath." Rachel laughed. "Nigel kind of already told me. Although the part where he chose me over Lizzie felt a little exaggerated." She smirked.

"Aw, come on, Rachel." Nigel whined playfully. "You know I love my Supreme Leaduh."

"Anyhoo, that's not why we're here. I've just discovered a rather interesting law in my record of old KND laws, and it mentioned an operative by the Numbuh of 23 BBY. I couldn't find any real file on him in the records, so I was hoping you would know something."

"Oh, don't even get me started on THAT guy." Matt replied.

"I take it you know him?"

"That's just it. I DON'T know him! I was giving a tour one day, and when they asked about that guy, I could barely remember JACK about him! All I know is he was a really big traitor, and he locked his own files away and escaped decommissioning so no one would ever remember him. Which, apparently, it worked, because I CAN'T remember what he did, or even so much as the name! Ugh, was it Raymond something… Ricky Spanish… Regal Savinsky?"

"HA! So much for knowing everything on the planet!" Wally laughed.

"Point taken there." Matt rubbed his head again. "Augh, I wish I could remember. I mean, how can I be the curator when I can't remember the story of a simple traitor?"

"You probably have it close." Rachel said. "Though it would've been nice if you did know. Maybe I can find information from one of the files of the other operatives at that time."

"Sir!" Numbuh 86 called, running in and panting heavily.

"Fanny? What's going on?"

"There's a few people up on Moonbase who want to speak to you. Ya better come up."

The operatives all exchanged wondering glances with each other before they hurried back to their ships.

**KND Moonbase**

The kids hurried to Moonbase as fast as they could, landing their crafts in the hangar and hurrying up to the bridge, where Sector W, Eva, Dimentia, Infinity, Patton, and Numbuhs 58 & 59 were waiting, along with three certain people which took the crew by surprise. "Uhhh… hiya." Nolan greeted, still handcuffed.

Nigel and Rachel exchanged gaping looks and faced the three villains with battle-ready expressions, Rachel switching out her sword and Nigel holding flames in his hands. "You!" the Brit yelled.

"Relax. They SAY they're on our side." Gwen said.

"Listen, guys, I can explain." Nolan began. "So, basically… uh… it's sort of like… ummm…" He tried to think, but couldn't think of what to say.

"Spit it out." Rachel told him.

"Okay, okay. The thing is, I went to work for Brain because he said you guys were evil, and he convinced me to believe him, _had some pretty good evidence…_, but, erm, anyway, I found out he was lying, and he was just trying to take me down the path to the Dark Side, so I quit working for him, and I saved Gwen and Doug so they could bring me back here, because…" the two slowly lowered their guard, taking in this story, "I realize that… my place belongs with the Kids Next Door."

They all stood in silence for a moment.

"So…"

"Uh-huh…" Rachel slightly nodded, still having a hard time believing it. "And… what do you have for a peace offering?"

"Will this do?" Danika asked, tossing her Spirit Ball as it popped open. The operatives gaped when Midna emerged.

The Firstborn stretched and yawned and spoke, "Boy, I forgot how cramped those things were." She then took notice of Nigel, Rachel, Eva, and Dimentia. "Oh. Well, fancy meeting you here."

"They've found one of the Eight Firstborn!" Hoagie yelled and pointed.

"Sweet! That means they's only 3 more to go!" Abby exclaimed.

"How did this…" Rachel was about to say.

"Danika was troubled, but she found her way to the light, and so did I." Nolan continued. "I was being led down a path of darkness, but after seeing otherwise, I returned, and now… I want a second chance." Hearing this startled Dimentia slightly. "And you guys believe in second chances… right?"

Nigel and Rachel directed their attention to Dimentia in thought. They both remembered well the horror and evil that Dimentia brought to kids everywhere. And what Nolan did wasn't anywhere near as bad as what she did, and yet they still gave her a second chance. And things ended up turning for the better. They figured, if she could redeem herself after everything she's done… maybe Nolan could, too. They faced back at the cripple, and Numbuh 362 ordered, "Let him go."

Gwen and Doug gritted their teeth in anger and uncuffed Nolan's hands, the boy smiling as he rubbed his sore wrists. "Eh, but don't expect us to be too friendly with you right away." Nigel told him.

"Hehe. Right."

Sonya then approached her older sister with a warming smile. "Well, if Nolan's getting a second chance, maybe we can start over, too."

April smiled back. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Hooray!" Matt cheered as he and Kimberly got beside Nolan, both smacking his back excitedly. "Nolan's back to the good side! And have we got a mission for YOU!"

"You do?"

"Yeah, now that he mentions it, we COULD use your help." Rachel smiled in agreement.

"Do you remember that H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. thing you used to have?" Matt asked.

"Oh yeah! It's right here!" Nolan pulled said item out. "I never go anywhere without it. It's pretty important to me. It was my first creation after I became an operative, after all, so I'm really proud of it."

"I can see why." Rachel said. "It can give you access to ALL KND files, right? Well, there's an operative we're trying to research. Someone we can't seem to find any records on."

"His codename is Numbuh 23 BBY." Matt followed. "Ever heard of him?"

"Can't say that I have. But that shouldn't be a problem with this baby." With that, Nolan slipped the item onto his head and spoke into it. "H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.: pull up all available data on operative 'Numbuh 23 BBY'."

_"Understood. Scanning for information of operative 'Numbuh 23 BBY'."_ A few seconds passed as a small cursor skimmed around the tiny screen by Nolan's eyepiece. _"Data unavailable. Subject '23 BBY' not found. Other possible subjects: Numbuh 23, Numbuh 2, Numbuh 3, Numbuh-"_

"Okay, that's enough! Augh."

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

"It says 'data unavailable'."

"But that's impossible."

"You need to look harder!" Matt said, pulling himself closer to Nolan's head. "H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.: look again!" he yelled at the piece of equipment. Nolan smacked the boy off.

"H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.: search the top secret files."

_"Scanning top secret files. Subject '23 BBY' not found. Files locked."_

"Files locked? What do you mean?"

"You found something?" Rachel asked.

"I…I think so. I can't exactly get access with 'files locked'."

"Guess that thing isn't as good as you thought it was." Doug commented.

"Shouldn't you two be helping Fanny go look for teenagers?" Rachel asked them.

"Whatever…" He and Gwen walked off.

"Anyway, at least you tried, Nolan. We'll just have to track this guy down some other way."

Nolan removed his headpiece and sighed depressedly at it, sheathing it away before rolling off.

"Anyway, April, there's this really neat restaurant down in Ashland." Sonya said. "Wanna go down there?"

"Sure! You wanna come, Danika?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here. The blackness of space is a goth's kind of place. And besides, I get to hang out with fellow Guardians." At this, Eva and Dimentia gave grins.

"I much prefer the twilight." Midna said. "Though I know that Jirachi likes space."

"Same here." Dimentia replied.

"Well-p, then I guess WE should get looking for that operative." Numbuh 101 figured. "I'll just get right on that." With that, he left Rachel and Kim, back to Numbuh 362's office.

**Final Brain**

"Sire. The captured S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. we left in the garage has gone missing." General Immortus reported to Brain and Mallah while they were playing a game of chess in the chamber of the holographic projection of Earth.

"Now, that is strange. Where could it have-" Before Brain could finish, they noticed a dark portal appear a few feet away, watching the Negatar himself step out. "Why, Negatar Gnaa. So kind of you to visit us. Is there something I can help you with?"

"We've wasted too much time, Darth. Our allies are all gone. You and Ganondorf are the only ones left. And I can sense the darkness in our junior villains weakening. With only 3 Firstborn remaining, we need to work harder at turning their Guardians to the darkness."

"I'm afraid there has been a change in plans, Lord Gnaa. You see, while your assistance was most appreciated up to this point, I am more busy with my own plans. Therefore, I am in no longer any need of your services. "

"WHAT?" Lord Gnaa burst into anger, his eyes and arrow glowing with the power of the Negatar State. _"Have you already forgotten who set you free, you insolent piece of an organ?"_

"My apologies, Lord Gnaa. But it seems I cannot remember a thing."

_"RAAHH!"_ Mallah and Immortus startled with fear when Gnaa shook the room in his anger. _"Very well, you ingrate. You'll RUE the day you defied my will!"_ The Dark Master vanished into darkness.

"Master… are you quite sure that vas a good idea?" Mallah asked.

"Good deeds cannot go without consequence, Monsieur Mallah. Now, if you would excuse me, I have business at hand. Carry on." With that, the disembodied Sith Lord calmly strolled out of there.

Wesley Dodds and Larry Oldman slumped back within the confines of their prison cell as Cad Bane stepped in with a tray of food. "Here you go: Moose Brain Gravy and Scream o' Spinach Soup, fresh from the gas drum." The hunter slipped the tray through the bars on the cell's floor. "Packed with all the works, including my _own_ secret ingredient." Sandman cocked a brow at the Duro, who smirked and winked. "See you in a little while." With that, he walked out.

Dodds crawled over and began to dig his hand into the grotesque liquid, feeling around for something inside. "Nnn, what did he bring us, Dodds? I need some prune juice to fill these insides." Mr. Oldman whined.

Dodds finally felt something hard in the soup and smirked once he pulled out his gas gun. "Oh, I don't think you'll have to wait for long."

Outside, the Stormtroopers who were guarding the chamber suddenly heard some kind of sizzling sound. "Huh? What's going on?" When the soldiers went in, they were immediately shot by Larry's ice ray as he and Wesley stepped out of the dissolved cell. Squads of other Stormtroopers hurried down the hall and started shooting, but Dodds kicked off the walls and ceiling and got behind them, kicking them out. Larry saw more Troopers heading over from the opposite end and blew ice along the floor, making it slippery and causing them to slip.

The two old men dashed down the halls and out of the base, running past Cad Bane, who had his back turned and tipped his hat, removing a golden coin from his pocket and flipping it. "Pleasure doing business with you, Clocky."

**KND Moonbase**

A few hours had passed, and Numbuh 101 continued to research the operative 'Numbuh 23 BBY' on Numbuh 362's computer, looking up several operatives' files from the early years of the Seventh Generations. Kim stepped in and approached the desk her friend was sitting at. "Hey, Matt, wanna go get some soda at Lime Rickey's?"

"Not now, Kim. I still need to find out who this guy is."

"Matt, you've been sitting there for hours. Don't you think you should take a break?"

"Kiiim! As the museum curator, I need to know _everything_ about KND's history. I need to know everything I can if I'm going to be able to tell people awesome stories. Sometimes, I wish I would've kept that curse."

"Well, nobody can know _everything_, Matt. We can find out who this guy is later. Come on, let's get some soda."

"Sorry, Kim. Duty comes first. …Haha! Duty!"

"Ohhh…" Kim moaned depressedly. "Okay." With that, she left Matt to her work and closed the office door on her way out.

"O-kay… let's see here…" Matt was about to check out another file when- "AHH!" The screen suddenly blanked out. "No! NOO! Not now! Please, anything but- Huh?" The image was replaced with that of a figure with a silver body and golden head with closed eyes.

_"Well. Somebody is desperate to inflate his brain."_ The female being spoke, floating out of the computer in the form of a hologram, drifting around the curator as her twin tails brushed against him, though he could only feel the holographic waves. _"It's a surprise that poor computer hasn't exploded from overheat."_

"Uh, hehe. Erm, I'm trying to research someone, if you don't mind."

_"Oh, I can see that."_ She spoke, getting in his face, eyes still closed. _"How desperately you crave for knowledge. You fail to see what truly matters. You just missed a date with somebody who cares about you."_

"But isn't the old saying 'There's nothing sweeter than knowledge'?"

_"Perhaps. But it is a _really_ old saying. There _are_ more important things."_

"Yeah, yeah, but Kim only started hanging out with me BECAUSE I'm smart. She'll love it when I surprise everyone with the tale of… whoever this guy's name is!"

_"Perhaps… but she may love it even more… if you devoted a bit of time to simply her."_ With that, the strange being faded back into the computer screen, which came back on.

Matt sat there in silence for a second and took off his glasses, wiping the lens with his shirt as he tried to comprehend what just happened. "Well, that was random." He slipped the glasses back on and continued viewing the screen, and something caught his attention. "Heey! Now this is interesting!" The fanboy got up from his seat and hurried over to Numbuh 362, who was playing Whisby on the deck with Fanny and Patton. "Numbuh 362! I was looking up that operative, and guess what I found!"

"What- OW!" She was hit in the back of the head by the Whisby, angrily rubbing the sore.

"Sorry!" Patton called.

"Apparently, that Brett Gunkan used to be an operative in the same time as that guy!"

"The GUN Commander? Is he the one?"

"I don't know, but it's a start! His booger was removed from the Code Module, but he was never officially decommissioned."

"Hmm…" Rachel rubbed her chin in thought. "Then he might be able to help us. Alright, then. We'll wait for Nigel to return, and then we'll go down to GUN's base and speak with him. He just left to see how Nolan was fairing."

"Um, er, actually, you two can just go without me." Matt said. "I think I'll go down to Lime Rickey's and see how Kim's doing."

"Really? Well, okay. We'll fill you in on the details when you get back, then."

"Why you goin' with Nigel?" Fanny asked.

"Well, I figured it'd be easier getting info outta Gunkan with a little 'leader-to-leader'."

"Well, why can't we come, then?"

"Because I need you guys to watch over things on Moonbase. You know, in case of an attack." Rachel stated simply.

"Ah, come on." Patton waved her off. "The place's held up well since Bartie was put in charge. What could possibly happen?"

**Sector Q Treehouse**

After a few hours passed, Nolan had returned to what used to be his sector, still stationed behind his house despite what happened. "Hello? Anybody home?" Nolan called once he entered the living room, the entire tree base dark and seemingly empty. "I guess they're all off somewhere. Whoever still works here, anyway." The boy decided to roll his way down a hall, to a door that was labeled '2030'. He quietly entered his old room, and everything appeared the same as he remembered. _Good thing they didn't change this place._ He thought. He picked up a picture on his nightstand, staring at a photo of him and his old teammates when he first became leader, such as Mario, Dillon, Doug, Gwen, Rack and Ruin, Garret, and Catherine. In the picture, he and Gwen had their arms wrapped around the other, for they started to date back then.

"I thought I'd find you here."

"Ahh!" he gasped, nearly dropping the photo as he turned to see Gwen herself standing in the doorway. But as a rare sight, rather than her decommissioning gear, she wore a tannish-yellow T-shirt, dark-green jeans, and dark-green boots. Her helmet and goggles were also off, letting her long, brown hair flow.

"Listen, I'm sorry about before. I think we just need to talk. Truce?"

"Umm. Okay." Nolan set the picture down and followed his ex outside.

**Quahog Beach**

"So, anyway… I see you brought your new friends." Gwen spoke as she and Nolan went for a walk along the beach, the sun beginning to set over the horizon.

"E-yep. We're the grand trio of operative wannabes, aren't we?"

"So what's the deal with you and that Danika girl? Are you…?"

"Well, she is my best friend. And, well… I do have a crush on her. And… so does she actually."

"Did you ask her out?"

"Yeah. We're kind of dating now, I guess. I mean, we didn't necessarily 'confess our love' or anything… but it sort of happened last night. When she was crying… and she hugged me for comfort."

"How romantic." She replied sarcastically. "So how'd you get that scar?"

"Actually, Danika gave it to me. Hehe. She was having a moment of weakness and depression, and… she had a hard time controlling herself."

"Hmph. Typical freaks."

"Well, I see you haven't changed a bit."

"Can you blame me? You did just sort of leave us to work for those 'Prospectors'. I kind of thought we were a team."

"We're _all_ a team, Gwen. All of us operatives, Prospectors included. But they had a hard time being accepted by other fellow operatives, so I needed to help them."

"Who said _you_ needed to help them?"

"_I_ did. In fact, that's also the reason I worked for the Brotherhood in the first place. They were an organization of metahumans 'freaks', and The Brain said its entire purpose was to give them a rightful place in the world. It just… didn't work out the way I'd hoped. They were, well… evil. But I still have morals, Gwen. And as long as I'm here, I'm going to continue to help 'freaks' like Rack and Ruin find their place."

"Hmph. Figured." They stopped as Gwen turned angrily toward him. "That's all you ever cared about. Cared about those freaks _way_ more than your own girlfriend. It's no surprise that you'd end up dating one."

"Well, clearly it was worth it, 'cause apparently, you weren't the one for me. Any _real_ girlfriend would respect her boyfriend's morals, and offer him support. I mean, just look at Danika. Our whole partnership, I've been suffering from nightmares and confusion thanks to Brain. And she stuck by me the whole way, always offering comfort. Of course, she was always suffering a little deep down, too. Still, that's way more than I can say for you. In fact, it was people like you that led me to leave in the first place."

Gwen gave an angered 'huff' and began to stomp away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going home!" she yelled back. "I wanted to try and make up with you, but now, I don't really care anymore!" And in only a few moments, she was out of eyesight.

Nolan only sighed depressedly and rested his head on his hand. "Well, that could've gone better." A British voice said from behind. Startled, Nolan shot around to find Nigel Uno.

"Have you been spying on me?"

"I just wanted to see how well you're doing. We did use to be allies back in the day." Nigel replied, walking beside him.

Nolan sighed. "It just isn't easy getting everyone to accept you when you come back from the Dark Side."

"Mmm. I know that. I still remember when people were trying to adjust to Dimentia."

"The thing is… I'm having a hard time getting used to coming back. The Brain's been filling me with lies for so long… all I can think about this place is all the things I hated about it."

"Yeah. The Kids Next Door isn't totally great in all areas. I can't think of one person who likes decommissioning, even Numbuh 86."

"Gwen and Doug probably like it."

"Hehe. Well, considering their hatred towards you… erm, never mind."

"Hey, Nigel… you were the Demon King's grandson, right?"

"Great grandson, and… _yes_." Nigel rolled his eyes, not wanting to remember his relation to Malladus.

"And if Malladus hated mortals… did he try to spread his influence to you?"

Nigel sighed. "Yes. Malladus hated mortals with a passion, and that dark passion was what made his power so great. The powers of Hellfire. And he hated how his own descendants ended up mating with mortals. But despite this, he tried to spread his ways to me. He wanted me to rule by his side as the Demon Prince. But I never gave in to his darkness. I knew that my passion, my fire burned for the Kids Next Door, and my friends. And it was because of that passion that I was able to defeat him."

"Wow… that's actually pretty cool." Nolan smiled. "It's no wonder the GKND chose you… heck, they would've chosen Rachel if they wanted. Neither of you gave in to the darkness inside your hearts… but me: Brain's influence is all over my mind. I feel…I feel like the darkness has completely taken over my heart. I might become a Heartless before you know it."

"Ahh. You're being overdramatic. If you're really confident with who you are, you'll never turn up anything like Brain. If he's got his influence on you… then you've got the advantage. Because Brain won't see you coming. When Malladus took over, he was blinded by his own anger and hatred towards mortal beings. He saw them as nothing but incompetent. And it was his very cockiness that led to his downfall. He became overcome with the darkness, and it was the darkness that ended up swallowing him. And the same thing will happen to Brain."

"But what if everything goes like he planned? What if I do end up like him."

"Ah, you worry too much. Heh, you're just like Rachel. And me a little bit. All you need to do is keep your faith, and everything will be fine."

"Yeah… you're probably right." Nolan smiled.

"'Course I'm right, I'm the best operative that ever lived. Hm. And by the sound of things, you seem to look up to me and Rachel."

"Don't get so proud of yourself." Nolan laughed, playfully punching his arm. "But anyway… thanks for the support. Maybe things will turn up for the better. Mostly, things HAVE been working out so far. There is just… ONE thing…"

"What's that?"

"Well…" Nolan scratched his head. "I never had a chance to see my mom again ever since I left. She was the only family I had. Not like Danika, with all her sisters and brother. And now that I'm here, I'm sort of afraid… how she'll react. I mean, she wasn't MEAN or anything, but, still."

"Well, let's go find her! She lives at the house where Sector Q is, right?"

"Well, last I was here."

"Then let's go!" Nigel insisted, already pushing Nolan's wheelchair back the way they came. "She'll probably be relieved to see you again."

**Goofy Goobers**

"Hu hu, hi, kids!" the peanut-dressed man called upon the stage, dancing with a giant lollipop in his hand. "I hope you've got your blood-sugar-levels up! 'Cause we're taking Candy Land to a whole new era!" He then began to sing his 'Goofy Goober' song while Sector W watched in the very back of the restaurant with April.

"Ah, Goofy Goober." Harvey spoke, kicking back in his seat with his feet on the table. "Hard to believe he started off as some hobo living in a dumpster at McDonald's, spying on little children at the playground."

"Heh heh! I forgot how much I liked this place." April smiled, taking a drink of her chocolate shake.

"Well, you never had the chance to finish Arctic Training." Sonya smiled, sitting beside her and drinking her own strawberry shake. "Still, I'm glad we finally get to spend time together, other than just… trying to kill each other. Right?"

"I'll say. These are some pretty great friends you have, too. Especially if they accept you for your… secret. Not like _Chad_ did."

"Oh, I'm sure Chad didn't mean anything bad, April. He was probably just trying to protect you. From bad people who would want to use you."

"No, he was jealous. I can tell. He also thought my powers were dangerous. And, well, he was probably right. I mean, just earlier… I nearly gave in to my 'darkness'. I almost killed somebody I didn't like using my powers. It… really didn't feel great now that I think about it. I know that metahumans are supposed to be proud of their gift… but I just can't be. I'm always afraid of how far their limit will exceed."

"Don't feel bad, April. Maybe there's a bright side to our powers." Sonya smiled. "I mean, a bright side to sensing emotion would be… well, if our friends are feeling upset or something, we'd know we'd be able to comfort them."

"She's got that right." Lee commented. "Sonya always knows when we're upset, and she always tries to make us happy. Hehe… that's why she's so cool."

"Hm hm hm!" Sonya blushed.

"Sonya's always pretty emotional, too, so that explains- Ow!" Lee punched Harvey's arm.

"But how come you never showed off your powers?" April asked.

"I don't know." Sonya answered, sadly. "Maybe I've always been afraid, too. Like turning evil and stuff."

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that, Sonya." Lee smiled, putting his hand over Sonya's in comfort. "Somebody as nice as you, you'll never turn evil."

"Pssh, shyah right. Then how do you explain the way she gets when she's- Ow!" Angie punched Harvey's arm. "Man…"

"Hm hm hm!" Sonya giggled. "I guess I can be pretty emotional, actually. But I'll do my best to use these powers for good and not evil. And I'm sure you will, too, right, April?"

"Of course I will! Especially if I wanna make a change for metahumans everywhere."

"I'd still like to know where you got those powers." Paddy said.

"Me too. It would be pretty cool having some for myself." Charlotte smirked.

"I'd prefer if it were just me and April." Sonya laughed. "But I always thought it was Bang Gas that effected us, or something."

"I don't know. Powers like these seem a little too unnatural for Bang Gas to give." April said. "I feel like there's something else."

"Maybe we'll find out." Sonya figured, taking another sip of her shake. The Snacks and Treats Officer then spared a glance toward one of the ceiling corners of the restaurant, up-right of the Goofy Goober stage, where she spotted the apparition of some silver figure with a pink head, who smiled, winked, and gave a wave. Sonya rubbed her eyes from this and looked again, then tapped Lee's shoulder. "Lee, did you see that?"

"See what?" Lee took his eyes off the stage and looked to where Sonya pointed. There was nothing there. "I don't see anything."

Sonya looked up as well. "Hm. Musta been my imagination." With that, they continued to watch the singing peanut. Sonya then glanced behind her at the entrance, seeing that same figure. The being gave one more wave before flying out. Sonya only looked in confusion, then shrugged it off as she looked back at the stage.

**Quahog; Nolan's House**

Soon, Nigel and Nolan had arrived back at Nolan's house, standing before the front yard as they stared at the entrance. "Nigel… I'm still not so sure about this."

"Relax, Nolan, she's your mother." Nigel smiled. "I'm sure she'll understand if you explain everything. I mean… adults are usually dense like that, but, you never know."

Nolan just took a nervous inhale and left Nigel standing there, rolling to the house by himself and creaking open the front door, which had apparently been left open.

"Hellooo? Mom?" Nolan called, entering the dark, vacant house, except for all the furniture. "It's me, Nolan. Are you home?" The operative proceeded to search around his old home. The entire house seemed completely quiet, and yet everything Nolan remembered from before he left still appeared to be there, including photos of him and his family, so that led him to believe his mom still lived there. "Hmm… she's probably not home, either." He assumed. "But, wait, that was her car parked in the driveway. So, where could she…" It was then he decided to search upstairs in the bedroom. He had a bit of trouble getting upstairs by himself in his wheelchair, so he shot his grappling hook up, lightly so it would grab on at the top, then used it to haul himself upward.

"MOM?" Nolan called once more, entering his mom's bedroom. He stopped and gasped in absolute shock when he noticed how torn-up the room seemed. He rolled toward the wall on the other end, observing what looked to be many bullet-sized spots burned into the wall, possibly by lasers rather than actual bullets. But then, who…

"Surprise, Nolan."

"AHHH!" Nolan screamed and shot around. His blood seemed to boil with anger at the sight of the evil Sith Lord, hiding in the closet. "YOU! ! What are you doing here? !"

"I was just going for one of my leisurely strolls… when I stumbled upon a house that seemed rather familiar." The Brain spoke, rolling out of the closet. "_Your_ house, if I may add."

"Well, what business do you have here? It's not your house, and I don't welcome you here, so get lost!"

"My, somebody is temperamental today. When I awakened this morning, I never expected my star apprentice to abandon me out of nowhere. Back with the KND again, are you?"

"That's right, and I don't care what you say. I knew you were lying, so I'm THROUGH listening to you! The KND is my true calling, so I'm done!"

"Your true calling, now? Perhaps you've forgotten what it was that forced you to join me. It was _they_ who wrongfully imprisoned you. It was _they_ who so dared to shun your Prospector friends away, it was _their_ fault that they were injured, and required early decommissioning. Have you forgotten?"

"Yes, I have. It may not be the 'best thing in the world', but I know they're working to change everything for the better, and I wanna help them. And if I'm coming back, a good start would be capturing you and letting that little jar of yours freeze in the Arctic Prison."

"How interesting. And what of your mother? You cannot find her, can you?"

Nolan gasped. "_What do you know about her?_" he whispered through gritted teeth.

"I _expected_ you to go through this type of rebellion. Which is why I needed something… to further influence your decision. A hostage, if you will, of someone else whom is rather important to you."

"YOU LET HER GO!"

"First… you must do something for me."

"NO! I'm not doing ANYTHING for you!"

"Really, now. Then I cannot say for sure, what her fate will be. It mayn't be a happy ending… unless you say otherwise."

"Grrrr! What?"

"You have already gained their trust, Nolan. The first step is complete. As you know, Dimentia is up on that Moonbase with Jirachi. And Jirachi's powers are the only thing I still need to complete my ultimate plan. However, considering my attempts to retrieve him during that invasion, she has decided to remain up on Moonbase where they both will be safe. Now… this part, you may be familiar with."

"No…" Nolan already had a feeling where this was going.

"My villains are all ready. I want you to return to Moonbase. Disable the defenses of the fortress, and my villainous army can invade without problems. During the chaos that will ensue, you shall attack Dimentia, and we shall retrieve the Firstborn from her. The Moonbase will fall under _our_ control, and our final invasion will be imminent."

"No… I…I can't do that. I've just now gotten their trust. I don't want to betray them again!"

"Open your eyes, Nolan. It may seem like you are back on their side, but your time as a Kid Next Door is done. Now, you are a Brother of Evil. If you do not go through with my plan… you may _never_ see your mother again." Nolan already fell into a state of weakness, gripping his head, struggling to make this impossible choice. "I must be off now. Decide soon… my apprentice." With that, The Brain backed up into the closet while Nolan rolled away.

Nigel leaned against the mailbox outside, tapping his foot patiently as he awaited Nolan, then saw said boy rolling out. "Oh, hey, Nolan! Did you see your mother?"

"N-No… she wasn't home. No one… was."

"Oh. Well, that's too bad. Oh well, come on. We might as well go see if Matt and Rachel are any close to finding that whatshisname. Hm. Knowing that fanboy, that computer's gonna be on all night."

Nolan followed the sector leader as he led them back to his S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. He stopped and spared one last glance toward his house, remaining lost deep in thought, unable to think of what to do.

* * *

><p><strong>Hoo. And so begins the first step. Short chapter, but it's gonna get better as it goes! Anyhoo, trivia time! The remaining 3 Firstborn Guardians appeared in this chapter. Try and guess who they are. ;) Also, guess who Numbuh 23 BBY is. -_- Later!<strong>


	67. The Story of Revan Bane Sidious

**All-right, everybody… NOW is where everything falls apart. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Incredible Reveal: Numbuh 23 BBY's True Identity.<em>**

**KND Moonbase**

Nigel and Nolan later returned to Moonbase, and Nolan's mind was still conflicted with the impossible decision he had been given earlier. "Hey, Nigel!" Rachel smiled when she saw them come onto the bridge, the leader hurrying over with Danika. "Where've you guys been?"

"We went to Nolan's house to see his mom. She… wasn't home." Nigel answered.

"Oh… sorry, Nolan." Rachel patted his shoulder.

Nolan then glanced left, seeing Doug and Gwen, the latter back in her decommissioning gear. Doug only looked away in anger, but Gwen nervously scratched her head and walked over. "Nolan, about down at the beach, I…"

"Don't worry about it, Gwen. It's okay."

"Anyway, we found some information that might help us find this '23 BBY'." Rachel continued. "Matt read that the GUN Commander used to be an operative during the same time as Numbuh 23 BBY, and never got an official decommissioning."

"Hmmm." Nigel rubbed his chin. "The GUN Commander, huh? Well, he is sort of on our side now. Wait, where is Matt?"

"Oh. He said he had something else to do."

"Hm. It's not like him to leave out on learning operative history." Nigel chuckled. "Well, I guess we'll have to go without him. Wanna come, Nolan?"

"Um, no thanks. Me and the Commander… had sort of a nasty run-in back at the invasion. Hehe." Nolan scratched his head sheepishly.

"Hm hm. Okay, then. We'll see you in a little bit." With that, the two leaders left to the hangar.

Danika then noticed the worried look on Nolan's face. "Is… something wrong, Nolan?"

"What? N-No… nothing's wrong."

"You sure? You know you can tell me."

"I know, Danika. But… I'm fine."

"If you say so. I'm goin' to the pretzel wing!" Danika excitedly smiled and ran off.

"I'm coming, too." Dimentia figured, following after her. "Oh, and welcome back to the good side!" she smiled at Nolan, tossing Jirachi's Spirit Ball in her hands.

Nolan's eyes focused on the Spirit Ball before she was out of sight, then sighed depressedly. He'd really like to tell Danika what just happened, but if things ended up for the worst, he didn't want her to share the blame, so he couldn't tell her. "So, why are they checking out this '23 BBY' again?" he asked Gwen and Doug.

"Beats me." Doug shrugged. "Numbuh 362 said she found it in the law that bands metahumans and benders from the KND."

"Best one they coulda made." Gwen commented smugly.

"Hmm… that _is_ interesting." Nolan rubbed his chin in thought, then pulled out his H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.. "Boy, I wish my H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. was able to pick up these files. I still can't believe it can't pick up his data."

"Dude must really be important." Doug figured.

"And yet, he's still an operative. But his DNA is still locked away in the Code Module, according to Matt's story." Gwen said.

Nolan's mind sparked with an idea. "That's it! _Maybe_ I can locate the file by accessing the KND's cyber network."

"How are you going to do that?" Gwen asked.

"Come on. Just follow me." Nolan instructed, setting the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. in his lap as he rolled his wheelchair along, Doug and Gwen following him.

Unbeknownst to them, however, several tiny heads peeked out of Nolan's left pocket, most of them Teen Ninjas, jumping out and off his wheelchair and avoiding Gwen's large boots when she walked over them. The squad of miniscule ninjas scampered across the massive floors of the Moonbase to a dark closet, small enough to creep under the door. _"Changing Chopsticks!"_ Jack Spicer called in a squeaky voice, using the golden chopsticks to resize himself and the Teen Ninjas.

"Finally." Cree sighed as she, Felix Frost, Mary D. Luis, and the other ninjas removed their helmets and gasped for air. "Who woulda thought the kid's pockets were so stuffy?"

"At least we're in the Moonbase." Jack spoke, peeking out the closet door. "Now we just have to find the generator and cut the power to this place."

"How are we gonna do that?" Cree asked. "There's guards everywhere. Don't you have any more useful Shen Gong Whatever than those lame chopsticks?"

"These chopsticks aren't _lame_, Cree. They're perfect for sneaking around without being noticed."

"I'd prefer being able to sneak around without the risk of being squished like a bug." Mary said.

"In that case, try the Manchurian Musca. It turns you into a fly. Anyway, this is the best we have, so why don't you quit complaining and just go with it."

Cree sighed in annoyance, rolling her eyes. "Whatever."

"Changing Chopsticks." Jack used the mystical chopsticks and shrunk them down. The squad of villains began sneaking along the floors of the Moonbase again, unnoticed by any of the patrolling guards.

**Lime Rickey's**

Numbuh 202 depressedly sat at the booth in Lime Rickey's, drinking soda as her head was rested on her hand. "Hey-hey, Kim!"

Kim gasped and smiled happily when Matt took a seat by her. "Matt! Did you find out who that guy was?"

"Er, sort of. Anyway, I figured I might actually take a break. Need the soda to pump the sugar-levels up!"

"Well, it's a good thing I was saving a can for you!" With that, Matt raised his hand as Kim pulled out and tossed him a soda, the boy catching and cracking it open. "So, what did you find out?"

"Well, I didn't find anything on 23 BBY, but I DID learn that the GUN Commander was an operative back in the day. Numbuh 1 and 362 are going down to see if he knows anything. Hopefully, when they get back, I'll finally have all the info I need on that traitor!"

"Hehe. That's great! Anyway, um, Matt…" Kim nervously scratched her head, "I was wondering if you were doing anything Friday night. I figured we could go see a movie; I hear that movie _Brave_ is coming out! I've always been a Pixar nerd. Hehe."

"Actually, Kim, if things go well with Numbuh 362, and I can finally know about that operative, I wanna give my grand unveiling of his statue at the museum, then finally tell everyone the story behind him! Boy, people are gonna love it! That'll be just as good, right, if not better?"

"Oh… um…" Kim frowned. "Actually, Matt… it does sound good and all, but, um… I was actually thinking our friendship could be a little bit more than just, you know, exchanging knowledge and, showing how smart we are… or something."

"But… you only started hanging out with me because of how smart I was."

"I know that, but… I'd just like it if we could do more stuff that most other friends do, like… going to see movies or playing at the park. You know?"

"Ohh… well, if you want to… I guess I can hold the presentation off, and… we'll go see a movie."

"Great! I mean, I like it that you're smart, Matt, but it never really hurts to have fun once in a while. You don't wanna be a workaholic like Numbuh 362, right?"

"Hehehe! Yeah, I wouldn't want that!" Matt chuckled. However, as the boy continued to drink his soda, he just couldn't help but feel anxious to learn about this 23 BBY.

**KND Moonbase Auditorium**

After stopping by Numbuh 362's office to pick up her computer, Gwen and Doug had carried it and followed Nolan to the Moonbase audience chamber. Gwen handed Nolan the computer, allowing him to hook it up to the Code Module, still stationed on its pedestal, then attached the wires from the computer to the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.. "What are you doing?" Gwen asked.

Nolan slipped his headpiece on and replied, "Now that I've connected the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. to the Code Module and the KND Sooper Computer, I should be able to access the Kids Next Door's computer network and find the lost file."

"The Kids Next Door computer network?" Doug asked. "Then, do you think you can find out who TheEpicKid4Ever is? He keeps sending me hateful emails."

"That's Numbuh 4, you dolt." Gwen said, smacking his head.

"Once I'm in, whatever information I find will appear on Numbuh 362's computer. Just keep the outside guarded until I find it." Nolan instructed. "Okay… here we go." The boy switched on his H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. and tapped a few buttons on the computer. In an instant, the boy was zapped into nothingness, his matter being absorbed into the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T., which fell to the seat of his chair.

Gwen and Doug gasped in shock and ran over to Nolan's chair, searching around for him. "Nolan? Nolan, where'd you go!" Gwen shouted.

"Huh?" They noticed the computer starting to blink to life, and walked over to study it.

**KND Cyber Network**

Nolan rematerialized inside of a pixely room that was bright-blue, and decorated with many square tiles with white lines through them. He could notice faint white waves moving along the walls and floors, and also studied his own form, his body now graphically enhanced like that of a videogame, but he was still in his wheelchair. "Hm. Too bad Virtual Nolan had to be handicapped."

_"Nolan? Nolan, where are you?"_ Nolan looked up, hearing Gwen's echo from outside.

"I'm in here!" he yelled up to them. "I've virtualized myself into the KND Cyberspace. I'm now inside the KND Sooper Computer."

_"…How the heck did you do that?"_

"My H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. serves as the ultimate skeleton key." Nolan smiled proudly. "If it can't get some files to come out, it can at least let me in."

_"Wow… I gotta hand it to ya, Nolan: you know your stuff."_ Gwen complimented.

"Aww. Thanks, Gwen."

_"So, wait, does this mean if I turned this whole thing off, you'd disappear forever?"_ Nolan could tell Gwen was smirking on the other side.

"Uh, no. I'd just rematerialize and come back out of the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.."

_"Okay, then. Let me just turn this off for a second…"_

"N-No! Don't! Please!" Nolan waved his arms.

Gwen and Doug laughed on the other side. _"We're just kidding, Nolan. We wouldn't be able to decommission you if you were dead."_

"Shyeah… sure you wouldn't."

_"So, like, is this gonna be one of those 'Tron' deals?"_ Doug asked.

"Hehe, I wish. More like _Code Lyoko_, really. Just stay and guard this computer until I find the files."

_"Alright, Nolan. Since you're putting your life in our hands, we might as well make the best of it."_ Gwen said.

_"Wouldn't want ya to think you couldn't trust us."_ Doug followed.

"Right… of course not." (Play the "Virtual Simulator" Theme from _KND Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E._.)

_Stage 50: H.E.A.D.S.E.T. Top Secret Files_

_Mission: Find the lost file on Numbuh 23 BBY._

Nolan rolled his chair down the first hall of the virtual realm, entering a room in which some W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s dropped from the ceiling, taking aim and zapping lasers at him. Nolan easily dodged the slow lasers and rolled over to punch some of the W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s away with his chair's punching glove. Some of them fought back by trying to smack him, but Nolan grabbed the robots and threw them against the wall, shooting missiles and destroying them. A barrier vanished on the other side of the room, allowing Nolan to pass into the next room. There, he watched as a squad of huge, yellow robotic spiders emerged from the ground, each of them baring the mark of an eye on their heads.

"What? H.E.A.D.-S.E.T., what are they?"

The H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.'s voice echoed from the outside. _"Subjects identified as XANA Spiders. One of many different breeds of XANAbots. They are guardians of this cyber network."_

_"Aww, how cute poor wittle Nowan has his talking computer buddy."_

"Ah, shut up, Gwen! Hmm… XANAbots, huh? This _is_ interesting…" The spiders all faced and began shooting at Nolan, but he countered by locking on and shooting missiles to blow them up. The spiders jumped and latched onto the boy, trying to gnaw at him, but Nolan spun his chair around and shook them off, catching them in his grappling hook and giving them a shock, making them explode. After taking out the last bit, Nolan continued through the hall to the next room, which appeared to have a bottomless pit with a platform leading over it.

Nolan got on the slow platform as it carried him across, but from atop a higher ledge, some XANA Crabs appeared and shot triple lasers at him. Nolan's virtual body took a few hits before he shot a missile up, but a barrier appeared to be protecting the crabs. When the platform finally reached the other side, a barrier was blocking Nolan's path forward, so he rolled up a hill to the ledge below the crabs' and flipped a lever, causing the crabs' floor to explode and kill them.

The barrier vanished, allowing Nolan entry into a longer, wider room. He rolled his chair down a small slope and found some kind of pad, connecting to an extensive line that seemed to go across the infinite abyss across the room. "Uh, H.E.A.D.-S.E.T., any advice?"

_"These light pathways permit travel across the space at the speed of light. Use them when crossing bottomless chasms."_

_"Careful you don't vomit at the speed of light."_

"Oh, Doug." Nolan shook his head. He proceeded to move his chair onto the pad, causing his entire form to become a beam of light that zipped across the pathway as fast as light. The boy made several left and right turns and even zipped up walls and ceilings before he came to a complete stop at the next ledge. A group of XANA Kankrelats, robots designed like cockroaches, skittered over to Nolan, but he easily took them out in one hit with bullets. Some square platforms lined up to make a slope to take Nolan to a higher pathway, the boy rolling up to the pathway as more squares formed a barrier to block him, but he easily got through just by blasting them.

He then made it to a ledge over an abyss, seeing the next path on the other side, and two squares floating over by his left and right sides, the left one blue and the right one red. _"To cross certain areas, you will need to match the floating tiles as the same color."_ The H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. reported.

_"Let's just hope Nolan finished preschool."_

"Seriously, Doug?" Nolan then shot at the right tile, causing it to go several color-changes until it turned blue, matching with the left one and causing a path to appear. Nolan crossed to the next path, decorated with several cubes with that same eye symbol. The XANA Bloks sprouted legs and came to life, starting to spin and shoot lasers. Nolan took aim at the weak spots on the Bloks and shot his missiles, destroying them, then continued to a dead end with a row of green lasers going up between two parallel beams. Nolan grabbed one of the solid lasers and held onto his wheelchair as he let it carry him upward. Once he was at level with the next hallway, a platform floated below him and allowed him to drop onto it, carrying him to the next hallway.

Nolan noticed gaps in the walls ahead as he rolled along, and as he was about to pass them, huge red barriers emerged from the gaps and blocked his path. They went away after a few seconds, but when Nolan passed the first one, he saw a huge black cannonball inside the gap, a XANA Megatank. He quickly rolled past before it could launch the barrier again, but stopped before crashing the next one, which seemed to have many others that came after it close by. When the one before him vanished, the other ones activated, preventing him from going far. When the one in the wall beside him opened up to activate another barrier, Nolan spotted the weak point and fired his missile, then repeated this process with the next ones until they were all destroyed.

Nolan got through and reached another room with an abyss, with platforms leading across that moved up-and-down. Nolan made his wheelchair jump to get across the platform, but a group of XANA Hornets swooped in and began zooming around the boy, shooting lasers. Nolan tried to lock on, but the hornets moved too fast, and he was unable to. He just decided to ignore them and continue across the platforms, soon reaching the other side. He was about to continue, but a barrier blocked the next hall ahead. He noticed different-colored tiles along the ground and decided to roll over them, switching their colors until they were all the same. Before he could proceed, however, a giant, floating squid robot lowered itself down from the ceiling and got in his way. "What is that thing?"

_"Subject identified as: Scyphozoa. A XANAbot whose tentacles were designed with the same features as decommissioning modules."_

_"Finally, something that Nolan needs for once."_ Gwen remarked.

"Seriously, can you guys hold it with the comments for ONCE?"

_"Nnope."_

"Whoa!" Nolan ducked before the Scyphozoa could grab him with a tentacle, then backed away before shooting missiles at its dome. It didn't seem to do much damage, and the squid swung more tentacles. Nolan only fired lasers and sliced the tentacles from his body. He repeated this until all of the tentacles were gone, then he just shot his grappling hook at the stem under the monster's head and ripped it, destroying it. With it defeated, Nolan rolled his chair ahead and soon arrived at what he believed to be his destination. (End song.)

He arrived at a small, office-like room, littered with several drawers containing all sorts of KND files. _"Halt. Who dares enter this cyberspace?"_ A deep voice called out of nowhere.

"Huh? Who's there?"

_"I am the original KND Sooper Computer, imprisoned within this cyberspace for growing… 'out of date'. I am the creator of the monsters you encountered on your way here. My name is XANA."_

"Hm. Well, nice to meet you."

_"How did an operative like yourself manage to find his way in here?"_

_"Actually, he's not really an operative anymore."_

"Shut UP, Gwen. Anyway, can you please tell me where to find the lost file on Numbuh 23 BBY?"

_"Numbuh 23 BBY? That's a name I've not heard in a while. Just what is your reason in searching him?"_

"No reason, he…he did something, and we need to figure out what."

_"Mmmm. Interesting. I might have an idea on where this file is located. I would be willing to show it to you, if you told me how you were able to get here."_

"What's it to you?"

_"My curiosity knows no bounds."_

_"He got here using his H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. thingy."_

"GWEEN!"

_"A H.E.A.D.-S.E.T., you say? I am intrigued. Tell me, just how do you go about making such a device?"_

"Sorry, Buddy, but I burned the blueprints on it long ago."

_"But you created the blueprints, did you not? Then they are not truly burned, rather lodged within your brain. Tell me, how do you make such a device?"_

Nolan sighed, "Dude, can you just tell us where we can find the files already?"

_"Hmph. Fine. Humans are always no fun. Step this way."_ That's when the wall opened on the other side of the room, allowing Nolan entry into a secret room. The cripple looked with curiosity as he slowly rolled into the room, finding a file labeled '23 BBY' floating in midair. _"The operatives who wished to keep their files a secret stored them within the confines of this space, the same place they have trapped me. Numbuh 23 BBY was our latest."_

Nolan opened the file and found only a small disk. Before Nolan was a large computer, with a small compartment fit for the disk. Nolan tapped a few buttons on the keyboard, waiting for the screen to load. The image on the screen was also appearing on the screen which Gwen and Doug were watching from the outside, the two staring intently at it.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Commander Brett Gunkan sat quietly in his office, pinching his forehead in stress at the thought of the evil Sith Lord he once knew has returned. He turned his rotatable chair around to face a soldier walking in. "Sir!" he saluted. "The Kids Next Door Supreme Leader and her assistant are here to see you."

"Kids Next Door? Send them in."

Numbuhs 1 and 362 stepped in from behind the soldier. "And for the record, I'm not her 'assistant', I'm her boyfriend." Nigel corrected him.

"Ah, don't be a baby, Soldier." Rachel joked, making Nigel furrow his brows. "Anyway, sorry for dropping in unannounced. But we have a few questions we believe you can answer."

"Mmm. Well, seeing as you kids helped rid me of my curse, I'd be happy to help any way I can."

"Did you use to be an operative in the Kids Next Door?" Nigel asked.

"Mmm…" Brett stood up from his chair and turned away from the operatives, eyes closed in thought. "I'll never forget when I was… those were good times back then. Me, Rourke, and my sister, Maria… and my so-called _best friend_. That is… until he betrayed us!" He pumped his fist in anger. "Numbuh 50 ADY, I was."

Nigel and Rachel faced each other and gave serious nods. This guy _definitely_ knew something. "Well… there's this law in the Kids Next Door files… that mentions an operative which… really strikes my interest." Rachel continued.

"Are you familiar with an operative with the Numbuh '23 BBY'?" Nigel asked, raising a brow.

Gunkan seemed to gasp silently, his body flinching, then began trembling his fist in anger. "That's the one operative who caused it all… the one who gave me my curse, and played us all for FOOLS!" He turned and faced the children with a look of anger and hatred. "Revan Bane Sidious."

**KND Cyber Network**

Nolan carried the disk over to the computer and slipped it into the little slot. The virtual computer switched on and began loading the data. A bar appeared at the top of the screen, beginning to fill up, while the screen showed an automatic image of the Donkey Kong Arcade game. As the bar was loading, the little Italian plumber began making his way up the building, jumping Donkey Kong's barrels.

While he was doing so, a squad of men in differently-colored armor snuck past the front of the screen, shooting grappling hooks to a floor of the building and hauling their selves up. They made it to Mario's level, at the same time the plumber grabbed a hammer, proceeding to swing it around. The men walked up to him, took the hammer, and broke his neck. They then set a time-bomb at the spot below Donkey Kong, quickly climbing the ladder to grab the woman crying for help, then swinging away with her on their grappling hooks before the bomb exploded, making Donkey Kong fall. The yellow man then swung back to Donkey Kong and shot him in the head before swinging off again. One of the little fire enemies remained on the bottom, so the white guy swung back and put him out with a fire extinguisher, then retreated. By this time, the loading had completed.

"Finally. Now let's see what the good ol' H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. has to offer." The screen exposed the name 'Numbuh 23 BBY' on its screen, and a file opened up with his background at last.

Numbuhs 58 and 59 watched their computer from outside as the same info appeared on their screen. The two started to read it at the same time as Nolan. "'Numbuh 23 BBY was one of the newest operatives during the beginning of the Seventh Age of KND.'" Gwen read.

"'Forever to be remembered as the VERY FIRST psychicbender to join the ranks," Nolan read, "and never to be forgotten for his horrible crimes toward the organization.'" Nolan glanced to the right of the screen, studying the picture of the operative at hand. Numbuh 23 BBY was a boy with messy yellow hair and mismatched eyes, a blue right eye and yellow left eye. He wore a bluish-gray cape, a white shirt, white shorts, and orange pants under his shorts. He wore a black sash around his waist, black boots on his feet, and bared a rather big scar on his right cheek, similar to what Nolan had now. In his right hand, he wielded none more than a red lightsaber, and his right hand also had a scar on its palm. Nolan gasped in absolute shock when he looked at the name. "No way…"

"'His name… was Revan Bane Sidious.'" Gwen read.

"The BRAIN was a Kids Next Door OPERATIVE?" Nolan exclaimed.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

"It was our first day going to Kids Next Door Arctic Training." Gunkan explained to Nigel and Rachel. "It was just me, my sister Maria, and my best friend, Lyle. We met Revan at the Arctic Base. He looked a lot different than the rest of the cadets, so that's why we took an interest in him. He said it was his first day, too, and he was nervous as can get. You see, he was a psychicbender; the first psychicbender to ever join the KND that we know of. And as such, the other cadets thought him weird and unreal, so they mocked him. The three of us took pity on him, so to speak… so we befriended him. After all, just because somebody has unnatural powers, that doesn't make him a monster, right? Well, I was wrong there."

**KND Cyber Network**

"'Revan Bane Sidious was the first known psychicbender in the Kids Next Door, and has always been taunted for his powers in his earlier years as a cadet.'" Nolan read. "'However, he and his team of Lyle Rourke, Maria, and Brett Gunkan have shown remarkable efforts in the Training Academy, and passed all their tests successfully, becoming one of the best teams in the Kids Next Door at that time. They stationed their own sector in Paris, France, calling their selves 'Sector BH', which stood for 'Brotherhood', meaning that, despite their moral differences, they were all part of the same world, and brothers at heart.'"

"Hm. But, wait, if Maria's a girl, wouldn't she technically be a 'sister' at heart?" Doug asked. Gwen shrugged.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

"We were probably the best team there was. We did everything together." Gunkan continued. "And thanks to Revan's powers, we had the highest mission success rate. I was leader, and he was our technology officer, and best friend. And because of his Psychokinesis, he was also pretty smart, maybe the smartest there ever was at that time, too. His battle strategies and technical knowhow were, without a doubt, ingenious. We even thought up a little nickname for him: The Brain." The two leaders' eyes widened in shock. "And by the looks of things… that's all he is now."

**KND Cyber Network**

Nolen continued reading, "'Due to his showing of incredible battle strategy, and mastery at building things, he was given the nickname 'Brain'. And while his powers earned him lots of hate and mockery at first, a great number of operatives began to admire him.'"

"'But some higher-ranked operatives, namely decommissioning troops, were jealous of his power, and also feared it, and practically begged the Supreme Leader to give him an early decommissioning, but he refused.' …Huh." This story started to seem familiar to Gwen.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

"But when things REALLY started to go down, I think, was when Revan finally found his first crush: a girl named Kyla. She was pretty, I'll give her that. Even my sister was jealous of her. Hehe. He kept trying and trying, but every attempt to get her to notice him ended up in shambles. Even somebody like him could never get up the courage to ask her out directly. But then, when he finally got the courage to do so… she had already been taken. Operative Numbuh 2010: Darian York."

**KND Cyber Network**

"The Brain was in love with… MY MOM? !" Nolan screamed.

"…Wow. That. Is. Rough." Doug commented.

"Talk about awkward." Gwen followed.

"'Numbuh 23 BBY's first act of crime was when Numbuh 2010 apparently stole the 'love of his life'.'" Nolan read. "'He was overcome with anger and used his powers to grab Darian by the neck and raise him in the air.'"

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

"Revan wasn't happy that his crush had been taken. He could've killed Darian… if _we_ hadn't stepped in. We were able to get Revan away just in time. …But just barely. After that happened, our sector's ranking went down. Not that it really mattered to us. But Revan just looked so angry. We tried to calm him down, and tried to tell him to control his anger. He calmed… but he still looked pretty angry. But because of that incident, people started to lose respect for Revan, and the Decommissioning Squad was kind of glad about that. Most people went back to mocking him again. But that only furthered the situation."

"I can understand that." Rachel said.

"Then, finally, the time came where it LOOKED like his anger had finally subsided, and he wanted to make amends. So, he had the Supreme Leader order everybody to a meeting at Moonbase Auditorium. But THAT was when _everything_ went wrong…"

**KND Cyber Network**

"'Revan had ordered everyone to a meeting where he wanted to express his apologies and give a speech on how it'll never happen again. But little did the Kids Next Door know, they had fallen right into his trap.'"

_"FELLOW KIDS NEXT DOOR!" Young Revan Bane announced to the thousands of operatives in the Moonbase Auditorium. "I, your loyal operative, Revan Bane Sidious, bring you all here today with a very special announcement. Ever since I first graduated Cadets Next Door Training Academy, never have I been so enthusiastic to battle alongside you all, against the EVIL forces of adulthood! But I can see now…" his expression seemed to turn to that of pure anger, "I am well aware who our TRUE enemies are. And I have finally set into motion, my hypothesis, of what happens… when a Moonbase is left with all of its power DISABLED!" The entire treehouse started to quake tremendously, and Revan Bane burst into laughter._

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

"We all dashed out of there to see what was happening. Before our very eyes, our entire command base was under attack by legions of robotic menaces. The Moonbase was unable to defend itself because REVAN had cut off the power! He had officially put the whole organization's lives in jeopardy. Our scientists worked tirelessly to fix the generator back together. But by the time they could, a huge number of operatives have been wiped clean. But I will _never_ forgive him… for what happened next…"

**KND Cyber Network**

"'Despite the operatives' attempts to hold back the invading droids, the robots greatly outnumbered them, and Revan was even escalading the situation, by killing any operative he could by using his red laser sword, a weapon known as a lightsaber.'" Nolan continued.

"'The operatives tried, but none could even touch him.'" Gwen followed. "'However, Maria Gunkan was able to get close enough to try and reason with Revan, and convince him that this was all wrong. Revan did not listen, however, and he took his sword, and sliced Maria in half.'"

"'Brett and Lyle then ran in to try and stop him," Nolan read, "but Revan had drawn out two cans of strange, purple gas, swallowing the two in a cloud of the substance. As a result, Lyle was turned into some crystalline monster, and Brett had grown a second head, one that bared a similarity to a tree stump, and also had roots growing under his skin. But when the decommissioning troops finally had Bane captured'… Oh?" He then noticed a video to the side, labeled 'Amateur recording of scary Revan's father'. He proceeded to click the video, the image appearing on both his and Gwen and Doug's screens.

The video was shown from the point of view of a camera, aiming at Revan Bane Sidious on the Moonbase's bridge. The camera seemed to be moving up-and-down as the holder was panting, turning the camera at himself, revealing himself as a Mexican child with a frightened expression. The boy turned the camera back at Sidious as the events unfolded.

_Revan Bane had been finally knocked to his knees by the surrounding officers, and the Decommissioning Troops all had their guns aimed at the psychokinetic traitor. "Any last words, before we-" The female leader was interrupted when an unseen force gripped her around the neck, raising her in the air as she began choking. The squad noticed a metal pipe stuck through the huge window from one of the ships behind them, mouths dropping open when a dark, mysterious figure stepped inside, his left hand positioned as if he were choking someone._

_Revan Bane's grin widened to a smirk as the Sith Lord used his powers to make the squad leader choke. The other operatives tried to shoot him, but a barrier protected the psychic, and the villain forced the choking operative to aim her weapon and shoot her own troops. When he was finished, he proceeded to snap his hand shut and kill the squad leader. With that finished, the dark man approached Revan Bane, who recovered to his feet and bowed before him._

_"You have done well, Revan Sidious." The figure spoke in a dark and sinister tone. "Your efforts to fool the childish organization were… sensational."_

_"They were all fools, Father. It seems you were right about them all along. Humans like them really are no good."_

_"Indeed… Everything is as I have foreseen. With the Kids Next Door and their precious Moonbase dethroned, this world will make the perfect droid factory."_

_"Stop right there!" a girl Decom. Troop yelled, running in alongside a boy as they both aimed weapons. They both bared a striking resemblance to Gwen and Doug. Revan glanced back to his father, who nodded, and the Junior Sith proceeded to grab them by the neck and lift them over to the Decommissioning Chamber. He used his psychic to set them in their seats and strap them in. The two tried to break away, but couldn't, then stopped and gasped in horror at the smirking Revan Bane Sidious. The evil child flicked his finger, using psychic to pull the lever, causing the plungers to begin sucking the operatives' memories._

_"Goood… the Dark Side is strong with you, my son…" Palpatine spoke. "I can see you becoming a fine Sith Lord someday…"_

_"Sir! We got problems!" one of the droids yelled. The two Siths directed their attention outside the windows, seeing a bunch of other ships zipping out of hyperspace._

_"The Jedi have found us." Palpatine observed. "They must not discover you. Come, Revan. We must retreat." The Dark Lord entered back through his pipe as Revan ran after him. But first, the Sith apprentice stopped and jumped back around._

_"Just you wait, Kids Next Door! You haven't seen the last of me! One day, I will become the greatest Sith Lord the universe has ever known! I shall call myself… Darth GENIOUS! And one day, I will have MY OWN apprentice! And he will be the end of you for ALL TIIIME!"_

_"Let us go, Revan." Palpatine called._

_"Ooh! Just one second, Father. Almost forgot something." With that, the future Sith Lord dashed into the Supreme Leader's office, rapidly pressing some buttons before finally pressing 'Enter'. "There! Now NO ONE will ever find me again, or EVER decommission me! The fools will fail to remember their history, thanks to this foolish decommissioning process, and someday soon, the events will unfurl AGAIN! AHH HAHA HAAA! ! …HEY!" It was then that he noticed the operative recording him. "What do you think YOU'RE doing? !" he yelled, walking over._

_"No! __Señor__! Please! I- NOOOO!"_ The video ended when Revan Bane switched out his lightsaber, and took a swing at the camera.

Nolan continued to sit there, staring at the computer with shock. Outside the cyberspace, Doug and Gwen had the same looks.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

By this time, Commander Gunkan held a hand over his eyes as tears appeared to be falling down. "Lyle and I were cursed with that metahuman sickness. And my sister was killed. And since then… I vowed to dedicate the rest of my life to ridding the world… of that metahuman scum." Nigel and Rachel began to show looks of sadness at this story.

"Aw… then that's why you hated metahumans and benders." Rachel said.

"A law was established then, to ban any and all inhuman freaks from the Kids Next Door. Almost everybody agreed. But that's when me and Lyle decided to desert the KND. Not because _we_ were banned. But because we wanted to accomplish our own goal. We removed our DNA from the Code Module so that the troops wouldn't hunt us when it came time for decommissioning. We needed our memory… if we were EVER to bring that unholy traitor to justice!"

"Boy… it must've been painful to remember that, huh?"

"…Yes. It was. Anyway, Revan vowed he would find his own apprentice, and follow in his father's footsteps. The same events would occur. He would send his own apprentice into the KND's ranks and have them destroyed from the inside. Just like he did."

"Then that means…" Nigel gasped. "Nolan York…"

"He wouldn't do that now, would he? I mean, he kind of already did." Rachel said.

"I know. Still, I'm getting a little worried. I think we should head up to Moonbase."

"Me too. Thanks for the help, Commander." Rachel waved good-bye to the man as they ran off. "And don't worry. We'll put Revan in his place."

"Yes… I know you will. I'm glad to help… Supreme Leader, Sir."

**KND Moonbase**

Nolan finally rematerialized from the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. and unhooked it from Numbuh 362's computer, rolling over beside Gwen and Doug. "So, I guess that's it, then." Numbuh 58 figured.

"I guess so." Nolan replied calmly, still a little in shock. "Numbuh 23 BBY is… Brain."

"Hm. Boy, that's gonna be one heck of a story for Matt to tell, right?" Doug said jokingly.

"Heh, sure is." Nolan chuckled. He then gave a sigh. "Man, I need a drink."

Meanwhile, the group of tiny Teen Ninjas along with Jack Spicer had finally made it across the halls of the Moonbase, sneaking under the door of the generator room and easily getting past the guards and sneaking into the small cracks within the KND's power generator. "I just wanna say for the record, we coulda done this a lot faster if we just disguised as guards." Cree said as they began laser-drilling the wires.

"Oh, sure, Cree, do it the old-fashioned way. But how many people use magical shrinking chopsticks?" Jack asked.

Cree sighed in annoyance once again. "Whatever."

"We're almost through with the last of 'em." Mary reported.

"Perfect!" Cree smirked. "Say your prayers, you snot-nosed kids." The traitorous teen took aim at the largest wire below her feet and fired her laser, splitting it in half.

Doug, Gwen, and Nolan stopped and gasped when the entire base suddenly blacked out. "What happened? !" Gwen shouted.

"I don't know…" Nolan said worriedly, already having an idea what was going on.

"Everybody! Move into defensive positions!" Numbuh 86 ordered from down the hall. The three exchanged quick glances and hurried down the hall to the Moonbase's bridge.

The kids gaped at the sight of thousands of BOE ships outside the window, laying siege upon the Moonbase as squads of supervillains and Stormtroopers already began piling in and wreaking havoc. "YOU! !" Gwen jabbed her finger at Nolan, already assuming him responsible. "You did this, didn't you? !"

"What? No, I swear! I-"

"I understand now!" Doug exclaimed. "That whole 'looking up the secret file' thing was just a cover-up! Doing THAT musta blown a circuit or something!"

"Oh, come on! If that were true, the power would've blown the moment I hooked it up, so-" They shielded their heads and ducked when an explosion suddenly occurred behind them.

"BLAHAHAHA!" Jack Spicer laughed, flying in using his helipack. "Greetings, Kids Next Door! Jack Spicer, evil boy genius, here with a very special announcement- AH!" Cree pushed him away.

"We hereby claim this Moonbase in the name of Darth Genious," Cree announced, "the most powerful Sith Lord in the universe. Either you brats surrender now, or pay the price!"

"Over MY dead body!" Wally shouted.

"Sounds like a plan." Cree smirked to Jack, who smirked back and nodded.

"JACKBOTS: ATTACK!" At his command, swarms of his flying red-eyed robots flew in from behind.

"Teen Ninjas, attack!" Cree ordered, and her ninjas charged in.

"Food Patrol, FEED zem!" Gramma Stuffum ordered as her food minions ran forth.

"Hungry Men, pilfer and plunder." Robin Food ordered, his Hungry Men charging forth.

"Oi, Britbots, show 'em a thing er two, eh?" Mad Mod ordered, directing his robots with his cane while riding atop his own Britbot.

"Oh, CAAAARDS!" Mumbo Jumbo sang, slipping his cards out of his sleeve as they grew into the size of soldiers.

"DENTA DROOONES!" Knightbrace sang.

"ATTACK!"

Nigel and Rachel were on their way to the Moonbase on their S.C.A.M.P.E.R., already gaping at the sight of their treehouse under attack by legions of villains. They quickly landed and dashed to the bridge, getting alongside Numbuh 86 as the Global Tactical Officer tried to shoot Jackbots with her M.U.S.K.E.T.. "Numbuh 86, what's happening? !" Rachel shouted.

"Our power generator suddenly went kerplooey. We lost all power, and these villains just started attacking us."

"But where's-" Nigel tried to say, but then heard an explosion on a higher floor, where he looked up and saw the operative in question. "Nolan!" He and Rachel ran for the stairs, but a Fear Scream erupted from their left and stunned them. They turned and found the fearbending woman, Phobia, standing beside Legion, the insane villain wielding his syringes of Nightmare Toxins. "YOU? ! He doesn't even exist in this universe!"

"We exist in many. We are awesome." Legion hurled his Nightmare Toxins like darts, but the two were able to duck and avoid. Rachel drew her sword and ran to battle Phobia while Legion ran and started throwing kicks at Numbuh 1.

Nolan did his best to shoot away the incoming Spinach Soldiers and Cards, but the villains were piling in like crazy. "Come on!" Numbuh 60 yelled a few feet away, shooting Britbots away with his S.C.A.M.P.P.. "Let's show these villains who's-" Just then, his hands were suddenly zapped with a pink ray, turning them into girly hands with long, pink nails.

"Hello, Patton!" Patton turned and noticed his little sister, Margaret and her Girl Troops.

"Margie? ! What are you doing here?"

"Duh! Putting you rotten Kids Next Door in your place. Say cheese- AHH!" Before Margie could shoot Patton, Nolan caught her around the waist in his grappling hook and gave her a painful shock, knocking her out.

"YAAH!" Numbuh 4 cried, swinging on a rope and kicking away the other Girl Troops. He landed on his feet as the Faculty 4 were about to attack him, but Hoagie ran in with a burp cannon and unleashed a powerful "BUURP" at the teachers, sending them flying, the two smirking in victory

However, that's when Le Mime came into the scene, the magical mime making a few poses. Hoagie and Wally watched him before he started making the gesture of creating an invisible wall around them. "Hehe. Hey, Wally. Mime's trapping us in a box." Hoagie snickered.

"Ooh, heelp!" Wally cried sarcastically, earning snickers from Hoagie. "We're traaped, in a booox!" The two then burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Come on, Hoags. Let's blow this mime and-" He was about to walk away, but some strange force kept him back, the two feeling around and feeling the invisible prison. "What the-"

Hoagie gulped. "Numbuh 4… we really are trapped!"

"AAHHH! Help! Help! Numbuh 5, help!" they both cried, banging rapidly on the wall.

Numbuh 5 took a break from shooting Ice Cream Men and looked over at the two crazily banging the 'imaginary' wall, unable to hear their cries for help. "Aww. Would you two quit mimin' around and help us out here?" With that, she went back to battling villains while Hoagie and Wally began to tire out from crying and banging, their bodies slumping and sliding against the invisible wall.

Nolan shot some Cheese Ninjas, but the Cheese Shogun gave a cry from behind, leaping to attack the boy, but Danika emerged from a shadow in the ground and kicked the chubby villain upside the head. "Nolan! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Danika, barely." He replied, shooting some Card Soldiers.

Some of Katnappe's Super Kitties were about to tackle them, but Eva came and splashed some water over them, making them shiver and retreat. "What are these guys after, anyway?"

Nolan gasped and looked to see Dimentia unleashing Space Lightning at Dr. Light and Toiletnator, seeing the Spirit Ball glow brightly in her pocket. "Dimentia, the Spirit Ball!"

"Huh- OOF!" When Dimentia turned to face Nolan, the Box Ghost hurled a crate at her, swooping by to swipe the Spirit Ball.

"HAHA HAHA! Foolish children! Your distraction has allowed me, the BOX Ghost, to take your precious sphere, which, in no way is it cubical whatsoever, but is still something of great value to Darth Genious, therefore it will be my greatest honor to- DOH!" The ghost was zapped by Hoagie's Diffusion Rifle, dropping the ball into Hoagie's hand.

"Turns out, imaginated box is destroyed by imagination." The pilot smirked, tossing the ball in his hand.

"Ha! What now, Mime Boy?" Wally taunted at Le Mime.

Le Mime stood in thought for a moment, then made the gesture of having an idea, pretending to set up what they assumed to be a machinegun. "HE'S GOT A GUN! !" Hoagie screamed. The two dashed away as Le Mime seemed to fire it around, throwing the Spirit Ball in the air as Mega Mom and Destructo Dad flew by and caught it.

"My, my, Dear, this ball would look BEAUTIFUL as an-" They crashed into a wall of ice, conjured by Eva, who caught the Spirit Ball which they dropped.

"Sorry. Already beat you to it. Hey!" The ball was snatched from her hand by Count Spankulot, flying by and laughing evilly.

"I got the ball! I got the ball! I got-" The spank-happy vampire was spanked across the cheek by Numbuh 23, using her spanking hands.

"Not so fast, Dad!" Ginny exclaimed, catching the ball in her hand.

"Virginia? ?"

Dimentia appeared behind the vampire and zapped him with lightning, knocking him out as Virginia tossed her the Spirit Ball. "Thanks." She nodded and flew off.

"Man, this is gettin' crazy." Nolan said to himself, shooting a laser to burn a rope the Hungry Men were swinging on.

"Nolan!" Numbuh 362 called and ran up to him.

"Numbuh 362!"

"I overheard Stickybeard ordering his pirates to search for the Code Module. We can't let them retrieve it! Where is it? !"

"It's still in the audience chamber. Come on, let's go." With that, Nolan quickly rolled his way back to the audience chamber with Rachel following behind.

Down on the lower deck, however, the REAL Rachel was still locked in her battle with Phobia.

**Audience Chamber**

"Here it is." Nolan stated, the two hurrying into the room as Nolan pulled the precious Module out of its slot, tossing it to Rachel's arms.

Rachel nodded and said, "Thank you. I'll hide it somewhere safe. You help the others."

Nolan nodded and quickly sped back the way they came. With him out of sight, Madame Rouge stared at the Module in her hands and gave a maniacal smirk.

**Moonbase Bridge**

Nolan hurried back onto the bridge and rolled by Gwen and Doug's sides, helping them shoot away Killer Moth's mutant moths. "God, how many of these guys are there?" Nolan shouted.

"More than how much of that Space Lightning Dimentia can shoot." Gwen remarked.

"Nolan!" called the real Numbuh 362, she and Nigel finally finishing with Phobia and Legion as they ran over.

"Numbuh 362? But you were just in there."

"No I wasn't, I was down there."

"Then who-"

"Atten-TIOOOOON!" The call of General Immortus ceased all of the fighting, and everyone looked up as the ancient general hovered on a little platform. Madame Rouge stood with him, and Nolan looked in pure horror and guilt as the stretchy woman raised the Code Module high in the air with her right hand. "Your Moonbase is ours, now! The Code Module is in our possession! Thanks to Brain's loyal apprentice:" two spotlights shone down on Nolan, "Nolan York! The one… who shut down your defenses… and allowed us to invade. Let's hear it out for Nolan, everybody!"

"YEEEAAAH!" the many villains cheered. "NOLAN! NOLAN! NOLAN!"

"Nolan… you?..." Rachel asked with a look of hurt in her eyes.

"N-No, I didn't, I…"

Just then, a grappling hook shot over and latched to Dimentia's Spirit Ball, pulling it away from her hands and into that of Mary D. Luis, who stood beside Felix Frost. "Oh, don't be modest, share in the glory."

"YOU TWO! !" Nolan pointed.

"That's it, time for YOUR decommissioning!" Gwen decided as she and Doug started to push Nolan toward the Decommissioning Chamber.

"No, guys! Please! They're-" The ground suddenly exploded behind them, and the two officers were sent falling backwards. Nolan turned and looked down as they were holding for dear life onto a wire, dangling just above a massive blue fire. "Guys!"

"AAH! HEELP!"

"HERE'S your help!" Princess Azula exclaimed, unleashing more flames along the floor below.

"Hold on! I'll save you!" Nolan yelled. He took out and lowered his grappling hook for them to grab, but the Crazy Cat Lady tossed one of her cats like a shuriken, passing by the wire and using its claw to cut it. "NOO!"

The two were saved, thankfully, when Danika swooped by with Shadow Glide and grabbed them, setting them on safe ground. Nigel then flew up to where Nolan was and grabbed the boy's wheelchair by the handle, then shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. out to swing them over the flames to the base's hangar where Numbuh 362 waited with the others. "Come on, let's- Hey!" the Supreme Leader's helmet was suddenly pulled away, latching onto a giant magnet held by Monsieur Mallah.

"Forget about it, let's go." Nigel ordered, piling into their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. with everyone. The 2x4 ships launched out of the hangar, successfully getting away from the now-conquered base.

Nolan looked out the ship's window and watched the Moonbase draw further and further away, becoming quickly surrounded by more ships. "Phew… that was close. Good thing we got outta there when we did, right?" Nolan nervously turned around and instantly found all eyes on him, angry. The crippled operative shrunk back in his wheelchair in anxiety, already having a really bad feeling about what's going to happen. Danika sat in one of the corners of the bus, feeling terribly worried for her friend.

**Moonbase; sometime later**

Back on Moonbase, the villains had begun to clean up after their battle and started to redecorate as The Brain himself rolled in to the chamber where the great golden statue of Numbuh Zero was stationed. "Oi, and here be the grand boss man hisself." Mad Mod announced, stomping over in his Britbot with Numbuh 362's helmet in the robot's right hand. "'ere ya go, Brain: one doozy of a crown fit for a king of conquering kiddom like you." The robot slipped the helmet onto Brain's head.

"Let me just add a little adjustment." Cree said, pulling off the '362' tape and replacing it with a tape of the Brotherhood's logo.

"Ahhh… never has the feeling of victory felt so glamorous upon my dome… you have all done exceptionally, my villains. Especially with our latest capture of the Firstborn and his Guardian." The armored villain, Adonis held the unconscious Dimentia in his right hand. "Mother Mae-eye, if you please."

The giant ugly witch faced the Numbuh Zero statue and waved her wand around. "Reducto!" She fired a spell and made the statue explode into smithereens. Up above, a giant puppet holder was holding a giant golden statue of Brain on strings. The holder was driven by Puppet King, who panted heavily as he moved the floating holder by pedaling from above. The Puppet King held the statue above the stand where the Numbuh Zero one once stood, and released the strings, dropping the statue onto the pedestal before pedaling away.

"Everyone, listen up." Immortus announced. "Thanks to Brain's efforts, we have conquered the very first of many worlds. And with the Firstborn's power, many others will soon follow."

"Oi, The Brain is the king of the universe!" Mad Mod cheered. "All hail The Brain!"

"Yes! All of Father's attempts to destroy the Kids Next Door were NOTHING!" Count Spankulot yelled. "But thanks to Brain, we have achieved total victory! Praise to The Brain!"

"His incredible powers and Sith influence extend to the reaches of far beyond." Tubbimura, the fat samurai spoke. "Kneel before The Brain!"

"Oo-ah-oo! The Brain has more smarts and tactics than Ganondorf or Lord Gnaa will ever have!" Octoroo exclaimed. "Long live The Brain!"

"Long live The Brain!" the Nighlok cheered.

"Long live The Brain!" Long Feng and the Dai Li Agents cheered.

"Long live The Brain!" Legion and Phobia cheered.

"Long live The Brain!" the Teen Ninjas cheered.

"Long live The Brain!" Jack, Katnappe, and the Heylin villains cheered.

"Long live The Brain!" the Ghost Zone ghosts cheered.

Soon, all of the villains erupted into cheers of "Long live The Brain!" The cunning Sith Lord only stood and took in all of the villains' cheers. He's never felt more satisfaction and pride in his life.

**Courthouse Sector; grassy plain in Washington**

_"This is the courtroom of Judge Trudy. If you've got a beef with a traitorous operative and can't have him decommissioned, don't take the matter in your own hands. Put it in Judge Trudy's. Okay."_

Numbuhs 58 and 59 led the nervous operative into the courtroom, setting him at the defendant's table while they sat at the plaintiff's, as the child judge in glasses entered the room and sat at her stand. "GET yo' butt up!" the Bailiff ordered. Everyone in the room stood up.

"Alright, sit down, I am Judge Trudy." The judge ordered.

"Wait a second, aren't you 13? How are you still an operative?" Nolan asked.

The judge banged her gavel and yelled, "How are YOU in a wheelchair? !"

"That doesn't make any-"

"OVERRULED!"

_"She's been an operative since she was 10, but forced her way into staying a judge with that Bailiff."_ Rachel whispered to Nigel.

"Alright, Ms. Gwen Tucker and Doug Murphy, I understand you have a complaint against this cripple boy here." Trudy said.

"Yes, we do." Gwen nodded. "That boy shut off our defenses and let our entire Moonbase get attacked by supervillains."

"And Mr. York, d'ya have anything to say in your defense?"

"Yes! I didn't do ANYTHING. We were looking for these secret files, then the power shut off, and-"

The judge banged her gavel. "Did I ask for a story? !"

"But you-"

"'EY!"

"You-"

"'EY!"

"But-"

"OVERRULED!"

"WHAT? ?"

_"I don't think she's very good."_ Doug whispered to Gwen, who nodded.

"Judge Trudy, please, if you just give me a chance to explain myself, I-"

"NO!" she banged her gavel. "I find in favor of the plaintiff, and a fine of eighty-five-kajillion, quadrillion, kamillion, larnillion, kajamillion, buhmillion… _dongs_."

"WWWHAT? ? Is that even REAL? ?"

"In that case, you're going to be pooped on by a hundred angry pigeons."

"Okay, Judge Trudy, are you even-"

She banged her gavel, "Do I need to make it TWO hundred?"

"Judge Trudy, I-"

"THREE!"

"But-"

"FOUR!"

"Will you SHUT UP for a second, and let me-"

"THAT'S IT! I hereby sentence the defendant to be crapped on by two THOUSAND angry pigeons, WITH diseases! And FURTHERMORE-" Before she could finish, Penelope Taynt had burst in through the window, standing to face the crazy judge, who banged her gavel once more. "OVERRULED!"

"YOU'RE overruled, please!" With that, Penelope aimed the DNA Revitalizer and zapped the judge, sucking her inside. Penelope took out her list and crossed out Judge Trudy's name. "That's it! That's the last of 'em! Now to return to my room to double-check. Ta-ta, kids. Have fun RUNNIN' your organization on the streets! …Please." And Penelope jumped out the window.

"Uhhh… let's continue this outside." Rachel decided, the kids beginning to pile out of the courtroom.

The thousands of operatives all gathered along a hillside, with Numbuh 362 standing on a rock at the top. Nolan fearfully rolled his way up the hill and approached her and Nigel, still feeling the many operatives' hateful glares. Danika stood near the top worriedly as April hurried beside her. "Hey, we just got the call. What's going on?"

"Nothing good…"

Nolan finally reached the Supreme Leader, nervously sucking in some breath before he spoke. "Numbuh 362… I had _nothing_ to do with that invasion."

"You hand-delivered the Code Module to the Brotherhood and cost us our entire Moonbase." Rachel spoke lowly and coldly. "We all know the story behind Revan Bane Sidious now. You're following in his footsteps."

"No! That wasn't my intention!"

"Guys, just listen, I'm sure he-" Danika tried to say.

"Oh, just shut it." Gwen ordered. "It's all his fault. It was probably his little invention that blacked the whole base out."

"Not only has the Brotherhood taken our Moonbase, they've taken a Firstborn. Who knows what they'll do with Jirachi's powers." Rachel continued.

"Nolan… when you went into your house… are you _sure_ no one was in there?" Nigel asked.

Nolan held his head down in guilt. "Actually… The Brain was in there." They all gasped. "And he ordered me to turn off the defenses."

"I KNEW it!" Gwen exclaimed.

"No, just listen, he said if I didn't, he would-"

"I don't care, Nolan!" Rachel cut him off. "Our Moonbase is gone, and the entire organization is left practically defenseless. And since we can't decommission you now, we're left with the next best thing." Nolan, Danika, and April gulped. "As Supreme Leader, I order you to leave the Kids Next Door, and NEVER come back!"

"NO!" Danika gasped.

"You heard 'er!" Doug agreed. "Get yourself and that wheelchair of yours away from us!"

"Yeah, get lost!" Numbuh 91 yelled.

Nolan looked around and felt everyone's glares growing worse, some of them even drawing weapons. He turned and quickly rolled his chair down the hill. "No! Nolan!" Danika yelled, but she and April were unable to go after him as Numbuhs 91 and 99 held them back. Nolan kept going as fast as he could to get away from them, as they all burst into song.

_Gwen: Deception…_

_Doug: Disgrace…_

_Both: EVIL as plain as the scar on his face._

_Deception_

"An outrage!"

_Disgraaace_

"FOR SHAME!"

_He asked for trouble the moment he came._

_Deception (You traitor!)_

_Disgraaace (You don't belong!)_

"You know these inhuman types."

_Evil as plain as the scar on his face._

"Just leave us alone!"

"Go away!"

"Go back to your own!"

_He asked for trouble the moment he came. (See ya latuh, agitatuh!)_

By this time, the operatives had actually released the 2,000 angry pigeons, who chased and flew over Nolan, the boy trying to get away faster as he was being crapped on.

_All: BOOORN in grief. RAAAISED in hate._

_Heeelpless tooo DEFYYY his faaate._

_LEEET him run. LEEET him live._

_But do not forget what we cannot forgiiive!_

Nolan had finally got a good distance away from the operatives, looking back toward the top of the hill as Rachel glared from the distance, her helmetless blond hair blowing in the wind as the sun set behind her.

_And HEEE is NOT… OOONE of US_

_Heee has NEVER been OOONE of us!_

Danika and April shoved Numbuhs 91 and 99 out of the way and tried to go after him, but Gwen and Doug kept them back.

_And HEEE is NOT… PAAART of us!_

_Nooot our kiiind._

_SOMEONE once… LIIED to us_

Nolan stopped by a river and looked down at his reflection. He gasped in horror when his image turned into that of Revan Bane Sidious, as a child. He shook this away and continued to roll.

_Nooow we're not so bliiind!_

_For we knew he would do what he's dooone!_

_And we know that he'll never. Be one. Of. Us-_

Nolan kept rolling, but his chair eventually tripped over a rock, and he fell over. He held his head up and found a black-gloved hand over him. He looked up as Madame Rouge stood over, offering her hand, seeing the legions of Brotherhood villains behind her. Before he took it, he spared one last glance toward the army of singing operatives.

_Rachel: HEE is NOT… OOONE of us…_

Nolan sadly took Rouge's hand and allowed her to set him back in his chair. He followed the stretchy woman over to the villainous army. Immortus and Mallah welcomed him back into the crowd, the three exchanging smirks while Nolan kept his head down in shame.

_Fanny: Deception…_

_Patton: Disgrace…_

From the distance, rather than feel angry at him, Matthew and Kim only watched with sympathy as he vanished into the crowd of villains.

_Deception…_

_Disgrace…_

When the legions of criminals began to leave, Rachel stepped off her stone, facing Nigel as the two of them looked guiltily, already feeling bad about what they just did.

"Deeeeceptioooooooo-" Doug continued to draw out this word until Gwen smacked him backside of the head.

"Stop it. Come on, let's just go."

High within the skies, the spirits of Anakin, Obi-wan, and Yoda watched Nolan leave, the three giving a doubtful sigh.

**Final Brain**

After a while, the villains had all brought the depressed Nolan back to base, where the Sith Lord was already waiting for him in the hallway. "Ah, Nolan. So nice of you to return."

Nolan gritted his teeth and angrily faced the supervillain. "Grrr! I KNOW it was you who shut our defenses down!"

"Did I, now?"

"You probably stowed those Teen Ninjas away on our S.C.A.M.P.E.R. somehow!"

"Hmm, Judge Trudy is not the only one quick to judge. Even if that were true, Nolan… what does it matter? _They_ did not listen to you _again_. It is clear that their hatred towards you remains alive. No one can forget the past. What has happened before _never_ makes them think differently. 'Tis why they must be destroyed."

"It's your fault! Things were going just fine until you came along! The Kids Next Door is my home! It's my purpose! And you-"

"Nolan, cease this insolent tone. The Kids Next Door are nothing but traitorous beings. Your true place belongs here, alongside your fellow metahumans." Nolan gasped when Brain suddenly used his psychic to levitate the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. in front of him. "I ask that you take _every, little_ thing that binds you with the Kids Next Door… and sever them." The Brain's eyes and dome glowed, using his powers to make the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. shatter into pieces.

"No!" Nolan screamed, gathering the severed pieces in his hands.

"It was a waste of space, Nolan. Only incompetent children play with toys. Such a device was useless to you. Do not worry. You will not grieve on it long."

Nolan calmed down a bit, gripping the broken pieces in his hands as he spoke in a low tone. "Where is my mother?"

"You will see her in time. For now, it is time to begin our final preparations. You may rest for now… but be prepared for when the time comes. And cooperate… if you wish to see her alive." With that, Brain turned away with Mallah by his side.

Nolan glared after his so-called 'Master' and spoke once again in his low tone. "You were in love with her." The Brain stopped. "I know who you are, now… Numbuh 23… BBY. Revan Bane Sidious…"

"…You should know better than to intrude on others' property."

"You were one of the best operatives… your powers and skills reached new heights with the Kids Next Door… until your anger and rage got the best of you."

"My anger and rage has made me strong. It has made my father proud…"

"That's all you ever cared about, isn't it? Pleasing that…that _monster_. That excuse for a father." Brain remained silent. "I bet he never really cared about you, did he? All he cared about was…was making you into what he wants: a Sith Lord, to carry on his evil tradition. He never let you be who you wanted… did he?"

Darth Genious calmly sucked in some breath… which was odd, seeing as he had no real lungs. "Why should that concern me now? My followers love what I've become. The way they praise and cheer my name… such a good feeling. Isn't it, Nolan?"

"Hmph."

"I must be off now. My fans are calling for me. Rest up, but be ready soon, Nolan." With that, The Brain and his gorilla went off.

**Arena chamber**

The legions of villains were all gathered in the gargantuan arena-like chamber of the frozen prisoners as The Brain and his associates, Mallah, Immortus, and Rouge stood upon the top of the humongous wall. "Fellow Brothers and Sisters of Evil:" he announced, "with our victory over the Kids Next Door established, it is time to take our vengeance on all of the other heroes who have banished us."

"YEEEAAAH!"

"Already, the Firstborn's power is being used to fuel our Dimensional Traveler. We will use it to travel to our many worlds of origin, and begin our final conqueration upon the rest of the universe, and evil shall reign over all."

"YEEEAAAHH!"

"The invasion is happening soon. Refuel your weapons and get all of the last-minute training you need. Make sure to get plenty of rest, because come tomorrow morning… I will execute _Order 66_. It will be time for our final siege upon the heroes of this universe. Avatar Aang, Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom, the Samurai Rangers, Xiaolin Warriors, Kids Next Door, the Teen Titans, and all of their friends… will meet their ends."

"YYYEEEEAAAHHH! !" the villains' cheers were louder than ever.

"Until the morrow, ta-ta." With that, The Brain and his associates left through the door behind them, entering Darth Genious's main office and control room.

"Vell, zey certainly seem to like you now." Madame Rouge noticed.

"You really looked like you were enjoying it." Immortus smirked.

"Yes. But I will enjoy it even more… when Nolan has completed his path. I can already sense it: the darkness ever-so growing inside of Nolan due to his feeling of betrayal from his so-called friends. He is ever-so close to becoming… my Number One."

Madame Rouge gasped, not liking this. "But Sir: I zought _I_ vas your Number One."

"Oh, you still are. Which brings us to Nolan's final test toward the Dark Side. Once we reveal onto him the TRUTH about Dillon's death, he will be fueled with all of the darkness he needs… to _destroy you."_

"Vhat? !"

Nolan had gone back to his room in the base and helped himself onto his bed. He looked out his window as the crescent moon hung in the heavens, the fumy clouds around the base clear enough for it to be seen, but felt a little darker as Nolan stared at it. He looked down at the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.'s broken pieces in his hands, tears beginning to well up as he set them on his nightstand. Still feeling upset, the Sith apprentice sighed and lied down on his bed, pulling his boots off and throwing them on the ground before covering up in his blanket. With the whole of the Kids Next Door officially against him, he saw no way to redeem himself, and really began to doubt he actually belonged with them at all. Maybe Gwen and Doug were right. Having only these thoughts in mind, the boy lied his head against his pillow and slowly drifted to sleep, tears dripping from his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahhh… and so ends Nolan's short time back to the KND. :( For the record, Gwen and Doug aren't related. :P That was actually Gwen's mom, and Doug's dad in the video. :P Kinda weird. And the song is from <em>Lion King 2<em>. Anyhoo, next time will begin the finale of Nolan's story arc. Prepare for the biggest clash of crossovers Fanfiction has probably ever seen! For tomorrow (not our time, their time), The Brain will finally initiate his ultimate plan: _Order 66_. Which you would know if you're a _Star Wars_ fan. ;) Next time… the massacre of heroes everywhere: _Calling all Titans…2_. L-Later.**


	68. Calling All Heroes, Part 1: Fall Begins

**Hey, everybody. It's time… for probably the most EPIC fight scene in this story! …Butcha know what? For the sake of adding in to the suspense, I've decided to divide this into 2 parts! ;D Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Calling All Heroes! Order 66 is Unleashed!<em>**

**Penelope's Room**

A saw was cutting through the ceiling in a circle, allowing the crazy fangirl to drop in, quickly standing to observe her surroundings. However, then she realized, "Oh… this is my room, please." She then jumped into her computer seat and began to type something on her laptop. "Okay, with all of Amanda's personas captured, it's time to double-check to see if I missed any. There shouldn't be any- WHAT? I MISSED one?" She shot to her feet in an instant, switching her head left-to-right to make sure nobody was around. "That is impossible, please. All of Amanda's personas should be all right here." She pulled out her DNA Revitalizer. "Let's see now…"

She held the device up as the tracker arrow seemed to be pointing behind her. She turned around, but the tracker faced back the other way. She turned again, but it faced back again. And every direction she turned, the tracker seemed to only point directly at her.

"Bah! Piece of junk, please! I must find that final persona! Ooooh, I cannot for the life of me remember! This isn't like me, please! Hmmm… Hey! I've got it! Perhaps if I sneak into Amanda's room, I might find some hints as to who this last persona is. Hmm, but where is Amanda staying?" she asked herself, typing on her laptop. "Aha! She's staying at the Brotherhood of Evil's base. That's strange… but I should be able to sneak in there without many problems, and even have a shot at meeting her. AND we're off!" With that, she switched on her glider, and shot through her ceiling.

"Penelope, wait!" her brother, Preston ran in and yelled. "Will you make me a sandwich?" Penelope dropped a sandwich down through the hole in the ceiling, onto Preston's face.

"Please." She said, flying off.

**Final Brain**

The Sith Lord once again stood upon his balcony, watching as the sun rose in the horizon, shining only faint rays due to the base's fumes. But the fumes weren't the only thing that made the sun's rays dim. Not today. For today was the day… to finally lay his siege upon the good of the universe. Today was the day… he can _finally_ take his place… as _Emperor_ of all Evil. Never has The Brain been so delighted… to see the sun rise.

"The Dimensional Traveler is ready at last, Sir…" Monsieur Mallah spoke, calmly approaching his master.

"Good. The time has come at last. The universe will finally see… that _evil_ must prevail. Make sure everyone is ready. This will most certainly be… our final battle."

"And Sir… I just wanted to see… how you were fairing. Ever since that boy's mention of… Kyla."

The Brain stood quietly for a second. "'Tis truly a shame… how I longed to be with her. My anger and rage… burning for that impudent Darian. I had hoped that Mother Talzin could fill my void… but it seems we were not meant to be, either."

"Sire… you must not feel such things. Even if zey vere not ze ones, you _will_ find the right person."

"I know that now." The Brain turned around. "After much deep thought… it seems that my love was crudely misplaced." He calmly spoke, rolling beside Mallah. "Perhaps my true loyalties should lie with… somebody I could trust. Someone… who has stuck by my side. Thick and thin. No matter what has happened…"

"I vould never betray you… Sir."

"Yes… I know. Your loyalty is boundless… Monsieur Mallah. The first of a thousand followers… the most devoted of them all."

"Oui… it vas your knowledge and teachings… zat made me vhat I am today. I vould be lost… without you…"

"As would I…" The two remained in silence for a few moments. In his mind, The Brain was looking up, as Mallah looked down at him. The Brain sensed warm, strong feelings for his master burning in Mallah's bleak, yellow eyes. "…The villains await us, Monsieur Mallah. I would not like to keep them waiting much longer. Though not as much as you… others admire me." And The Brain calmly rolled into the base.

"…My heart vill always belong to you." The gorilla spoke quietly before following him.

**Final Brain; Stormtrooper Quarters**

"Listen up." General Immortus ordered, pacing back-and-forth as his Stormtrooper army stood aligned in perfect rows. "Today begins our final siege upon the world. By the end of this day, The Brain expects this entire planet to be under his rule. You have all trained day after day for this very moment. Today, we will ultimately mark history, as we claim this world in the name of evil." The ancient general passed beside Gary, who held a nervous expression under his helmet. "So, I want NO slacking today." He aimed his sword at the soldier. "Understood?"

"Y-Yessir."

"Good." Immortus walked to the front of the troupe, where Stormtrooper Captain Rex stood. "Stormtroopers: MARCH." Immortus and Rex led the way as the Stormtroopers marched behind them, holding guns ready.

Dan marched beside Gary and heard his companion give a sigh. "What's wrong, Gary?"

"I'm just not sure about this, Dan. I mean, ridding the universe of its heroes… is that really what we were created for? This doesn't feel like the Clone Trooper way."

"Well, it's not like we can do anything about it. We live to serve as soldiers to whoever's giving orders."

"Hmph." Gary remained faced ahead and continued to march. "_It doesn't mean we don't have free will."_ He mumbled to himself.

The band of Troopers soon reached the audience chamber, where the rest of the villainous legions awaited their master. The soldiers stood their ground as Gary spotted Mr. Boss a few feet away. The businessman turned and noticed Gary, the two exchanging nervous glances, as they were both worried for their children's safety. All of the villains soon faced up, those two included, when The Brain and his associates appeared atop the wall, his followers already giving cheers. Nolan was also up there, seated beside his "master" as The Brain began to speak.

"Fellow Brothers and Sisters of Evil: today is the day we have long been waiting for. The day… when we finally take our place… as KINGS and QUEENS of the worlds."

"YEEEAAH!"

"With our Dimensional Traveler ready, the many worlds call for us. The heroes whom have been targeted beforehand have been marked on the trackers which have been embedded into your communicators. To stay clear of any confusion, I am assigning each of you your own targets, and dividing the lot of you into teams. I believe it is best you are assigned to heroes that equally match your skill. When I am done, we will activate the Dimensional Traveler, and you will all go to your predestined targets."

"YEAAH!"

"Control Freak and Puppet King: you will go for Kilowatt." The two looked down at their communicators, seeing the blue and pink electric hero's image appear. The two smirked at each other and gave high-fives. "Cyclops and Big Bully: go for Clay Bailey." The two giant villains smiled dumbly at each other. "Psimon, Count Spankulot, and Kyd Wykkyd: attack Raven. Xin Fu and Master Yu: ambush Toph. Threezore, Ms. Chow, and the PTOOEY…"

_Many, MANY moments later…_

"And finally, Dr. Light, Box Ghost, and The Toiletnator, you will attack Wallabee Beatles."

"YAAAY!" the three lame villains cheered and embraced in a hug.

"Ugh. We are getting bored." Legion yelled, standing beside Phobia; the image of Katie appeared on his and her communicator, for she was the one they were assigned. "Get on with it already, so we don't die with boredom long before our grand moment."

"You all now have your assignments. Capture your hero, and bring them back here, so we may add them to the collection." Some lights switched on in the side of the arena, exposing the humongous shelves which held the frozen Zuko, Dimentia, and other operatives. "The collection is incredibly empty at the moment, but that will change, if all goes according to plan. Villains: move out!"

"YEEAAAH! All hail The Brain! All hail The Brain!" The villains cried this chant repeatedly as they marched to the Dimensional Traveler. The machine in the next room drained Jirachi of his power as the Firstborn screamed with pain. The machine connected to several transporters, each one targeted to a different location, such as Amity Park, Retroville, or the Avatar Realms. Each villain entered the transporter which would lead to the world of their assigned targets, and were all more eager and excited than ever before.

"Well, they sure like to cheer a lot." Nolan commented. "So, what about me?" he asked Darth Genious in an angry tone. "Who do I get to kill?"

"Gee, have a little more enthusiasm. The others do." Brain told him. "Anyway, I have a more easy task for you, Nolan. While the villains are busy with their targets, our Stormtroopers will begin to wreak havoc upon the world, spreading the glorious name of Darth Genious. It would be kind of you to assist them."

"Hmph."

"One more thing." The Sith Lord levitated a syringe of the purple metahuman antidote and placed it in Nolan's lap.

"What's this?"

"The metahuman antidote. You will know what that's for… when the time is right. Won't we, Madame Rouge?"

The stretchy woman gritted her teeth and cast her master a glare.

"Now get yourself ready, Nolan. No one… would want to miss this."

The crippled boy only furrowed his eyes and rolled along. "Sir," Monsieur Mallah spoke, "ve also have the 'special' water ready for zat _other_ purpose including Jirachi."

"Perfect. When we are finished with this, we will use his magic to give it power. And I will finally have… _my new body_."

Nolan was on his way to the ships with the rest of the Stormtroopers, seeing Cad Bane and Aurra Sing already getting ready for lift off. "Oh, there he is. All set, apprentice boy?" Bane asked.

"Y-Yeah. Sure…"

"Nolan!"

"Huh?" Nolan turned and saw Danika and April running over. "Guys? How did you get here?"

"I flew us here as soon as we could. We weren't gonna let you start this without us."

"Guys, I…I don't know if I wanna do this. I mean, if I conquer the world, it'll be the end of all Kids Next Door. But also, metahumans would finally have their rightful place, which means people like Corey won't be hated, but everyone else will be enslaved, so… auugh! I just don't know what to do!"

"Well, if we don't side with them, we'll be enslaved, too, wouldn't we?" April asked.

Nolan gripped head in deep, conflicted thought, then felt Danika's warm hand touch his shoulder. "Nolan… I know you're confused. And I hate that I don't have anything to say that'll help you. But… I just want you to know that, even if the whole world ends up against you… then I'll stick by your side to the very end."

Nolan looked at Danika's dark-brown, caring eyes and warming smile. She was such a caring friend… she was always so loyal. He knew… he could trust her. He sat there in silence, then gave a slight nod as he placed his hand over hers. "I will…"

"Eh, I guess I will, too." April shrugged, placing her hand over theirs. "After all, Team Brotherhood 'til the end, right?"

"Yeah…" Nolan smiled. "'Til the end…"

"Great, so can we hurry up and go already? I wanna get this ship started while its fresh." Bane demanded.

"Team Brotherhood," the three threw their hands up in the air as Nolan cried, "BATTLE STATIONS!" The three boarded the bounty hunters' ship and took off with the rest of the Stormtroopers.

Hiding in the dark corner of the room, Madame Rouge watched the team leave, giving her maniacal smirk.

**Sector V Treehouse**

After the loss of their Moonbase, the Kids Next Door had returned to their original treehouses. Sector V was included, and they were accompanied by Rachel, Fanny, Patton, and Matt & Kimberly. The air felt very quiet, even with the noises in their living room. Everything was totally still outside. It was a beautiful day, despite these events, and the sun was shining bright as the crew did their usual things. Numbuhs 5 and 2 kicked back and read a magazine and comic book respectively, with the only sounds coming from Kuki beating Wally at a videogame.

"Well, our Moonbase is gone… but thank Zero we still have our treehouses." Nigel smiled at Rachel, who still looked worried as she twisted the tip of her sword against the table they sat at.

"Yeah, but who knows for how long." Rachel gave a sigh. "Nigel… do you think we did the right thing, banishing Nolan like that?"

"I guess it was a little rash… but what's done is done. Now we just have to stay alert and prepare for anything that might happen."

"I know… but judging by what Clockwork said… I have a really bad feeling in my chest."

"Yeah… me too."

"Um, say, Kim, you wanna maybe go see that movie now?" Matt asked, sitting against the wall by his friend.

"Huh? Well, we could… but why now?"

"I dunno. It's just…" Matt stood and shifted his foot along the ground. "I just have this feeling that… something bad's going to happen. And… I kinda wanna make the best of things… before it does, you know?"

"Ohh… well, sure, Matt. If you want to."

"Hehe, great, Kim." Matt smiled. "Sorry if I sound so negative…"

"Ah, don't worry." Kim smiled, taking his hand. "I'm worried, too. Maybe the movie will help… take our mind off things a bit." With that, the two left the treehouse, hand-in-hand.

Numbuhs 86 and 60 rested their heads against the open windowsill, watching the two leave down the street. "Sure is nice today… isn't it, Patton?"

"Yyep…" They were silent for a moment. "Hey, Fanny… you know how it's always the calmest before the storm?"

"Mm-hm."

"Well, if anything _does_ happen… I just want you to know that… I-"

"Ah, save yer breath." She said, punching his arm playfully with a smirk. "We can do without extra tension."

"Boy… I've never seen everybody look so worried before..." Rachel noticed with a glum look.

"They're not all worried. Just look at those two." Nigel pointed to Kuki and Wally, battling away in their game. "They still know how to stay relaxed."

"Hehe, I know." Rachel chuckled. "Before I left to come here, my brother didn't seem too worried at all. He and his sector were just… goin' up to play videogames. Heh… talk about enjoying life to the fullest, huh?"

"Still, we need to stay positive. Even if the worst should happen… we have to keep our cool."

An explosion occurred in the game Wally and Kuki were playing, and Wally did his victory dance. "YYES! _I_ have defeated you FOR ALL TIME! !"

_"Warning. Warning. Incoming message from Sector N."_ the alarms suddenly blared.

"Oh no…" Rachel already sensed trouble as Numbuh 14's image appeared onscreen.

_"Sector N callin' Sector V. We're being attacked by President Jimmy and his Bus Walkers!"_

_"Incoming message from Sector K."_

"What is going on?" Rachel asked as Virginia's image appeared onscreen.

_"Dudes! We got trouble over here! We're under attack by Cheese Ninjas!"_

_"Yo, Patton, get over here!"_ The 44 Twins suddenly appeared onscreen. _"That Rhymer guy is back, and he's wrecking the Arctic Base."_

"Oh no… this is not good at all." Rachel shook her head in absolute worry and anguish.

"It's okay, we just need to split up." Nigel decided. "Numbuh 2 and 5, go help Sector K. Numbuh 3, you and me will go to Sector N. Fanny, Patton, and Rachel will head to Arctic Base."

"'ey! What about me?" Wally shouted.

"Numbuh 4, you stay here and guard the treehouse in case they come here."

"BY MYSELF? No WAY am I-"

"Look, just switch on the Sooper Defense System and make sure all the W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s are active." Hoagie instructed as they were all headed for the hangar.

"Guard this treehouse with your life, Numbuh 4. We mustn't let the Brotherhood take anything or anyone else." Nigel ordered.

"Kids Next Door: MOVE OUT!" At Rachel's command, the three ships lifted and shot off to their destinations, leaving the blonde Aussie standing and watching them leave.

"Hmph. Stupid leaduhs…" Wallabee mumbled, kicking the floor. "I'm goin' up to mah room…" However, he forgot to follow Numbuh 2's instructions.

**Jump City; Titans Tower**

The day was equally nice in the Titans' city, the superhero team of five relaxing in their "T" tower. Raven was sitting at the table, reading a book, Starfire hummed a merry tune while she stirred a pot of some alien-ish soup, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were battling in a videogame. "Aw YEAH, Baby!" the half-robot fist-pumped as the green-skinned boy slumped in defeat.

"Awww."

The living room started to blink red as alarms sounded, and their leader, Robin dashed in. "Titans! We have trouble! Titans everywhere have just sent SOS's. They're being ambushed!"

"Umm… why am I getting a serious sense of déjà vu here?" Beast Boy asked.

"Is the Brotherhood of Evil not frozen in their base?" Starfire asked.

"Not exactly, Star. I went to check there recently. They were all gone. And it looks like they're planning their revenge strike."

"You'd think The Brain would come up with a different plan than this crud again." Cyborg said.

"Well, whatever the cause for all this, we have to help the others. You all know what you did last time. Titans, GO!" With that, the heroes ran off to assist their assigned friends, just like last time.

**Xiaolin Temple**

Just another usual day at the Xiaolin Temple. The group of four warriors were out training with their elements and Shen Gong Wu when the little snake-dragon, Dojo crawled out. "Guys! We got trouble!"

The dragon led them inside, where a small TV was showing the news. "Reports of attacks in Brazil, Tokyo, and New York." Dojo explained.

"What do you think's happening?" Kimiko asked worriedly.

"Doesn't matter, let's split up." Raimundo decided. "Me and Kimiko will head back to our countries, Omi will go to New York, and Clay will stay here and guard the temple. Just in case."

"Yes! Now let us forge the speed!" Omi exclaimed.

"Make with the haste?" Kimiko corrected.

"That, too!"

**Final Brain**

Darth Genious and his primate assistant watched from their monitors as the heroes were splitting up to their assigned areas. "The fools will never reach their destinations."

"It is _all_ just as you planned." Mallah replied, moving his piece on the chessboard between them.

The Brain turned and observed the chessboard before him. "All of the pieces are in place. It is time to rectify our past mistakes. And finish what we started." He faced back at the monitors, seeing all of his villains getting in place, awaiting their targets to arrive for an ambush. "And by the end of this day," another monitor showed the image of many fleets of Battle Droids and Sentinel Clones flying toward various towns in the U.S., "the world will know the true power… of Evil."

_"Our soldiers are in place, Sire."_ General Immortus spoke from his communicator. _"We await your command."_

"It is time…" Monsieur Mallah spoke, grimly.

The Brain smirked in his mind, proceeding to give the order he had long been waiting. _"Execute Order Sixty-six…"_

**Cleveland, Virginia**

The people of Cleveland watched as a humongous fleet of ships was fastly approaching in the distance. In just mere seconds, the armada soared over the town, dropping legions of Battle Droids and Sentinel Clones, beginning to blast and kill any human they spotted. The citizens screamed and ran for their lives, but the Sentinels' massive guns prevented them from getting too far.

"HOLY SON OF A-" Dr. Facilier screamed, dashing out of his shop to see this destruction. "WHAT THE 'ECK'S GOIN' ON HERE? Well, Ah shouldn't have much trouble fixin' this, with a little…" the shadow man pulled out his cane and took aim at one of the Sentinels, "REDUC-"

"Expelliarmus!" Another magic blast zapped Facilier's cane away, and he turned to notice Mumbo Jumbo.

"Sorry to intrude, but we can't have you interrupting the greatest show of all time!" the magician grinned.

Facilier tried to grab his cane, but some green strings of floss shot down and wrapped around it, Knightbrace pulling it up to the building he was standing on. "After all, it's the last one you'll ever see."

"Now, WATCH as the beautiful town of Cleveland, Virginia, suddenly… DISAPPEARS!"

"And YOU along with it!" Knightbrace exclaimed, leaping down from the building.

"Mumbo JUMBO!" And Mumbo zapped a magical ray straight at Facilier.

_"With the heroes scattered across the worlds… we will easily defeat them. One… by one…"_ Darth Genious's voice echoed in the distance.

**Retroville; Candy Bar**

_"We will defeat them… on the land."_

Carl Wheezer and Sheen were happily enjoying their ice cream smoothies until they suddenly heard a loud roar coming from outside. They hurried outside and looked in fear at the sight of Baby Eddie, riding the T-rex from when they went back in time. The two cried and ran as the dinosaur started chasing them. As they were running, the bartender, Sam came out and yelled, "'ey, you kids owe me $5.50 for that super swirly, yeh!"

**Sector V S.C.A.M.P.E.R.**

Nigel and Kuki were on their way to Sector N on their S.C.A.M.P.E.R. as they were passing over the Rainbow Monkey Care and Share Fair. Kuki peeked out the window, seeing smoke rise from said fair and people running and screaming. "Oooh! Numbuh 1! We have to stop! The fair is under attack!"

"What? We can't stop now!"

"Oooh!" Kuki shook in eagerness and anger. "Fine, then drop me! I'll help them myself!"

"Ugh! Okay. But be ready, soon, Numbuh 3!" With that, Nigel pressed a button and opened the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s door.

"WHEEE!" the cheerful girl jumped out and switched on her butterfly glider, soaring around the air before taking land in the middle of the park. She landed perfectly on her feet, then started to view the area intently. "Hmmm… I wonder if they have anything at the snack bar!" she smiled.

"My apologies, Fair Princess."

"EEEP!" A wooden sword suddenly zipped by and cut her glider, as King Sandy sat in his conchshell chariot, driven by the Knights of the Round Towel.

"But as far as snack time goes, I'm afraid you've used up your requests. KNNIGHTS: ATTAAAACK!" He whipped his cousins.

"YAAAH!"

"Eeek!" Kuki yelped, quickly trying to run as the knights charged after her. She pulled up her right sleeve so she could speak into her wristwatch communicator. "Numbuh 1! I'm in trouble! Please help!"

Inside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Numbuh 1 looked at his wristwatch to see Kuki's worried expression. "Numbuh 3, I swear if this is about some kiddie ride, I'm gonna-"

_"No! It's King Sandy and his knights! They're- AAAHH!"_ The screen suddenly blinked to static.

"Numbuh 3!" Nigel gripped his steering wheel tight and said, "Sorry, Sector N. I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait." With that, he quickly turned his craft around to assist his friend.

**Samurai Rangers' world; the pier**

_"We will defeat them… in the seas."_

Antonio Garcia, aka the Gold Ranger, sat on a crate along the pier, nodding his head to some music as he gripped a fishing rod, the line cast out in the water. "OOH! I got one!" The Hispanic boy exclaimed, feeling his lure suddenly being dragged around as he used all his strength to try and pull it in. "Hoho, it's a real biter today!" Right away, a figure suddenly splashed out of the water, landing a few feet from Antonio as it held the fishing lure. The figure turned out to be a mermaid of some kind, smirking at the Gold Ranger, who could only stare in amazement. "Whoa, I…"

But in only a few moments, that mermaid had transformed into a giant, hideous blob monster, with several eyes and green monster fins as it gave a tremendous roar. Antonio jumped back in horror before switching out his Samurai Morpher. "GOLD RANGER: Power Up!" He tapped some buttons on his cell phone, and the gold armor instantly appeared on his body. The beast gave another roar before Antonio drew out his Barracuda Blade, engaging the beast in battle.

**Titans' world; under the sea**

While the water-themed hero, Aqualad was patrolling the seas, he suddenly noticed the reddish-pink blob, Plasmus swimming over, in the form of a whale as he carried Trident on his back. The trident-wielding villain jumped and shot toward the aqua hero, who started throwing kicks as Trident swung his trident. He kicked the villain upside the head and knocked him back, but that's when Plasmus swam from below and started gnawing at his legs.

**Samurai Rangers' world; forest area**

_"We will defeat them… in the forest."_

While Mike, the Green Ranger was going for a walk through a forest, he stopped when he noticed a gap open in a tree ahead, seeing Rofer, the stretchy-arm Nighlok emerge. Mike drew out his Samuraizer and made his green armor appear, ready to fight the Nighlok. Rofer directed behind Mike, indicating the French flower known as the Heylin Plant. When Mike turned at him with a look of surprise, Rofer took this time to shoot his fist and punch Mike toward the plant. The Heylin Plant wrapped its vines around the Green Ranger, but Mike drew his sword and cut himself free, then tried to run away.

**Amity Park**

Danny, Tucker, and Sam were walking down a street of the town, until they noticed the blue substance emerge from Danny's mouth. The trio of friends looked up and saw the gigantic Plant Ghost, Undergrowth towering over some buildings and wreaking havoc. Danny Fenton switched into his ghost form and shot toward the monster, the Plant Ghost taking notice when Danny stopped near his face. The Halfa smirked at the ghost, but his Ghost Sense came out again, and he noticed the Dream Ghost, Nocturne behind him.

Down below, Tucker and Sam watched their friend with worry and were about to run back to Danny's house to get help. However, the meat-made monster that was the Lunch Lady, along with the tech-made ghost that was Technus, crashed down in their path, the two friends gaping in terror as the ghosts raised their fists to smash them.

**Xiaolin world; the sky**

_"We will defeat them… in the skies."_

Omi rode Dojo's back as the dragon soared across the skies to New York. They looked and saw the black dragon, Malchior to their left, and the black ghost dragon, Prince Aragon to their right. The two black dragons rammed the snake-dragon on both sides and sent Omi screaming and falling down below. He landed with a thud in some bushes, then recovered to see Jack Spicer hovering over him with his helipack, along with a swarm of Jackbots. Omi stood his ground and got in his battle pose. Jack grinned maniacally and snapped his fingers, and Omi was suddenly kicked away from the side by Robo-Jack. The bald boy stood back up as the two Jacks began attacking.

**Titans' world; the sky**

Bumblebee soared over the clouds, looking over her city from bird's-eye view, then quickly dodged when some sonic waves were suddenly unleashed at her, turning to see Punk Rocket on her tail, surfing his guitar. "You really think you stand a chance against me without yo' little Angel's help?" the bee-themed Titan asked.

"No!" Bee stopped and gasped, seeing Ember McLain and The Steve riding their guitars. "But he might with us!" The Steve exclaimed before he and Ember sent their own sonic waves at the bee. Bumblebee quickly dodged the three guitars and fought back with her stingers.

**Nightmare Land**

_"And we will defeat them… in the stars of space."_

Katie was going for a walk in her hometown, but stopped when she encountered the fearbending woman, Phobia. Katie readied to battle the fear-themed villain, who smirked and directed behind Katie. The Nightmare child turned and looked in horror at the sight of Legion, the nightmare-lover drawing his syringes between his fingers as he and his accomplice started to battle Katie.

**Over the atmosphere of Jimmy's world**

The boy genius was flying over his world, observing a comet that was currently passing over the atmosphere, until his rocket was suddenly hit from the left side. Jimmy looked as his evil clone was flying over on Evil Goddard, the evil robo-dog zapping lasers at the boy's rocket. Jimmy set the rocket to autopilot and hopped on Goddard, preparing to battle Evil Jimmy, but then found himself caught within a shadow, looking up as King Goobot's ship hovered above him.

**Sector V Treehouse**

_"We will even defeat them… within their own headquarters."_

Wallabee Beatles was busy punching the punching bag in his room until- "MUAHAHAHAHA!" He looked up as Toiletnator stood atop one of the tree branches. "Numbuh 4 of the Kids Next Door: prepare to face the ultimate wrath of… TOILETNATOR-"

"Dr. Light," the lame villain from the Titans' world came out from behind a tree branch beside him, "and…"

"The BOX Ghost!" Box Ghost popped out as well. "Who will finally take revenge for your unfriendly taunts towards us awesome villains."

"Ugh. Numbuh 1 wanted me to stay and guard the treehouse from YOU lameoids? !"

"Nn, SHUT UP!" Lou yelled. "Um, YOU'RE the lame one! We're COOL villains!"

"And now, we will make you face your doom!" the Box Ghost vowed. "RAAAAH!" The three villains leapt down and started to battle the Beatles boy.

**The Ghost Zone**

_"As well as other dimensions."_

Danielle Phantom was going for a flight through the Ghost Zone, and gasped when a flying ghost ship appeared in her way. Youngblood ordered his ghost pirates to attack the Halfa, and Dani fired Ecto Blasts as she tried to get away.

**Unknown Dimension**

Herald had just received a call to help Pantha, and was about to use his trumpet to open a portal to her location. However, a portal was suddenly scratched open behind him as Katnappe shot out and kicked him away. Seemore walked out of the portal afterwards and proceeded to help his partner battle the spacebender.

**Ava's Heart Star**

_"Now matter where they run… no matter where they hide… we will find them. _Evil_ will prevail."_

After their vacation on DK Isles, Ava, Kami, and Kweeb were flying back to Cleveland, when Ava suddenly caught something on her monitor headed their way. "There's something coming toward us!"

"I don't see anything." Kami said, looking ahead.

"Wait!" Kweeb spoke, pointing ahead. "What's-"

That's when a Nighlok suddenly splatted against their windshield. It had three heads, and was only 6 inches tall. "Well, now I know what they mean when they said some skydivers never make it to the ground!" the funny head of Threezore joked.

"Duh, are we at a wall of psychic energy?" the dumb head asked.

"No, you idiot, it's the windshield!" the smart head angrily yelled.

"Uh, but who are these people? And why are they staring at us, Boss?"

"Because, you nitwit, they're the people we were sent to capture, and they're wondering why a three-headed monster just crashed on their windshield!"

"Awe! They're so cute!" Ava smiled.

"Daw-haw-haw." The dumb head smiled and blushed.

"Ugh. Well, if you think we're cute, HOW 'BOUT A KISS?" The tiny Nighlok shot its tentacles through the windshield and began sucking on Ava's face. Distracted from her driving, the ship spiraled out of control and came for a crash along the ground. Threezore was thankfully flown off Ava's face, and the alien shook her head from the sucking as they climbed out of the wrecked ship.

"That's enough out of you, now!"

"Ms. Chow?" Kami asked as the three looked ahead at Ms. Chow, with the Parent Teacher Organization Of Eradicating Youngsters (PTOOEY).

"Class is in session, and you are all about 6 months late. Since you will not come willingly, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let THESE teachers drag you to listen to more of my pointless teachings. TEACHERS: ATTACK." At her command, the five teachers charged and began battling Kami and Ava.

Kweeb finally recovered from flying out of the ship and found Threezore in front of him. "D'aw! Dat guy's smaller dan us, Boss." The dumb head said.

"Why, he's so small, he makes fleas feel like the Titans of Greece!" The funny head joked.

"Gah, you fools! CRUSH him!" The tiny alien started jumping around to avoid the bigger Nighlok's stomps.

**Titans' world; city highway**

While going for a walk, the speedy twins known as Mas Y Menos quickly jumped out of the way when Johnny Rancid tried to run them over from behind. The biker stopped and swerved around to shoot the twins a glare. The twins touched hands and immediately sped away when Johnny Rancid switched into his red demon-rider form, speeding after the children. Mas Y Menos pulled out their communicators and yelled into them, "Heelp! Johnny Rancid es después de nosotros otra vez! Él está persiguiendo en-QUÉ? (HEELP! Johnny Rancid is after us again! He's chasing in- WHAT?)" The twins looked above to their right, finding the ghost-rider, Johnny 13 flying above them. The ghost smirked and landed on the road beside Johnny Rancid, and the twins tried to get away faster as Johnny 13 sent his Shadow after them.

**Raven's ship**

_"Raven: Mas Y Menos are in trouble. Hurry up and help them."_ Robin ordered from Raven's communicator.

The blue-hooded shadowbender suddenly noticed a shadow emerge above her windshield, behind her, revealing itself to be Kyd Wykkyd. She looked ahead as another shadow appeared upon the ship, exposing itself as Count Spankulot. "You have been very BAD, Raven, and you shall face the power of: COUNT SPANKULOT!"

"Uh, Robin? I think the Brotherhood found some new recruits." Raven spoke into her communicator. She then looked to the side of her ship, seeing Psimon appear and fire a psychic blast toward her.

**Same world; dam area**

After the Green Lantern-themed hero (only with red), Argent had finished fixing up a dam with her powers, she looked to the left of the dam, seeing a strange woman standing on it. "Who are you?"

"My, don't you look bleak with that goth coloring?" Penelope Spectra smirked, switching into her shadowy ghost form. "I know how to make it BLEAKER!" Argent quickly flew away as the ghost shrink gave chase and fired Ecto Rays at her.

"Argent to Titans: I'm under attack." Argent spoke into her communicator. "It's some-" She stopped when she bumped her head against some giant green ghost bee. She dodged before Penelope's assistant, Bertrand could stab his stinger at her, but Spectra grabbed and forced the Titan against the dam, making a huge crater.

**Starfire's ship**

"Argent, I will be there to help as soon as I-" Before Starfire could finish, the green-haired female ghost, Kitty appeared in her ship and punched the Tamaranian out, causing the ship to sink and crash.

"Surprise, Star." Starfire recovered and looked up as Kitten flew atop a moth with her army of mutant moths. "Remember me?"

"How could I not, you slug." Starfire glared.

"SLUG? !" Kitten's face turned red with anger. "We'll see who's a slug after THIS!" She swung her laser whip at Starfire and slashed her across the cheek. The alien girl tried to fly away as Kitten kept swinging her whip, but Kitty appeared in her way again and sent Starfire one of her exploding kisses.

**North Pole**

"This is Cyborg to Kole." The half-man spoke into his communicator as he had just landed in the snowy wasteland. "I'll be over to help as soon as-"

"RAAH!" The muscular HIVE member, Mammoth suddenly popped out of the snow and sent Cyborg flying.

"Um… I might be a little late-" Cyborg tried to say before Mammoth tried to jump and slam down on him, making him quickly roll out of the way. Cyborg stood up and charged at the villain, the two grabbing the others' arms and trying to push each other back. "Ahhh!" Mammoth lifted and sent Cyborg flying away, and he quickly grabbed the edge of a cliff before he fell. As he tried to haul himself up, Mammoth walked over and stomped his foot on Cyborg's face, sending the robo-man screaming and falling to the abyss.

**Beast Boy's ship**

While all of this was going on, Beast Boy nervously sat in his ship, sweating as he was scared out of his mind. "Okay: the Brotherhood's back and ambushing everybody again, and they even got new members. But, there's no worry! They already did this last time, so I just need to retrace my steps! Let's see, I remember Overload attacked Lightning, Steamroller and INSTIGATOR attacked Thunder, Puppet King and Control Freak attacked Kilowatt, and I was attacked by…" His expression turned to terror when he heard a loud heartbeat, looking up as the heart monster, Cardiac started banging on his ship. "AAAH! Beast Boy to Robin: THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"

_"Where are you? Did you find Aqualad?"_

"NO I didn't find Aqualad! It's the same crud AGAIN! And I told you LAST time, we shouldn't've split up! !"

**Rachel's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.**

"Nigel, did you get to Sector N, yet?" Rachel asked into her communicator.

_"Change in plans, Rachel. An amusement park was under attack, so Kuki had to drop off. She's been attacked, so I'm flying back to help her."_

Fanny spotted something outside the left window and tapped Rachel's shoulder. "Um, Lass?" Rachel looked to where she pointed, seeing Mandy flying just outside their ship on her jetpack.

"Mandy!"

The Six Gum Gang was flying to the right of the ship as Runt swung his lasso, tossing it through the window and wrapping around Fanny's neck. "AIEEE!" the Irish screamed when Runt pulled her out and sent her falling.

"Fanny!" Patton screamed.

Rachel faced back at Mandy as her evil cousin directed downward, flying down below. "Ugh. Sorry, Patton, you're on your own."

"Huh?" Patton gasped as Rachel slid open the window and hopped out. "W-Wait! What if I get…" the Drill Sergeant only sighed. "This is not gonna end well." With that, he continued steering the ship toward Arctic Prison.

**Cleveland, Virginia**

After relaxing in Mario's world, the Junior Prospectors had finally returned to their town, watching as all of the destruction took place. Tommy gulped as the seven looked in horror. "I think we returned at a bad time…"

"I liked it better when it was just Bowser and his army." Shaunie said, fear all over his face.

"Doth not worry, Junior Prospectors." Luvbi told them. "We must cometh up with a plan, yea? Ay, back to the hideout!" The group of non-operatives did so and hurried back to their underground hideout.

General Immortus stood upon his floating platform in the sky and watched them, smirking in their direction.

**Titans' world; mountainous region**

Hotspot and Wildebeast worriedly kept their guard up, prepared for anything that may happen. Before they knew it, they were suddenly punched by a huge fist behind them, knocking them out as Madame Rouge stepped out from behind a rock. "It is almost TOO easy." The woman smirked, grabbing and dragging the unconscious heroes as she stepped toward a portal back to the KND world. "Now to go after a more _wild_ hothead."

From behind another boulder, Robin watched the woman with curiosity as she stepped into the portal. The Titans' leader quickly ran and jumped in after her before it vanished.

* * *

><p><strong>And so ends Part 1! ;D Next time, the Rise of the Evil Empire continues! And a showdown we've all been waiting for: Nolan vs. Madame Rouge! ;D Later!<strong>


	69. Calling All Heroes, Part 2: Our Show Now

**Welcome, people, to the conclusion of Brain's invasion! What's gonna happen? If you watched "Calling all Titans", it's not good. Now to further add in to the drama, play "Order 66" from _Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith_. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Heroes Are Defeated. The Villains Sing Their Victory Song!<em>**

**Final Brain**

"The heroes are falling… one by one. In only a few moments… this world will be mine."

"Ze young ones are too veak for your intel." Mallah said, knocking out another piece on the chessboard.

"Indeed."

**Rainbow Monkey Care and Share Fair**

"Numbuh 3? ! Numbuh 3, where are you?" Nigel asked, frantically searching around the fair.

"She's gone."

"HUH?" Nigel looked up as Hannibal Bean flew overhead on his bird.

"But you'll see her purdy soon!"

Nigel gasped when Princess Azula landed behind him. "Time for you to PERISH!" With that, the fiery princess charged a powerful shot of lightning and struck the Brit.

**Power Rangers' world; downtown**

"KEVIN?" Jayden was dressed in his Red Ranger uniform as he searched town for the Blue Ranger. "Kevin!" He spotted his Blue Ranger comrade a few feet away, hurrying over. "Kevin, we need to help Mike!" Jayden turned the Blue Ranger around to face him. "He's in the forest, and he- UAH!" He was cut off when Kevin kicked him away. "Kevin…"

"HAHAHA!" Jayden looked when the Nighlok, Madimot came out from hiding. "Sorry, Ranger Red! But he's my puppet now!"

"No! Not again!"

"I told you I'm the baddest of the bad! Oh, BLUUE: eat Red!" At his command, the Blue Ranger drew out his sword and began clashing against Jayden.

**Same world; the mall**

_"Emily, Mia, where are you? Mike and I need help!"_ Jayden yelled into their communicators.

"I'll help Mike," Emily offered, "you go help Jayden." The female Rangers switched into their uniforms and quickly left the mall, going in separate directions.

"Not so fast!"

"You!" Emily exclaimed when she suddenly encountered the Nighlok, Splitface. She heard someone else land behind her and looked back to see Negatron.

"It's payback time, Yellow!" Negatron said. "And I must say, you are looking UGLY as ever!"

"Your words can't hurt me!"

"No, but this probably can!" Splitface said, shooting one of his mouths over to instantly suck in Emily's spirit. The Yellow Ranger immediately slumped and bent over.

"Now, let's try this." Negatron said. "Miserable slump!" Negatron's hurtful taunt struck the spiritless Emily and sent her flying.

Meanwhile, Mia heard an explosion happen behind her and looked back. "Emily!" She was about to run back to assist the Yellow Ranger until the Nighlok, Armadeevil got in her way.

"Wassup, Mi! Armadeevil invincible!" With that, he curled into his shell and ran the Pink Ranger over. Mia recovered and tried desperately to throw Air Slices at the Nighlok, but he kept speeding around in his shell and running her over.

**Titans' world; mountainous region**

Jericho Wilson hurriedly ran from Fang as the human-spider gave chase. He stopped in shock when the hunter, Skulker appeared in his way, shooting ectoplasm at the silent hero and knocking him toward Fang, who spat spider webs over his eyes, preventing him from using his power.

**Forest region**

The archer hero, Speedy dashed through a forest in order to reach the town Mas Y Menos were at, while keeping an eye out for the catgirl, Cheshire, suspecting her to appear. But rather than Cheshire, however, he stopped when a swarm of arrows shot down in his path, looking to a tree as Robin Food stood upon a branch. "My apologies, fair Speedy, but you shall advance no further in this forest. For I am:" The trumpets immediately sounded as his Hungry Men came out and sang.

"Robin Food, Robin Food, not your average thieving dude! With his band of Hungry Men, he comes to school at lunch and THEEN: he ROOOBS from the yooung (and crude), and GIIIVES to the OOOLD (ooh, nice dude)! Robin Food: YO-HOOOO!"

"You have gotta be kidding." Speedy could only say in disbelief.

"Ah, bratty kids today never understand." Robin Food sighed. "Perhaps YOU would like to help him, dear Master?"

Speedy gasped when the Master of Games landed a few feet beside him, having possessed the Titans' powers again somehow. Speedy tried to fire his arrows, but Robin Food shot a plunger-arrow down and knocked his bow away. The archer tried to escape, but Master of Games chased using Gizmo's mechanical spider legs and got in his path. Speedy looked back when Robin Food dashed over with his bo staff, stuck it in the ground, and used it to spin and kick Speedy across the face.

**Aqualad's secret cave**

Tramm was about to hurry and help his partner when the alien, XL Terrestrial shot out of the water. Tramm raised his fists, prepared to battle the villain, but the alien tapped the arrow on his chest and grew into a giant. Tramm avoided before Terrestrial stomped him, then pumped his fists and grew bigger himself. He grabbed one of the stalagmites and proceeded to clash against the alien, but Terrestrial smashed the weapon in half and kicked Tramm away.

**Somewhere in the sky**

Bumblebee zapped her stingers at Punk Rocket and flung him away, but he quickly recovered and kept after the bee. While she kept her focus on him, Ember and The Steve unleashed sonic waves from behind, hurting the bee's ears and sending her falling to the earth below. The three villains exchanged smirks and chased after her.

**Downtown highway**

Mas Y Menos desperately scampered away from the two Johnnies, eventually jumping to both sides and letting the motorbikers pass. However, Johnny 13's Shadow popped up and grabbed Mas, carrying him away. "Mas!" Menos screamed. The road below them suddenly blew open as Cinderblock came from below, roaring to the heavens.

"Menos!" Mas screamed.

**North Pole**

Kole bent herself into a boomerang and froze into her diamond form, allowing Gnarrk to pick her up and send her flying at Gizmo, chopping off his mechanical spider legs. Gizmo quickly switched on his mini helicopter and started blasting them from the air as Kole took the position of a shield. However, the two found their selves quickly surrounded by Billy Numerous and his army of Billy clones. Before they knew it, the army of cowboy clones piled onto the caveman as Gnarrk tried to use Kole to swat them away, but they were overpowered in minutes.

**Wrestling arena**

Pantha and Atlas faced each other on the wrestling ring, standing on opposite sides before the two charged at each other, using all their strength to hold the other back. Pantha was able to push Atlas onto his back and hold him down, but that's when Adonis jumped in and crushed her. The two villains stood up and binded her arms, but Pantha was able to shake away and flip over Atlas, grabbing and hauling the robot out of the ring. She then grabbed Adonis's face and pulled the wimpy villain out of his mech suit, throwing him against a corner pole. However, the wimp recovered and went into his beast form, then tackled Pantha to the ground as he rapidly scratched her face, eventually knocking her out. Afterwards, Atlas recovered to see Adonis revert back to his regular form.

"Hm… why didn't I just do THAT last time?" Adonis asked himself.

**Avatar Realms; Ba Sing Se**

Sokka faced the samurai villain known as Katarou as the baldhead glared back. The two charged at each other and engaged into combat with their swords. Sokka leapt back to avoid one of Katarou's strikes, landing beside an alleyway, but that's when a Dai Li Agent shot rockcuffs out from the alley, cuffing Sokka's wrists. The boy fell to the ground and tried to break free, but Katarou leapt over and bashed him with his bo staff.

**Outside Great Wall; forest area**

Katara hurried through the forest in order to make it to Ba Sing Se to assist her brother, but her right hand was suddenly forced against a tree by some kind of glue. She tried to break free as she looked to see the glue-themed Nighlok, Epoxar appear. She bent some water from her pouch to try and Water Slice the glue off, but was unable to, and Epoxar shot glue and stuck her other hand. The Nighlok looked up behind him as Momo was flying his way, but he simply shot glue at the flying lemur and stuck him to another tree.

**Retroville Park**

The citizens screamed and ran from the park while Cindy Vortex stood and readied for battle against the matrix controller, Meldar Prime. She flipped and dodged as the spacebender conjured electric spheres and fired, exploding around the area, then Cindy leapt up to kick Meldar's head off. Cindy smirked as Meldar's body searched around for its head, then looked to her left to see his robotic assistant, Vandana shooting her a glare. Cindy's eyes widened in fear when the robotic woman grew to 5 times her usual height, picking the Vortex girl up and kicking her away, sending her flying.

**Retroland**

Libby Folfax was nodding her head to some music as she walked through the park, but suddenly noticed lots of people running and screaming. She looked up as the Junk Man and Grandma Taters came down from the Junk Man's ship, and the choco-skinned girl readied to battle them. She kicked back as Junk Man punched his four arms, leaping over the trash alien to kick off his skull before landing beside Taters. The alien elder quickly defended with her cane as Libby kicked some more, eventually karate-chopping the cane in half, giving a smirk. But Libby looked behind her as Beautiful Gorgeous lowered herself from the ship, the agent woman aiming a hypno beam and putting Libby in a trance.

**Amity Park**

Sam and Tucker quickly jumped around and dodged to avoid Lunch Lady and Technus's fists, trying to get away faster to Danny's house. But before they could get far, Desiree appeared out of a green puff of smoke and grabbed the two in her huge fists, swinging them around before smashing them against the street.

Up above, Danny Phantom unleashed all the Ice Breath he could to freeze Undergrowth solid, trying to catch his breath after doing so. Unfortunately, Nocturne swung his stretchy arm and sent the ghost boy flying, knocking him perfectly into a police van driven by Walker as the ghost warden drove him back to base.

**Fenton Works**

From the window of her house, Jazz Fenton had just watched this battle take place. She grabbed a Fenton Thermos and was about to run down to help, until she felt some unknown force holding her back. "Jazz was about to go help, but she did not." The Ghost Writer spoke, sitting at the table and typing on his typewriter. "Then, she went to beat herself senseless with a pot." Against her own will, the older sibling went into the kitchen, grabbed a pot from the oven, and started to bash herself with it until she was knocked out.

**Xiaolin World; Tokyo**

Kimiko had finally arrived at her hometown using the Silver Manta Ray, looking around for any trouble. She dodged before she was burned by green flames, which came from Wuya. The Heylin Witch used her powers to make her stone men rise and charge at Kimiko. Kimiko drew out the- "EYE OF DASHI!", and zapped lightning at the stone men, easily taking them out.

Wuya called, "Moby Morpher!", and transformed into a huge, red dragon, breathing green fire all over the place as Kimiko tried to get away. She couldn't get far as the Sapphire Dragon suddenly ambushed her, swallowing her in its blue flames and making her a sapphire statue.

**Xiaolin Temple**

Clay got himself ready for battle outside of the Xiaolin Temple as the titanic villains, Cyclops and Big Brother towered over him. Big Brother tried to punch his fist down, but Clay raised his Fist of Tebigong and punched back, the Big Brother crying and shaking his fist from the strong punch to his knuckles. Cyclops tried to stomp him, but Clay jumped out of the way and stomped the ground, sending an earthquake to knock the red giant over. However, Big Brother recovered and ran to grab the cowboy in his fists, squeezing him tight as Clay tried to break free, then the Cyclops gave his goofy smile before cupping his hands over Clay's head.

**KND Arctic Prison**

"Hey, guys!" Numbuh 60 yelled, hurrying into the Arctic Base to meet his comrades, Numbuhs 44 and 44. "We got your call. What's the problem?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what the problem is." Before Patton's eyes, Pete had reverted back to Amorpho, the morphing ghost, and Peter had reverted to the Chameleon Bot. "You haven't been captured yet." The ghost said.

"What?" Patton gasped, then looked behind him as The Rhymer and his Rappers appeared.

"It's time, little lice, for you, to pay the price." With that, the rhyming villain unleashed musical notes from his staff at the Drill Sergeant.

**Hoagie's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.**

On their way toward Sector K, Numbuhs 2 and 5 suddenly felt their ship being pummeled by cannon gumballs from Stickybeard's pirate ship. "D'aw. I'll handle this." Numbuh 5 decided, climbing onto an open window of the ship. "You go ahead without me."

"Um, Numbuh 5, are you sure we should split-" Hoagie was silenced when Abby planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Don't wait up for me, Homebuddy." With that, the choco-skinned leapt out the window, leaving Hoagie to sit there and blush goofily.

Abigail landed perfectly onto Stickybeard's ship, facing the Candy Pirate dead on. "GAH HAHAHA! Well, hello there, Lassie. Come to join the end of all your pitiful Kids Next Door?"

"Man: the Kids Next Door ain't NEVUH gonna end!"

"Double-negatives there, Lassie." Stickybeard wagged his finger. "Methinks you need to go to school and learn some grammar, aye? Perhaps these teachers will be willing to help ye."

"That's substitute teachers!" Miss Edna Jucation yelled as she and the Faculty 4 arrived. The group of super-powered teachers proceeded to gang up on the African-French.

Back on the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., Hoagie kept driving as he chewed on a chilidog in his hand. "Man, I sure hope Numbuh 5 can handle it herself- GAH!" His ship was suddenly shot at again, making him drop his chilidog.

"Oh, she'll be just fine! NOT!" Hoagie looked up as Mr. Washer flew overhead in his giant plane.

"And we can honestly say that YOU'LL be needing a trip to the medical wing, too!" Nurse Claiborne yelled, standing beside him in the plane.

"Hey, guess what!" Washer yelled. "I've just gotten into Nurse Claiborne's delicious apple crumbles! They're MUCH better than those nasty chilidogs! Speaking of which: AHAA!" He began unleashing a barrage of pool balls at Hoagie's ship.

"Mayday! Mayday! Emergency! I'm- AIEEE!"

**Virginian Forest**

Violet hurriedly scampered through the forest to get to Cleveland, hoping her boyfriend is there. "Huh…?" She noticed said boy only several feet away, his back turned toward her. "Bruce!" she smiled, hurrying over and spinning him around to face her. "Oh, thank goodness I- Huh?"

"Guess again!" Valerie exclaimed, dressed like Bruce and having her hair made like his. The girl snorted and instantly transformed into her werepoodle form, and Violet backed away in fear as saliva drooled from Valerie's fangs. She tried to run away, but the whole squad of werepoodles stood in her path, all snarling at her. Violet turned back as Valerie leapt and gnashed at her.

"Violet!" Bruce called as he, Luna, and Yin & Yang were running through the forest. "Violet, where are you! Huh?" They noticed a pair of catlike claws sticking out from behind a tree. The four ran over, only to find the claws belonged to Cheshire, the catgirl wearing her grinning cat mask. Cheshire swung her huge hair braids and knocked Bruce away, then dealt many rapid kicks against Luna before she was knocked away. The Twins tried to grab her, but Cheshire leapt over and scratched their backs, then proceeded to shove them against a tree.

**Somewhere in the sea**

Marine the Raccoon tried to get away on her waterbike, moving left-and-right as she dodged cannonballs from Captain Whisker's ship. She then noticed Johnny the robo-shark speeding ahead on his waterbike, afterward shooting back toward Marine. Marine tried to shoot Light Spheres, but Johnny swiftly avoided, then jumped and kicked the raccoon off her bike, bumping her head against Whisker's ship and knocking her out.

**Sector W Treehouse**

While Harvey and Lee were in a battle in a videogame with the other kids watching, Charlotte ran over and said, "Guys, there's some lady outside looking up at us."

The team of younger operatives hurried outside and looked down to see Consuela in the street, holding a vacuum. "Hello, childrens. I am here because Misser Brain wants me to capture you."

"Pfft. His best plan was to send his MAID?" Harvey exclaimed cockily.

"Let me capture you?"

"Heck no!"

"I capture you, anyway?"

"I said 'no'."

"I capture you, anyway." She stated simply.

"Pfft. And what are YOU gonna do… about…" The kids looked in terror as Consuela's vacuum suddenly transformed into a giant robot designed like Consuela. The Hispanic maid herself appeared in the cockpit as Harvey finished his sentence. "…it. RUUUN!" They immediately ran before the Consuela-bot stomped their balcony.

**Emily's House**

Team Forest and Chad worriedly sat in Emily's house, watching all the destruction on the news. Unbeknownst to them, the Nanobots flew in through the open window on their flying saucer, taking the group by surprise by zapping them with an electric ray into oblivion. Chad swiftly avoided the saucer's shots, causing them to delete the furniture in the room as Chad jumped out the window and hurried away. However, he encountered Cree and the Teen Ninjas flying over him as Mary Luis snuck up from behind and knocked Chad out. She and Cree grabbed Chad's body and flew off with him, alongside the Nanobots.

**Final Brain**

Mallah happily knocked over pieces of their chessboard as more and more heroes were falling, one by one. He and Brain continued to watch their monitors as all of their followers were wrecking everything, establishing the world in the great name of Darth Genious. The Sith Lord couldn't feel more giddy in his mind, watching smoke rise and cloud the sky everywhere.

**Washington D.C.**

It was quickly coming to be nighttime, though no one could really tell as the clouds of pitch-black smoke rose into the heavens. Everywhere, Battle Droids and Sentinel Clones were blowing things to smithereens, carrying humongous statues of the great Sith Lord and stashing them wherever works. People ran out of a library as a Sentinel Clone dropped a statue in front of it, which read _The Brain knows all._ Another clone kicked over the wall of fallen Vietnam War heroes, and put a statue in its place, which read _The Brain conquers all._ Another squad of Sentinels even scared people out of a church, sticking a statue in front of it, which read _The Brain is GOD_.

More Sentinel Clones approached the Lincoln Memorial, in which one of the clones took aim with its gun and destroyed it. Afterwards, another clone came and stuck a statue of a rotatable chair in its place, turning the chair so that everyone had a look at the Palpatine Memorial. The band of clones then approached the Washington Monument, as one of them shot it all over with its huge weapon until it crumbled into nothingness.

"Eh, what about that one?" Another clone asked, indicating the much-larger Obama Monument. The clone that destroyed the first one went over to shoot it, but the shots bounced back and killed the clone. "Eh… you know what, it works. Just leave it."

**Cleveland, Virginia**

Team Brotherhood watched with absolute horror and anguish as the destruction unfurled before their eyes. Everywhere you look, people ran and screamed, only to be shot and killed by robots. Not all of them, however. Some of the Battle Droids grabbed the screaming citizens and stuck a helmet over their heads, designed like Brain. Antennas raised from the helmets and blinked red as the people rose their arms like zombies.

_"All hail The Brain… All hail The Brain… All hail The Brain…"_

"Whoa… this is crazy…" Danika could only say.

Nolan watched as Decommissioning Troops were engaged in battle with The Brain's Imperial Troupe. The red-cloaked guards spun their laser spears and guarded against the kids' shots, then proceeded to zap lasers at the officers' knees and force them to kneel over. Gwen and Doug didn't have much of a hard time taking out guards, but that was before they encountered the Imperial Elite Guard, who was dressed in black. The black guard spun around and avoided the kids' lasers, leaping behind them to take a swing at their legs, making them fall over. They tried to stand up, but the guard kicked them away.

As they lie on their backs, Nolan watched in terror as the guard was about to pierce his spear into Gwen's chest. "NOOOO!" Numbuh 2030 screamed, switching on his chair's rockets and boosting over. He extracted the metal spikes from his chair and pierced the Elite Guard's chest before he could stab Gwen, taking him out.

"Nolan…" Gwen weakly rose her arm.

"Hurry, get them somewhere safe." Nolan ordered April and Danika. "There's someplace I need to be." Danika lifted Gwen over her shoulder while April grabbed Doug, as Nolan hurried back to Cad Bane's ship.

**Cleveland Movie Theater**

"What's going on?" Kim asked as she and Matt hurried out of the theater to see the destruction. Before they could get far, the Witch emerged from a puff of smoke, summoning her green slug minions to surround them. As the two were looking for a way out, Bob Johnson secretly sat atop the roofs of one of the buildings, taking aim at Kim with his sniper rifle. Matt then noticed the red dot on Kim's chest, and the red light coming from the roof.

"KIM, WATCH OUT!"

"Huh-" She was too late to move as Bob pulled the trigger and shot her clear in the chest. Kim fell to the ground as blood spilled out of the hole in her clothing.

"KIIIIIM!"

Wesley Dodds hauled himself onto the building from behind Bob and punched the back of his head, causing him to fall. He stood up as Sandman dropped down, already being tackled by Witch's green monsters. Larry arrived to his rescue and froze the monsters solid, allowing Wesley to shatter them. While they were distracted, Bob Johnson took this time to retreat. Matt Garley only knelt down and cried over his friend's fallen form.

**Titans' world; power plant**

Kilowatt faced the fanatic, Control Freak, holding his pink electric hands ready. The fanboy pressed his remote and released his own holographic Rancore, only for Kilowatt to destroy it in one hit. Control Freak then released a Skelbot, but Kilowatt destroyed that, then an Icipede, but he destroyed that, then lastly released a Davy Jones, but Kilowatt destroyed it before zapping the villain's remote away.

Control Freak gulped in fear when the electric hero approached and stood over him, only to be tackled by the Puppet King as Control Freak gave a smirk.

**Stormy area**

Lightning soared over the stormy clouds as Overload zapped electrical rays at him. Lightning eventually caught the electricity in his hands and sent them back at the monster. Down below, his brother, Thunder stomped the ground and shook the earth in his battle against Steamroller and INSTIGATOR. The villains stood their ground as INSTIGATOR grabbed the hero in his metal claw, binding his arms and allowing Steamroller to bash his head.

**A town in China**

The swordsman, Bushido charged toward the chubby samurai, Tubbimura, and began swinging his sword at him. Tubbimura defended, and Bushido jumped and kicked off a building, then attempted to kick Tubbimura's face, but the huge amount of fat sent the hero bouncing up onto a roof. That's where Bushido encountered Vlad, the Russian villain sneaking up from behind and wrapping his arms around Bushido, starting to squeeze him. Bushido turned and broke free, pushing the Russian over the building, but that's when Tubbimura leapt up and squashed Bushido under his heavy fat.

**Field below another mountainous region**

The child hero team of Melvin, Timmy, and Teether ran as the evil baby team known as the Ankle Biters were hot on their tail, riding in their giant centipede robot, which consisted of their rolling cradles. The imaginary giant teddybear, Bobby ran in from behind and grabbed the centipede, lifting it and forcing it to the ground. Timmy Tantrum gave his whiny cry and released sonic waves, hurting the evil babies' ears. "My, Dear, aren't these kids a rowdy bunch?" Mega Mom asked as she and Destructo Dad flew over the kids.

"I think it's time for their nap." Destructo Dad guessed, and the two proceeded to zap the kids with their freezing stun rays. Bobby roared and swung his claws at them, but the Dickson parents only zapped him with more lasers and stunned him in seconds.

**Above the atmosphere of Jimmy's world**

Jimmy tried to fly away, but Evil Jimmy stayed hot on his tail as Evil Goddard zapped lasers at them. Eventually, Evil Goddard zapped the good dog with an electric ray that shorted him out completely, sending Jimmy falling and screaming to the comet he was observing earlier. "Goddard!"

That's when he noticed a bunch of Twonkies come out from below the dust of the comet, in their cute, little forms. King Goobot flew down with a tape recorder and pressed a button, making it play the theme to the chicken dance. At the sound of this music, the Twonkies transformed into monsters, snarling with anger. Goobot tossed the recorder down to Jimmy, allowing the aliens to begin gnashing at him.

**Retroville**

"WAAAH!" Carl and Sheen screamed, still chased by the T-rex and Baby Eddie. Carl eventually jumped into an alleyway on the side, hiding as the T-rex passed by. Carl stuck his head out and watched as the T-rex continued to chase Sheen, who was crying for help. Too scared to come out, Carl continued to hide.

"Ahem." Carl looked behind him and gasped at Professor Calamitous, in his mech suit. "Sorry to intrude on your COWARDICE, _Carl_, but it's time for you to… um… it's time for you, um… time to, um…"

While he was trying to figure out how to finish the sentence, Carl took notice of the red button on the robot's crotch, which read 'Do not push'. Carl walked over and pushed the button. A punching glove came from below the madman's seat and sent him flying over the buildings. "_I'll get you, Carl Wheezerrrrrr!"_ he cried in the distance before crashing.

**Ghost Zone**

Danielle Phantom flew all around the Ghost Zone in attempt to get away from Youngblood and his pirates, but the ghost crew stayed on her tail. When she was able to hide behind a rock for a short time to catch her breath, she then flew back out and erupted a Ghostly Wail. The pirates shielded their ears from her cry as their ship exploded and were sent falling, leaving only Youngblood. Danielle smirked at the terrified ghost child, but she heard something behind her, looking back to see a fleet of UFOs. One of the UFOs opened, exposing The Source, the tofu alien smirking as he floated inside his jar, held by a Bob. "BOBS: show them the true power of NEWFU!"

_"Heya, Beast Boy!"_ the Bobs all greeted in unison, keeping their creepy grins.

"Uh, it's Dani." The Halfa then tried to fly away again as the tofu aliens gave chase.

**Xiaolin World; Brazil**

"Sword of the STORMS!" Raimundo cried, sending a whirlwind from his sword over at Teen Tornado. The tornado villain only spun around and protected against the whirlwind. Raimundo stood wondering what to do when suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, jumping before Prom Queen could punch him, then kicked the female into her boyfriend. The two stood up and faced Raimundo, the Brazilian boy bearing an angry look. The Dragon of the Wind charged and proceeded to clash against the villainous teens.

**Grassy area**

Omi was slowly losing his breath, having to battle so many Jackbots. He faced Robo-Jack, who stood with his hands folded behind his back, attempting to leap and throw rapid kicks at the Jack copy, but Robo-Jack defended against each one as fast as lightning before punching Omi away. Up above, Dojo was still in his aerial battle against Malchior and Prince Aragon, swiftly slipping around the black dragons' flames. Dojo shoved Malchior away, but Prince Aragon flew above and shot down, grabbing and pushing Dojo towards the ground. When Omi tried to recover, the bald monk looked up and screamed, too late to move as Dojo crushed him.

With Omi defeated, the two Jacks did some "give me fives" before they knuckle-touched, with Robo-Jack's stronger fist pushing Jack away.

**Avatar Realms; outside Great Wall**

Toph swiftly dodged as Xin Fu and Master Yu hurled rocks her way, but a squad of Dai Li Agents were rock-skiing over, shooting huger boulders, which Toph sensed and quickly dodged. One of the agents slid their foot along the ground and made the ground beneath Toph's feet split, making her slip and fall over. Xin Fu and Yu took this time to leap and smash Toph into the ground. But the Blind Bandit only burrowed under the earth and came out behind them, fully dressed in rock armor.

**Ba Sing Se Zoo**

Aang stood his ground in the zoo area between the two walls, facing and aiming his staff at the time-traveling villain, Warp. Warp only gave a smirk, snapping his fingers as a portal to the future opened behind him. None other than the bloodbender, Tarlokk stepped out, looking more vicious than ever as he used his powerful bloodbending to grab the Avatar, raising him in the air. Aang tried to break free, but Tarlokk's grip was too strong as he twisted the Avatar's limbs. Warp heard a bison cry and looked up as Appa was flying their way. Warp simply fired his ice ray at the bison and froze him solid, dropping Appa to the ground.

**KND world; grassy plain**

Rachel and Mandy rapidly swung their swords as they were in their clash, the two eventually coming to a halt as both swords pushed against the other. "Since when are you allied with the Brotherhood?"

"I'm not. We heard they were planning to attack you guys, so I figured, y'know, why not?"

"I don't want to do this, Mandy." Rachel grunted, struggling to keep her back.

"It's too late now." With that, Mandy pushed her cousin over. She then leapt and prepared to slice down, but Rachel drew out her Light Arrows and fired, striking Mandy clear in the chest as she was knocked back. Rachel stood up, her clothes worn and beaten, and she was suddenly struck with lightning from behind. The strike knocked her out as Lehcar stood there, smirking and blowing the smoke from her fingers.

**Sector L Treehouse**

Eva Roberts swung her Phantom Sword as Octoroo defended with his staff. She jumped back and started running around as the octo Nighlok zapped magic blasts at her. Kade was about to go help her, but the Nighlok, Arachnitor appeared from behind, trapping the anchorman inside webs. Eva tried to run and help him, but Octoroo appeared in her path and shot a stronger magic blast at her face, sending her flying through the wall and falling to the earth below.

**Sector V Treehouse**

Dozens of boxes piled up on Numbuh 4, but the blonde Aussie broke free and ran to kick the Box Ghost across the chin. Wally then felt himself wrapped up in toilet paper from The Toiletnator's wrists, then was zapped painfully by Dr. Light's electricity. Wally spun around and pulled Toiletnator in, breaking free and kicking the toilet villain, sending him over to Dr. Light and pushing him over the ring bed's edge. Toiletnator recovered, however, and raised his arms, making water gush out of Wally's golden toilet at the top of the room, the short boy ducking before the gush shot by and hit him. Wally then stood up with a look of pure anger. "I told you… nobody flushes my toilet… except me… RAAAAH!" And he charged to attack his uncle.

**Nightmare Land**

Legion had an arm wrapped around Katie, about to use the other one to stick a nightmare syringe into her arm. She flipped over the villain and kicked the back of his head, knocking him over, then quickly held Phobia's fist back when the fearbender tried to punch her from behind. While Katie was distracted, Legion stood up and stabbed the Nightmare Toxin into Katie's back.

_The Nightmare child suddenly found herself back on the tropical island that was in the Happy Headband. Desperate to find a way out, she ran as fast as she could in one direction, but the vision seemed to go on forever._

Katie eventually fell to her knees in despair, unable to find a way out of her nightmare. Legion and Phobia smirked and nodded at each other before walking over to bag the girl, proceeding to carry her back to base.

**Coastside area**

Ava and Kami stood back-to-back as the evil teachers surrounded them. They both split up as Ava went to attack the Terrible Tutor, and Kami battled Midwestern Mom. The fat woman swung her purse, but Kami ducked and punched her upside the head. Mad Dad then went to swing punches at Kami, but she dodged each one before punching and taking him out. The Terrible Tutor unleashed books from his sleeves, but Ava rapidly swung her swords and sliced them before jumping and spin-kicking the teacher.

That's when a blimp hovered over them, and they looked up as a squad of Equalist Chi-blockers came down on ropes and surrounded them. "Um… aren't you guys supposed to be in the future?" Kami asked. The chi-blockers paid her no mind as the lot of them threw rapid punches and immediately made Ava's and Kami's arms and legs limp. With them defeated, the soldiers grabbed and tossed the duo into their van before driving off.

"Guys!" Kweeb yelled, watching the fan leave.

"It's over now, Bug Boy!" the leader head of Threezore exclaimed, raising his foot above Kweeb. "Looks like you're next! Time for you ta-" Before they knew it, a seagull had swooped down and grabbed the three-headed Nighlok in its beak, carrying him off. "GYAAAH!"

"Hm… well, that's convenient!" Kweeb smiled.

"D'aw, I always wanted a birdy." The dumb head said.

"Talk about sucky flights!" the funny head exclaimed. "I wonder how the airline food is here?"

"Gah, forget this!" the leader head decided. "Let's go back to base." With that, the three-headed Nighlok latched its tentacles onto the bird's head and sucked its memory out, causing them to drop. After recovering, the Nighlok jumped into a gap and vanished.

**Junior Prospectors' hideout**

The squad of non-operatives fearfully stood in their hideout, feeling all of the tremors coming from outside. "How long do you think it'll be safe here?" Shaunie asked cowardly.

"Pray, I doth not know." Luvbi replied worriedly. "But whatever may happen, we must always-" She was silenced when the entrance suddenly exploded.

The kids reopened their eyes to see General Immortus and his Stormtroopers charge in. "Well, what've we here? A couple of meddling brats who stuck their noses where they didn't belong." Immortus spoke.

"Daddy?" Jessica spoke, recognizing her father.

Gary gasped. "Jessica…"

"Stormtroopers: FIR-"

"NO!" Gary cut the general off, running in their way. "I won't let you do this!"

"You defy your commanding officer?" the general asked.

"It's over! I'm not letting you order us around anymore!"

"Then you will share their fate. Men: attack-"

"No!" Dan suddenly spoke up, getting beside Gary. "Gary's right. This isn't the Clone Trooper way."

"The Clone Trooper way?" Immortus questioned. "You were created to serve your commanding officer. Not this rebellion. The two of you step aside now, or-"

"Forget it." Gary spoke again, then went over beside the Stormtrooper Captain. "Captain Rex… we used to be noble. We used to go out and give our lives for the good of the galaxy. And now look at us! Attacking little children? This isn't what we were meant to do."

"Rex!" Immortus yelled in the captain's face. "Are you going to let some lower-ranked Trooper order you around? Shoot them!"

Rex only stood in deep thought. Behind his helmet, he shot the ancient general a glare, realizing Gary was right.

Immortus grit his teeth and decided, "Fine! I'll do it myself!" He forced the gun away from Captain Rex and took aim at Shaunie, who gasped in horror. "Say good-bye…"

"NO!" Gary immediately jumped in the way and took the hit himself.

"DADDY!" Jessica screamed, running to her father's aid.

"You shot him!" Dan yelled.

"He stepped right into it. It's his own fault!"

The Stormtrooper battalion exchanged glances, and before he knew it, Immortus's own men began firing on him. Immortus quickly defended with his sword as he ran up the walls, got behind the soldiers, and dashed his way out. "Are you alright?" Dan asked, holding Gary's head up.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Gary grunted. "Shot to the hip. I'm okay, though."

"Kids!" The group looked over as Mr. Boss was hurrying into their hideout. "What happened?"

"Gary got shot." Dan said, lifting his comrade up and placing him in Mr. Boss's arms. "Carry him to help. Now let's get the rest of you somewhere safe." With that, the soldiers led the kids out of the hideaway, carefully guiding them past all the destruction. (End song.)

**Quahog Graveyard**

Cad Bane had landed his ship just outside the graveyard, allowing Nolan to roll himself out. "You guys can go ahead." Nolan told the bounty hunters. "I don't think I'll be coming back. Not yet."

"Okay, then." Bane shrugged. "Just don't get yourself into too much trouble." With that, Nolan watched the ship take off.

He then faced ahead at the graveyard, seeing the silhouette of a figure walk out of the mist. To his extreme relief, it was only his old friend from the KND, Mario Ramsey. "Mario!" he smiled, rolling over. "Man, am I glad to see you! The Brotherhood's attacking everyone. The entire Kids Next Door is falling apart! Sigh, and I guess it's all my fault. I really screwed up this time. Mario, please, we gotta do something! For all we know, we're probably the only Kids Next Door operatives left who can stop…" Nolan stopped himself, suddenly noticing something off about Mario. "Umm… why aren't you in a wheelchair?"

The boy, supposedly "Mario", looked down at his feet, then looked up and smirked at Nolan.

Nolan gave a look of horror and realized who he really was. "No… you're-" But at that moment, Madame Rouge sent her arm out and punched the cripple back several feet.

"Vell, that disguise didn't last long." She stated, reverting back to normal.

"Madame Rouge!" Nolan exclaimed, climbing back in his wheelchair. "I-I don't understand. Aren't you supposed to be-"

"I got finished early. Vhen I did, I figured I vould come here and see how your progress was fairing. Now that I'm here, allow me to divulge a little news onto you: _I_ am ze Brain's Number One!"

"But… how did you know I would be here?"

"Hmph, you're so predictable, Nolan. All you children are. Running here to visit a precious friend's gravesite. Besides…" she looked back and smirked in the direction of Dillon's grave upon the hill, "it's the least I could do. Paying respects to a poor victim of vone of Brain's plans."

"W…What do you mean?"

"Don't you get it, Boy?" the woman asked, pacing back and forth. "The appearance of Figure, Teen Tornado, _your_ accident, and Dillon and Corey's death? It vas BRAIN all along! For so long, he had dreamed to find the perfect apprentice, vone who vas not a psychicbender, and be remembered in history as the first Sith Lord to train a perfect non-psychic apprentice, and still keep the tradition of Sith going. For years, he has been testing you. Ever since our escape from zat frosty prison, so zat YOU may become the apprentice he has desired, and follow in his footsteps. (Metaphorically speaking.) It vas HIM who sent Teen Tornado to test your skills. It vas HIM who took Koda Shrieves in as his fake apprentice, and ordered him to kill Corey Sanderson, with the promise that Koda would become his apprentice, but it vas really to further test you. It vas HIM who called the Irken Tallest, got zem to order Ava to trick you into lowering Moonbase defenses, so zat the Decommissioning Troupe may capture you without giving you a chance to speak. It vas HIM who ordered ME… to _kill Dillon Simmons_."

Nolan gasped with pure horror, anger, and shock. "It was… you?..."

Madame Rough transformed into the bus driver and stuttered, "O-Oh no! I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't watch where I was going! Oh, I'm such a terrible driver! I didn't mean to run over your pitiful friend!" She reverted to normal and laughed, "Hahahaha!"

Nolan's face scrunched as his fist began trembling in anger.

"Oops. I'm sorry. I forgot you did not vant to see zat face again. I guess vhen you said it, I vas thinking how you would never get to see poor, dumbdelling Dillon again."

"Grrrr!" Nolan began to grit his teeth, his anger growing stronger.

The woman then transformed into Dillon and spoke in a mocking tone. "I can still remember his face. His sad, impudent childish eyes, losing all of the joy and life they possessed. 'OH, NOLAN! I love you so much! We're the best-best-best friends EVER! Let us catch up some time and do all the WONDERFUL things ve did together! Oh, no, vait, vait… I'm afraid I have gotten hit by a BUS! AH HAHAHAHA!"

Nolan's fist trembled even more as he began panting in anger.

Madame Rouge turned back to normal and transformed her right hand into a mini replica of Rack and Ruin. "If I vanted to, I vould do the same thing… to his Siamese _freaks_." Nolan's eyes filled with pure anger and rage as Rouge was about to cut the replica's shoulder-link which binded the twins together. And just when her hand was about to chop down- (Play "The 13th Dilemma" from _Kingdom Hearts 2_!)

"AAHHH!" He fired a missile that blew Madame Rouge's gooey head to bits. "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU, YOU DUMB BITCH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Madame Rouge's head respawned back on her body, smirking at the child as she readied for battle. "Come and get it…"

_Boss fight: Madame Rouge_

Nolan shot toward the heartless woman, but Madame Rouge stretched her legs taller and caused Nolan to speed right between them, lowering herself down afterward. As Nolan tried to turn, Madame Rouge ran over, flipped, and kicked him straight in the face, sending him flying. He tried to climb back in his chair, but Rouge stretched her arm and grabbed his leg. Nolan held onto his chair as the woman swung and bashed him all over the place, releasing and sending him flying again. He was able to climb back into his wheelchair as the woman dashed over again, and Rouge swiftly flipped overhead as Nolan zapped lasers at her legs. She landed behind and wrapped her arm around the boy, then started to suck him into her gooey rubber.

Once Nolan and his chair were sucked in all the way, Nolan broke himself free, but shot another laser, piercing the fat open and coming out. As Rouge formed back together and gripped her stomach, Nolan turned and shot his punching glove straight at her face, sending her flying. She tried to get up, and gasped when Nolan shot directly toward her, spikes extracted on the front of the chair as the woman was forced against a wall. Nolan backed away and repeatedly rammed and forced her to the wall with his spikes. "Hey, Rouge, wanna hang out at the base later, oh, sorry, you're gettin' hit by a CHAIR!" he yelled mockingly, finally stopping to let her slump down. "Now how does it feel? ?"

Rouge only glared at the boy, proceeding to shoot her fingers out and wrap all around the cripple. She tried to suck him into her fat again, but Nolan blazed his lasers and broke free, trying to roll away from her. Madame Rouge stretched her fingers long enough to begin walking with them like a spider, crawling toward the boy as he turned out of another entrance to the graveyard. She followed and looked around for where he might be, then looked up and gasped when a missile shot down from above, exploding her into pieces. Nolan came out of hiding behind the tree to see her splattered everywhere, but she easily formed herself back up before turning into Danika. "Hi, Noley!" she grinned and wiggled her fingers.

Nolan growled and tried to punch the impersonation, but "Danika" swiftly spun and dodged, going behind Nolan. "Slip me some tongue." She said, beginning to shoot her tongue out toward him. Nolan tried to roll away, but the Danika fake chased and whipped her tongue at him. He finally grabbed the tongue and began swinging her around, eventually slamming her into a wall, where she returned to normal. Once again, Nolan took this time to ram her to the wall with his spikes while she was down, stabbing several holes into her form.

Madame Rouge stood up and expanded her hands to grab the boy before he could ram her again, hurling him over the fence. Nolan climbed back into his chair to see Rouge enter the graveyard again, this time becoming Koda Shrieves. His anger filled more in remembrance of this traitor, so Nolan quickly rolled over and dodged the copy's stretched punches as a spring in the bottom of his chair bounced him up, and Rouge avoided before Nolan could crush him.

Nolan turned just in time to see Rouge's foot come in contact with his face from a jump-spin-kick, knocking him out of his chair. He rolled on his back and gasped when the Koda lookalike was coming down to punch him, quickly holding her fist back with both of his. "You… tricked me… into giving you the Code Module!"

"You did it on your own free will." Rouge smirked. The copy finally leapt off and watched as Nolan started crawling to his chair. "Look at you, crawling like the helpless child you are. It's a surprise The Brain would want you at all. You are so veak." Nolan finally made it to his chair and climbed in, facing the woman again. "And I vill not be outranked by somebody who is too puny even to use his legs! Huuh!" Nolan dodged his chair left-and-right when Rouge began slamming her huge fists once again.

He held the disguised woman's fist back once more, then sent her away with his chair's punching glove. Rouge tried to recover, but Nolan got closer as he sent his punching glove punching across her face, making her switch into various forms, like April, Danika, Gwen, Mario, and finally her own as she knocked against the wall. "At least if I wanted to imitate a handicapped guy, I'd be able to." Rouge looked up at him, too late to move as Nolan forced her into the wall with his spikes again, this time not backing up and continuing to push and pierce her form. "You may be able to copy someone's look, Rouge, but you could never copy what's in the heart. And… physical disabilities, for that matter. And that's the one thing you can't imitate. Er, two, actually. Because, frankly… you don't even have one."

The woman finally pushed him away and recovered. "Why would I need a heart?" she asked rhetorically, approaching him. "I have an exterior made out of rubber. I am invincible in this form! You cannot stop me."

At this, Nolan suddenly remembered the syringe of metahuman antidote sitting in his pocket. "I bet if you weren't…"

"HUAH!" the woman leapt at Nolan and swung her fists, but Nolan grabbed her wrists and held her back. That's when two metal claws extracted between Nolan's legs and grabbed Rouge's, holding her down. "Uuh!" Two more claws came out from the side and twisted the woman around by her hip. One of the claws then gripped the lady's neck and forced her head against Nolan's seat, and her eyes widened in horror when the boy held the antidote syringe directly above her.

"Any last words?"

"Go ahead and do it."

Gritting his teeth in pure anger and lust, he raised the needle above her and prepared to strike down. "Hnn-" (End song.)

However, Nolan stopped himself right at that moment. Madame Rouge looked with curiosity as Nolan's hands were frozen above him, gripping the syringe tightly. Nolan's look of anger and rage died down, his face becoming one of guilt and realization as the voice of Darth Genious echoed in his mind. _"You know what she did, Nolan… she deserves it. You can take that potion… and finally be rid of her."_

Nolan brought his hands down and stared at the syringe, then spared a look to Madame Rouge as the woman gripped the claw around her neck, waiting for what he might do. After a few seconds, Nolan tossed the syringe and shattered it against the wall. He backed away as the metal claws retracted to his chair, letting Rouge drop to the ground and rub her sore neck. "Get the fuck away from this graveyard." He stated gravely.

He turned and proceeded to roll to Dillon's grave, when the woman stood up and tried to punch him again. "AAH!" came the battle cry of Robin as the Titans' leader came down and bashed Rouge across the head with his staff.

Nolan gasped and turned around, surprised by the hero's appearance. "Robin? !"

"Alright, Madame Rouge, start talking!" the hero demanded. "How did you all escape? ! And what is this world?"

"Hmph. As questioning as ever I see." The woman stated before swallowing Robin into her rubber. She spared a glance to Nolan and said, "At least I have _some_ prize to take back. I always thought you vere veak." With that, the woman reached her arm miles away and pulled herself off, taking Robin with her.

**Retroville**

Carl kept watch from behind the alleyway, watching with guilt as the dinosaur carried Sheen away, holding him by the pants in his teeth. When they were out of eyesight, his attention was drawn to a strange, glowing blue ball of light. "Ooh, pretty!" he gazed with awe, chasing as the light led him away.

**Ghost Zone**

Danielle flew as fast as she could away from the Bobs, spotting a door made of water in the Ghost Zone and shooting inside. "Stop-stop-stop-STOOOP!" The Source yelled, and the UFOs came to a halt before they touched the water. "Phew. YOU WIN THIS ROUND, GHOST SCUM!" With that, the tofu aliens retreated and flew away.

Danielle peeked her head out of the water and breathed a sigh of relief. She then noticed another blue ball of light fly past her and proceeded to chase it.

**Power Rangers' world**

The Green Ranger stood and panted heavily as the KOed form of Rofer lay there, alongside the sliced-up form of the Heylin Plant. Mike noticed a glowing blue ball float around his head and chased it as it evaded.

**Xiaolin World**

Teen Tornado and Prom Queen lay knocked out as the Shoku Warrior, Raimundo stood, twirling and sheathing his sword in victory. He found the blue ball of light spiral around his head and left the fallen villains as he chased it.

**Avatar Realms**

Toph Beifong stood in victory as Xin Fu, Yu, and the Dai Li Agents lied there, unconscious. A blue ball of light hovered around her head, but she was unable to see it. Thankfully, the ball emitted a ringing sound, so Toph curiously followed the direction of the sound as the ball led her.

**Sector V Treehouse**

The Toiletnator, Dr. Light, and the Box Ghost were all forcibly shoved into the golden toilet as Wally stood proudly. His attention was directed to the blue ball around his head, and he jumped his way down the huge room as he chased after it. "Anybody have a plunger?" Lou asked as the three villains remain trapped in the toilet.

**Coastside area**

Kweeb was walking along, wondering how to find his friends when a huge ball of light (to his size) hovered overhead. He quickly dashed after the flying ball as it led him someplace.

**Titans' world; coastside**

Beast Boy's ship had crashed along a beach as the Cardiac monster lay there unconscious. The Teen Titan noticed the glowing ball fly beside him and hurriedly chased it.

**Final Brain; arena chamber**

"Gah!" Robin grunted when Madame Rouge shoved him to the floor. The Titan leader looked to his right as other villains brought the other hero leaders; Jack Spicer brought Omi, Hannibal Bean brought Nigel and Rachel, Madimot brought Jayden, King Goobot brought Jimmy, Walker brought Danny, and Tarlokk brought Aang, each of their hands roped as they were shoved to the floor, so they were aligned in a row. The heroes looked up as a spotlight shone upon The Brain, who stood with Monsieur Mallah atop a higher level, beside the treadmill under the Freezer 5000.

"Greetings, heroes of the universe." The Sith Lord spoke, still wearing Numbuh 362's helmet. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet each of you."

"Who are you? !" Jayden demanded.

"Darth Genious." Nigel answered in a grim tone.

"Correct. I am the Supreme Leader of the Brotherhood of Evil, the great mastermind behind this entire invasion. I am Darth Genious. And it is with the greatest honor, that I present to you, your worlds' destruction."

"Don't celebrate just yet, Genious." Jimmy told him. "Our friends are still out there, so you better watch out."

"Yes!" Omi spoke up. "For it is never over until the thin lady sings!"

"Um, I think you mean 'fat lady sings'." Danny corrected.

"Fat ladies can sing?"

"Look, Genious," Aang spoke up with a fierce expression, "you may have us tied up now, but your plans will never succeed."

"He's right." Robin followed. "The Brotherhood was defeated before, it'll be defeated again!"

"No… Robin." The heroes directed their attention when many more villains brought in the rest of the captured heroes, dropping them all to the ground. "It is _you_ who have been defeated." Some lights came on from up above, exposing the frozen prisoners. The Kids Next Door gasped at the frozen Dimentia, and the Gaang gasped at the frozen Zuko. "Your pawns cannot save you. You… have lost."

"AHH HAHAHA!" Mumbo Jumbo suddenly appeared beside Robin. "That's right, kiddies! This day belongs to the bad guys, now. Oh, it's moments like this that make me SO happy, I FEEL LIKE SINGING! Mmmmaestro!" A few feet away, the Junk Man sat at his piano, cracking his fingers before pounding away at the keys. "A 5, 6, 7, 8!" Mumbo tapped his foot and started the song.

_Mumbo: This could be quite the place-_ He directed to Knightbrace, who stood by his Denta Drones.

_Knightbrace: Full of grinning, happy faces!_ The drones gave their brightening smile.

_Robtish: Hanging out_

_Whisker: Killing time!_ He held Marine by her tail.

_Jack Spicer: Where EVERYONE's a FRIEND o' mine!_ He wrapped his arms around the two.

_Madame Rouge: Inside zis EVIL joint-_ She approached her associates.

_Immortus: Every guest gets to the point._

_Mallah, Immortus, and Rouge (Elite 3): This DAY will live in INFAMY!_

The logos from all of their shows appeared on a screen above.

_The Brain: All these shows are history._

The heroes gasped in horror as the villains cheered, laughed, and threw weapons in the air.

_Elite 3: It's OUR show, now!_

_Villains: It's OUR show, now!_

_Margaret and the Girl Troops: It's the fact you can't ignore!_

_Marie Kanker: Shut the windows-_ She shut a window to prevent Edd from escaping.

_Lee Kanker: LOCK the doors!_ Eddy trembled in fear when Lee slammed and locked the exit.

_Elite 3: It's OUR show, now!_

_Candy Pirates & Hungry Men: Raise your mugs, you thieves and thugs!_

_Child villains: Join the rabble-rousing crowd_

_Other villains: It's OUR show, now!_

_Katnappe & Cheshire: All the coolest cats begin so perfectly!_ Crazy Old Cat Lady walked between, petting a black cat as it "meowed".

_Wuya: Every evil queen gets due respect!_ She used the Moby Morpher to transform into a dragon, which Malchior was attracted to.

"Love your work." He said. Wuya blushed.

Legion tipped a syringe to Katie's cheek as Phobia held her up, staring creepily into the girl's eyes.

_Legion: We're the rulers of your troubles_

_We are all manyyy!_

_Fonda Chow: You've had your fun!_

_Henchmen: You've made your play_

_But every rodent has his day!_

Two lines of villains' henchmen (i.e. Girl Troops, Spinach Men, chi-blockers, Fire Nation, etc.) marched over and grabbed the heroes, carrying them to the capsules to be frozen.

_Villains: It's OUR SHOW, NOW!_

"What a party!" Bob Johnson and Teen Tornado sang, high-fiving.

_Cinderblock, Plasmus, & Overload: It's our show, now._

"Great party!" the Rowdy Hooligans sang.

_Eddy's Brother: What a place for BREAKIN' Eds!_ He twisted Eddy's leg while Marie and May were trying to smooch Edd and Ed.

_Spectra & Kitty: Things are better-_ They were about to approach Jazz, Tucker, and Sam.

_Lunch Lady: OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!_ The three kids ducked as Lunch Lady swung her hands and chopped Spectra and Kitty's heads.

At this time, many unnamed background villains were lined up as they gripped the shoulder of the person ahead, singing and moving along.

_Background villains: It's OUR show, now! (Join the party!)_

_Join the fun with NO regrets!_

_Only greedy, dirty cheats are ALLOOOWED!_ The villains were all locking the heroes inside the glass tubes along the treadmill.

"Get zose HAMSTERS!" Gramma Stuffum yelled.

"Game over, Omi!" Jack Spicer declared.

"Hit the ROAD, Danny!" Technus exclaimed.

"Take a HIKE, Jimmy!" Goobot yelled.

_Villains: IT'S OUR SHOW, NOOOOW! (You'll have fun with no regrets!)_

Professor Chang sat at the controls of the machine and readied to press the red button as he sang the final line.

_It's OUR show, NOW!_

He pressed a button, and all of the logos on the huge screen exploded, and were replaced with that of an equivalent to a "KND" logo. Instead of "KND", it read "BOE", and The Brain's silhouette was at the top in Numbuh 1's place, and Mallah, Immortus, and Rouge were in poses beside him. The heroes wore sad expressions, feeling this was the end. Inside his mind, Darth Genious's smirk grew wider than ever, the villains evilly laughing to their ultimate victory.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO boy, was that part intense or WHAT? Now tell me who didn't see an "It's Our House, Now" song coming! I mean, really! All these villains! Next time, it will be time for Nolan York and the remaining heroes to make their stand and rescue everyone! EVERYONE be prepared FOR… Titans Together TWO! ! Lllater! <strong>


	70. Heroes Together, Part 1: Remaining Hope

**Okay, everybody… it's time… to TAKE Brain down! Once again, it is divided into two parts. The first part is just the action stage, THEN it's the boss fight! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Final Hope: Meet the Dimensional Prospectors!<em>**

_"Patiently… we watched you all… waiting for our moment to strike." Darth Genious's voice echoed as clips played on the arena's monitor, showing images of all the heroes who were bested by the Brotherhood of Evil. "You've forged your allies. You trusted without pause. And the moment you thought your worlds were safe…" The Battle Droids conquered the world without mercy, turning people into zombie slaves, as they chanted 'All hail The Brain', "it fell apart before your very eyes. You were merely pawns in a game. And you played your part perfectly. There is nowhere you can hide. And there is nothing you can do to stop us. Each little victory, has led to an even greater prize: the elimination of all heroes… and the conqueration of the universes."_

"And look… here you all are. Prizes to my collection." The heroes glared spitefully at the Sith Lord, trapped in their glass tubes, the treadmill moving them along as each of them took turns, stopping under the Freezer 5000. "Your friends have no way to save you… or even stand a chance. Together, you may be formidable. But apart… you are lost… powerless… _mine_."

Tucker, Jazz, and Sam looked with horror when Danny was placed under the Freezer. Skulker did the honors and pressed the button at the controls. The Ghost Zone villains erupted with cheers when their archenemy was frozen into an ice sculpture with liquid nitrogen. His three friends slumped down in sadness, most notably Sam.

"You will fall… one… by… one… Who among you can possibly stop me this time?"

**Quahog Graveyard**

As the night drew on, things had finally begun to calm down as far as the invasion. But by this time, almost the entire world had been conquered. Statues of Brain and Palpatine stood high everywhere as people slaved away to the Siths' rule. Now that Madame Rouge was gone, it was just Nolan York by himself in the graveyard. And he knew, very well, that this was all his fault. He depressedly approached the grave of his deceased friend, feeling shameful by showing his face around it. He promised Dillon and Corey that he would make things right and make the world a better place for everyone. And now… the Brotherhood rules everything. He sniffled as tears dripped from his eyes, slumping against the gravestone of the fallen operative.

_What have I… done_

_What have I… done?_

_How could I… be so blind._

_All is lost… where was I?_

_Spoiled all… SPOILED all…_

_Everything's… gone all wrong._

_What have I… done_

_What have I… done?_

_Find a deep cave to hide in_

_In a million YEARS, they'll find me_

_Only DUST…_

_And the plaque will read:_

_'Here Lies Poor Old NUMBUH… TWENTY…THIRTYYY.'_

"…Huh. Well, that was random, pointless singing for nothing." Nolan said to himself. He then sighed and leaned his hand against the grave. "Oh, Dillon. I ruined everything. I promised you, Corey, and everyone I would make things right… and I completely broke it. Sigh, I don't know how I could ever show my face around the KND again."

However, Nolan looked back up when he suddenly heard some faint music playing. He looked and noticed some kind of glowing figure nodding his head behind a lone tree beside the graveyard's fence. With a look of curiosity, he turned and slowly rolled his chair toward the tree. He went around and got a good look at the glowing figure with the headphones in his ears. "…Dillon?"

Dillon opened his eyes and noticed his friend, taking off the headphones. "Hey, Nolan, what's up! Long time, no see, Man!" Dillon smiled, holding his hand out. Nolan looked confusedly, but raised his hand to give him a high-five anyway. However, when they swung their hands, Dillon's hand went right through Nolan's. "Haha, psyche! Ghost hand. Intangible."

"Hehe… right." Nolan smiled and chuckled.

"Anyway, glad you're here. Corey's here, too. Come on out, Core." Nolan looked to his side as the spirit of the paranoid boy walked out of the mist.

"H-H-Hey, Nolan… n-nice of you, to v-visit, us…"

"Corey!" Nolan gasped. The boy sighed and looked down in shame. "Guys… I'm sorry. I promised you all I would make things right. I promised I would find you a place in the world. And look what I did. Served away to the guy who was responsible for your deaths… and helped him take over the world. The KND, and all of the worlds' heroes are gone now… it's all my fault. I've ruined everything. I have to be the worst operative that ever existed…"

"Nolan…" Dillon knelt down beside his friend and wrapped his ghostly arm around him. "You're not the worst operative, nowhere _near_. You did all of this in the first place just for us, and you tried to redeem yourself. And, when you found out it was Madame Rouge that killed me, despite how that made you feel, you didn't even kill her when you had the chance. That's more than Revan Sidious could ever do…"

"You think so?..." Nolan looked at his friend's eyes.

_"He's right, you know."_ Nolan looked behind him as another glowing figure emerged from the mist. _"And besides… just look at me."_

"You…" Nolan raised his arm to point at the being, already recognizing. "You're Anakin Skywalker! Palpatine's apprentice…"

_"Yes… I was. The worst Jedi in the galaxy."_

"What are you talking about? You're a legend!"

_"I am now… but before, I was different. Palpatine's influence, my anger and rage… got the best of me. I only wanted to do what was best for the galaxy. What was best for my wife. And what did I do? I ended up killing her… and turning the galaxy into a realm of darkness. I served by Palpatine's side… and destroyed everything."_

"But, you redeemed yourself… didn't you?"

_"Yes… if it weren't for my son… I never would've seen the light. But that didn't change what happened before. Nolan…"_ The Jedi Spirit knelt down and placed a hand on Nolan's shoulder. _"Unlike me, you've fallen to the Dark Side, but have returned. You saw the light, and the evil Revan was doing to the world, before it was too late. We believe it is your destiny… to stop the Sith Lord once and for all."_

"But… how? Everyone's been captured… and he's got all those villains."

"Oh, come on, now." Nolan looked with surprise when another being walked out of the blackness. But rather than a spirit, it was simply Wesley Dodds. "I never gave up when a gang of villains had me cornered… so why should you?"

"Mr. Dodds!" Nolan rolled toward the old hero and bowed his head as tears appeared in his eyes. "Mr. Dodds… I'm so sorry! After everything I did… how could I-"

"Don't worry about it, Nolan." Mr. Dodds stopped him, kneeling down to place a hand on his shoulder. "All I care about is that you've found your way again."

"Ever since my father died… you've always felt like one to me. I…I'd probably be lost without you."

"Ahh." Wesley patted his shoulder and stood up. "You don't need me, Kid. Not when you have the lot of friends you have now. Heck, that Danika chick is the only real one you need. Girl that pretty don't come around very often."

"Hehe…" Nolan looked up and blushed.

"Ah, speak of the devil." Wesley stated, noting outside the yard's gate as Dani and April were already running over.

"Guys?" Nolan questioned. "How did you find me?"

"We had a feeling." Danika replied.

"Listen, there are still a few heroes left." April explained, pulling out her Brotherhood communicator. "They're hiding in a secret cave in the Virginian Forest."

"Only 8?" Nolan asked, noticing the eight dots on her communicator. "Errr! That's nowhere near enough to go against a whole army of villains!"

"Well, there's us, too, right?" April asked.

"Don't worry." Wesley assured. "Larry's already gone off to find any more survivors. I'll go help him and meet back with you at the base. Meanwhile, you go get the other heroes and get there, first."

_"My Jedi friends have led them here, to help you in the upcoming battle."_ Anakin mentioned.

"Nolan…" Dillon spoke again, "you have to go. Only you have the power to stop Darth Genious. If you don't, the Kids Next Door will be gone forever, and the Brotherhood will rule everything."

_"It's your destiny, Nolan." _Anakin said once more. _"Are you ready?"_

Nolan gave a serious look and nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Alright, then let's do it!" Dillon clapped. "I'll lead you guys to the other heroes."

"Then let's get going!" Nolan exclaimed, and Dillon flew off in the form of a glowing blue ball as the three heroes followed him.

_"Nolan, wait!"_ The three stopped and turned back at Anakin. _"Do not underestimate the powers of Darth Genious."_

The three nodded and continued after Dillon.

_"Nolan, wait!"_ They stopped and annoyedly turned back again. _"When gone, am I… the last of the Jedi will you be."_

"Umm… I'm not a Jedi."

"Plus, you're already 'gone'." Danika reminded.

_"Oh, right. Well, carry on, then."_

The three continued after Dillon when-

_"Nolan, wait!"_ They skidded to a stop and angrily looked back again. _"Never give in to the powers of the Dark Side."_

They nodded and kept going.

_"Nolan, wait!"_ They stopped and ANGRILY turned AGAIN. _"Forces work stronger together… than apart."_

They gave him a nod and kept moving.

_"Nolan, wait!"_

They skidded to a stop and yelled, "WHAAT? !"

Anakin bowed and said,_ "May The Force be with you."_

"Great… can I GO now?"

_"Hehe… yes. You may…"_

With that done, Danika grabbed the two of them and used Shadow Glide, flying after the spirit of Dillon who led their way. After Wesley Dodds left, too, and they were all out of eyesight, Obi-wan's spirit appeared beside Anakin. _"That boy is our last hope."_

_"No… there are many more."_ Anakin replied.

_"I know. I have The Force, too, you know."_

**Sector W's Neighborhood**

The Sector W Team hurriedly ran down the street as the Hispanic maid was still chasing them in her giant robot. Angie stomped the ground and kicked rocks up to her, but the robot held a small broom in her right hand and defended. The robot held a vacuum in her left hand and switched it on, and the kids were immediately being sucked in. Lee tossed his yo-yo to wrap around a 'Stop' sign, holding onto it as the kids held onto each other. But just when Lee's grip released, a teenage boy with messy brown hair, a wheat in his mouth, and two hook swords leapt up and sliced the vacuum's pipe with his swords.

The Sector W kids fell to the ground as the rest of the Freedom Fighters showed up, getting between them and the robot. Longshot shot fire arrows up to the small broom and set it on fire, and The Duke scampered up the arm with the vacuum and made it to Consuela's cockpit, kicking through the glass and kicking the maid in the face before jumping back down. Afterwards, Pipsqueak grabbed the right leg and used his incredible strength to successfully yank it off. "Nnoooooo." Consuela lowly screamed as the robot toppled over.

"Ah-hal-RIGHT! Wait to go, guys!" Harvey cheered, doing a victory dance.

"Gee, thanks for the help!" Sonya smiled. "Who are you guys?"

"We're the Freedom Fighters." Jet answered. "I'm Jet, the leader. This is Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, and The Duke." All the members smiled and waved.

"Wow, cool!" Harvey beamed. "Anyways, thanks for the help. But where'd you guys come from?"

"The Avatar Realms. We were led here by some glowing blue ball. Then we met some old man who gathered up this other bunch of people; apparently from different worlds like us."

"He sent us out here to rescue you guys." Smellerbee followed. "He says they're working on a plan to save everyone. Come on. Let's not keep him waiting." With that, the operatives followed the Freedom Fighters, leaving the fallen robot lying there.

Consuela climbed out of the wreckage and said, "I need more lemon pledge.", before fainting.

**Final Brain**

The villains had just finished freezing Numbuh 5, and opened the glass tube to carry her frozen form up onto one of the shelves, setting her between Kuki and Hoagie. "Next up: Numbuh 362." Darth Genious announced, and the treadmill moved along until the Supreme Leader's tube was under the freezer. The KND villains erupted into cheers. "Any last words?"

Numbuh 362 searched around the base and noticed something. "Say, Brain: where's your apprentice?"

"It seems poor Nolan has gone and… lost his way. Pity he couldn't be here to see this. It _was_ thanks to your leadership that Nolan found his way back to me. I could not thank you more." He turned to his villain army and yelled, "Everyone: it was thanks to Numbuh 362 that Nolan was able to lead us to victory. Please, praise her with some of the credit."

"YAAAAH!"

"Enjoy your cheers while it lasts!" Rachel yelled. "'Cause before ya know it, Nolan's gonna come back here and ruin everything!"

"I beg to differ. Even if Nolan does manage to make his way here with what little help he may find, he will never overcome the darkness inside him. He will become the perfect Sith Lord before you know. Unfortunately, you will not be there to see it happen. Good-bye, Rachel." Once Brain finished, Professor Chang pressed the button, and froze the blonde leader solid.

**Virginian Forest**

The spirit of Dillon had finally led Team Brotherhood to a rocky wall in the middle of the forest, covered in shrubs, and afterwards vanished into thin air. "Pfft. Well, that helped. Led us to a total dead end." April scoffed.

"Wait… I recognize this place." Nolan said, approaching the shrub-covered wall. He moved the shrubs out of the way and exposed a circular metal door with a "KND" logo. "I knew it!" Nolan beamed. "This is a secret hideaway the Prospectors and I built sometime after forming our team! We use it in case of major emergencies like this. It's programmed to detect if someone is friend or foe, and keeps bad guys out. It should have everything we need!"

The inside of the hideaway was decorated with a couch and a table, facing a flat-screen TV, a red carpet in the middle, a small exercise area with weights and a treadmill, and a refrigerator on the right side of the room. The remaining heroes appeared to have already arrived. Carl Wheezer and Beast Boy were having a look around, Mike and Raimundo were digging around in the fridge, and Toph and Numbuh 4 were sitting on the couch, drinking soda. Toph was also picking her nose and had her feet relaxed on the table, and Kweeb was lying back on her right foot.

"Are there anymore sodas in this place?" Mike asked.

"Ah, here it is!" Raimundo perked, pulling out two cans of soda and handing one to Mike.

Mike cracked open the soda can and commented, "Boy, this whole cartoon thing is really confusing.", before drinking the soda.

"You're telling me." Carl replied, walking past him and looking closely at his bulgy hand, compared with the cartoonness the KND world possessed.

Danielle Phantom was floating and observing the place from the ceiling, and smiled when she noticed the Team Brotherhood group at the entrance. "Oh, look! There's three more!"

"Hey, guys, welcome to the party!" Mike greeted.

"So… is this it? You're the only ones left?" Nolan asked.

"I guess so." Danielle shrugged.

"Okay: now let me see if I got this figured out." Raimundo began. "So, all of our villains from a bunch of different worlds have teamed up, and planned an all-out invasion against us and all of our friends, and we're the only ones left who haven't been captured."

"Probably because The Brain thought we weren't strong enough to handle such lame villains." Wally smirked cockily, cracking open another soda.

"It's always the little guys you gotta watch out for." Kweeb noted.

"You said it, Short Man." Toph replied.

Carl only whimpered in fear. "All of our friends… GOOONE!" He then burst into tears.

"Hey, hey, calm down. They're probably still fine." Raimundo assured. "We just gotta find a way to rescue them."

"Um. I don't really know." Danielle frowned. "I mean, we may have gotten out okay… but that's no promise we can handle every other villain out there. I say we just lay low for a while."

"What are you talking about? You sound like you've already given up!" Nolan shouted.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Beast Boy asked.

"He's the one that got us in this cruddy mess in the first place!" Wally shouted.

"Is that true?"

Nolan sighed. "Yes… I was The Brain's apprentice. And… it's my fault that they were able to get to your worlds and capture everyone. But, I've put all that behind me, and now I want to save everyone!"

"I hear where you're coming from." Raimundo said, patting Nolan's shoulder. "I been on the Dark Side a couple times myself. And now, here I am, Shoku Warrior." The Brazilian then sighed. "A totally lousy Shoku Warrior. I couldn't even be there for my team when they were attacked."

"You're telling me." Mike replied, depressedly. "If only I didn't decide to go on one of my walks. I probably coulda helped them. Especially Emily…"

"But, on the bright side, we got this nice comfy place." Kweeb said, patting Toph's toe.

"Somebody sure likes his foot." Danika commented.

"He helps clean the dirt out." Toph said.

"Hey, hold on, guys! We can't beat ourselves up!" Nolan spoke again. "Look, we'll just have to accept the fact that Brain plotted out every move and was able to get us. But, we shouldn't despair. If we're still out here, then that means there's hope for our worlds. The Brain was able to defeat everyone else because we were all separated. But if we all ban together, the 11 remaining heroes, we can take the fight to Brain and stop the Brotherhood once and for all!"

"And how do we do THAT, Captain Cripple?" Toph shouted. "It's the eight of us lucky ones versus a whole army of super freaks."

"Well, I'm with the wheelchair dude." Beast Boy smiled, walking beside Nolan and patting his shoulder. "I mean, my friends and I were able to stop them before with what little we had. Plus, anyone with a wheelchair looks like he knows his stuff."

"Hehe…" Nolan grinned and blushed. Coming from one of his favorite Titans, that meant a lot.

"I'm with him, too." Danielle smiled. (I just realized, there are TWO Dani's!)

"Yeah, me too." Raimundo smiled.

"Eh. I am, too." Toph shrugged.

"And me!" Kweeb fist-pumped.

"I am, too. But I won't loike it." Wally said.

"Perfect! I hereby dub ourselves the Dimensional Prospectors!" Nolan exclaimed. "Together, nothing can stop us! Now… why don't we all introduce ourselves, and we can get on with the plan?"

"Moi name's Numbuh 4!" Wallabee exclaimed, jumping on the couch. "And I can beat people up real hard and give them purple nurples!"

"My name's Toph," the blind earthbender said, "and I'm an earthbender. I'm blind, but I can feel vibrations in the ground with my feet, and see where everything is. Including the little guy on my toe."

"I'm Kweeb!" the little alien exclaimed. "As you can see, I'm really tiny. I have a ray gun that can shoot, stun, and shrink things, I'm hard to hit, and I'm pretty stealthy."

"Hi, Kweeb!" Danielle smiled and waved.

"Hehe." Carl smiled and blushed sheepishly. "My name's Carl Wheezer. I like llamas, I have terrible eyesight, and many medical problems!"

"Hi. I'm Danielle." The Halfa smiled. "I'm a half-ghost, half-human. I can turn invisible, walk through walls, and overshadow people!"

"Hey. I'm Mike." Mike introduced. "I'm the Green Forest Samurai Ranger. I'm not that good with a sword, but I've been told I'm pretty creative."

"The name's Raimundo Pedrosa." The Brazilian introduced himself coolly. "I'm Dragon of the Wind, and leader of the Xiaolin Warriors. Our world has the mystical objects called Shen Gong Wu. Let's see, I brought…" he dug around in his pocket, "the Sword of the Storms, which can control wind, the Shroud of Shadows, which can turn me invisible, and the Manchurian Musca, which can turn me into a fly."

"And I'm Beast Boy." The green-skinned introduced himself last. "A cool dude that loves videogames, pizza, and can turn into any animal I want! Say, I might give _you_ a try, sometime!" he said to Kweeb.

"And lastly, I'm Nolan York. Numbuh 2030 of the Kids Next Door. And these are my friends, Danika and April." The two grinned and waved. "Okay, I know where the Brotherhood's base is; it's in Africa, built over Saudi Arabia. Now we just have to figure out a way to sneak in there. Beast Boy, your friends did this before, how did they get in?"

"Um… let's see…" Beast Boy paced and rubbed his chin in thought. "We… found one of the villains; Cinderblock, Jericho possessed him, and we disguised as prisoners while he brought us in. Aw, but Jericho's been captured, too, this time!"

"No worries. I can possess people." Danielle mentioned.

"Then we just have to find someone to possess so you can bring us to the base." Mike replied.

"Hmmm…" Nolan began to think.

**Cleveland, Virginia**

The team was quietly approaching the city, overrun by zombie citizens chanting 'All hail The Brain', when Toph suddenly stopped them. "Guys, wait! I'm sensing something HUGE up ahead. It's quaking the earth hard."

"Nice feet!" Kweeb beamed, sitting on her shoulder.

"Thanks!"

The crew began to feel these tremors and got a little closer toward the city, sneaking behind an alleyway and watching as a huge, red Cyclops searched the town. "It's the Cyclops." Raimundo whispered. "Hey, mono boy!"

"DAH?" Cyclops dumbly turned his head at the sound of this taunt.

"Ever think about layin' off the Nachos and sugar cakes?"

"DAH HAH HAH HAH!" The Cyclops stomped toward the Shoku Warrior, furrowing his brow. Raimundo dashed down the alleyway as Cyclops chased him, but Rai used his airbending to blow Carl up, allowing the nearsighted child to spray his inhaler in Cyclops's eye. "DAH AH AHH!"

"Forest Spear!" Mike exclaimed, leaping up from behind and bashing the monster's head with his spear, toppling him over. Cyclops weakly opened his burned eye to see Danielle standing over him, the ghost Halfa turning intangible and phasing into his brain, taking control as the Cyclops stood and shook in pain. When she was finished, the Cyclops's eye had turned glowing-green.

"…Euh… talk about a major weight issue." Danielle said, observing her body. "Okay, we should be able to get into Brain's base like this."

"Then let's go." Nolan said with a determined look. The possessed giant grabbed them all in its arms as Danielle turned invisible and began to fly them off to Africa.

**Final Brain**

Sokka held a look of absolute shock on his face and a goofy pose as he stood frozen solid into an ice sculpture, Chang's minions proceeding to carry and lift him to a higher shelf beside Zuko and Katara. "Next up: Avatar Aang." The villains of the Avatar Realms cheered, seeing the Avatar himself inside a glass tube as the treadmill moved. "Any last words?"

"Wouldn't freezing me effect the Negatar in some way?" Aang asked.

"Why, yes, it would, actually. It would allow Gnaa to live longer. Not that we care much for him, anymore. He is old news. Just as you are." With that, Chang pressed the button, freezing the Avatar solid.

**Outside the Final Brain**

Danielle remained in Cyclops's body as the Halfa held a seemingly unconscious Mike, Toph, and Carl in her arms. Team Brotherhood was hiding in her shadow using Danika's powers, Raimundo was invisible with the Shroud of Shadows, Kweeb waited in Toph's sleeve, and Beast Boy and Wally were in the form of flies on her head, with Wally using the Manchurian Musca.

The Brotherhood base was a city-wide fortress, decorated with large red curtains along the walls with Brotherhood logos, reading 'The Brain is the King'. As they passed through the first hallway, a group of villains suddenly ran down, consisting of Jack Spicer, Private HIVE, Dreadhead, and Mr. Fizz. "Cyclops, there you are!" Jack exclaimed. "Come on, they're already going on without us! They might freeze Jayden or Robin soon!" With that, the possessed Cyclops hurried after as the villains led them ahead.

"By the way, great catch, Sir." Private HIVE complimented.

"Thanks!" Danielle smiled perkily. The villains' eyes widened in shock as they skidded to a stop, facing up at the Cyclops.

"…Since when do you talk like a girl? Or even talk at all? Sir." Private HIVE asked.

"…Um…"

Toph tilted her head up and dropped to the floor, stomping the ground and sending HIVE flying with a boulder. "Villains, ATTACK!" Jack Spicer ordered. Dreadhead drew out his laser machinegun and started blasting, but Raimundo reappeared and kicked him from behind, pushing him at Jack. Jack pushed the Nighlok off and stood up, but Beast Boy and Wally reverted to normal above him and came down, bashing his head. Private HIVE hurried back to throw punches at Toph, the blind girl holding his fists back as Kweeb crawled up her arm, crossed over to his, and zapped his eyes with his ray gun. The little alien then dropped to the ground and set his gun to 'Shrink', zapping the HIVE student to a smaller height, allowing Toph to kick him against the wall.

Mr. Fizz cowardly tried to back away from the heroes, but stopped when he felt a presence behind him, turning to see Danika's large shadowy form emerge from the floor. "EEEEK!" The soda villain screamed and shook in fear before fainting.

Afterwards, Danielle came out of Cyclops's body and let the giant drop unconscious, brushing her hands off. "Well, that was easy."

"Yeah, but this should've alerted the rest of the base by now." Nolan figured. "Thankfully, all the villains are probably at the arena, watching the heroes get frozen, so they'll probably just send the henchmen out. We'll just have to fight our way through the base and make it to Darth Genious. Dimensional Prospectors: MOVE OUT." (Play "Final Egg 1" from _Sonic Adventure 1_!)

_Stage 51: Final Brain_

_Mission: Rescue all of the heroes and stop the Brotherhood once and for all! !_

_Act 1: Entryway_

The heroes continued into the base as a squad of Stormtroopers was headed their way, the team taking cover behind cans as they blasted lasers. Beast Boy became a T-rex and spun and whacked them away with his tail while Raimundo caught them sucked into a whirlwind. Danika used Shadow Veil and slithered over, pulling two of them into her shadow and starting to beat them before tossing them out. A group of Yokian soldiers were then floating over, wielding electric spears, and Mike engaged one in combat with his Forest Spear, eventually bating the egg alien away and smashing him against the wall. Carl pulled out his inhaler and shook it before spraying at another one's dome, getting it smeary. The Yokian flew about frantically, not being able to see, and ended up crashing against a wall.

Toph just kicked a rock from the floor and shattered the last one before they all hurried down, turning a corner in the hall, and Nolan immediately dodged before some Girl Troops zapped him with Girlifyers. Danielle flew around above the girls as they tried to zap her, allowing Kweeb to dash up to them and fire his Tri-gun, zapping their hands and knocking the weapons away as they shook their hands from the pain. One of the girls tried to shoot Kweeb, but the little alien kept bouncing around and dodging, and the Girl Troop eventually shot Toph's feet and turned her nails pink. "Oh, that's it!" the blind tomboy yelled in anger, kicking a rock at the girl's face and knocking her out.

April used her powers to simply give the rest of them headaches before they continued on. They kicked open a door at the end of the hall and found their selves in the base cafeteria, where some of Gramma Stuffum's Lunch Ladies were dipping ladles in pots and throwing the gunk out, letting it become Spinach Soldiers and other Food Patrol monsters. The food monsters jumped at Nolan and Wally, but Nolan shot and splattered them with missiles while Wally just used his S.L.U.G.G.U.H.. The Lunch Ladies started sending meat blobs out, which belonged to the Lunch Ghost, but Wally and Toph rolled over and proceeded to gobble up the blobs of meat, since they weren't really Stuffum's hideous creations. Other food monsters were trying to attack Carl, but the chubby boy was happily grabbing and eating them. "Mmmm! This stuff tastes pretty good!"

Mike went over to knock the Lunch Ladies out before using his sword to slice the pots where the monsters spawned from. They continued to the next room, which appeared to be a dental lab, in which Mumbo Jumbo's bunny ninjas were fixing braces onto Denta Drones while they lied back in the chairs. The bunnies took notice of them and started spinning their carrot nun-chucks as they approached. "Um, guys? I'm allergic to…to…AACHOO!" Carl started sneezing aimlessly, forcing the bunnies to back up and run away. The Denta Drones then awakened and started to zap electrical spheres at the heroes. Danika tried to attack them, but the zombified children gave their brightening grins and blinded the shadowbender. Mike raised his sword to slice the braces off, freeing the kids, but that's when a group of the Common Cold's Flu Bugs crawled in from the next room, detecting Carl's sneezes.

The snot-filled robots shot snotballs at the heroes, getting Danielle covered in the substance, but she simply turned intangible and let the snot pass through. Numbuh 4 and Raimundo then jumped to aerial-kick the weak robots, easily taking them out in one blow. They then entered the next room, which appeared to be a worn-down bathroom with all the stalls closed. Raimundo swung his wind sword and blew all of the stalls open at once. As a result, a squad of the Toiletnator's Scummy Mummies climbed out and limped over, but Wally took each one of them out in one hit with his S.L.U.G.G.U.H.. Danielle then decided to shoot Ecto Rays at the toilets and destroy them so anymore monsters couldn't come out.

There seemed to be no other way to go except for an air vent. Raimundo ripped the vent open and proceeded to crawl in, followed by Wally, Beast Boy, Mike, Danielle, Toph, then Kweeb, who could easily walk in. Nolan couldn't get in because of his chair, but Danika simply pulled him into a Shadow Veil and slithered through, followed by April. Carl struggled to squeeze in the duct, but he was able to force his way through. They came out on the other side, landing on a small platform in a huge chamber of giant gears. The heroes carefully jumped their way across the gears so as not to get squashed, making their way to an area above.

When they stopped to rest on a safe platform, they looked up as some Dai Li Agents and chi-blockers were sliding down on ropes, taking land on the platform. The chi-blockers drew out electric rods and dodged over to Nolan as he shot missiles, zapping the boy. Beast Boy simply became a sky bison and flapped his huge, flat tail, blowing them over the edge. Some of the Dai Li tried to grab him, but the bison grabbed the agents in his mouth and sent them falling down below. One of the remaining chi-blockers punched Carl from behind, and he whined, "Oww, my scapula!" Afterwards, Beast Boy just whacked the soldier off the platform before reverting to normal.

"How did you know you can turn into that?" Toph asked.

"Lucky guess!" Beast Boy grinned.

They jumped their way up a few more gears before gathering onto a platform which raised them up to a higher area. The crew then had to swing their way across some of the red curtains with Brotherhood logos before taking land on a ledge at the top of the room, continuing to the next area. (Play "Final Egg 2"!)

_Act 2: Brain Core_

The heroes had arrived at what appeared to be the central core of the base, a colossal chamber with TIE Fighters flying in and out of holes, and a massive statue of Brain standing in the center with several walkways leading into it. The heroes hurried down some stairs and walked along a path that led to the outer area of the room, where some Battle Droids ambushed and started shooting at them while some Stormtroopers climbed into an Imperial Walker. Mike and Raimundo dashed over and sliced the droids in half with their swords. Beast Boy became a T-rex and easily chomped his huge teeth on the Walker's legs, throwing it into the chasm below. As a result of Beast Boy's heavy weight, however, the walkway collapsed and sent them falling down below.

Raimundo quickly spun his Sword of Storms downward to weaken their fall onto a lower walkway, but Team Brotherhood fell down past the walkway and into a huge vent below, sliding down to a cylindrical chamber where they stood atop a gate with a huge fan. A droid spotted them from a control area in a window and pressed a button. _"Final Brain central ventilation shaft open."_ The fan switched on from below their feet and they were immediately blown upwards. The kids were able to dodge around spike balls that were floating in the windy chamber, but gasped when they noticed they were being blown to another giant fan up above.

"Crap! Anybody got any soda?" Nolan asked.

"I don't think burping's gonna work here." April figured.

Nolan then noticed the droid in the control room window below. "Then hold on." The girls grabbed onto him as he shot a grappling hook through the window, grabbing the droid by the neck and pulling him out, sending him flying to the fan above and letting him be chopped to pieces. Afterwards, Nolan shot the grappling hook to latch on the controls and was able to pull them into the chamber, allowing them to get back on their feet (and wheels). Another squad of droids came in from the door ahead and started shooting, but Danika used Shadow Veil to slither over, come out, and slice them in half with her daggers.

They went into where they came from and passed down a short hall, coming out on a ledge within the outer area of the core. They watched as a multi-directional elevator zoomed over and stopped by them, dropping off some droids, who started shooting. Nolan just shot missiles and blew the droids away as they boarded the multi-way elevator, zooming around the outer core at high speeds. They noticed the rest of the Dimensional Prospectors waving at them from a distance and stopped the elevator beside them, allowing them to get on as they started zooming around some more.

"I gotta admit, this is a pretty nice base." Mike commented, loudly over the sounds of the whooshing elevator.

"YEAH, it is." Nolan yelled back. "Ignore all the villains and evil stuff about it, and this'd make a nice headquarters."

The elevator came to a stop along another walkway, where they stepped off and continued on. A squad of Shadow Troopers started shooting at them from behind barrels as TIE Fighters also flew by the area, shooting at the walkway. Toph easily sensed the invisible Troopers with her Seismic Sense and stomped the floor, yanking parts of the metal walkways off and flinging them over the edge. Some of the Shadow Troopers were flying around in jetpacks, shooting them from the air, but Carl sprayed around with his inhaler and caused the Shadow Troopers to become visible, allowing Danielle to zap them with Ecto Rays.

"Look out!" Nolan yelled, the crew jumping to the side when more TIE Fighters shot at the walkway.

Toph began kicking chunks of the metal walkway around aimlessly, but missed them by a longshot. "I can't tell where they are."

"Then let me." Nolan decided, simply taking aim at the ships and firing missiles. He took out the left shield of one of the Fighters, causing it to spiral out of control and crash. Danielle chased another one and zapped an Ecto Ray, destroying it in one hit. Another TIE Fighter was flying directly at them, but Kweeb took careful aim with his ray gun and fired, destroying one of the shields and making it spiral around and crash below. The little alien twirled his ray gun victoriously and blew the smoke from it.

The team had finally gotten back into the inner core and dashed down a walkway that led straight into The Brain's statue. Squads of Stormtroopers were still running out to stop them, but Numbuh 4 dodged and flipped around their shots as he made it over and punched the troops unconscious with his S.L.U.G.G.U.H.. The heroes made it into the massive statue and started making their way down a spiraling stairway. When they arrived at the bottom, more droids came out and started shooting, but April caused their memory chips to malfunction with her powers before Raimundo blew them over the edge. With them defeated, the team proceeded to enter an elevator in the center, letting it slowly carry them down. (Stop music.)

**Arena chamber**

The villains had just gotten finished freezing Jayden, the Red Ranger, and the Nighlok villains burst into cheers. By this time, the shelves were filled with frozen heroes of different worlds, for they have nearly all of them. "My fellow villains… you have all done an extraordinary job." Darth Genious announced. "This victory has marked a turning point in the War of Good vs. Evil. With all of our enemies frozen, there is no-one to stand in our way. The Brotherhood of Evil will control the universe from all corners of the worlds. And with ALL worlds submitting to our rule… we shall BECOME… THE _NEW_ EVIL EMPIRE! !"

"YEEAAAAHH!"

"And to ultimately execute our victory, I give you the hero of heroes himself. The leader of the Teen Titans. I give you: Jason Todd. Aka, Robin." The treadmill moved along, revealing the Titans' leader trapped in a glass tube. The villains erupted into more cheers as the capsule stopped below the Freezer.

"Gah! This isn't over!" Robin yelled, banging on the glass.

"For you, Roby… it is." (Play "Final Egg 1" again!)

_Act 3: Brain Quarters_

_"Emergency, emergency! Dispose of any intruder. Emergency, emergency! Dispose of any intruder."_

The elevator finally came to a stop, and the heroes hurried off, dodging as more droids shot at them before Mike sliced them all in half. They kept going and jumped down a slide, landing on a platform over an electrical pit down below. They jumped up some floating platforms into a door, where they dropped onto a floor where some Plasmus blobs slithered up to them. The reddish-pink blobs latched onto Nolan as he tried to shake them off, zapping lasers to burn them while Kweeb shot and blew them up with his ray gun. The group then entered the next room, where puppets of Numbuhs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 86, and 362 popped out of the floor.

"This is the base shooting range." Nolan recognized. "We're getting close to Brain's chamber."

Some Ice Cream Men came out from behind boxes and began shooting at the dummies. Toph stomped metal chunk from the floor and flung it over, taking some men out while Wally leapt on the crates and punched and knocked the Ice Cream Men out. Carl then proceeded to walk over and rip their guns open, happily licking the ice cream. "Mmm, strawberry."

"Come on, already!" Wally yelled, dragging Carl along, making him drop the ice cream. The heroes left the training wing and passed by another bathroom, seeing water flowing out from under the door. They went inside and found waste flowing out of the clogged toilets as Poohemoth monsters climbed out. Wally rapidly began punching the poo monsters with the S.L.U.G.G.U.H., but they kept coming out. Mike and Danielle just went ahead and destroyed the toilets to keep them from spawning, eventually taking the monsters out.

It wasn't long before the gang reached the room with The Brain's hologram projection of Earth. The table where Brain and Mallah drank their tea and played chess sat beside it. And judging by the chessboard still out, and the tea still sitting there, Nolan assumed they were just there recently, for the wall beside the table had monitors playing clips of the scenes where each of the fallen heroes were bested by their villains. On the opposite end from the monitors was a wall which displayed mini TV screens, each one showing the images of all the heroes from the worlds, such as Nigel, Tucker, Sokka, Cindy, or Tramm.

Just then, a band of Purge Troopers and Imperial Guards ran out and started shooting at them. Raimundo leapt and tried to aerial-kick one from a distance, but the Purge Trooper grabbed his foot and threw him off. He was unprepared when Toph hurled a huge rock chunk his way and knocked him back, and Mike began striking at another one from behind. That soldier eventually grabbed the Green Ranger and lifted him overhead, bashing him against the floor. Carl leapt onto the Trooper from behind and put his hands over his eyes, making the soldier run around until Toph made a metal chunk stick up from below, making him trip.

Wally ran up to pound one of the red guards, but it easily defended with its laser spear before zapping the Aussie in the butt. However, the guard didn't notice Kweeb running under his cloak, and the alien started to shoot the guard from underneath, knocking him out. The other guard twirled his spear and aimed the laser side at Carl, but smelling the laser up close caused the boy to sneeze all over the troop's red cloak, making him jump back. Afterwards, Nolan gripped the guard in his grappling hook and knocked him out with a painful shock.

The heroes turned a corner left down a hall, finding some wooden double-doors at the end. Before they could get in, four more Imperial Guards stepped out, led by an Imperial Elite Guard, who angrily faced Nolan as he aimed his spear. "Um… I'm guessing you're the other guy's brother or something." The guard ran over and began rapidly swinging his spear at Nolan as he tried to back up.

One of the red guards swung his spear around in the air, trying to hit Danielle, but the ghost dodged around and kicked him in the face, knocking him on his stomach. The guard lifted his head up, seeing Wally smirking and standing over him, but was quickly met with the boy's S.L.U.G.G.U.H.. Raimundo spun a tunnel of air in his arms as Toph stomped small rocks from the ground and dropped them in. The rocks zipped over to a red guard at a fast pace as he tried to bat them away, but ended up getting pelted to the head and KO'd. Mike clashed his sword against another one's spear, and meanwhile, Carl snuck up from behind and lifted his cloak up. The guard snapped his cloak shut and angrily faced the Wheezer boy, but Mike knocked him out with the Forest Spear while he was distracted. The last red guard aimed its spear at Beast Boy, who turned into a rex and bit down on the spear, the two in a game of tug-o-war over it as Kweeb ran down BB's nose, slipping under the guard's sleeve and shooting his head under the guard's helmet.

Nolan desperately tried to shoot the Elite Guard with missiles, but he swiftly dodged around and kept swinging his spear at Nolan's wheels. He tried to strike him again, but April thankfully stunned the guard from behind, and Danika slithered over as a shadow and came up in front of the guard, striking an "X" in his chest. The guard gripped his chest in pain, but that's when Nolan shot his punching glove at his face and flung him against the wall. The black guard stood up again, but he suddenly heard the air vent above him shake. He looked up, and was too late to move as Penelope Taynt came down and crushed the Elite Guard, knocking him out.

Penelope then stood up and quickly observed her surroundings. "Where's Amanda? !" Team Brotherhood pointed down a hall behind them. "Thank you. Now enjoy being cancelled. Please." With that, the crazy fangirl dashed down that hall.

"Wait a second, I won't be cancelled until October 20th." Mike said.

"Never mind her." Nolan said. "The Brain's up ahead. Let's get going." With that, he led the group of heroes into the door before them. (End song.)

**Amanda's Room**

Penelope cautiously looked both ways before entering the room of her favorite actress, proceeding to rummage around the room aimlessly. "There has to be something that could give me the whereabouts to Amanda's remaining persona, please." Her eyes widened, seeing a piece of paper on the computer desk. "Ah-ha!" She picked it up. "Amanda's very own list of personas, please! Let's see... Lulu Mae, Judge Trudy, Melody, Penelope Taynt-"

Penelope's eyes and mouth widened in absolute shock. She held up the DNA Revitalizer, realizing why the tracker was pointing at her beforehand. "_I'm_ Amanda's missing persona… I'm a persona that's taken a life of its own!"

She then heard the door handle shaking. _"Hello? Is anybody in there?"_

Penelope clutched the ray gun tight. This was the ultimate decision… but she knew… what she had to do. "All my life… I wanted to be like Amanda. It was my dream… but look: I _am_ Amanda. She needs me… as much as I need her." She closed her eyes, remembering all the faces she met. Deep down… she was going to miss them. "Trevor… Preston… Kids Next Door… Ghost Girl… they helped me… make it this far. I almost feel sad… not getting to see them again." She aimed the Revitalizer at her head. "But no… it must be done. I can only hope, that with me in her soul… Amanda can return again. …And may her show, and my website, live on forever. Www-dot…amandaplease-dot-com. Good-bye, everyone. Fare…thee well. …Please." And with that, she pulled the trigger, and sucked herself into the device.

"Hello?" Amanda called, walking in. The actress noticed the device on the floor and picked it up to study it. She pulled the trigger, and immediately shook about when the laser zapped her. She could feel all of her personas merging back within her body, and felt herself becoming completely whole again. Eventually, it stopped, and the small capsule was completely clear and empty as she studied it with wonder.

"Hmm… oh well! Time to go get drunk!" With that, she grabbed her car keys, and headed outside.

_Amanda 'manda 'manda 'manda, Amanda 'manda 'manda 'manda shoooowww!_

**Secret underground tunnel, beneath the Final Brain**

The teenage earthbender, Haru used his powers to clear a tunnel as the crippled boy, Teo held up a lantern of fireflies, using it to light the way as Wesley Dodds and Larry Oldman guided the other remaining heroes along the way under the base. "Man, how long does this thing go on?" Lizzie whined.

"We should be getting there, soon." Cyborg said.

"Well, then let's hurry. I wanna save Katara as soon as possible." Jet said.

"Awe, someone have a wittle crush?" Harvey cooed.

"He sort of had a thing with her." Smellerbee answered.

"I still can't believe we're working with a bunch of freaks just to save Nolan's butt." Gwen retorted.

"Hey, you watch that tongue of yours, Missy." Dodds told her. "Why, if it wasn't for people like you, Nolan wouldn't have gotten mixed in with the Brotherhood in the first place. If you'd've supported him from the start, Nolan would've never joined them. Think about that…"

At this, Gwen and Doug couldn't help but feel a little guilt. The old man did sort of have a point. Despite this, they kept moving with the heroes as they were getting close to Brain's base.

**The Brain's Throne Room** (Play "Final Egg 2"!)

The heroes blew down the door and dashed across the walkway with expressions of determination as they were coming to a throne atop some stairs. They stopped just below the stairs as the rotatable throne spun around, exposing them to Darth Genious himself. "Why, if it isn't my dear apprentice, Nolan York. I am impressed you managed to get all the way here. And what's this?" he noticed Beast Boy. "You brought the green one. It's been a while, Beast Boy."

The animal boy transformed into a cheetah and scampered up the stairs, attempting to gnash at Brain, but the Sith Lord protected himself with a barrier and blew him back. As Beast Boy recovered, they watched as Monsieur Mallah came out from behind the throne. The gorilla picked his master up and switched on his helicopter pack, carrying Brain and flying away down the hall. "Hey, get back here!" Nolan yelled. The team of heroes dashed after as Mallah and Brain flew faster away from them. Mallah spared them a glance and smirked before flying to the area high above to the ceiling. Nolan and the heroes just kept down the path, seeing two larger double-doors up ahead, with the label 'Arena' above them.

Nolan fired a missile and blew the doors open. The heroes dashed through the smoke and entered the room ahead, getting into battle-ready poses as they prepared to challenge the Sith Lord. "Okay, Brain! You're going down!" Nolan exclaimed. "IT'S OOO… over?" (End song.)

"Umm…" Beast Boy and the other heroes faced ahead with looks of fear and shock.

"Oh, cruuud…" Numbuh 4 groaned.

* * *

><p><strong>Hehehe… I'll leave it off there! ;D Y'all should know what happens next! Next time, Titans Together 2 continues! I'll see you then!<strong>


	71. HEROES TOGETHER! ! !

**Titans, GO! !**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Ultimate Battle! ! The War of Heroes and Villains! !<em>**

**Final Brain**

Nolan fired a missile and blew the doors open. The heroes dashed through the smoke and entered the room ahead, getting into battle-ready poses as they prepared to challenge the Sith Lord. "Okay, Brain! You're going down!" Nolan exclaimed. "IT'S OOO…over?"

"Umm…" Beast Boy and the other heroes faced ahead with looks of fear and shock.

"Oh, cruuud…" Numbuh 4 groaned.

Before them stood legions of evil, maniacal, devious criminal masterminds, all wearing smirks on their faces and snickering evilly. The arena they were standing in had black and white square tiles, and was designed like a chessboard, coincidentally. "…We're dead." Rai said.

The villains immediately burst into laughter. "What are you guys laughing at? !" Beast Boy yelled.

They heard some laughter above them and looked, seeing The Brain and his associates standing high upon the wall near the room's ceiling. "The 11 of you against ALL of zem? Even I find that to be interesting…" Madame Rouge said.

"Tell us where our friends are." Nolan ordered in a grim tone.

"My dear good friend, Nolan York…" Brain's voice echoed across the arena, "and his little friends. You _all_ try so hard… and always fail… so completely. This time will be no… exception." The villains all laughed again.

"Where are they? !" Nolan shouted.

"Vould you like to have a look?" Madame Rouge asked. They redirected their attention when the lights switched on in the dark arena, giving the heroes a view of the frozen heroes upon their shelves. Each different world's heroes seemed to have their own shelf, one for Power Rangers, one for Team Fenton, one for the KND, one for the OCs, etc..

Carl gasped in horror, seeing the ice sculptures of Sheen, Cindy, Libby, and- "Jimmy!"

Raimundo gasped as well, seeing Dojo, Omi, Kimiko, and Clay frozen solid. "Guys!"

Mike gasped, noticing Jayden, Mia, and of course- "Emily!"

Danielle's eyes widened at the sight of the frozen Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and- "Danny!"

Kweeb spotted and gasped at the frozen Emily, Annie, Cosmo, Nova, Kami, and- "Ava!"

"Umm… I can't see. Are my guys up there?" Toph asked.

"Oh, they're up there." Kweeb replied. Toph gasped at this.

Numbuh 4 took notice of Sector V, Fanny, Patton, Rachel, Chad, Eva, and Kade. "Mates!"

"No…" Beast Boy looked with horror at Robin and his fallen friends. Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven didn't seem to be there, however.

"So, what will it be, Nolan? Are you going to run?" Brain asked.

Nolan shot a glare up to Brain and gritted his teeth. As he turned to the legions of smirking, cocky villains, he felt slightly worried by their numbers. …But he didn't let this fear show. He was gonna win. "Heh… we can take 'em."

"Yeah we can!" Raimundo agreed, smirking confidently.

Kweeb leapt off Toph's shoulder, to by her foot, and yelled, "Then let's do it!"

The heroes all readied for battle as one of the red Brotherhood logo curtains curled up along the wall, exposing a small booth where Reporters Nick and Chip sat. "Well, Chip, this looks to be the battle to end all battles. The 11 remaining heroes versus an entire army of revenge-seeking criminal masterminds. I am not liking the look of the odds of this."

"You got that right, Nick. Because if the heroes fail, the entire universe will fall to the power of The Brain."

"And _everyone_ will have to submit to his rule."

"Uh, say, Nick, how did we get to this place, anyway?"

"I don't know, Chip. I just do not know."

"Villains:" Darth Genious announced, "attack." (Lol just imagine the same music that played during the first _Titans Together_. :P)

_Boss fight: The Brotherhood of Evil_

"YAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The horde of villains roared for battle and charged toward the 11 heroes. Raimundo dashed forth and jumped across the heads of Knightbrace, Mumbo, Vlad, then swung off a Jackbot and grabbed Gizmo's legs as the boy flew with his mech wings. Raimundo pulled him to the ground and swung him around before hurling him at Robo-Jack. Kweeb scampered along the floor as villains tried to stomp him, but he zapped his gun at the legs of Mad Mod, Robtish, Eustace Strytch, and Edna Jucation before encountering a squad of Long Feng and his Dai Li Agents. The earthbenders shot their rockcuffs at him, but he swiftly leapt each one before Toph stomped rocks from the ground and sent the agents flying. Kweeb smiled at Toph and gave a thumbs-up, and she smiled and gave a thumbs-up back (she couldn't see, but she assumed that's what he was doing).

Mike clashed his sword against Control Freak's quadruple-lightsabers before kicking the fanboy away. Control Freak slid across the floor on his belly from the attack, then looked up as Danielle stood over him, possessing the fanboy in seconds. Phobia, HIVE Headmistress, and Wintergreen the Butler ran to assist him, but Danielle stood up and faced them, possessing Control Freak's body as she twirled her quadruple-sabers. The three villains ran before Danielle chased them. Numbuh 4 ran around, looking for someone to battle, until running into King Sandy. The make-believe king drew out his wooden sword and swung it in a threatening way, but Wally simply drew out his S.L.U.G.G.U.H., and Sandy's eyes widened as the punching glove bashed his face in a flash of light. Sandy was flung all the way to the wall, bumping his head and leaving a dent as his head dizzily spun before he fainted.

Wally grinned in victory, but that's when Margaret and her Girl Squad approached him, aiming their Girlifyers. Wally quickly began leaping around to avoid them, afraid of being turned into a girl. He jumped in the way of Yllaw and dodged, causing the girls to zap him. Yllaw shielded his eyes, but he didn't seem to transform. "Hey… I'm alright!"

"Ew…" was all Wally could say.

Baby Eddie still rode his T-rex as he charged at Beast Boy, but the green-skinned turned into a T-rex himself and bit the other one's neck, causing Baby Eddie to fall off. Cree and April engaged in battle and began to throw kicks at each other before April used her powers to make Cree upset, and the Lincoln girl began crying. While she was doing so, April spin-kicked her across the face. Cheshire the cat-girl flipped over to swing her braids at Danika, but Danika used Shadow Veil to creep under Cheshire and pull her down, proceeding to beat away on her within her shadow. She tossed Cheshire out afterwards as she lay beaten on the floor.

"Well, I must say, Chip, I am rather impressed. In what seemed like a totally unfair match, the heroes have made a surprising comeback." Nick announced.

"You betcha, Nick! Seems the universe might have some hope after all!" Chip exclaimed.

"Zey fight with much enthusiasm." Monsieur Mallah said. "Allow me to crush zem."

"No." Genious denied. "Let our friends have that pleasure. The end for these eleven will come soon enough."

Mad Mod charged at Control Freak, who was still possessed by Danielle, but the ghost flew inside him, then into Killer Moth, then into Madimot before Overload ran and crushed the Nighlok. Danielle quickly jumped out, but that's when Skulker zapped and caught her inside an ecto net, the other ghost villains surrounding her.

Mike swiftly spun around and blew Nighlok away with his Forest Spear, then quickly jumped back when the Blue Ranger tried to strike him. "Kevin?"

"He's my puppet now!" Madimot declared. "Oh, BLUUE! Crush him!"

"Whoa!" Mike yelped, quickly swinging his sword as Kevin clashed against his. Mike was unable to keep up with Kevin's quick movement as his sword was flung out of his hand not long after, and Kevin kicked Mike upside the head.

Toph easily jabbed rocks from the ground into villains, but that's when Ember and Punk Rocket flew above her and strummed their guitars. "AHH!" Toph screamed, covering her ears from the deafening noises as she walked about uncontrollably. Kweeb was cockily zapping his ray gun at Stuffum's minions, but that's when Toph wobbled over and crushed him under her foot. "Whoops… sorry." She apologized, pulling the flattened Kweeb off her dirty foot. Toph was immediately tackled by the Wrestling Star and Mammoth, and when she shoved them off, she was run over by Steamroller. Kweeb was flung away as a result, and Margie caught him in her fingers, smirking at the alien.

Carl sprayed his inhaler over at Bertrand, who was in his bee form, and the boy backed away from him before feeling someone behind him. Carl whimpered in fear as he slowly turned to face who it was, looking up as Nocturne grinned evilly at him. "WAAAH!" Carl tried to run away, but the Dream Ghost gripped his head and phased his arm into it. The ghost pulled the Lima Bean Monster out of Carl's dreams, and the monster snarled as it chased the frightened boy around. Carl hurried as fast as he could, but he bumped into Legion, who grabbed the child and tipped a nightmare syringe to his cheek as Carl looked more frightened than ever.

Jerry Rassic tried to shock Wally with his electric cane, but the Aussie jumped behind him, grabbed his underwear, and pulled it over his head. "YOOW-YOW-YOOOW!"

Wally smirked in victory, until- _"Bulliiiieees."_ He turned at the sound of this moan, seeing the black-and-white nerd ghost, Sydney Poindexter. The ghost shot into Wally's body, and the Beatles boy began shaking around in pain as the ghost tortured him. Wally groaned as Sydney finally flew out, but the Australian boy was suddenly grabbed by Eddy's Big Brother, the mean older sibling holding a smirk as he played 'Uncle' with Wally, slowly twisting his leg as Wally cried for help.

Beast Boy was able to knock the other T-rex away, but that's when a bunch of chi-blockers surrounded him and zapped him with their electrical gloves, eventually making Beast Boy fall down and revert to normal. Once he did, Johnny Rancid and Johnny 13 placed their foot on him, keeping him down. Raimundo spun around and used his sword to blow away surrounding Xiaolin villains, but he was suddenly tackled by Panda Bubba and Tubbimura, unable to recover.

April tried to fight away Teen Ninjas with her powers, then suddenly noticed the helpless Baby Eddie crying on the ground. "Awe, poor baby." She cooed, walking over to pick him up and rock him in her arms, earning a smile from his face. "It's okay, good ol' Auntie April's gonna get you out and-" The evil baby gave her an immediate shock with his rattle, making her faint.

Danika joyously slithered around as a shadow and sliced members of the Glam Clan, but that's when Kyd Wykkyd and Count Spankulot appeared, pulling her into their own shadow as they proceeded to whale on her.

Nolan slowly backed away, feeling himself cornered by General Immortus, his Stormtroopers, as well as the Beverage Patrol. Before he could shoot at them, a powerful gush of soda pushed him away from behind. He held his head back up and looked as Jack Spicer, Dreadhead, Cyclops, Private HIVE, and Mr. Fizz stood in the room's entrance, with Fizz aiming his soda bottle cannons on his wrist.

Nolan then noticed the Kanker sisters standing over him, and Lee proceeded to hold him up by the arms. She and the other villains holding heroes stood in a line; Legion held up Carl, Johnny Rancid held up Beast Boy, Eddy's Big Bro held Wally, Cree held April, Kyd Wykkyd held Danika, Panda Bubba held Raimundo, Kevin held up Mike, Margie held up Kweeb, Steamroller held Toph, and Skulker held up Danielle in a net, facing and presenting them to Brain.

"Foolish Nolan York. Did you actually believe your pathetic resistance could stop what _I_ have created? The most powerful organization of supervillains the world has ever seen?" Darth Genious exclaimed. "You have failed once again, my dear apprentice. Now, there is nothing to stand in my way. Madame Rouge: add them to the collection."

Madame Rouge happily jumped down and stretched her arms, grabbing and pulling Nolan away from Lee's grasp. She held his face to hers as Nolan gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't vorry. I will happily bury you vith Dillon in his grave. Any last vords?"

Nolan glanced down and suddenly noticed the floor beneath Rouge beginning to crack. "Yeah… I wouldn't stand there if I were you. MANCHURIAN MUSCA!" He held up the Shen Gong Wu and transformed into a tiny fly, slipping away as Rouge glared. But right away, a plasma laser shot out from the floor below, sending the woman flying. The villains backed away as she recovered and looked to see what happened.

"Lesson Number One!" Cyborg exclaimed, climbing out of the hole. "Never throw someone down a hole unless you make sure they stay there!" He was followed by Sandman, Coldman, Gwen & Doug, Lizzie & Herbie, the Freedom Fighters, Sector W, Jermaine, Haru, and Teo.

The ceiling then exploded above them, and they looked up as Starfire hovered above. "The Lesson Two: we NEVER give up!" She was accompanied by Red Star, Sector E, Ace & Henrietta, Jessie Bailey (with her Wings of Tinabi), Brobot, Valerie Gray, and Mika, Rainier, and Lucario.

"Lesson Three." Raven began, flying out of a black portal on the ground. "Your 'secret lair' ISN'T very secret." She was followed by the Junior Prospectors, Gary & Dan, Wulf, Frostbite, Bolbi, April the Gorlock, Jack & Maddie Fenton, Dash Baxter, the timebenders, Clockwork, Yuki Crystal, Monty Uno, Mr. Boss, and the "SHALAS!".

"Lesson Four." Matthew Dimalanta said, coming out of a portal conjured by Grim. "The Dark Side stinks." He was joined by the Toxic Four, Sector Z, Mario Ramsey, Rack-and-Ruin, Mai & Ty Lee, the Kyoshi Warriors, Maurice LaMar, Vin Moosk, Jar Jar Blinks, Kid Flash, Jinx, Computer, Ramon-4, Matt Garley, and Kim Adams.

"WHHAAT? !" Bob Johnson screamed. "I THOUGHT I SHOT YOU? !"

"Care to explain, Kim?" Matt smiled to his friend.

Kim pulled off her blue suit and exposed a vest made out of several rows of ketchup packs underneath. "I was wearing my new bullet-proof vest, made out of two layers of ketchup packs! Hehe. Good thing you didn't shoot me in the head."

"And ya gotta admit, that was pretty smart." Matt remarked.

"I had a feeling, though." Prom Queen said. "I mean, they do have a daughter in the future, right?"

"How would you know that?" Teen Tornado asked.

"Hm… I dunno." She shrugged.

Felix Frost gulped. "Uh-oh…"

"I had no idea…" Cree began.

"-there were so many left…" Mary Luis looked with fear.

As the villains now looked with terror, Danika kicked Kyd Wykkyd's crotch and got away, April elbowed Cree and ran over, Wally punched Eddy's Brother's eye and got away, Raimundo flipped over Panda Bubba and kicked him, Carl raised his inhaler and sprayed in Legion's eyes, Mike kicked Kevin's leg and escaped, Kweeb shot Margie's eye, Toph kicked Steamroller's stomach and dented his armor, Danielle phased through Skulker's net, and Beast Boy became a rhino and pushed the two Johnnies away as they all ran to join the heroes.

Gwen and Doug pulled Nolan's chair over to them as the operative, still in the form of a fly, flew over and landed on his seat, reverting to normal and exchanging a smile with the two officers. All of the heroes gathered together and faced the army of now-terrified villains. Nolan looked at his Dimensional Prospector teammates, who all looked more ready to battle than ever. Nolan looked at the villainous army and cheered, "Heroes: TOGETHER!" They all roared for battle and charged vigorously at the villains.

"UnbeLIEVABLE sight to behold, Chip!" Nick exclaimed.

"Got that right, Nick! Just when it seemed all was lost, a ton MORE heroes showed up right at the last minute! Looks like Brain needs to do some rethinkin'."

"I couldn't agree more, Chip." Already, the entire arena appeared to be overrun with villains brawling against the heroes.

Legion rubbed his burning eyes from the inhaler Carl had sprayed, seeing a blurry figure dashing his way. When his vision cleared, he saw it was Leo, who leapt, spun, and kicked him straight in his face, sending him back. Elijah Frantic conjured a Poison Whip as Johnny the robo-shark was speeding around him, grabbing the robot's legs and sending him flying. He landed beside Wuya, who held up the Sapphire Dragon and made it come to life. The dragon unleashed its blue flames at the timebenders, but Mika used her psychic to conjure a barrier and protect them.

As Gwen and Doug shot and protected Nolan from incoming chi-blockers and Spinach Soldiers, Doug said, "I don't even know where to begin."

Nolan looked up as The Brain and Mallah watched the battle from high upon their wall on the other side of the arena. "I do. We're going after Brain. You with me?"

"O-kay!" Gwen exclaimed, readying her weapon. The three began dashing across the massive arena to reach the Sith Lord, but several villains were coming their way. Steamroller tried to smash him, but Red Star tackled and started whaling on him. Skulker appeared in the way, back Jack Fenton tackled and started beating him with the ghost-grabber gloves. The Heylin Plant appeared, but Mike sliced him with his sword. The Junk Man charged to stop him, but was tackled by Brobot. Queen Tie shot up from the ground, hissing as Windsor rode on top of her, but Vin Moosk tackled the beast and brought it down. As they were nearly halfway across the arena, they had to stop when Madame Rouge dropped right in front of them.

"I should have crushed you long ago-" She was immediately grabbed by Cad Bane, flying with his rocket shoes, allowing Nolan, Gwen, and Doug to keep going. "Vhat? ! You betrayed us? !"

"What can I say? I've grown fond of that kid." Bane shrugged. In the air, he spun the stretchy woman around before hurling her to the ground with a thud, leaving her to be beaten by Aurra Sing.

As the three kept running, Plasmus stretched many arms out to grab and pull them in, but Raven flew by and released her shadow into the hideous blob, exploding him and letting his sleeping human half fall out. Jermaine, the New Yorker ran forth as he bounced his basketball around. He was coming toward The Rhymer and his Rappers as they stood guard, but the boy hurled his ball and allowed it to bounce all around and knock them out, smirking as his ball came back to him.

Mushi Sanban encountered the Crayon Boy, and the two started hurling their sharp crayons at each other. Mushi eventually danced over and aerial-spun-kicked Crayon Boy across the face, sending him sliding back. He looked up and gasped as the Lima Bean Monster snarled over him. The boy started running and screaming as the monster of his least-favorite food chased him.

"Perhaps now is the time to make our leave." Monsieur Mallah suggested.

"Cowardice does not become you, Monsieur Mallah." The Brain said. "Go and put an end to this nonsense now."

Mallah followed his order and dropped down to the field below. He dashed along and shoved away Cyborg, Jack Fenton, Numbuh 437 (from Sector E), Haru, Pipsqueak, and grabbed and hurled away Numbuh 4. Angie Granite kicked rocks at the gorilla, but he swatted them away and punched the girl, facing the rest of Sector W. "Vonce ve freeze you kids, you are going into ze darkest corner of ze base's cold storage."

Hearing this made Sonya's eyes widen. "Darkest corner of the FREEZERRRRR? !" The little girl's skin and eyes turned blood-red as her ears and teeth grew sharp and pointy.

"Uh, no, vait-"

"AHH!" Sonya immediately tackled the brown gorilla, and her teammates shielded their eyes with horror as Sonya mercilessly pounded away.

"Off me, you little brat!"

"I don't wanna go in the dark!"

When the sounds of beating had stopped, they opened their eyes to see Sonya victoriously standing on the beaten Monsieur Mallah. "Amazing!" Lee exclaimed.

"Good goin', Girl!" Harvey cheered.

"Hm hm!" Sonya smiled and blushed. "Thanks, guys!"

The sector split up to battle some more, but when the spider-mutant, Fang appeared, Charlotte backed away in fear. Paddy ran from behind and hopped onto the mutant's head to stomp his eyes, and Charlotte immediately hurried away.

The Green Ranger sliced the stretchy arms off of Rofer, and the Nighlok screamed as he exploded. He looked up on the shelves and noticed how glum Emily looked as she stood frozen, then took notice of the Nighlok, Splitface. "Hey, you!" He ran to engage the monster in battle.

As the Toxic Four were busy tossing Gas Bombs at the teacher villains, Matt said, "We need to find the girls."

Jeremiah looked and noticed Kami frozen on the shelves with the other girls. "Up there!"

The kids immediately hurried to the Freezer's controls and climbed onto the ledge where they were. "Not so fast, kiddies." Professor Chang and his henchmen suddenly got in their way. "You will not be saving these heroes so easily. And do not even try to use your gas powers, because our helmets and my nostril-cords make our noses immune to such-" He and his henchmen were suddenly kicked away by Robin's alter ego, Red X.

"Not immune to that, apparently." The Shadow Robin remarked before jumping down to deal with other villains.

As Chang lay on his back, Matt Dimalanta ran over and pulled the air cords out of his nostrils. He proceeded to fart in his face, releasing horrible-smelling fumes. "Aahh! Ack!" Chang stood up and tried desperately to blow the smell away. "Oh God! Ahh!" He ran and tripped over the ledge.

"Hm. That'll take care of ya." Matt smirked. The boy proceeded to walk over to the controls, holding his finger over the 'Unfreeze' button.

"NOOOOO!" Monsieur Mallah screamed with despair, but Matt's finger had already come down on the button, and the ice sculptures had exploded into mist as the heroes were set free.

"Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!" Numbuh One screamed as Sector V and the other operatives jumped down. They ran forth and fired their weapons at any villain they could.

"Rangers together, Samurai FOREVER!" the Power Rangers exclaimed.

"Kevin!" Jayden jumped down and drew his Symbol Power, sending it over to break Madimot's hold on Kevin.

"Thanks, Jayden! Now, let's do this!"

"What? NOOO!" Madimot screamed as Kevin began firing his Swordfish Bow upon the Nighlok, quickly destroying him.

"Don't worry, Mike! I'll help!" Antonio yelled down, hurrying to Mike's aid and marking Splitface with his Samurai Symbol. "Barracuda Blade!" He struck the Nighlok from all directions and made him explode into nothingness. Emily's spirit was released as a result as it flowed back into Emily's form. The Yellow Ranger switched into her armor and jumped down to assist her friends.

"GONG YI TEM PAI!" Omi exclaimed as he and the Xiaolin Warriors leapt down.

"I'm going GHOST!" Danny Fenton exclaimed, becoming his ghost form and flying down, followed by his friends.

"Titans, GO!" Robin cheered, and the Titans went down to clobber the bad guys, too.

Madame Rouge had climbed back up to Brain and asked, "Is this part of the plan, Leader?"

"A minor annoyance." Brain replied simply.

Madame Rouge could only watch as the army of heroes appeared to be easily handling the army of villains. "Your annoyance is no longer minor. I do zings MY vay now." The woman jumped down to assist the villains, but Starfire shot by and shoved her against the wall.

"Starfire!" She turned and noticed Robin still standing on the shelf. "I could use a hand." He smiled. Starfire smiled back and went to help her friend down.

Yin jumped down to Matthew, Katie jumped down to Leo, Kami jumped down to Jeremiah, and Marine jumped down to Elijah, exchanging smiles with their saviors. However, Professor Chang and his henchmen recovered and were about to zap them with electric rods, but Mas Y Menos zipped by and grabbed them, stacking them below the Freezer. Double D carefully climbed down and observed the Freezer's controls, pushing the red button, and freezing the scientists solid.

"Hmm… well, that works!" the sock-head smiled.

"Great!" Eddy decided, "We'll take out the villains, and the speedy boys can bring 'em here so you can freeze them!"

"Okay! Let's do it!" Matthew exclaimed, and the group charged down as the battle became more climactic than ever.

"And lo and behold, all of the heroes are FREE!" Reporter Nick exclaimed.

"Things aren't looking up for the Brotherhood now!" Chip replied.

Starfire and Raven held hands as they spun around and fired their powers straight ahead, striking XL Terrestrial clear in the face and toppling him over. Gnarrk used Kole to beat away some of the Ghost Zone Prison guards until Skulker caught the caveman inside a net. Gnarrk easily sliced the net open, and Skulker gulped when Gnarrk tackled him and started ripping away his mech suit. As Nolan was rolling by, Skulker's head was thrown into his lap, and he pulled the tiny Skulker out of it, the hunter shaking around and crying, _"Fear me! Fear me!"_ Nolan looked with disbelief before tossing the tiny ghost over to Jazz Fenton, who caught him in her Fenton Thermos.

Desiree had grabbed Argent in her massive hands and repeatedly smashed the red-lantern-type heroin against the ground, but Argent smirked and extended her own large hands, conjured by her red energy, and grabbed the Wishing Ghost, swinging HER around before smashing her against the floor. "NO! You will not stop me unless _I _wish it!"

"Then I wish you would freeze yourself." Argent smirked.

"NNOOOO!" Desiree obeyed and froze herself solid.

Dimentia flew around the air in search of Jirachi, but was suddenly pushed away by Meldar's electric sphere. However, Cindy Vortex leapt up and kicked the head off the matrix bender, but that's when Vandana stomped over to grab the blonde. However, Dimentia flew to the robo assistant and unleashed Space Lightning upon her, causing her to short out. Meldar was able to get his head back on and unleashed his own Space Lightning at Dimentia. Sadly, Meldar's lightning appeared stronger as he knocked Dimentia away, charging more power into his Matrix Generators.

A yellow and red blur suddenly zipped by, and Meldar noticed his generators gone. "Hey!" At this, he looked over and saw Kid Flash holding his generators.

"Hey, give those back!" Meldar demanded, trying to chase him, but Kid Flash zipped away and tossed them to April the Gorlock. Meldar went after her, but Dimentia conjured a portal to a different dimension, and April tossed them inside. Meldar looked in sadness as the portal closed afterward. Kid Flash then grabbed the floating spacebender and carried him to be frozen.

Omi dashed over and performed a leaping kick toward Robo-Jack, kicking the robot's head clean off as Jack Spicer caught it in his hands. "AHHH!" he screamed as Omi ran toward him. "Changing Chop-" He held the chopsticks up, but Omi immediately swiped them away. "HUUH? !"

"HAHA!" Omi cheered, holding up the golden chopsticks.

"AAHHH!" Jack cowered and ran away.

Numbuh 5 and Libby Folfax had just finished beating the last of Rhymer's Rappers before they encountered the Ghost Writer and D'andre LeRhyme themselves. "The two children bested the Rappers, and-" the Ghost Writer tried to say.

"Decided to find an orange!" Abby exclaimed.

"And… oh no! NOTHING RHYMES WITH ORANGE!"

"Uh, except DOOR hinge." Libby corrected.

The two rhymers went into mental breakdown. "NOOOO!" They randomly exploded.

"…Ah still don't get that." Abby commented.

Jermaine tossed his basketball to bump Trident's head, catching it when it came back. The New Yorker then dodged a ball from the Dodgeball Wizard. "Hey, Old Man, haven't ya heard the news? Basketball's all the rage now!" Jermaine declared. He dodged more of the wizard's rubber balls before running at him, first bouncing, leaping, then shooting his basketball. The wizard tried to grab it, but was unable to, seeing as it wasn't a dodgeball, and his eyes widened when the hard, orange ball crushed his pointy nose.

"AIEEE! You broke my NOSE! I'm telling my mommy! AHH- Huh?" Kid Flash suddenly picked him up and carried him to be frozen.

As Speedy ran by to shoot arrows at Britbots, he was stopped when a plunger-arrow hit his face. He pulled it off and saw Robin Food ahead. "You shall advance no further in this fight, Speedy, for it is high time I stopped you. Or my name isn't:" the trumpets sounded and the song began again.

"Robin Food, Robin Food, not your average thieving dude. With his band of Hungry Men, he comes to school at lunch and THEEN: he ROBS… from the yooung (and crude), and GIIIVES tooo the ooold (how shrewd). Robin Food. YO-H-" They were silenced when Speedy shot an ice arrow in the center of them, which exploded and froze them all in a giant ice cube.

"Guess that's NOT your name, then." Speedy remarked.

The Sector E Team was currently battling Mad Mod on his giant Britbot. Numbuh 513, aka Scarf Girl was able to tear her scarf into the back of the robot, and Mad Mod jumped off before she ripped the insides apart. The three operatives faced him, but the Rowdy Hooligans arrived to his aid, getting in their way. "'ey, roight on time, Mod Jr.!"

"Anytime, Dad!" the Rowdy Hooligan's leader smiled. The big member of the Hooligans charged at Numbuh 437, but the buff operative jumped and crushed him. The Rowdy Hooligan girl ran to attack Scarf Girl, but she simply extended her scarfs and grabbed her in one, sending her flying. Afterwards, Numbuh 122 engaged Mod Jr. in hand-to-hand combat. Numbuh 122 took a few punches, but he eventually shoved his umbrella up and through his shirt, spun the child villain around, and sent him flying.

Numbuh 122 then faced Mad Mod, the two of them shooting glares. The Sector E Leader clashed his umbrella against Mod's cane, and was able to swat it away. Scarf Girl caught it and snapped it in half. "Nnooooo!" Mad Mod screamed as his form aged to an old man.

"Perhaps you are getting too slow for your age, eh, Mod?" the British boy smiled and nodded. Afterwards, Kid Flash zipped by to carry Mod to the Freezer.

Dr. Facilier had engaged Mumbo Jumbo in a magical duel, and the witch-doctor quickly dodged to avoid his attacks. However, Mumbo called "Expelliarmus!" to knock Facilier's cane away. "HAA HAHAHAHA-" His laughter was interrupted when somebody snatched his wand away, looking to see Abby as she snapped it in half. "NNOOOO!" Mumbo's hat disappeared, and his height shortened to that of an old man. Facilier picked his cane back up and twirled it in victory before Mas Y Menos zipped by to take Mumbo to be frozen.

Numbuh 5 was then ambushed by Stickybeard and his Candy Pirates. "Abigail!" Henrietta suddenly ran by her side and tossed her a candycane sword.

"Le's DO this!" she exclaimed before she and Heinie began clashing against the pirates, easily knocking them out in only a few hits. It was soon just Stickybeard left as the pirate readied his sword. (In the background, Gramma Stuffum could be seen running away as Fanny chased and pelted her butt with gumdrops from a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A..) Abby and Henrietta exchanged a smirk before the two girls leapt up and performed an aerial-kick to Stickybeard's face, knocking him clean out. Kid Flash then ran by to take him to be frozen.

The timebenders and Yuki Crystal looked up as Undergrowth towered and roared over them. Thankfully, the ice ghost, Frostbite came along and blew a powerful Ice Breath all over the plant monster, freezing him completely solid. They then noticed Baby Eddie riding toward them on his T-rex, but Clockwork appeared and conjured a huge portal between the kids and the dinosaur. The T-rex dashed in and vanished in the portal, and Baby Eddie was sent flying over it, landing in Yuki Crystal's hands. The boy froze the baby upon touch.

"WILL YOU be mah FWIEND?" Klemper, the friend-seeking ice ghost, asked.

"Heck no!" Yuki replied, shooting an ice ray to freeze the ghost solid.

As Cosmo and Nova were busy taking down villains, the butlers, Wintergreen and Blix, approached them with cups of tea. "Would you like a cup of tea, Monsieur and Mis?" Wintergreen asked.

Seeing this trick before, Cosmo and Nova only kicked upward and knocked the steaming tea into their faces. Zuri and Goddard then ran by and proceeded to gnaw at their butts, the two butlers frantically running around. Up above, Annie Wilconson rode Chad as he flew around with his rocket-shoes, flying above Mega Mom and Destructo Dad as Annie dropped down to Mega Mom, and Chad attacked his dad, forcing the two to the ground, then leaving April and Sonya to give them headaches with their powers.

The Sapphire Dragon had encountered Kimiko and Hotspot, but the two used their firebending and unleashed flames all over the dragon, covering him in soot, and causing him to revert to normal. "MOONSTONE Locus!" Raimundo called, unleashing locusts from the Shen Gong Wu, allowing them to devour the Heylin Plant.

Johnny 13 zoomed around on his motorcycle, running Marine over repeatedly. The ghost rider laughed, but he noticed he was coming to Elijah Frantic, the poisonbender burping some gas all over his face as Johnny tried to blow it away. Marine grinned at this, but the Shadow appeared behind and grabbed her, lifting her up. Marine easily shook away by punching the ghost with her light fist. She then spun her arm around and charged a Super Light Sphere, punching the Shadow and causing it to explode into light. "No! My Shadow!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Aw, somebody miss his Shadow?" Danika taunted, coming out of a shadow behind him. "'Cause I still have mine. Wanna see?" With that, she pulled him into a Shadow Veil and proceeded to pound away at him.

Danny Phantom soared around the air as Punk Rocket and The Steve gave chase, unleashing sonic waves at him from their guitars. The sound hurt Danny's ears and made him drop to the ground below. The guitarists landed several feet away, and Danny noticed a hand reaching down to help him up, looking up and smiling at Emily Matthews. The female Halfa helped Danny up as they both faced the guitarists. The two strummed their loud guitars again, but Danny and Emily countered by unleashing their Ghostly Wail. The two erupted their wail stronger and stronger to fight past the sonic waves. Eventually, their screams prevailed, and the villains were blown back as their guitars exploded.

"Mah guitar! No no no no NO!" Steve cried.

"My guitar! NOOOO!" Punk Rocket cried a waterfall of tears.

Kid Flash sped over to pick up Punk Rocket, and the Gold Ranger picked up The Steve, as Flash said, "You dudes have terrible music." With that, both of them carried them to be frozen.

"EMBERRR! Mah favorite naaame!" Ember McLain sang upon her own stage. "EMBERRR! You-" Tucker Foley dashed up and shoved the singer away, taking her microphone.

"EMBEEERRR! YOU WILL REMEMBEERRR!" Tucker's horrible singing erupted throughout the base. Ember shook and shielded her ears as her blue ponytail flame died down. The stereos eventually exploded, and Sam caught Ember inside the Fenton Thermos, still shielding her ears.

As Matt and Kim were running along, they stopped when the Nanobots' saucer suddenly flew in their path. "FREEZE! You are about to be deleted! Any requests?" they asked.

"I have a question!" Matt spoke.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Which came first? Chicken or the egg?"

"Mmm, good question. Allow me to type in the sequence of origin-" the red Nanobot slapped the yellow Nanobot's hand away.

"Allow ME to type in the origin sequence." The yellow one rolled his eyes as the red one typed something into their computer. "Aha! Here it is!" The screen showed a picture of an arrow pointing from a chicken to an egg. "As you can tell by this data, the chicken comes from an egg." That's when even more of the same pattern appeared over and over again. "Which came from a chicken, which came from an egg, which came from a chicken, comes from an egg-"

"Error! Error!" the yellow bot exclaimed. "Infinite origin sequence! Insufficient data!"

"A chicken, flower, egg, seed, chicken, flower, egg, seed-" This sequence went on and on as the robots began to malfunction. Matt grabbed Kim and quickly jumped away before the saucer exploded.

Matt looked back and got off of her as they both stood up. "Wow, Matt! Smart thinkin'!"

"Not as smart as YOU, of course." Matt smiled proudly.

As Jessie Bailey was flying around on her motorcycle using the Wings of Tinabi, she and Clay were coming up to Cinderblock. "Jessie, take this!" he yelled, tossing her the Lasso Boa-Boa Shen Gong Wu.

"Lasso Boa-Boa!" she called, tossing the lasso to wrap around Cinderblock's neck. The monster grunted and choked as the rope tightly gripped his neck, and Jessie used it to swing him in the air before flying toward the Six Gum Gang, swinging Cinderblock at them to send them flying. With that done, she then hurled him towards Clay, who raised the Fist of Tebigong to punch Cinderblock dead-on. The monster was sent flying toward the Freezer 5000, crushing the Six Gums beneath him before Double D froze them all.

Tommy Gilligan was jumping and dodging around to avoid Common Cold's snot shots when Katara used her Water Fists to pull the sick villain down. She and Eva then combined their healing powers and rubbed against the villain's nose. His pale-green skin turned to that of normal color as he stood up to take a breath of fresh air through his nostrils. "My nose… it's clean…" He smiled at first. "…NOOOOOOO!" Kid Flash then zipped by to take him to be frozen.

Numbuh 4 was being painfully zapped by Jerry Rassic, but the bully-hater then felt a tap on his shoulder, looking back to see Jericho Wilson. Jericho looked into his eyes and instantly possessed the boy, punching his own face. "Quit hitting myself- UUH! Quit hitting myself- UUH! Quit hitting myself- UUH! Ooohhh…" Jericho flew out as Jerry groaned and fainted. Mas Y Menos ran by to carry him off afterwards.

Jericho then looked and noticed Ernie- "It's ERNEST!", who looked terrified and ran away as Jericho chased to possess him.

The two crippled boys, Mario Ramsey and Teo sped along on their wheelchairs, running over Kitten, Killer Moth, and Toiletnator. Mario was suddenly kicked away by somebody, recovering to see Le Mime. He growled at the magic mime, who strangely began to act as if he were in a wheelchair. "Oh, great. The mirror act." Mario whined. "Wait a minute…" He had an idea and started to play along with the mime. He played 'Peekaboo' with him, rolled his arms around, then fist-pumped as Le Mime mimicked his acts. Mario then held up an imaginary gun, aimed to his right, then fired, aimed to his left, and fired. Mario then aimed down at his right foot, and Le Mime followed. His hand trembled, but Mario shot his own already-limp foot, and Le Mime mirrored.

"OOOOOWWWW!" the magic mime screamed, hopping on the other foot after shooting himself.

"Ha! Your act is terrible." Mario laughed. Kid Flash then proceeded to carry Le Mime to be frozen.

The Toiletnator, Dr. Light, and Box Ghost had gathered and faced Herald. However, the spacebender simply blew his trumpet and opened a portal behind them. They tried desperately to shake away, but failed as they were sucked in. Herald twirled his trumpet in victory.

Overload encountered Kilowatt and tried to punch him with both arms, but Kilowatt gripped his hands and smirked as he absorbed the electrical monster in only seconds, leaving only his chip. Sokka and Bushido ran side-by-side as they both held their swords ready, slicing the legs off Atlas, Adonis, and then Technus. Technus lifted his head up and noticed Ramon-4, flying out of his current robotic body and shooting into his.

"Ramon!" Computer screamed as her lover was being possessed. Thankfully, Maddie Fenton ran over and fired her Fenton Thermos at the robot, sucking the Tech Ghost inside. Adonis tried to stand up without his robo-legs, but Pantha ran over, gripped his face, and ripped him out of the suit, tossing him away. She kept her guard up, expecting Adonis to go into beast mode, which he did. But as the beast charged at the Spanish wrestler, he was instantly tackled by Wulf. Adonis tried to fight back, but the Wulf scratched across his face repeatedly until he was finally knocked out. Adonis reverted to normal, and Kid Flash came to carry him to the Freezer.

As the legless Atlas tried to crawl away, Kweeb scampered over and dashed into one of the broken leg compartments. Atlas started malfunctioning and shaking uncontrollably, and finally fainted before Kweeb jumped out. A foot stomped in Kweeb's path just then, and he looked up at the not-much-taller Threezore. Kweeb began shooting at the Nighlok, but Threezore was able to kick him on his back. Threezore approached the tiny alien with an evil expression, but Kweeb was saved when a huge, bare foot stomped down and crushed the Nighlok, smiling up at Angie.

Ava sliced away Moogers with her swords and destroyed them, then encountered the sword-made Nighlok, Steeleto. The blade-happy Nighlok unleashed his Full-Body Blade attack, and Ava rapidly defended against each of the quick-stabbing blades, eventually performing a spin attack at the Nighlok and slicing him in half, making him explode. The PTOOEY were all charging to attack Kami, but the Drilovsky was able to knock them all out. She then faced Ms. Chow, and the mean teacher drew out and twirled her ruler around. But that's when Jeremiah came over and breathed in the teacher's face, and Ms. Chow backed away as she tried to wave the stench away.

When she finally did, she looked up in terror as the snake-dragon, Dojo was flying her way, his mouth wide open. Ms. Chow screamed and immediately made a dash for the arena's exit. The scene was similar to when Dolores Umbridge was chased by the fire dragon, in _Harry Potter_. But right before she could make it, Dojo swooped down and grabbed her by the shirt in his teeth, carrying and dropping her under the Freezer, where Double D froze her.

Kami then quickly dodged before Pottymouth sent a gush of water her way from his mouth. She kept dodging the water gushes as she ran for the better toilet-themed villain, jumping and stomping his right toe. "YOOOWCH!" he yelled, gripping his foot and hopping on the other one. "YOU DAMN BITCH! THE F*** DID YOU DO THAT FOR? ! OH, MY F*** DAMN TOE! AAA, F****!"

That's when Kweeb scampered over, holding up Threezore in his hands as he leapt up onto Pottymouth's head, tossing the Nighlok into his open mouth and jumping on the handle. Threezore was flushing down Pottymouth's mouth, and ended up clogging the villain, causing water to gush out uncontrollably.

"AAAHH, YOU *** CLOGGED ME! ! AAAHH, ***! ***! ***! ***! GOD ***! ***!" Pottymouth unleashed a storm of swears as he ran about uncontrollably. "***! ***! ***! ***! ***! ***! ***! ***!" He unknowingly ran up the stairs to the Freezing Machine, and Double D pressed the button and froze him in an instant.

"That's enough out of you, young man!" Edd wagged his finger.

"Whoa-ho! That guy cursed even more than Nick!" Chip announced.

"Hey! I don't cuss!" Nick yelled.

"No, not you, Nick. The other Nick. You know… the author's assistant."

"Oh… yeah, he cusses a lot."

"ALRIGHT, Double D!" Eddy cheered.

"Hey, hey!"

"Oh gee." Eddy looked with fear when his brother encountered him. Eddy tried to make a run for the exit nearby, but his brother grabbed his leg and began twisting it. Eddy was able to stretch out and grab the doorway's handle, but was unable to pull away from his sibling. Thankfully, the door was yanked off, and his brother's eyes widened when it shot over and smashed against his face. The older brother wobbled around before fainting beside the Kankers. The three sisters looked at Eddy with terror as he raised and shook his fist. The Kankers just decided to leave him and drag his brother's body away.

"RAAAAH!" Thunder battle-cried, leaping to the center of a group of Dai Li Agents and sending out a powerful shockwave, sending them away. Nigel and Zuko dodged before Princess Azula zapped lightning at them, then conjured Fire Daggers as Azula made her own blue Fire Daggers, clashing against the princes'. Azula shot fire at their legs and was able to knock them over, but Mai hurled her daggers and pinned Azula to the wall by her clothes. Before she could get them off, Ty Lee flipped over and dealt several rapid punches, blocking Azula's chi. That's when Lightning flew by and unleashed his lightning all over her, dealing a painful shock before she fainted. Kid Flash then came by and carried her to be frozen.

Long Feng recovered, but Appa suddenly landed in front of him with a thud. He tried to kick the bison, but Appa grabbed his shoe in his mouth and shook him around before throwing him toward below the Freezer. The Dai Li recovered to attack Thunder, but rock chunks randomly jabbed out from below; created by Toph, who sent them flying and landing each agent perfectly stacked below the Freezer, with Long Feng on the bottom. Double D pushed the button and froze them.

Xin Fu and Yu were running along until they suddenly noticed Angie, who smiled happily with her hands folded behind her. The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter, but the young earthbender conjured her Boulder-n-Chain and bashed them across the heads several times before knocking them out.

"CHAAAARGE!" General Immortus cried as he and his droids charged forth. Omi and Aqualad both used their waterbending and surfed a huge wave, easily wiping out the troupe of droids. Immortus was washed along the floor, and recovered as he looked down and noticed the Shalas. "What the heck are you?"

"Heck are you, heck are you! SHALA!" the aliens cheered before climbing all over the general.

"H-Hey! Get of me!"

"Offa me, offa me! SHALA!" Immortus was eventually able to shake them off, but he was instantly tackled and ganged up on by the Junior Prospectors. He tried to stand up, but Shaunie kept his hands over his eyes as he did so, the general unable to shake the Irish boy off. He finally jumped off when Gary and Dan grabbed both his arms, and the last thing Immortus saw was Wesley Dodds dashing over to jump and kick him in the face, knocking him out. Afterwards, Mr. Oldman proceeded to freeze the ancient general solid.

Omi and Aqualad continued to surf their wave, noticing Emily (Yellow Ranger) and Mia battling the mermaid monster, Dyris. The two surfed down and splashed their water all over the monster, changing her back into a mermaid. Afterwards, Omi yelled, "ORB OF TORNAMI!", using the orb to freeze the mermaid solid. "Ahhh… she's so pretty." Omi smiled and blushed goofily. A few feet away, Kimiko only rolled her eyes.

Mia's Samuraizer was suddenly pulled away by a laser whip, held by Kitten. "So, Pink Girl, let's see if you're pretty enough to dodge this." She swung her whip around, but Mia was swiftly able to dodge. Kitten angrily pulled a button out of the flower on her dress and pushed it, sending a swarm of mutant moths after the Pink Ranger.

"It's not nice to take someone's stuff!" Jayden exclaimed as the Red Ranger tossed his Zord over to take the button away from Kitten. The Red Ranger tossed the device up in the air and sliced it in half with his sword.

"NNOOOO!" Kitten cried, ripping her hair off as all of the moths changed back into larvae.

"Don't worry, pretty lady." Antonio said, speeding over to sweep Kitten off her feet. "I gotcha." With that, the Gold Ranger sped off and carried her to be frozen.

Hoagie flew around with his D.A.R.T. while Ace flew beside him on a glider. The two locked hands and spiraled around like a torpedo as they were coming to Big Brother, crashing in his face and making him wobble around dizzily. Behind him, the Great Puttinski looked with terror as the giant villain was about to fall back on him. He screamed and tried to run away, but Big Brother fell over and crushed him. The two pilots took land and high-fived when- "Haha!" They noticed Mr. Washer, still eating an apple crumble. "If it isn't the two pilot aces. It's payback time, brats!"

"Hey, Mr. Washer, did Nurse Claiborne tell you those apple crumbles are made with eyecrust?" Hoagie asked.

"Eyecrust?" the pilot gasped. Mr. Washer immediately puked and fainted.

Rachel was happily slicing Wuya's rock monsters, but was suddenly caught in both of Cyclops's hands, struggling to break away as the monster held her to his eye. "Well, Ms. McKenzie, this appears to be the end of you." Wuya smirked, flying beside her. "Any last requests?"

"Uh… Chewy Pellets?"

"Hmph." Wuya snapped her fingers and made a box of the candy appear in her hand. "It's always candy with you kids." Rachel held her mouth wide open as Wuya dumped the Chewy Pellets in. "Here ya go, Kid. The last thing you'll ever chew-" Rachel instantly spat the choco balls back in Wuya's face like bullets, then spat at Cyclops's eye, causing him to release her.

Nigel and Fanny nodded to each other before firing their G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H.s at Cyclops's belly while he was distracted. The two firebenders switched on their rocket shoes and began flying around the titan in opposite directions, getting him all tangled up in their ropes. When Cyclops opened his eye, he found his arms and legs tied up as he fell to the ground. Nigel and Fanny landed and high-fived. Omi then landed before the monster's face and yelled, "Changing Chopsticks!" He crossed the chopsticks in an "X", shrinking the monster down to half his height. Mas Y Menos then sped by to carry him to be frozen.

Danny and Emily Matthews stood back-to-back as the army of Billy Numerous clones surrounded them. They exchanged a smirk and nod before the two Halfas split up into their own clones. The clones took aim and fired Ecto Rays at each of the Billy copies at once. As a result, the clones were forcibly sucked back into Billy's form, and he fainted.

Sam and Tucker ran about, happily sucking ghost villains into their Thermos', such as Kitty, Hotep-Ra, and Lydia, then suddenly noticed Freakshow. The ghost-wannabe looked angrily at them before using his Reality Gauntlet to turn giant, and the kids gasped and ran before he could stomp on them. Danny and Emily saw this and nodded to each other. Both Halfas flew up toward Freakshow's face and combined their Ecto Rays, firing directly at the clown's face and knocking him over. Freakshow growled in anger and used the Reality Gauntlet to transform himself into a hideously, terrifying ghost. However, Danny only looked with disbelief before simply sucking him inside the Fenton Thermos. He then picked up the dropped Reality Gauntlet and tossed it in the air, and Emily fired an Ecto Ray to destroy it.

The child team of Melvin, Timmy, and Teether wandered around, wondering what to do, and gasped when the Ankle Biters appeared behind them in their centipede robot. Thankfully, the teddy bear, Bobby came to their rescue and ripped the robot to shreds.

"Serpent's Tail!" Jack Spicer called, using said tail to fly around as a ghost as Maddie Fenton tried to shoot him with an ecto laser gun. The boy genius flew toward Jack Fenton, who held up the Fenton Ghost Catcher in defense. When Jack Spicer phased through the glowing-green net, two doubles of him came out, one of them designed like he usually is, all evil, and another one with less-pale skin who was dressed nicely.

"BWAHAHA!" Evil Jack laughed. "Let's defeat the heroes and take over the world!"

"No!" Good Jack exclaimed. "Let's throw a party for them and bake cookies!"

"You're not related to me, are you?" Evil Jack asked.

That's when Emily Matthews flew by and grabbed the two Jacks, and Danny took the Ghost Catcher from his dad. Emily set them under the Freezer while Danny switched the device to 'Reverse', catching the two Jacks through it again and fusing them back together. "Whoa… huh?" Jack looked up, but was too late to move as Double D froze him.

Danny and Emily landed and high-fived, but the ghost boy was suddenly tackled by Mammoth. Mammoth smirked as he strangled the ghost boy, but- "Hey, muscle boy!" Mammoth looked to the side as Dash Baxter dashed over and tackled the buff villain, punching him across the face several times before lifting him by the shirt collar. He dealt one last punch to his face, sending him flying toward the Freezer Machine, where Double D froze him. Dash smiled and nodded at Danny, who nodded back in return.

"HWAHH!" Jar Jar Blinks cried, running to throw several punches and kicks at Legion, but the nightmare man was able to dodge the Gungan's strikes.

"Haha!" he laughed, raising his syringe and stabbing straight into Jar Jar's head. "Now… submit to the true power… of our fear-"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Jar Jar wagged his finger at him. "Me-so too stupido to be effected by spooky-scary toxy-woxy."

"Huh? !"

"Now… WITNESSH DEH POWER…" Jar Jar exclaimed, leaping high into the air, "OF SHUPER DOOPER GUNGY KICK! WAAAH!" Legion held his arms up in defense, but Jar Jar kicked his leg directly onto the man's head. The kick appeared to be so powerful, it SQUISHED Legion's head, and caused it to explode. Earwax and snot could be seen coming out of his ears and nostrils, and the eyes shot out like bullets. As Jar Jar landed back down, a fountain of blood erupted from where Legion's head once sat, and the alien looked with surprise as his body fell to the ground. "Ooh… uh… dashi was-a expected-e."

"Hey, friend!" Bolbi came and greeted the Gungan, smiling creepily.

"Ohh! Hello, Bolbeh-wolbeh!" Jar Jar waved.

"You blow head up gooood! We must hang out sometime, no?"

"Yeshi-WESHI!"

Violet McCleary stood on all-fours as she faced the werepoodle that was Valerie, the beast snarling at the werecat. The two charged at each other and began to wrestle, in which Valerie pinned Violet to the ground. She was about to gnash at her, but Luna leapt onto the beast and yelled, "YEE-HA!", beginning to ride it around like a horse. She rode the beast over and made it tackle Walker, Valerie gnawing at the ghost warden's shirt before leaping off. Valerie shook Luna away and snarled back at Violet. The catgirl began running around to get away before taking cover behind Katnappe and Cheshire.

"Golden Tiger Claws!" Katnappe yelled, ripping a portal open with her claws to get away. Cheshire freaked out and began running as Valerie chased her. She unknowingly ran up the stairs that led to the ledge where the Freeze Machine hung, running under it as Double D froze both her and Valerie, the two still holding the position where Valerie jumped at Cheshire.

Red Star charged to attack Vlad, but the Russian villain put on his- "Crystal Glasses!" and easily dodged Red Star's punches by seeing the future. Jagar and Clockwork noticed this, and the Time Ghost snapped his fingers to open a portal to the past, which Jagar entered.

_Several moments earlier_

Jagar came out of the portal and tackled the Russian villain from behind, taking his Crystal Glasses, and running back in.

_Present time_

"Crystal Gla- Huh?" The Shen Gong Wu vanished from Vlad's hand.

"HAAYAH!" Red Star cried, running to punch and knock out the villain in one hit to the eye.

Jagar tossed the Crystal Glasses to Clockwork and said, "They let you see the future, but not the past."

As Avatar Aang was running around, he felt himself suddenly grabbed by an unknown force, looking to see Tarlokk as he raised him up with bloodbending. Thankfully, the Kyoshi Warriors arrived and dealt several mini-punches against him, blocking his chi. Avatar Aang dropped, but Warp arrived and used his powers to open a portal behind Aang. It began to suck him in, but the Avatar used his great speed to get away, jumping behind Tarlokk and blowing the bloodbender into the portal, back to the future as it closed. Warp then looked behind and saw Sokka running towards him. Warp hurled one of his disk bombs, but Sokka tossed his boomerang. The boomerang successfully chopped the disk in half before it crashed into Warp's Regulator.

"Nnn! NOOOOOO!" the time-traveler screamed, beginning to shrink into his clothing. Aang and Sokka watched with wonder as this happened, and when it stopped, Aang carefully uncovered the armor to see Warp has turned into a baby.

The baby whined and cried, and Sokka commented, "Well, it's a better way to have a baby than the other way." Aang looked with disbelief before carrying the baby to be frozen.

The 44 Brothers had also arrived, and were engaging Amorpho and Chameleon Bot in battle. The villains transformed into copies of the 44s and began to mimic their battle movements as Patton ran over with a S.C.A.M.P.P. ready. "Ohh… which is it?"

"IT'S THEM!" both pairs of twins shouted. "NO, THEM! OH, SHUT UP!"

"Do not worry, my good friend!" Omi came over and said to Patton. "Just use your tiger instincts, and the answer will-"

Patton just decided to shoot all four of them in their foot. They all yelped around and gripped their foot as the copies returned to normal. "Oh… that works, too." Omi guessed.

Jazz ran over to catch Amorpho in the Thermos, and Patton just shot and blew up Chameleon Bot. "Yeah… great job, Dude." Pete said, sarcastically.

Patton then quickly jumped away before the Girl Squad could shoot him with their ray guns. "Say good-bye to Big Brother Patton, and HELLO to Big Sister-" Margie was interrupted when Wally kicked the weapon up in the air and caught it.

"Guess again, Girly!" Wally shouted, switching the ray gun to 'Boyify' and proceeding to shoot Margie's henchwomen, turning them all into goofy boys.

"Hey, how about firing that thing this-a-way?" Numbuh 78 called, bringing the girlified Numbuh 10-Speed over.

"I like ponies and unicorns!" the girl cheered.

Wally only looked with disgust before firing and changing him back to normal. "He-he-YE-ES! I like FOOTBALL and RIDING MY BIKE!" With that, he hopped on his bike and proceeded to ride off, about to come in contact with Johnny Rancid, until he leapt and kicked the motorbiker off.

"And, one over here, Dude." Patton said, holding up his girlified hand. Wally shot it and made it a boy's again.

"And me." Toph said, pointing down at her feet, with pink nail polish. Wally shot them and changed them back as Toph wiggled her restored toes. "Sweetness."

"Great. Now, if there will be no more interruptions…" Wally smirked, taking aim at Margie, who looked with total horror and fear.

"N-No! Don't point that thing at-" Wally fired anyway, and Margie yelped and shielded her eyes. When she reopened them, she felt that her entire lower half had been changed to that of a boy's, gasping with even more horror. "NNOOOOOO!" Mas Y Menos ran by to carry her to be frozen.

The ghost dragon, Prince Aragon was about to unleash his flames upon the Junior Prospectors, but Herald jumped in his way and blew his trumpet, creating a portal that sucked the flames in, followed by the dragon himself. "Ha. No problem." Katnappe smirked. "I'll just warp over to where you sent him and bring him back. Golden Tiger- Ow!" Raimundo instantly tackled the cat-girl, making the Tiger Claws spiral and slide across the floor. The two exchanged a quick glance before they both dashed over, but Raimundo was able to grab them first.

"Aha!" he cheered, opening his own portal. "Golden Ti- Hey!" Katnappe instantly tackled him inside. The portal reopened at another part of the arena, and Katnappe tossed the Brazilian away. However, she looked and noticed she was under the Freezer, too late to move as Double D froze her.

Matt and Kim continued wandering around the field and suddenly ran into Bob Johnson, aiming his sniper rifle. "This time, I'm not gonna miss! You're goin' down, German freak!" Kim simply reached into her pocket and pulled her giant bubble cannon out of thin air, taking aim at the villain. "HHAH! You think I'm gonna fall for the whole 'bubble cannon' gag? !"

"Hurrrrr!" Kim grunted, pulling as hard as she could on the trigger to blow a massive bubble from the pistol hole. The bubble grew bigger and bigger as Kim pulled, and eventually grew to Bob Johnson's height as it came out, floating over and capturing the boy inside.

Bob floated around inside the bubble as he tried to break it open, but failed to. "H-Hey." His voice echoed from inside the bubble. "What's with this bubble? L-Lemme outta here. L-Let me out- _GAAAHHHH!"_ The bubble flowed all the way up and out of the hole in the ceiling in seconds, the boy screaming as he was taken up to the heavens.

As Sector W was running around the arena, The Source encountered them with his squad of Bobs. "This is the END of the road for you!" the tofu alien exclaimed.

"Heya, Hannie!" the Bobs greeted.

"Guys: soda me up." Harvey ordered. His friends each tossed him a can of soda, and he drank each and every one of them. He felt the many cans of liquid immediately flowing through his bladder, and the operatives closed their eyes and looked away as Harvey proceeded to pee on every one of the Bobs, changing them back into tofu. They carefully opened their eyes once they heard the sounds of peeing stop.

"Uh, Harvey?... You could've just spat the soda on them." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, I know."

The Source only looked with disgust as Mas Y Menos came to take him away.

Mr. Fizz had formed up into his soda armor and readied to battle Mika and Team Psychic. However, Mika simply grabbed him using psychic and shook the armored soda man around. The soda began to fizz out of control until the armor exploded. Mr. Fizz fell to the ground and tried to stand up, but Charlotte MayHence ran over, jumped, and kicked the soda man in the face, knocking him out.

Raven had encountered the paper-bodied wizard known as Malchior, who transformed into a dragon and gave his battle-roar. "Raven, use this!" Starfire called, tossing Raven the spellbook that was Malchior's prison. The dragon's eyes widened with fear as Raven held up the spellbook.

"Aldruon, Enlenthranel, Vosolen Lirus-nor!" After uttering the spell, the dragon transformed into black, shadowy energy and sucked inside the book, which Raven snapped shut afterward. She then handed the book to Mas Y Menos, who carried it to be frozen.

Wuya was about to hurl her green flames at the Fulbright siblings, but was immediately tackled by Monty and Mr. Boss. They jumped off as Wuya recovered and shot flames at Monty, who shot his flames back, but Wuya's flames proved stronger as she knocked the two on their backs. She was about to burn them some more, but was THEN tackled by Sector Z. Ashley pulled Wuya into a Shadow Veil and began to pound away at her before tossing her back up for David to kick her away. Yin and Yang grabbed her arms before she could recover, but the Heylin Witch pushed the Twins away with her fire, then proceeded to push the other Sector Z members away.

"Hmm." Clockwork tapped his chin in thought before making a portal to go back in time.

"Huh?" Raimundo watched as he vanished.

"Raimundo, use this." Clockwork appeared behind the boy and tossed him Wuya's puzzle box prison.

The Sector Z Team all got away from Wuya as Raimundo stepped over. Wuya gasped as he opened the box, and the spirit of Dashi came out. _"You never learn, do you, Wuya?"_ was all the spirit said before shooting straight through Wuya's body.

"NNNOOOOOOOO," the witch screamed as she felt the pain surging through her, changing back into a ghost, "OOOOOOOO!" With that, she was sucked into the puzzle box as it was snapped shut.

_"Well done, Shoku Warrior."_ Dashi bowed to Raimundo before vanishing. Said Shoku Warrior then tossed the box to Mas Y Menos to be frozen.

"Uh, guys?" Yamiror spoke to a group of other Nighloks, slightly afraid of how things are going. "I'm thinking we should- ULP!" They all gasped when Antonio dashed behind them.

"Don't leave yet, mi amigos!" the Gold Ranger exclaimed, speeding around and slicing the Nighlok to bits with his Barracuda Blade, making them all explode.

"OHO! The Brotherhood of Evil is falling to pieces, one by ONE!" Reporter Nick exclaimed.

"Looks like the good guys have this battle ALL wrapped up, Nick!" Chip announced.

"Crud! I KNEW this would happen! Let's outta here-" Gizmo tried to say to Seemore, Kyd Wykkyd, and Private HIVE, only for Jinx to get in their way.

"Not so fast!"

"Oh, not agaain!" Gizmo whined.

"Like I said: nothing personal." With that, she snapped her fingers, and whooshed her former teammates away with her pink bad-luck aura.

By this time, there were very few villains left, and they were easily being wiped out. Knightbrace was punched several feet away by Pantha, but the dentist stood up to charge at her again, only for the wrestling woman to grip his face and shove him down. "I have defeated you! I am honor bound… and hereby claim my prize!"

"Hey! What're you-" Knightbrace stuttered in fear as she gripped his mask and braces. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" The Spanish wrestler yanked the braces and mask right off, exposing his identity as Mr. Jelly as much of his teeth was ripped out.

Kid Flash zipped by to take him to the Freezer, and Double D froze him, then he returned with King Goobot and Ooblar, who were cracked out of their eggs and were frozen, then stacked Beautiful Gorgeous, Junk Man, and Colamitous atop each other, and they were frozen, then brought Johnny Rancid, Killer Moth, Captain Whisker, and Johnny the robo-shark, and froze them, then he brought Panda Bubba and his henchmen, and they were frozen. He then arrived with Kyd Wykkyd, Billy Numerous, Seemore, and Gizmo, stacking them up as Double D looked amazed at his fast pace. "My, my… intriguing!" With that, he froze those four as well.

Cree Lincoln flew around with Mary D. Luis as Valerie Gray surfed over to them on her hoverboard, Maurice riding with her as they both jumped and forced the Teen Ninjas to the ground, knocking them out as Kid Flash and Antonio carried them away. "HYAH!" Mia cried, spiraling a whirlwind from her sword over to Teen Tornado and Prom Queen, sucking them inside and blowing them over to the Freezer. Numbuh 14 and Numbuh 35 charged over to Bright Idea and Nogoodnik, but the operatives knocked them out, and Bright Idea's lightbulb broke before Kid Flash and Antonio carried them off. Octoroo tried to zap magic at Eva and Kade, but both operatives leapt and kicked him in the face, sending him smashing against the wall before Antonio carried him off.

"BLEH HEH HEH HAH!" Count Spankulot laughed as he and Psimon were about to use their powers to attack Raven and Virginia, but the two combined their giant shadow raven and spanking powers (respectively), unleashing them at the villains and knocking them out in one fell swoop. Kid Flash and Antonio came to carry them to the Freezer.

"Is it me, or is this getting easier?" Danika asked, standing with Nolan and April.

"Children." They jumped and readied their guard, seeing Madame Rouge. "Vhen vill you learn- OOF!" Mario and Josh Puncture shot by and pushed her away.

"Told ya." Danika said.

The two rolled along the ground with Madame Rouge until the stretchy woman kicked them into Mother Mae-eye, making her vanish in a puff of pink smoke for some reason. Mario recovered, shot missiles from his wheelchair, and blew up the ground in front of Madame Rouge, sending her flying back. Josh raised his handless arm and extracted a grappling hook from where his hand once was, shooting it over to grab the woman and pull her into the crater that was created by the missiles. Before Rouge could get her legs out, Jinx came by and snapped her fingers, causing the crater to snap shut and trap her legs.

"Just like old times, huh?" Jinx asked with a smirk. (In the background, Argent could be seen scooping Chef Pierre and the Ice Cream Men into her large hands and carrying them away.)

Rack and Ruin then ran by and grabbed both of Rouge's arms, dragging and stretching her out to the Freezer. Once she was stretched enough, Jinx released her legs and sent her flying like a rubber band, landing her under the Freezer, where Double D made her another ice sculpture.

Once this was done, Monsieur Mallah climbed back to his master. "Master… it is time to leave."

The Brain held a look of doubt and worry in his mind as nearly all of his villains had been frozen. "…Agreed!"

Mallah grabbed his master and tried to carry him off, but ended up surrounded by Nigel and Rachel, Danny and Sam, Jayden and Mia, Aang and Katara, Jimmy and Cindy, Robin and Beast Boy, and Nolan, Danika, and April. "You're not going anywhere!" Nolan yelled.

"Then you give me… no choice." And with that, The Brain shot off of his canister, and Mallah grabbed him as he proceeded to carry him up the steel beams toward the hole which Starfire left near the beginning. "A little something to keep you all busy, perhaps." At his command, a swarm of Heartless appeared on the arena, so the heroes jumped back down to try and fight them off.

Nolan and Nigel looked up as Mallah was escaping with Brain. "Let's get 'im!" Nolan exclaimed.

"Okay!" With that, both of them shot their grappling hooks up and hauled their selves upward.

Matt, Hoagie, and Cyborg climbed up to the ledge to watch them head up, then took notice of the canister which Brain left. All of a sudden, it opened up to expose a red core, and a timer counting down. Only 1:00, it started.

As Mallah and Brain were making their way up, Nigel shot up and gripped onto the steel beam, getting in their way and aiming a weapon. "It's over, Brain."

They tried to take the other beam, but Nolan landed on that one. "But Brain, what're you doing? Sacrificing all of your followers just to get rid of us?"

"Sometimes, the only way to win is to clear the board completely." They tried to attack him, but Mallah leapt up to another higher beam. "In only a moment… this entire base will be gone."

"Matt, how do we shut it off? !" Hoagie exclaimed, panicking as the bomb was about to go off.

"How should I know? !"

Thankfully, Starfire arrived just in time with Herald. "Herald, please! You must use your horn!"

"Uhh… I got a little problem." Herald said, indicating the sticky gunk blocking his trumpet's hole. "Spider-head sorta got me."

"Oh, great. NOW what'll we do?" Beast Boy asked.

Omi looked to the arena below, seeing Raimundo warp around the field and taking out Heartless with the Golden Tiger Claws. "Aha! Be back in a bit!" he said before jumping down.

The heroes continued to stare worriedly at the ticking bomb as The Brain's voice echoed. _"I am afraid you have simply run out of options. Guilty."_

Nolan and Nigel looked up and watched as Brain and Mallah were nearly out of the exit. "You take the monkey, I got the jar." Nolan said.

"Sounds like a plan." With that, Nigel flew up with his rocket shoes and got above Mallah, dropping and stomping right on his face, causing him to drop his master as The Brain's dome rolled along a broken steel pipe.

"Master, no!" Mallah screamed, unable to catch the Sith Lord before he took the fall. "You miserable…" He held up Nigel by the leg in anger, but the pipe suddenly gave in and collapsed, causing the two to fall.

Nolan saw The Brain fall past him and rolled his chair off, shooting his grappling hook to grab onto something as he swung by to grab the Sith Lord safely in his lap.

After Mallah landed on the ground with a thud, he was about to attack Nigel, but- "AAHHH!" Ed suddenly dashed over and tackled the gorilla, using his incredible strength to swing him around. "NEVER freeze a lump without giving him some BUTTER TOAST!" And he continued to bash Mallah around.

As the timer was nearly finished ticking, Omi had arrived back with Raimundo. "So, what's the problem?" Rai asked.

"Get rid of this thing!" Kimiko shouted.

"Okay. Where to?"

"I have an idea." Starfire replied with a spiteful look. The Tamaranian whispered into Raimundo's ear, and he nodded with understanding.

"Okay, then. Golden Tiger Claws!"

The boy ripped the portal open as Cyborg and Hoagie proceeded to haul the bomb inside, giving a sigh of relief as it vanished.

**Val-Yor's Ship**

The Tamaranian-hater, Val-Yor was calmly flying around space in his ship when the bomb suddenly appeared in front of him. "What the…" he picked up and studied the device, turning it around to see the timer with only 4 seconds left. "…OHH, SHI-"

From the depths of space, a gargantuan ball of light could be seen illuminating the stars in the distance, fading back into nothingness after a few seconds.

**Final Brain**

Ed continued to brawl against the buff gorilla, but Mallah was able to shove him away in seconds. "You may be just as strong. But my intelligence far exceeds yours."

"Oh, really?" Mallah turned and noticed Double D, standing by the Freezer controls. "Then allow me to fill up that void."

Mallah instantly realized he was below the Freezer, too late to move as he was frozen.

As the heroes were finishing off the last of the Heartless, Gwen and Doug hurried over to Nolan. "Hey! Did you get him?" Gwen asked.

Nolan York smiled and held the disembodied brain up in victory. "Got 'im!"

Finally, every last remaining monster in the arena was gone. With the battle finished, the army of heroes gathered to view the resulting prize: a collection of all of the fallen villains, frozen into ice sculptures as they sat upon the shelves of their respective shows.

"So… it's over?" Starfire asked, hopeful.

"Yeah. It is." Raven said.

"Hoo! Fin-al-LY!" Abby exclaimed in relief. "Numbuh 5 is sure glad that's over!"

"You're tellin' me." Clay replied. "Ah feel more beat up than a fat guy and an angry chicken."

"It's not over yet." Nolan spoke up, holding up Darth Genious. "Just one more." With that, he tossed The Brain up to Beast Boy, who stood beside the Freezer with Sokka and Hoagie.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" BB announced.

"The moment you've all been waiting for!" Hoagie followed.

"After the long and arduous battle," Sokka continued, "we give you the grand unveiling OF-" And they tossed Darth Genious under the Freezer as Double D pressed the button, releasing the mist of liquid nitrogen all over him. When the mist had finally cleared, the three announced the line they've all been waiting for.

"BRAIN FR-… HUH? ! ? !" Everybody gasped when a BOMB had appeared in the place of Brain, exploding and covering the three jokers in soot.

Everyone could only stare in absolute shock, all their mouths dropped WIDE open. "But… where is-" Starfire tried to say.

An evil and maniacal robotic laughter suddenly echoed throughout the base, and the heroes began searching for its source. _"Foolish heroes! Did you actually believe I would be taking the fall THAT easy? ! This whole time, I have watched the battle from the safe confines of my control chamber. The Brain you saw just now was simply a bomb which was cleverly disguised thanks to the marvelousness of my Psychic Illusion ability."_

"Grrrrr!" Nolan growled, banging his fist on his armrest.

_"Nolan York… my grudge is now with you. I am holding your mother captive. If you wish to see her alive, you will come up here to face me. Alone. I am ever-so looking forward… to our confrontation. Ahh ha ha ha ha ha ha!"_

"Oh, man. I was SO sure that was it!" Beast Boy moaned.

"So it all comes down to this." Nolan spoke lowly. "A final showdown… just me and him."

"Wait, Nolan!" Danika spoke up. "You can't go alone. He'll pulverize you. We have to come, too."

"Yeah!" Jimmy Neutron exclaimed. "With all of us working together, we can take Brain down in no time!"

"YEAH!" The heroes cheered.

"NO!" Nolan yelled. "I'm not going to take any chances. He's got my mother up there… so I have to go it alone."

"But Nolan, this is Revan Bane Sidious we're talking about." Danika reminded him. "The son of Emperor Palpatine. Remember?" (FAR back in the background, XL Terrestrial and Puppet King could be seen slipping down from behind one of the curtains. The two villains very carefully sidled along the wall and tried to sneak toward the exit, baring very nervous expressions. To their good fortune, the heroes failed to notice them as all eyes were focused on Nolan and Danika.) "You need to at least take ONE person… or two."

Nolan only sighed. "It's too risky, Danika. But… thanks for your concern. I'll be fine on my own, I promise."

"Well… okay, then. I'll at least carry you up there."

"Okay." With that, Danika gently wrapped her arms around her friend and became a shadow, using Shadow Glide to carry him to the top of the room. Once they were up there, Danika released Nolan. "Thanks, Danika." He smiled.

"Mmm…" Danika lightly smiled. "Be back soon… okay?"

"Okay…" Danika flew back down to the other heroes as everybody stood and watched him. "Don't worry, guys! This'll be all over pretty soon!" he cheered to them. He nervously turned and faced the door ahead of him. "I hope." The boy then proceeded to roll his chair into the door which would lead to the control room. With all of the villains gone and the fighting finished for now, only silence rang throughout the base. The army of heroes continued to stand there and watch as Nolan uneasily rolled to his final showdown against Darth Genious.

* * *

><p><strong>HOOOOO-WEE! ! That was BY far, the most ARDUOUS thing to type IN THIS ENTIRE SERIES! So you people had BETTER appreciate that! Sigh… Anyhoo, it was sure as Hell worth it! Next time, the grand showdown against the villain of villains himself: Nolan York vs. Revan Bane Sidious! Later!<strong>


	72. The Duel of Two

**Okay, everyone! Time to stop Revan Sidious once and for all! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Battle of the Siths! Nolan York vs. Revan Bane Sidious!<em>**

**Final Brain; Control Room**

Still feeling that nervous feeling in his chest, Nolan calmly entered the door, moving along the pathway as the door slammed shut behind him. He glanced down and noticed he was in an area right above the throne room they were previously in. He faced ahead as he came toward the circular platform that was the control area, seeing the Sith Lord himself sitting in the center, back in his regular canister.

Nolan entered the area which he assumed would be a battlefield and spoke, "Okay, Brain, I'm here. Alone. Now where is my mother?"

"Patience, Nolan. You will see her in time."

"'kay, I am getting SICK of that crap! I wanna see my mom NOW!"

"Poor, sad little Nolan. Cannot stand to be too far away from his dear mummy. Too afraid of losing what little he has of his family. How would it feel, Nolan? Having neither a mother nor a father?"

"Hang on, now. Even if I didn't have my mom… I still have Mr. Dodds. He's as good a father figure as they get. A million times better than you could be for me."

"Now, that's a shame, Nolan. I've always looked upon you like my own son. I have always dreamed of ruling the universe… with you by my side."

"Hold on, hold on. Don't tell me you ARE my father."

"My goodness, no. That would just be cliché. We have enough crazy families in this universe."

"Hehe. You're right about that." Nolan chuckled.

"But you still cannot hide from your destiny, Nolan. Whether it is by my side or not, you will reign as a Sith Lord one day. According to Darth Bane's Rule of Two, only TWO Siths may exist at a time: a master and apprentice. And in the end, one of those two must kill the other. So it is written. And so, by the morning's rise… there will only be _one_ Sith."

"Better recheck your math, Darth. Because by the morning's rise, the number of Siths will sit at a total '0'."

"How clever. But just how do you expect to defeat me as a hero, Nolan? You can only rely on anger and rage to fend your own against a Sith of my stature. And even if you succeed, you will take my place as the _new_ Sith Lord."

"Hmph. Please. I'm not as full of anger and rage as you. You were going to kill all of your followers, the people who worshipped you… just to get rid of _us_. At least I was able to let go of my anger towards Lizzie and Ava. Even Gwen and Doug. I'm never going to the Dark Side."

"So you say. But no matter how you look at it, our destinies are tied. The Rule of Two orders us to fight… and we shall. And you may like your KND better, but there is something the Brotherhood has the KND is greatly lacking in: _technology_." Just then, The Brain was encased in an electrical barrier as four generators appeared around the room and some objects began floating around. "And I have good control of it. Be prepared, Nolan, as you witness the true extent of my Psychokinesis." (Play "The Imperial March" from _Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back_!)

_Boss fight: The Brain_

Nolan shot missiles at The Brain, but the barrier protected him, and Brain grabbed a few of them with his psychic. Nolan dodged his chair to the side before he could hurl them back, but was suddenly grabbed by a metal claw on the side of the room. The claw swung him around before tossing him to the other side. Nolan got back up as Genious made a few objects levitate around himself, quickly rolling away before the Sith Lord tossed them his way. Nolan suddenly remembered the generators around the room and rolled over to the first one, shooting it a couple times before it was destroyed. Darth Genious made more items spiral around him like a tornado as they were all hurled at Nolan, who tried to get away, but was pelted and knocked back by some of them.

Nolan rolled over to destroy the second generator, then was suddenly zapped by Brain's Force Lightning. He recovered from the stun and dodged before Brain could toss more junk at him, proceeding to destroy the third generator. The metal claw reached over to grab him again and started shaking him around. Nolan quickly zapped a laser and sliced the claw, dropping to the ground before shooting missiles at the fourth generator. When it was destroyed, the barrier around Genious vanished, so Nolan approached him to begin knocking him around with his punching glove. He finally punched the Sith Lord harder and knocked him against the wall. He tried to roll away as Nolan approached, and when Nolan tried to strike him, The Brain grabbed him with his psychic and hurled him away, against the ceiling.

Nolan dropped down and tried to shoot missiles at Darth Genious, but he spun, dodged away, and extracted two red lightsabers from his canister. The Sith spun his way to Nolan as he swung the swords, dealing a few blows to the boy before bashing him away with his punching glove. The Brain's eyes and dome glowed as tentacles emerged from his canister, electrifying as they shot over to give Nolan a painful shock. As Nolan sat there, stunned and shivering from the electricity, The Brain swung a lightsaber and knocked him against the wall. Nolan looked up and saw The Brain approach him, so he got back on his chair and zapped a laser at the Sith Lord, doing some damage before Nolan blasted him away with a missile.

The Brain shielded himself in a psychic bubble as he levitated and began floating around the room. Nolan aimed and shot missiles at him, but The Brain dodged away, conjuring a few Psycho Spheres around his floating form. Nolan rolled for it as the Psycho Spheres were sent his way, creating several explosions around the room. Nolan was blown away when Brain dropped a sphere to the center, creating an explosion that blew Nolan against the wall. When the smoke cleared, Nolan could see The Brain had landed in the middle again, so he switched on the boosters and shot over, extracting his chair's spikes as he shoved the Sith Lord into the wall, making his canister sparkle a little.

By this time, The Brain's canister was looking pretty beat up, and his dome cracked a little as small, black smoke rose from it. The Brain approached Nolan slowly as he levitated more objects with telekinesis, sending them towards the cripple as he tried to dodge them. The Brain then extracted various red sabers from the lower spots on his canister, sticking out of him like spikes as he continued to approach Nolan, who backed away as the sabers were zipping in and out of the canister. As he hurriedly rolled away, The Brain levitated sabers out of his canister, over to Nolan, taking swings at him. Nolan grabbed some of the pieces of junk and tossed them at the Sith Lord, but Brain was able to slice them and defend with the sabers.

Nolan turned to fire missiles at the Sith, but the sabers sliced and caused them to explode. Through all the smoke, Genious failed to notice Nolan sneaking behind him, and the operative was able to force him into the wall with his metal spikes again. Just like with Madame Rouge, Nolan backed up and repeatedly pushed him in over and over, before finally extracting a missile and firing, blowing The Brain's dome right off of his canister. The tiny, skinny robotic body emerged from beneath the dome and began hurriedly scampering around the room as Nolan gave chase. He had The Brain cornered, but he simply leapt and kicked off the wall, getting further away and continuing to run around the control tables.

The Brain ran around a table, and Nolan tried to go around the other side to ambush him, but The Brain spotted him and hurried around another table as Nolan tried to chase. Nolan decided to come to a halt as The Brain appeared too fast, then decided to shoot a missile to the opposite end of the room from him. The Brain saw the missile explode ahead and decided to run back, but that's when Nolan ambushed him. "Gotcha!" He grabbed the skinny robot by the leg and began swinging and bashing him against the floor. The Brain finally kicked away and ran back to his canister, jumping back on and fixing himself in as he rolled away from Nolan. "Hey!" he yelled, giving chase as the Sith entered another slide-open door. Nolan quickly followed after him as the door snapped shut. (End song.)

Nolan stopped in his tracks and gasped. "Mom!" he yelled, finally seeing his mother lying weakly on a bed. She was suddenly lifted in the air by Darth Genious's psychic, gasping for breath as the mastermind began choking her. "No!" Nolan quickly rolled over to stop him. "Let her go!"

The Brain spun his dome, and Nolan stopped in an instant with a look of pure horror and sadness. There was a cracking sound as his mother dropped to the bed on her back. "No…" Tears began to form in his eyes as Nolan slowly rolled closer. The Sith Lord let him pass and watched as Nolan began sobbing over his unconscious mother. "You killed her…"

"'Twas my duty." He simply replied. "She was no different… than the rest of those traitorous operatives. Besides… it is only fitting. After all, I _did_ kill her husband, too. What a sad war hero Darian turned out to be. It seems his son was no different either." Nolan lifted his head up, teeth grinding and blood boiling with more anger and rage. "And now…" the Sith Lord raised his lightsaber with his psychic, raising it above Nolan, "it is time I _end your suffering…"_

Nolan heard the laser switch on and gasped. When Brain swung down, Nolan quickly grabbed and used all his strength to hold the weapon away. He was finally able to pull it away, and performed a quick slash and sliced The Brain right off his canister, leaving a red burned mark on the edge of the cut part. The stubby robotic body pulled itself out and lied on its back as Brain watched Nolan angrily approach, raising his saber. "Now, Nolan-"

"SHUT UP!" Brain flinched at his shout. "EVER since I joined the Kids Next Door, you have RUINED MY LIFE! You KILLED Dillon, killed Corey, got my legs BROKEN, tried to manipulate me… This whole time, you've been telling me the Kids Next Door were the evil ones. But the only evil person I see HERE, is YOU! But now…" he raised the saber, about to strike, "you're gonna-"

_"Nolan…"_

"Mom?" Nolan turned around, seeing his mother trying to lift her head up. "Mom, you're alive!" he smiled and rolled over.

"Hmm…" Brain sat up to look at this. "Seems I didn't choke you hard enough. Allow me to rectify that." The stubby body leapt at the mother, but Nolan looked back and quickly swung his lightsaber, slicing the body and knocking Brain away.

Nolan then proceeded to approach the fallen Brain. "You know, Brain… I'm not really like you. You see, life isn't something you give, or something you take, but YOU try and take it all the time. You just like to kill people as if they're a bunch of helpless little ants… but I'm not like that. And if I kill you, it'll be for justice, to save everyone and anyone else who might become a victim to your plans. I might not be able to get rid of the darkness inside me, but at least I know how to control it. But you know what?... I'd rather just let you lie there. It's much better to let that miserable brain of yours get old and rot away on its own… as the miserable person you are."

"My… how bold of you, Nolan. Incredibly noble. Unfortunately… you are sadly mistaken. For my brain shall continue to live on and prosper. The potion should be ready by now."

"Potion? What potion?"

The Brain simply used his psychic to levitate his fallen dome and float into an elevator, the door closing as The Brain was taken up to a higher floor. "Nolan!" The boy looked and saw Danika and April run in from the front entrance. "We had to come up and check on you. Where's-"

"I'm going after him. You two, get my mother to safety." He indicated his sleeping mother.

Danika and April did so and lifted the fallen woman, carrying her out of there. "Good luck, Nolan." Danika nodded before running off.

Nolan looked in the direction of the elevator, rolling himself inside as the doors opened. He patiently waited and felt the momentum as the elevator carried him straight upward. It soon stopped and made a dinging noise as Nolan rolled himself out, finding himself in the room with Brain's chemical bath, seeing the Sith Lord himself resting along the side of it. Nolan stopped beside the round pool, seeing it was filled with pure, clean, reflecting water, as Jirachi lie groaning and floating in it. "W…What is this?"

"Have a taste, Nolan."

Nolan scooped a handful of the water into his hands and drank it, his eyes widening at the marvelous taste. "This is Dream Water!"

"Correct. Aside from powering the Dimensional Traveler, this is what _other_ purpose for Jirachi I had intended."

"But… why?"

"Now for the grand unveiling… of my true form." Nolan watched with wonder and curiosity as The Brain's dome opened, letting all its water spill out. The severed brain limped itself to the pool's edge and dropped in with a splash. Nolan's curiosity grew ever more as the pool began to glow, and the area where Brain had splashed in began bubbling.

Nolan's eyes and mouth began to drop open as a figure's head emerged from the water. Skin appeared along its body as it grew arms, fingers, legs, and toes. Messy yellow hair grew along its head, and he appeared to have the body of a child. His back was facing Nolan, and he was completely naked.

The child climbed and slipped out of the pool, opposite end of Nolan's side. The boy slowly rolled his wheelchair around, seeing the short figure limp over to a set of clothes hanging on the wall. The child grabbed the clothes off the hanger, and Nolan grew completely speechless when he slipped the clothes on. He gaped WIDE at the sight of Numbuh 23 BBY; Revan Bane Sidious himself, dressed exactly as the video clip made him.

The boy took a long inhale through his nose and released the breath through his mouth. "Ahhh… the sweet smell of freedom." Nolan continued to sit there, mouth open agape as Revan smirked. "To live… is to DANCE." He began making slow, strange movements with his body. "How I have longed… to DANCE again."

Nolan only stared with confusion.

"You take your foot. Your little foot." He shook his left foot. "And you SHAKE your little booteh! HAHAHAHA!" He shook his butt around before flying beside Nolan. "Oh, can you believe it, Nolan? I'm ALIVE!"

"You're a… CHILD? !"

"Well, I am now, anyway." Revan replied, in sort of a nasally voice. "But I can assure you, I have the fully grown mind of an adult. By using Jirachi's powers to restore youth, not only was I able to restore my body, I restored my youth, too! I'm TEN years old again, Baby! Now I can FINALLY do all the stuff I was unable to before because I was a disembodied BRAIN, HHahahaha!"

"Umm…" Nolan still looked confused as Revan soared around the room like the excited child he was.

Revan stopped and floated in front of Nolan as he yelled, "With my youth restored, I will reign as the ULTIMATE Sith Lord, and with Jirachi's healing water, I'm gonna live forEVAH!" He then wrapped his right arm around Nolan. "Join me, Nolan! Together, we will RULE the universe! Not as master and apprentice! It doesn't even have to be father and son! But rather… just TWO best friends, ruling the universe TOGETHER! NNOTHING can stand in our way!" He then floated and stuck his face into Nolan's, sideways. "If you do, I can dip those limpy legs of yours in the water and have them restored, too."

"Hmmm…" Nolan began to think.

"Or if you WAANT:" Revan flew back beside Nolan, wrapping his arm around him, "we can just chop off these legs and replace them with new, robotic ones! It'll be: Revan Sidious, the psychicbender, and Nolan York, the half-man, half-cyborg!"

"Um-"

"And: your name will be… Darth FERIOR! Whaddya say? Huh?" He excitedly got in his face sideways again.

Nolan looked up to face him and shook his head 'no'. "Sorry, Revan. But my place is with the Kids Next Door. Not the Dark Side."

Revan frowned and finally landed on his feet in front of Nolan. "Oh, come OOOON! I went through all this crud, kidnapped Jirachi, and made myself a new body so I can hang out with you, and you won't even take over the UNIVERSE with me? ?"

"Sorry. But I don't really see myself as a 'Darth Ferior'. But more like…" he smiled in thought, "'Sandman II: Now It's Personal!'"

"Ugh." Revan face-palmed. "Fine. But if you're gonna play the hero, I guess that means I have to destroy you now."

"No-one said I would play the 'hero', technically. And if you're gonna abuse the power of the gods, I guess I have to destroy you, too."

"Fine! Let's have our final battle, ONCE and for all! …Eh, but not here. This place isn't cool enough."

"What about the arena?"

"No, no, already been used. Hmm- Wait…" Revan smiled, his mind sparking with an idea, "I've got it…" He grinned and smirked evilly, rubbing his hands together. (Play "Rage Awakened" from _Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep_!) The Sith Lord threw his arms in the air, and he and Nolan were instantly teleported.

**KND Sooper Convention Center**

Nolan suddenly found himself sitting upon the stage in the center of the massive stadium. Grey clouds covered the sky, and thunder boomed, and Revan was not too far away. "Now, Nolan… prepare to face the true awesomeness… of my Psychokinesis! Face your end right here at the true might of… my Sith POWER! !" The child Sith raised his red saber in his right hand, twirling it around as he faced Nolan.

Nolan calmly closed his eyes and felt a strange power around his left hand. He raised it up as a Keyblade appeared out of a flash of light, decorated like a red bat wing with blue lines, and a tooth designed like an eagle's wing. "What? !" Revan gasped with anger. Nolan York twirled the 'Road to Dawn' Keyblade and prepared to battle.

_Semifinal boss: Revan Bane Sidious_

The two combatants stood face-to-face and crossed their blades in an "X" before starting the duel. Revan shot many feet away and used his psychic to zoom all around the arena, Nolan trying to watch him, but Revan shot up to him from behind and dealt a few blows against him before kicking him away. Nolan recovered and saw Revan flying around some more, and when he shot over to him, Nolan quickly swung his Keyblade to defend from his strikes before Revan shot back, then zoomed over again to deal more blows, but Nolan kept his sword away and zapped him with a laser. Revan bounced and rolled many feet away from this attack, then recovered to glare at Nolan. He dashed over to the cripple, saber aimed directly at him, so Nolan switched on the rocket boosts and shot over, too, metal spikes extracted. When they were about to collide, Revan leapt up to the air and attempted to stab-down, but Nolan quickly rolled away before his saber could pierce.

He turned around to see Revan pull his saber out of the ground and jump back. He was about to do another charging stab, then once again leapt high above Nolan for a downward slice, so Nolan held him back with the Keyblade. Revan flipped down and threw many blows from the front, but Nolan defended from most of them and struck him back, knocking him away. "FLYYY, NOLEY!" Revan yelled, using telekinesis to lift Nolan and hurl him away, against the wall. Nolan recovered and watched Revan leap high into the heavens above, past the stormy clouds. Nolan looked up and watched as Revan was shooting directly down with his left foot sticking out. Nolan tried to strike him, but his face was instantly met with the sole of Revan's boot, sending him flying out of the chair. Nolan tried to crawl back, but Revan shot to the heavens again and this time stomped down on Nolan's back, making him grunt loudly.

Nolan gasped for breath as he finally climbed back to his chair. "Man, what am I supposed to do here?" He then had a memory of what Mr. Dodds told him one time.

_"Now, remember, Nolan, when you're fighting someone, you must always hit above the belt. …Unless of course the other guy's being totally cheap with supernatural powers or something."_

Nolan looked up and saw Revan shooting down to him again, prepared for a kick. Nolan smirked and tapped a button on his chair, shooting the punching glove out right when Revan came down and successfully punching him between the legs. Revan bit his lower lip in pain, falling and squirming along the ground as he gripped his crotch. When his back was turned to Nolan, the operative took a swing at his bottom. "YAAAAHAAHAAAHOOOW!" Revan screamed and flew around the air, gripping his butt.

"It's fun bein' human, isn't it?" Nolan smirked.

"At least I have the legs to kick you around! Speakin' of which:" Revan flew up into the audience and used his powers to pick up several of the chairs. Nolan rolled around as Revan used psychic to kick the chairs his way. Nolan stopped after a while to simply swat the chairs away with his Keyblade. By the time he swat the last one away, Revan teleported behind him and did a spin attack, knocking Nolan away. When he turned to look at him, Revan teleported and went to the audience again, and Nolan continued to evade as chairs were being thrown his way. Revan decided to have a seat on one of the chairs as he flung himself towards Nolan, lightsaber aimed directly at him. Nolan turned to face him and quickly swung his Keyblade upwards, slicing the chair and sending Revan flying.

Revan came down and landed on his head with a thud, so Nolan took this time to deal a few blows against the Sith before he could recover. Revan began flying around the air again, a powerful blue aura of psychic around his body. As he shot down to Nolan, he began throwing even faster strikes, which Nolan defended against, then Revan flew around some more before getting behind him, successfully dealing blows against Nolan. When Nolan tried to swing behind him, Revan had teleported high above again, beginning to conjure Psycho Spheres around him. Nolan rolled around to avoid as the storm of spheres were sent his way, exploding wherever they landed. Nolan stopped and tried to knock the last sphere back, which he did, and it shot right back at Revan. Revan was pushed several feet away, but he was able to grip the sphere and send it back even stronger. Nolan held up his Keyblade in defense and did his best to push the sphere back as it was pushing against his blade. Finally, he was able to send it back at Revan, pushing the traitorous operative all the way above the clouds, seeing a big explosion light up the sky above.

Nolan gasped when Revan appeared directly in front of him out of thin air. The Sith Lord looked more angry than ever as he jumped high up to midair again. "My anger and rage extends to far beyond!" he cheered, using his psychic to bring in something from the clouds. Nolan's eyes widened at the sight of the gigantic satellite, rolling as fast as he could to get away as Revan tossed it down, shattering upon impact. Nolan watched as Revan flew behind and under the stadium, coming back up with a gigantic statue of Palpatine. Revan raised the statue above him, smirking as he prepared to throw it down on Nolan. Nolan quickly faced Revan and shot a stun dart up to him, hitting his neck, and making Revan lose his grip on the statue. The statue came down and crumbled to pieces as it crushed him. Revan was knocked out on the ground, so Nolan took this time to deal more blows against him with his Keyblade.

Revan awakened and warped back to the audience again, tossing chairs even faster as Nolan twirled his Keyblade to bounce them away. When the chairs finally stopped coming, Nolan looked around to where Revan had gone. He didn't notice that the Sith Lord had minimized himself and was gripping onto Nolan's right cheek. When he DID notice, Revan jumped off and slashed the scar along his cheek, then made himself bigger. Revan spun around in the air before coming down, slamming his hand on the ground and releasing a Psycho Shockwave. Nolan groaned and gripped his aching head from the stunning attack, and Revan then used Psychic Illusion to give him a vision.

Nolan was suddenly in a realm of psychic energy, seeing Revan bounce around in the air and drop copies of Brain on his canister. The Brains bounced around before turning back into bombs, exploding all around the place and swallowing Nolan in the smoke. When the smoke cleared, the vision had ended, too, and Revan was panting tiredly. Nolan rolled over to deal more strikes against the Sith Lord, batting him away before he recovered.

Revan angrily stood up and threw his arms in the air, teleporting them again.

**Final Brain; Top of the Tower**

"What? Where are we now?" Nolan asked, viewing their new surroundings. They appeared to be at the top of a huge tower, which had a large form of the Brotherhood logo decorated on the center. Dark, grey clouds circled the sky above them as thunder and lightning boomed.

"We're at the top of Final Brain, Nolan." Revan Bane responded. "And it is here where you will ultimately meet your doom. HUUUU-" Revan shot up into the air again as lightning struck at him from above. Revan caught the bright and powerful lightning in his hands and smirked down at Nolan, who readied his Keyblade. "RAAAAH!" Revan zapped the Force Lightning down, and Nolan quickly held his Keyblade up in defense to block the Force Lightning. Nolan's body shook violently as he tried to keep the strong lightning back, his Keyblade bouncing it right back at Revan Sidious. Revan was struggling to keep controlling the lightning, taking all the shots that Nolan was redirecting, his body becoming singed and his skin turning darker.

Revan finally stopped unleashing lightning and dropped to the ground, panting heavily as he sat on one knee. He looked up and gasped when Nolan boosted over, spikes extracted as he was shoved directly over the edge, with Nolan coming with him. The two bounced and rolled along the roof of the fortress.

As the army of heroes still waited within the arena, they looked up and noticed the two fly over the hole in the ceiling which Starfire created earlier. "L-Look! Up there!" Jimmy pointed and exclaimed.

"They're about to go off the roof!" Jayden exclaimed. "Quick, let's go get them!"

While the army of heroes was piling out of the exit on the side of the arena, Gwen and Doug exchanged nods and switched on their jetpacks, flying straight up to aid Nolan their selves.

The two continued bouncing along the roof before finally flying over the edge. Nolan gripped the ledge of a small balcony with his left hand (while still holding the Keyblade), and struggled to hold onto his chair with his right index finger. "Nnn… no!" Nolan's finger lost grip, and the chair was sent plummeting down below. Revan Sidious had stabbed his saber into the side of the building and held onto it, watching as Nolan's chair fell past him and all the way down the thousand-foot drop.

When Nolan's chair came into contact with the earth, it broke into pieces, but one last laser shot out of it and zapped the pedestal of the Palpatine statue, which then began to crack.

Nolan struggled to help himself back up, but he was finally able to, panting as he crawled further onto the balcony. Revan Bane saw this and swung back and forth, kicking his legs up further before he was able to leap up onto the balcony's ledge, still gripping the saber. "You!" Nolan looked back and gasped at Revan behind him. "It's time to END your miserable existence once and for all! WAAAH!" the child villain leapt right over Nolan, about to slice, but the operative watched this and instantly swung his Keyblade above him, successfully chopping off Revan's legs. (End song.)

Revan's body bounced along the ground as his severed legs were flung over the edge. Revan landed on his front, weakly holding himself up using his arms as he gasped for air. "No… why… Daddy, I…I'm sorry… I've failed you…" Revan lowly spoke, slight tears forming in his eyes.

Nolan looked upon the fallen Sith Lord with pity. How he looked right now, looked just like Nolan himself, when his legs were put out of commission. Except in this case, Revan's legs were chopped off, not squished flat. Nolan slowly crawled beside the defeated psychicbender. He raised the Keyblade as it vanished in a flash of light. He gently placed his empty left hand over Revan's right hand. And both hands had their own scars.

"Revan…" the child turned his head right, his mismatched eyes meeting Nolan's brown. "I understand… all your life, you just wanted your father to be proud of you. But Emperor Palpatine is gone now… and you're a grown man. Er, sort of… And that means you don't have to do what he says if you don't want to. I know you joined the Kids Next Door, not because Palpatine wanted you to betray them, but because you wanted to do good and make new friends. But after being hated and betrayed by everyone… you believed everything that Palpatine said, and decided to turn against them. But, it doesn't have to be that way. Not anymore. Look at yourself. The fact that you're a kid again… means this is a second chance. You said how you would be able to do the stuff you couldn't do as a disembodied brain. But I think you could also… well, rejoin the Kids Next Door. And fight along us against adult tyranny, just like the old days."

Revan looked away, in realization and thought. He… _would_ be able to join KND again, wouldn't he? Er, but he was technically over 13… but still…

Nolan scooted himself away from the Sith and reached his left arm out. "Join me, Revan. And we can redeem ourselves, fight alongside the KND, AND stop metahuman oppression, together! Just two best friends on the Side of Good. Whaddya say… Numbuh 23 BBY?"

Revan glanced back and forth between Nolan's smiling face and his open hand. Deep down, it looked like Nolan really trusted him… and deep down, he really trusted Nolan, too. The Sith Lord reached his right arm to shake his. And just when the hands were about to touch…

"GYAAAH!" Nolan was met with a ray of Force Lightning, blowing him back.

"FOOL!" Revan shouted. "You think I want a second chance? ! Those traitorous fools GOT what they deserved! And now…" Revan used his psychic to lift himself up and stand on the stubs that used to be his legs, "you will, too!" He unleashed more Force Lightning and used it to smash Nolan against the wall.

"Nolan!" Gwen shouted as she and Doug just arrived. They ran to help him, but Revan looked back and zapped Force Lightning at them, knocking them to their knees.

Nolan achingly looked up to see Revan approach the two decommissioners. "And besides: just LOOK, Nolan! If anyone is to be blame for your troubles, it's them! It is THEY who wrongly arrested you! It is THEY who shunned your precious Prospectors! And finally, THEY will pay the ULTIMATE price!"

"NO!"

Revan ignored Nolan's cry and continued to unleash lightning all over Gwen and Doug. The two operatives tried to stand up, but the lightning was just too painful and powerful. "Nnn-Nolan! Please!" Gwen grunted.

"I WILL be like my father! I will carry on the ancient ways of Emperor Palpatine! You… will DIE! !" Revan screamed, zapping them even harder. "Try arresting me NOW, Jen and Eddie!"

Nolan desperately tried to stand and help them, but he grunted, still feeling the shocking feeling in his legs… wait, his legs? He observed his legs as small fragments of lightning still zapped through them. The Force Lightning must've made his legs mobile again! …Well, sort of. With this in mind, he glared at the Sith Lord with a look of determination.

"Oh boy, this is gonna hurt…" Nolan groaned. He grabbed onto a rock sticking out of the wall above him and used it to haul himself to his feet. He used his barely-stable legs and limped his way to the Sith Lord as he continued to destroy Gwen and Doug with Force Lightning. Finally, Nolan was standing right over the Sith Lord. "Hey, Revan!"

"Huh?" Revan glanced to his right, seeing Nolan standing over him, but still keeping his Force Lightning on Gwen and Doug.

"You wanna be like your father, huh? !"

"Hey!" Nolan bent over and grabbed Revan's hips in his hands.

"Whaddya say we make you… EXACTLY the same?"

"H-HEY!"

"Graaahh!..." Nolan grunted, struggling to lift Revan up as he was being pelted by his Force Lightning. With the lightning redirected away from Gwen and Doug, the two weakly tilted their heads up, staring in amazement at what Nolan was doing.

Despite the heavy reign of Force Lightning on his form, Nolan was able to lift the traitorous operative over his head. "W-What're doing? P-Put me down!" Revan demanded, flailing his arms and continuing to shock Nolan. Revan desperately tried to shake away from his former apprentice as Nolan stepped closer and closer to the balcony's edge. Finally, Nolan stood over the edge to the deep chasm below, raising Revan Sidious up high.

"LOONG LIIVE THE BRAAAIN!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH_HHHHHHhhh__hhh…" _Revan Bane Sidious was hurled over the edge, screaming and flailing his arms as he plummeted the thousands of feet to the surface. Revan's form grew smaller and smaller from Nolan's view, and he could see a faint puff of smoke appear on the bottom.

Nolan weakly stood his ground and gasped for air, lots of burn marks on his body after taking in all that Force Lightning, as he looked down at what's become of the fallen Sith Lord.

The puff of smoke cleared, and Revan was almost completely covered in bloody marks and bruises. He weakly rolled onto his front, making weak little grunts as he struggled to pull himself forward with his arms, leaving a trail of blood from the compartments that used to be his legs. As lightning lit up the sky, Revan found himself caught within a large shadow, looking up with pure horror at the statue of Emperor Palpatine. Lightning erupted and lit the land brighter than ever, alighting Palpatine's angry, hate-filled visage that was engraved into the stone. His eyes BURNED with rage, and his still teeth clattered with anger.

Revan whimpered in fear as his head slumped down in shame. "Ohh… don't look at me that way. You ALWAYS looked at me that way! Oh… why couldn't I just have fun, Daddy? WHY couldn't I be the operative I always wanted? WHY, Daddy, WHYYYY!" The son of Palpatine burst into tears. His loud, whiny cries could be heard in the distance.

A cracking sound was suddenly heard, and Revan shot his head up as the cracked pedestal where Palpatine stood finally crumbled. The child looked up, more horrified than ever as the statue began to topple his way. Revan's fear-filled eyes met his father's rage-filled ones, flattening him beneath the heavy stone.

Nolan watched this scene from high above. When the dust cloud had cleared from the crumbled statue, he saw that Revan had been completely crushed beneath. Only a hand was sticking out from under the stone head, and a puddle of blood leaked out from it. Finally out of breath, Nolan closed his eyes and fell over the edge. "NOOOOO!" Gwen screamed for her friend.

Two pairs of hands thankfully came and gripped Nolan's legs before he fell. Gwen and Doug breathed a sigh of relief as Danika and April helped him back up. Gwen and Doug stepped aside as the two lied him safely on his back. Danika knelt over beside him, gently holding his head as Nolan weakly opened his eyes. "Danika?..."

Danika gave a light smile, seeing him okay. "Who else?"

"Heh…" Nolan chuckled, "what's with bad guys always falling to their doom?"

"Hm… I know."

Lightning lit up the sky once again as rain began to pour all over the area. "Hey, Nolan…" Doug spoke up. "Me and Gwen have been thinking… and…"

"Revan was right. None of this would've happened… if we had just supported you in the first place." Gwen finished. The girl removed her goggles and knelt beside Nolan with an apologetic look, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're sorry."

"It's okay…" Nolan said in a low tone. "I've been through a lot these past few years… I've been consumed by darkness… and I still am… I guess. I've tried my best to get rid of it… but lately, I've… learned to accept it. I've accepted that… sometimes the darkness can be so strong… you can never get rid of it. Just… learn how to control it. Keep it in balance… you know?"

"Hm… I guess so." Danika said.

"Danika…" Nolan sat up a little, "no matter which side I choose… people are always going to be against me. Whether I can control the darkness or not. I just… hope that you'll still be around by my side."

Danika wrapped both hands around Nolan's head and pulled his face closer. "I will." They peacefully closed their eyes and embraced into a kiss. April, Gwen, and Doug only smiled at this, happy for the two of them. They looked so happy… seeing their love, brought light to all of this gloom.

After a few minutes, the two lovers broke apart and smiled at each other. "…And hey! You got your legs back!"

"Y-Yeah, I did!" Nolan smiled as Danika helped him up. He trembled a little and nearly fell over, but Danika kept him standing. "I still might need a wheelchair, though."

"We can probably make you a new one." Gwen said. "One that's less… Brotherhood-y."

"Heh… that's just the way I'd like it."

The heroes, Thunder and Lightning smiled as they watched this scene from above, using their powers to make it rain above the clouds.

After a while, the five had made their way down the base and gathered with the rest of the heroes around the fallen statue of Palpatine. Toph and Angie used their earthbending to lift the statue off, exposing everyone to the squished form of Revan Bane Sidious. His body was heavily ripped and torn, and blood lay everywhere as his eyes remained open, completely free of anymore life. Danika helped Nolan over to the Sith Lord, allowing him to bend over and gently close his mismatched eyes. "He was just like me… only trying to find his way."

The rain continued to pour over the land as Nolan held his head down in grief and sorrow.

**KND Moonbase**

Fireworks shot out of the Moonbase and erupted into many colors as all of the Kids Next Door were gathered at the audience chamber. Dr. Facilier used his magic to destroy the golden statue of Brain, and Clockwork proceeded to use Rewind and restore the Numbuh Zero statue to its former glory. Nigel, Rachel, Fanny, and Patton stood upon the stage as they faced directly down the center aisle between the audience rows, smiling at Nolan York, who stood on the far end of the aisle, with Danika and April by his side. The Supreme Leader gave a nod, gesturing for the three to walk down, which they did.

As they walked, the many operatives threw cheers and pieces of confetti. Nolan looked to his left and saw Cad Bane and Aurra Sing at one end of the room, with the Duro bounty hunter tipping his hat with a nod. Aurra stood beside Ava, sharing a glance with the fellow Glomourian as they both smiled. To Nolan's right, the Toxic Four sat down and gave thumbs-ups at the heroes, sitting beside their crushes. Once they arrived at the stage, the squad of newly-reformed Stormtroopers saluted and stepped aside, allowing them on stage.

Team Brotherhood stood before the three main commanders; April stood before Patton, Danika stood before Fanny, and Nolan before Rachel, as the three former villains held their heads down, letting the commanders slip golden medals, with "KND" engraved on them, around their necks. "As Kids Next Door Supreme Leader, it is with the highest honor that I reward you… uh, these KND medals of honor! For your heroic efforts in stopping the Brotherhood of Evil!" At Rachel's announcement, the many operatives burst into cheers and tossed helmets up to the air. "I'm sorry for banishing you so quick, Nolan." She apologized. "I should've listened to you. I just… get so overprotective, you know?"

"Don't worry, Rachel. I understand." Nolan smiled.

The three heroes proceeded to walk up onto the stand, and April and Danika took their bows. Nolan walked onto a higher part of the stand and took his bow as well. However, his legs trembled, and he wobbled and nearly fell over. "Don't worry. We got your back." Gwen said as she and Doug held him up.

"Thanks, guys…" Nolan smiled. He glanced to his right and watched as Numbuhs 101 and 202 pulled off a curtain, revealing a golden statue of the boy himself. He then glanced up and noticed the blue spirits of Dillon, Corey, Anakin, and all the Jedi Spirits, smiling with pride. In another corner of the room, Wesley Dodds and Mrs. York smiled proudly at the heroic operative. Mr. Oldman, however, was just impatiently waiting to leave these loud, obnoxious children.

Nigel Uno then walked onto the stand and presented to Nolan the Book of KND. "Here, Nolan. It's time you marked your story in the Book of KND."

Nolan smiled with glee and gladly accepted the book. "Care to say a few words?" Rachel asked, bringing a microphone up to Nolan.

Nolan thought for a minute and walked forward, taking the microphone as he spoke. "HEY, EVERYBODY! Let's all blow this joint and head over to LIME RICKEY'S!"

"YAAAAY!" Mario, Josh, Rack & Ruin, and everybody cheered.

"KIDS NEXT DOOR RULEZ!"

"KIDS NEXT DOOR RULEZ, SIR!"

**Cleveland, Virginia**

The morning sun had finally begun to rise over the city, looking as beautiful as it's always been as the chaos had finally cleared up. "WAAAAHH- OOF!" Herald's portal had reopened above a street, dropping the lame villain team of Toiletnator, Dr. Light, and Box Ghost.

"What… where ARE we?" Lou shouted.

"Um… I think we're back in Cleveland." Dr. Light said.

"Are we the only villains left?" Box Ghost asked.

Dr. Light took out his communicator and tried to call someone, but received no signal. "Yep, it sure looks like it."

"SO… we are the ONLY ones left…" Toiletnator spoke with a serious expression. "Then DESTINY calls to US… the three remaining villains to carry ON the Brotherhood's ways! And together… WE will RULE the UNI-"

"Ahem."

"HUH?" The villains gasped and turned around, seeing Robin. The three quickly jumped around and readied to battle the Titan. Robin only smirked and directed his finger upward. The trio looked up, their eyes widened with absolute fear.

Surrounding them from all directions, an army of justice-delivering, crime-fighting heroes, stood atop the buildings or hovered in the air. Team Neutron, Team Fenton, the Avatar Gaang, Samurai Rangers, the Xiaolin Warriors, all of the Titans, and Kids Next Door operatives all faced the villains, prepared for battle. The villains held their eyes completely widened as they glanced around at all of the battle-ready heroes. And Dr. Light said the first thing on his mind…

"I'd like to go to jail now, please." His two accomplices nodded in agreement, and raised their arms in sadness and defeat.

_"Titans, GO!"_ (Play the Credits Theme to _KND Operation: VIDEOGAME_!)

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><p><strong>Nolan's Story: Cast:<strong>

**Jensen Ackles as _Nolan York_**

**Cricket Leigh as _Danika Anderson_**

**Jessica Di Cicco as _April Dickson_**

**Peter Bayham as _Matthew Dimalanta_ and_ Jeremiah Heartly_**

**Benjamin Diskin as _Elijah Frantic_**

**Cheech Marin as _Leopold Anderson_**

**Corey Burton as _Cad Bane_**

**Jamie King as _Aurra Sing_**

**Glenn Shadix as _Monsieur Mallah _and _The Brain_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Revan Bane Sidious_**

**Hynden Walch as _Madame Rouge_**

**Xander Berkeley as _General Immortus_**

**Terence McGovern as _Gary, Dan, _and _Stormtroopers_**

**Akiko Koumoto as _Midna_**

**Ned Beatty as _Wesley Dodds_**

**Dan Schneider as _Larry Oldman_**

**Demi Moore as _Mrs. Kyla York_**

**Tara Strong as _Gwen Tucker_**

**Tom Kenny as _Doug Murphy_**

**Ian McDiarmid as _Palpatine_**

**Characters by DC Comics, Depthcharge Industries, April Industries, Danika's Dynamites, LucasFilms, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network**

**Music composed by John Williams**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**Nolan's Story: _END_**

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><p><strong>HOO! Okay: who does NOT think that was the best ending yet in this story? Or better yet, who doesn't think we should just end the story right there? 'Cause fight scenes don't get ANY better than Titans Together! Sadly, we cannot end it, because we still have Ganondorf and Lord Gnaa to worry about, and there're still 3 more Firstborn. So when we return, it'll be time to search for those last 3 Firstborn, and finish up Rachel's story arc! Until then, this has been Nolan's Ending, and I will see you later!<strong>


	73. Trials of the Elements

**Hey, everybody! Congrats to Divachick86 to being the 200th reviewer! I'll try to think of a one-shot for you! ;) Anyway, for this next bit, it's basically focusing on Rachel's story ('cause she's the only character story arc left), as well as locating the last three Firstborn. And this chapter here isn't really very much. I mean, SOME stuff happens, but I felt a moment of weakness while writing this. I mean, with Nolan's story completed, I'm losing motivation to write this. Lol the only thing that gave me the encouragement to keep writing this, sort of, was doing his epic ending! But then again, this chapter has the LONGEST stage in the story! …Or should I say THE FREAKING SECOND-LONGEST! ! And we make a few references to other peoples' stories! :D Lol and the anonymous person guessed the Guardians right! ;D Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Message From Beyond the Stars. Ultimate Test For True Benders.<em>**

**Dream Realm**

The following night after the party, everyone had gone to get some well-deserved sleep to rest after that long battle. But when Nigel Uno awakened, the bald Brit found himself in the familiar space known as the Dream Realm. He stood up to observe his surroundings, finding himself on a larger floating isle. He heard the sounds of more moaning and looked behind to see many others waking up. They were Eva, Angie, Sonic, Dimentia, Jagar, Matt Dimalanta, Danika, Mika, and Mandy. "Huh? What are you all doing here?" Nigel asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Mandy replied.

"This is pretty weird…" Danika said.

_"Children…"_

"Aw, great." Sonic whined. The vision of the humongous Lion Turtle suddenly appeared near to their island as they looked at his gigantic face.

_"Your journeys are almost over, and your destinies upon you. It's time we've finally had an official meeting. Come, and meet me on my isle… in the Spirit World. The-"_ The Lion Turtle suddenly blinked out like a hologram as the roaring sound of a faulty speaker could be heard.

"What?" Angie shouted.

The image blinked back as The Chronicler spoke, _"Gah, cursed device… Anyway, the Time Spirit, Clockwork should guide you to where I am. Just find and follow him…"_

**Uno Household**

Nigel yawned and awoke back in his room. He squinted his eyes as the morning sun shone brightly through his window.

**Final Brain; basement area**

Negatar Gnaa watched calmly as the screen before him replayed the death of Revan Bane Sidious. Nolan York, standing high over the balcony as he tossed the child Sith Lord to his doom. "So, he's learned to accept the darkness. Interesting…" The Dark Master heard the door open behind him, already sensing that it was Ganondorf and Vaati. "Well, Ganondorf, I have some interesting news: seems you're the only one of my allies left."

"Hmmmnn…" Ganondorf breathed lightly.

"I'd be careful if I were you." Gnaa said, facing him. "You're next… I'd watch myself. Rachel will be after you before you know it…" With that, the Dark Master left them.

Ganon and his henchman approached the five screens on the wall and watched the replays of all of Team Gnaa's deaths. Bowser, crushed under his castle, Eggman, destroyed with his Death Egg, Kroctus, burned in the volcano, and Lucinda, suddenly fading into dust. "Hmm… so… I'm the only one left." Ganon looked down and gave a light grin and chuckle. "Hehehehe… what're the odds of that?"

"Heh. You scared, Ganny?" Vaati smirked.

"Hmmneh… Why would I be scared? The rest of those fools were weak… I am a god. The Triforce of Power rests in my hand…"

"Mm-hm, that's the same thing Darth Genious said. He had a whole army of villains, and he still lost. Oh, and, uh… you only have half of the Triforce of Power."

"Euh…" Ganon put his hand over his face in annoyance. "Where is that annoying little headache, anyway?"

"Which one, the crazy one or the gloomy one?"

"You know very well…" Ganon said with a glare. "But speaking of which…" The two walked to a room not too far away, finding Mandy asleep on a bed.

"Poor kid… she was hit by a Light Arrow, wasn't she?" Vaati asked.

"Straight to the heart… heh. Lucky shot." Ganondorf said.

"What now? She'll turn to the Light Side now, won't she?"

"It only does part of the job… and I have a plan in case that should happen. …What about you? You've taken a real interest in that Annie, I noticed…"

"Hm, she's an okay girl. Doesn't mean I plan on changing anytime soon…"

"I should hope not. Anyway… I'm going to find Lehcar. You keep watch over things here." With that, Ganondorf left the wind sorcerer to himself, exiting the base.

"Ohhh…" Not long after, Mandy began to awaken.

"Hm… sounds like somebody's up." Vaati noticed, walking into Mandy's room to find her awake, rubbing her head as she had bags under her eyes. "Well, aren't you a tough little demon? Surviving a shot to the chest with a Light Arrow."

"Uhh… I had the weirdest dream."

"What? Cows?"

"What? Eh, no, it was that… Dream Spirit… the one who taught me my element. He… wants me to meet with him. I don't suppose you have any idea where Clockwork is?"

"He he, can't say I do. Though I might. He's probably in Cleveland, Virginia, with the rest of those KNDorks. Want me to take you down there?"

"That depends… what would you say if I felt like ditching Ganon afterwards?"

"Heh." Vaati smirked. "I say even better."

"Hmph. Then let's go."

In only moments, Vaati was hightailing out of the base with Mandy on his back. Sitting upon one of the rooftops, the demonic bird, Ying-Ying watched them intently.

**Cleveland Park**

It was a bright and peaceful sunny day following the Brotherhood's defeat, and Sector V and their operative friends were happily playing around the park. "Ahh, have you ever seen a day more peaceful?" Nolan smiled, sitting with Danika at a picnic table, with Nigel and Rachel on the other side.

"No more Brotherhood of Evil, and no more villains." Nigel replied, relieved. "E-yep. I think the Kids Next Door might just go out of business for a while."

"Well, we didn't stop EVERYONE." Rachel spoke up. "There's still Ganondorf to worry about. And then Gnaa."

"Ah, Ganon'll be easy." Nigel said, playfully smacking Rachel's arm. "You've got the sword, the Light Arrows, Triforce of Courage, you'll kick his butt in no time."

"Yeah!" Wally exclaimed, running by them. "I say we just go over to 'is lair and kick his butt right now!"

Rachel gave a light laughter. "It's not THAT easy, Numbuh 4! Rayquaza said I would need the help of Mandy and Lehcar if I'm ever going to beat Ganon. Sigh, and I don't think I'm any close to changing their hearts."

"When was the last time you saw them?" Nolan asked.

"During the invasion; Mandy attacked me, then I was struck by lightning from Lehcar and knocked out. But before that, I remember shooting Mandy with a Light Arrow."

"Well, shouldn't that do something?" Danika asked.

"I dunno."

"Say, what about the rest of those heroes anyway?" Nolan asked. "You think they might wanna help us?"

"Not really." Rachel said. "After the party, they all went back to their own dimensions using Jirachi's powers. Don't see why, we pretty much froze all their bad guys. …Except the Avatar Gaang. They're off exploring the town right now. Since Aang is the Avatar, he feels it's his duty to stop the Negatar."

"That reminds me, where were Morgan and her siblings during that crisis?" Nigel asked.

"I dunno. But my guess is that Morgan still didn't care." She sighed sadly. "I kinda feel sorry for her."

"Yah, me too. I phoned her siblings before the whole invasion happened, they still can't get through to her. If only there was someone who could help her…"

"There is." The kids flinched when Clockwork suddenly approached them. "But first… you all have something else to do."

"Oh, look, it's Clockwork." Danika spoke, half-sarcastically. "Assuming that you're here must mean you're about to point out who the next Guardian is?"

"Heh heh. Yes, that is the only reason I appear out of nowhere. Though not quite yet. First, we must continue in progression with _your_ quest, Rachel."

"But, she's a Firstborn Guardian, isn't she?" Nigel asked.

"She _is_. But we'll get to that later. We must focus on your teaming up with Mandy and Lehcar to vanquish Ganondorf. And I can assure you, you mustn't worry. For your work has begun to start itself. Now, we just wait."

"Oh… well, that's good." Rachel guessed.

"Oh, wait a second, you're supposed to take us to the Spirit World!" Nigel remembered.

"Huh?" Nolan asked.

"Er, I had this dream last night; with that Chronicler guy."

"Hey, I did, too." Danika said. "A lot of us were there, actually. …In fact, we were all one of each bender."

"Aha." Clockwork smirked. "The time for your meeting has come at last. I'll go to get the others. Hurry along as soon as you're ready…" With that, the Time Ghost flew off.

"Hm… so you're finally gonna meet this guy, huh? Wonder what he's gonna be like…" Rachel thought aloud.

"Who knows. But a spirit that only talks to people through dreams just HAS to be a big deal…" Nigel figured.

**Downtown; outdoor café**

"You know, when you live in a sewer for an extended amount of time, it feels good to get some fresh air." Jeremiah said as he and Kami sat at a table, while the other poisonbenders and their girlfriends sat at other tables.

"I'll bet. I'd probably die from the stench in the first night." Kami figured.

"Oi, that would be pretty cool, though, eh? Loads of tunnels and places to explore down there! Perfect for hide-n-seek!" Marine perked.

"Heh, yeah, if you like eating rotten cheese." Elijah chuckled.

"Tell me about it!" Leopold shouted, eating a piece of moldy cheese.

"Hm, you guys still eat like rats!" Katie joked.

"I know I do." Jeremiah said. "Even before all that, the orphanage I lived in didn't have the cleanest food. Blech. I can still taste that moldy oatmeal."

"You oughta try something more healthy." Ava suggested, coming over with a squidburger. "Try this! Kami tasted it, so you know it's yummy."

Jeremiah spared a glance to Kami, who gave a shrug. Jeremiah took it and proceeded to bite out of it. And after the first few chews, his face instantly turned to that of grotesqueness as he dashed off to barf in a trashcan. "Eh… can I have that, Mate?" Marine asked. Ava shrugged and decided to hand the raccoon girl the squidburger. She smiled as she opened her mouth wide to begin eating away.

"Well, don't you have the appetite?" Elijah observed.

"When ya have the spirit of adventuh, Mate," Marine turned to him and said, spitting food in his face, "nothin's too nasty for you ta chow down." With that, she continued to devour the food.

Sitting on Ava's shoulder, Kweeb looked up and noticed a familiar figure jump across from one building roof to the next, over their street. "Uh, hey, Ava, I gotta go do something real quick."

"Oh. Okay." Ava said, slightly confused. Kweeb jumped down into her pocket and got into his hovercraft, and Ava watched as he flew out of her pocket and took off above the rooftops, wondering where he was going.

"So, Matt, you going to come back to Sector R and be leader?" Yin asked.

"Maybe. I wanna try and get better control of my powers, first."

"Well, I say you're pretty good enough already." Yin smiled.

"Hehe." Matt lightly smiled. "Well, coming from you, maybe I should head back right now."

"Hm hm hm!"

"Actually, that reminds me." Matt said again. "I had this dream last night, saying I should find Clockwork to take me to the Spirit World. A lot of our friends were there, and The Chronicler said he wanted to meet us."

"That stalker spirit you told us about?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, that one. In fact, I think he wants to teach us more about our elements." Matt stood up from the table and said, "I have to go. See you guys later.", and walked off.

Kweeb hovered around the rooftops until he finally noticed the figure sitting on an air vent, her feet dangling a few inches over the floor as she viewed Sector V and the others playing in the distance. It was none other than Lehcar EiznekCm. Her back was turned toward Kweeb, but the alien could tell something was on her mind. He quietly landed his hovercraft near the edge of the building.

Lehcar watched the operatives freely play in the park, unable to help but feel a little jealous. _"Hey!"_ She looked down at the floor past her feet, taking notice of the little alien looking up at her.

"Hmm. A little bug has crawled its way up here. Move along now, Bug. Wouldn't wanna be squished." She told him smugly.

"Heh, that's still how you see me, huh?"

"Well, it's quite simple really, my definition of a bug is something you can easily crush with your hands or feet. I just compare your size with the size of my hands or feet… and determine which defeats the other."

"Well, if you think it's that easy," Kweeb smirked, leaping up to her shoulder, "try and crush me then."

"Mmm." Lehcar stared at the alien with a disbelieved look. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood right now." She turned back to watch the operatives play around.

"How come not?" Kweeb asked, sitting down on her shoulder. "And why are you even out here to begin with?"

"Just for the sake of getting away from Father for a while. 'Course, by the time I return, he'll have me incinerated."

"Ah-huh. You know, I've kind of noticed that during my time as your footslave."

"What are you talking about?"

"The reason you treated me like a helpless little bug? It's just the way YOU feel around Ganondorf."

"That's ridiculous." She scoffed.

"It's the same story for EVERY bully. Ganondorf makes you feel small and powerless, so you torture people like me to make you feel better! Believe me, Lehcar, if there's one thing I understand, it's the way bullies work. I get a lot of them, and they're ALL the same story!"

Lehcar only remained silent for a moment, keeping her usual angry look. But after a few seconds, she gave an exasperated sigh and looked down in shame, putting a hand over her face. "Oh, I can't hide it anymore. You're right, Bug. My father is the most vicious, evil person in the Underworld. A true being to admire, and an honor to be his daughter. But at the same time… he's just so scary! He yells and abuses me all the time when I don't follow his commands. Sigh, sometimes I wish I could be like those fools down there. Having families that care about you, and being able to run freely on your own. Just like that Sonic fool…"

"Heh. Ever think about calling childcare on Ganon?" Kweeb joked.

"You know that would never work, you foolish bug."

"Hey, I'm just kiddin'." Kweeb smiled. "But honestly, Lehcar, if you don't like your relationship with Ganon, why don't you just leave him? So what if he's your father, he doesn't care about you, apparently."

"Don't you think I want to? Someone like you should try defying him without becoming singed by lightning."

"Did you just imply that you really DO feel like a bug?" Kweeb smirked.

"Er- what does that- UUGH!" Lehcar face-palmed.

"Hey!" someone called. Kweeb and Lehcar turned left to see Scarlet hopping across buildings. "Huh? What's he doing here?" she asked, noticing Kweeb.

"Acting like the mouse he is." Lehcar remarked.

"I thought I was a bug?" Kweeb asked.

"Oh, whatever. Besides, what do you know, anyway? Ganondorf and I might not have the best father/daughter relationship, but I'm sure he cares about me a lot deep down!"

"Speaking of Ganondorf, he's actually looking for you right now." Scarlet said. "He says it's an emergency. I think we should head back."

"Well, you certainly are faithful of him." Kweeb commented to Lehcar. "But from what I heard, he's not like that. Mind if I come along?"

"Do what you will." Lehcar stated simply. "Just pray that he doesn't see you." With that, Kweeb jumped down into her shirt collar as the two girls ran off.

**Gallagher Elementary; front yard**

Clockwork patiently waited with the other elemental benders beside the school flagpole for Nigel and Danika. "Ah, you have arrived." He observed as the two said people were walking over.

"So, the goth girl's with us now, huh?" Sonic asked.

"Hey, Sonic, long time no see!" Nigel greeted. "You know, we could've really used your help during that Brotherhood crisis."

"Hehehe, sorry!" Sonic snickered. "But after teaching Eggman a permanent lesson, I like to take a vacation."

"So I guess we're all going to see him together, then." Matt guessed.

"Not yet." Clockwork said. "There's still one more..."

"Sorry I'm late." Everyone gasped and jumped around, seeing Mandy McKenzie appear out of nowhere.

"Mandy!" Nigel shouted as he, Angie, and Eva readied to battle her.

"Can't I come over for a visit without winding up in a battle?" Mandy inquired.

"She has a point." Clockwork said. "She is not here for battle. The Chronicler had summoned her, too, remember?"

"Yah, but she's still our enemy." Nigel reminded.

"Now, I thought you believed in second chances." Clockwork smirked.

"I'm guessing that's supposed to imply that she's gonna be coming to our side." Dimentia figured.

"Don't count on it." Mandy said, folding her arms. "I just wanna see what this Chronicler guy's about."

"'Guess that makes all of us." Mika figured.

"So then… everybody ready for their trip to the Spirit World?" Clockwork asked.

"So long as that implies we're not _staying_ there." Eva remarked.

"Very well, then. Let's go." The Time Spirit raised his staff to the heavens. A golden ray of light came down from the heavens, catching the crew inside, and they all vanished in an instant.

**The Spirit World; ocean area**

Before their very eyes, the benders had been zapped to a small island in the middle of the sea, frantically looking around. "Well, that felt weird." Eva said.

"Yeah, and what gives?" Sonic asked. "He dropped us off in the middle of the ocean!"

"Umm… where did he go, anyway?" Jagar asked. Everybody looked around and found that Clockwork was no longer with them.

"And… where are we, anyway?" Danika asked. (Play the "Celestial Caves" Theme from _Spyro: The Eternal Night_.) The nighttime sky was pitch-black, alit by endless stars in the heavens, as well as a bright, white moon, reflecting over the pure-blue, mirror-like ocean.

"This is definitely the Spirit World, I can tell you that much." Jagar noted.

"Heh… you said you always wanted to swim in this ocean, Eva." Nigel commented.

"Um… this island feels weird." Matt said, sitting on all fours as he tapped the ground with his fist.

Angie tapped the ground with her foot a little, then shifted her foot along it. "Hey! This isn't even real earth!"

The crew looked behind them and saw that waves were brushing by as the island moved opposite in that direction. "Hey… we're on a turtle." Nigel observed.

"A lion-turtle…" Danika spoke lowly, noticing the turtle's face on the front.

"And it looks like we're headed to that isle." Eva said, pointing to the island far off in the distance. The massive island appeared to be littered with crystals, jagged fissures, as well as old ruins, and was decorated with a silver-blue coloring.

Mika gasped quietly, closing her eyes as she felt a powerful presence. "I…I can feel it. We're here. This is… The Chronicler's domain."

The lion-turtle eventually arrived at the island, and the heroes proceeded to disembark. "Thank you, Mr. Turtle!" Angie smiled and waved as the creature sank beneath the sea.

"So, this is the place, huh…" Dimentia spoke as the group observed the vast island before them. "Then where's The Chronicler?"

_"Children…"_

"Oh, there he is." Mandy said.

_"I happily welcome you to my humble home. Please, make yourselves in. I eagerly await your-"_ The sounds of faulty, high-pitched speakers could be heard in the distance. _"Grrr! Come on, you stupid-"_ The speakers made its high-pitched noise again. _"Ahem, well… do come in, anyway. Sigh, I need to get this thing fixed…"_

"There is something odd about that guy." Sonic stated.

"No kidding. That's what I wanna find out." Matt replied.

"Okay, team, let's find our way in as soon as possible." Nigel declared. "This place gives me the creeps, so it's not going to be very easy."

"And whenever Nigie gets the creeps, he knows there's adventure bound." Eva commented.

"Heh… you know it." Nigel smirked.

_Stage 59: Isle of Elements_

_Mission: Enter The Chronicler's domain._

The crew slowly began their trek onto the island, taking a path through an eerie, dead forest. The path went up a small hill, until they stopped at an area over a deep pit with stone columns floating over it, spinning slowly. The team carefully hopped across the floating columns when they were lying straight, so they wouldn't slip and fall, landing onto a small floating platform. Other platforms ahead of them were floating around in circles at a fast pace, but Jagar was able to slow them down using his timebending. They were able to get on the slow-moving platforms and reach the path ahead.

The came to a small field where lots of horned demon statues stood in place, which they all recognized as Stone Trolls, The Chronicler's practice dummies. The statues came to life and charged over to attack them. Angie stomped the ground and sent them flying, while Eva sliced them in half with waterbending. Dimentia was able to stun them using Force Lightning, and Mandy with her Fear Scream, and Nigel proceeded to shoot fire blasts and take them all out. Once they were cleared away, they noticed the next path was at the top of a huge cliff. They noticed several stone pillars lying around, so Mika used her psychic to lift them all into a pathway that led upward. The benders carefully balanced their way up the floating pillars and were able to reach the cliff. Mika dropped the pillars afterward and used her psychic to levitate herself up.

As they continued along, they found a pile of huge, shattered boulders blocking their path. Angie easily moved the boulders out of the way, and they kept moving. The path ahead of the them appeared to be covered in a fog of green, toxic gas, with several skull-and-crossbone signs sticking from the ground. Matt used his power to wave the gas fumes away, making a tunnel through the fog for them to go through. However, they arrived at a dead end, but noticed the small gap under the wall. Danika had to use Shadow Veil and bring them under a few at a time, easily slipping under the gap and coming out the other end.

They walked through a short, dark tunnel before arriving at a huge, stone temple. The massive double-stone-doors were sealed shut as they noticed 10 small pedestals with holes around it, likely to place something. "This looks enough to be his home." Nigel figured.

"So, how do we get in?" Sonic asked. "Angie?"

_"To open the gates to my temple, you must place the correct orbs in the order I taught you your elements."_

"Where are the orbs?" Jagar asked. That's when they noticed 10 different-colored orbs, each with four electrical spider legs, appear upon the walls around them. The Crystal Ball Spiders leapt down and began rolling into them, knocking them around. The kids stood back up and began to fight the orbs back.

Eva used her Water Fists to knock out the red one, its spider legs disappearing. She grabbed and ran to put it in the red hole. However, the orb didn't seem to accept as it came back to life and zapped her away. "Well, that didn't work."

"The Chronicler said we needed to put them in the order we were trained." Nigel reminded.

"Well, how are we supposed to know that?" Dimentia asked.

"Let's just break the 4th wall." Sonic suggested.

"Okay, I know me and Eva were trained in the 3rd chapter of _Final Preparations_." Nigel explained.

"Guess that means we're the first two." Eva said, knocking out the dark-blue orb-spider, which stood for Water. Nigel also knocked out the orange orb, which stood for Fire, and Eva placed hers into the dark-blue pedestal, while Nigel put his in the orange pedestal.

"And then I learned about my earthbending sometime after that." Angie said, kicking rocks at the dark-green orb and knocking it out. Afterwards, she kicked the ball, and it rolled into the green pedestal.

"And I was the first to learn mine in this story." Mandy remembered, unleashing a Fear Scream to stun and knock out the red orb. She then proceeded to place it in the red pedestal.

"And I learned mine after that little time-traveling episode." Matt remembered, releasing poison gas to sicken the toxic-green orb, making its legs shrivel up. Matt then rolled the lifeless orb into the toxic-green hole.

"Then he taught me Psychic when The Quads came to New Island." Mika followed as she used psychic to lift the light-pink orb and shove it into the same colored hole.

"Then it was me before we landed on Vaporia." Danika said, expanding a Shadow Shockwave field and catching the black orb inside. She sent Cheshire after the creature, and the shadow shook and tore it apart in its mouth, allowing her to place it in the black hole.

"And then it was me." Sonic smirked, beating the sky-white orb with some Home Attacks before it was knocked out. He then kicked it toward the sky-white hole, and it fit itself in.

"Then… wait, do I count?" Jagar asked. "I actually learned from Clockwork."

"Yes, you do, just put it in!" Dimentia yelled, trying to shock the dark-pink orb. Jagar slowed his orb, which had a black-and-white clock inside, down and started to beat on it, and it was easily knocked out. With that done, he placed the orb inside. With the dark-pink Space Orb being the last one, Dimentia knocked it out and placed it into the hole.

The area quaked a little as the doors slowly opened. The 10 benders proceeded to walk inside. They found their selves in a circular room, with several books and candles along the floor. In the center of the chamber was the Pool of Light, similar to what's been in the Dream Realm for all of them. There were even 10 doors around the room, each of them labeled as a certain element. And on the opposite end from them, there appeared to be a larger door. "Hey, I recognize this place… This is that temple we came to when me and Nigel finished training our elements." Eva said. The others nodded in remembrance.

"I recognize it, too." Nigel followed. "Er, well… it kind of looks like it, anyway."

_"The temple from your dreams was meant to resemble this place."_ The Chronicler spoke. _"The 10 doors around you lead to realms of the different elements."_

"Wait a second," Nigel spoke again, "I remember from that book we had to pass certain trials in order to reach The Chronicler."

_"Yes… and no bender has been able to pass them all. That's because they test your mastery of ALL the elements…"_

"So only the Avatar would be able to pass them…" Eva deduced.

"Hold on, hold on. The Avatar can only master 4 of the elements." Mandy reminded. "And the Negatar can master the other ones. That means…"

_"The test was designed so that they must work together. But do not fear, children. Each of you can pass parts of the tests individually. Once you have completed the trials of your elements, you may be able to pass."_

"Um, wait a second, I thought Time & Space _weren't_ elements of the Avatar or Negatar." Jagar pointed out. "How would they be able to pass those?"

_"Er… there's a little mistake."_

"Well, I guess we oughta split up, then." Nigel decided. "We'll meet back here after we pass them."

"Why is it that some of these past levels have had these whole 'trials'?" Danika asked.

"Heh, it's the end of the story. Gotta make a challenge, don't we?"

"Heh… I guess so." With that, they all split up into the trials of their respective elements.

Eva Roberts stepped before the door with the Water Symbol. The gate opened, exposing a vortex of endless ocean waves and falling snowflakes. Eva stepped into the vortex, and her trial begun.

**The Trial of Water**

The Princess of the Ocean found herself standing on a sunny beach. The seagulls chirped across the sky as the ocean waves washed along the shore, brushing past her feet. Eva noticed an island out in the distance and felt that's where she needed to go. She conjured an ice-surfboard and prepared to ride along the waves. A tidal wave was coming up, so Eva surfed straight up and shot over the wave. She was coming to a bigger one that was curled into a tunnel, so she surfed through the tunnel and surfed around the wave, riding her surfboard straight to the island after doing so.

She walked up the river that was on the island, arriving at two double-waterfalls. Eva used Ice Breath to freeze the double-falls solid, then was able to Wall Jump up them. Once at the top, she skied along the icy river, going into a cave. A frozen waterfall was blocking her path, so she unfroze the ice, then used her bending to separate the waterfall into two. The inside of the cave looked just like The Chronicler's island. She spotted a dark-blue glowing pad in the center and stepped on it, then was teleported away.

_Sub-boss: Water Spirit_

She was taken back to a room in The Chronicler's temple, on a platform that was surrounded by a pool of water. She watched as an armored being emerged from the water, made of water itself, and wielded a trident and merman's tail. The spirit splashed into the water, sending a wave at Eva, who dodged. The spirit came out behind her and tried to crush her under its fist, but she dodged and conjured her Water Fists, sending them up to bash the spirit's head. The spirit blew some Ice Breath and froze the field, and Eva along with it, but she was able to break herself out before he could swing his trident, ducking the weapon.

The spirit dove under the water again, but Eva dove in after him and swam below the field. The Water Spirit shot Bubble Beams at Eva, but the Princess was able to counter her own Bubble Beams, fighting past the spirit's and dealing blows against his face. Afterwards, she released an Ice Breath and froze him completely. She then resurfaced above the platform for some air, and the spirit popped back out on the other side. Eva looked to a window on the ceiling above her as the Full Moon shone brightly. She drew out her Phantom Sword and raised it moonward, charging up power in her blade.

_"Feelings of the Ocean, and Phases of the Moon Spirits."_ Eva felt the powers of Kyogre and Cresselia flowing through her, conjuring a powerful wave and surfing forth to deal a powerful blow against the Water Spirit. She landed perfectly on the ground after zipping by, the spirit now sliced in two. She sheathed her sword and turned around, watching as the Guardian Spirit faded away, and visions of Kyogre and Cresselia presented themselves.

_"The power of the ocean flows strong within you."_ Kyogre spoke.

_"Go, and do not let the powers of evil change who you are."_ Cresselia followed.

Eva nodded and bowed to the spirits. The visions went away as the anchorwoman stepped onto a floating platform, allowing it to carry her back to the central room.

**The Trial of Earth**

Angelie Granite stood before the Earth Gate. The doors opened, exposing a vortex of sharp rocks and falling leaves. The barefooted 1st-grader entered the vortex and prepared to take her challenge.

Angie found herself within a mountain range, similar to the Rocky Mountains from before. She started her venture up the first hill of the mountain, already seeing a pack of giant boulders rolling down from up high. When the boulders were about to crush her, she kicked her legs up and was able to shatter the boulders with her bare feet. She continued up the slope until reaching a dead end over a high ledge. The next path seemed to be across a deep chasm with a far jump, with an unstable rocky pillar between it. Angie kicked a few rocks from the ground over to the pillar, causing it to crumble to pieces.

To get across the chasm, she stomped a rock from the ground below her and sent herself flying straight across, barely making it as she grabbed onto the ledge and hauled herself up. Afterwards, she came to a tall wall, but was easily able to make a platform stick out of it and carry her straight up. Once on the ledge at the top, there seemed to be no other way to go. She closed her eyes and crawled around the land using her Seismic Sense. After detecting the tunnel beneath the ground in the right spot, she stomped that spot and broke the hole open. With that, she jumped inside and walked through the tunnel, finding a dark-green warp pad and stepping on it, warping away.

_Sub-boss: Earth Spirit_

Angie appeared in a room with several trees around the walls. The leaves were all forming up into some metallic armor to become a spirit being wielding a cane-staff, and seemed to be a female being with a ponytail. The spirit stomped rocks from the ground and sent them at Angie, but she dodged and kicked her own rocks back, bashing her face. She then rolled along the ground to get in some rock armor, running over to deal some punches against the spirit's form. The spirit swung its cane at her, but Angie's rock armor protected. It didn't last long as the armor was broken after a few hits, and Angie was knocked away.

She stood up and conjured a Boulder-n-Chain, rapidly swinging it against the spirit, dealing heavy damage. The spirit used her staff to make a huge boulder rise from the ground, but Angie stood her ground and raised her hands, taking control of the boulder as she tried to force against the Earth Spirit's control. Eventually, she did so, lifting the boulder above the spirit and letting it drop, making it dizzy. With the spirit stunned, Angie leapt onto the armor on her chest and used metalbending to rip it open.

_"Strength of the Earth, and Heart of the Volcano Spirits."_ Feeling the energy of Regigigas and Groudon within her, Angie leapt high in the air and came down, causing a powerful earthquake and breaking a hole open below the spirit. The Earth Spirit plummeted down and crashed with a powerful thud.

After her short battle, the little girl smiled and bowed her head to the visions of Regigigas and Groudon. _"Your strength of heart, and care for your friends makes you strong with the earth."_ Regigigas stated.

_"Go, and do not let Earth's heart freeze."_ Groudon told her. Angie smiled and nodded.

The visions vanished as a platform appeared to carry her back to the main room.

**The Trial of Fire**

Nigel Uno stood before the Flame Gate, the doors opening to expose a vortex of burning-hot flames. He squinted his eyes from the bright flames as he entered the vortex, the Demon Prince beginning his trial.

The bald Brit found himself in a scorching-hot desert plain. Sweat dripped from his form, and he panted strongly as the boiling sun shone upon the land. Nigel Uno stepped forward, walking between two stone walls in an area with eight torches, held by statues. Nigel quickly shot flames and alit all of the torches in a few seconds, causing the wall on the other side to open. Nigel walked forward and found himself above a high cliff, with the way ahead far over a vast chasm. Nigel kicked on his rocket shoes and proceeded to fly across. However, the boots gave out not long after, and the Brit screamed and flailed his arms as he fell into the abyss.

It was then Nigel had another idea, frantically kicking his legs out. Suddenly, fire shot out of his feet like rockets, and he smiled as he began flying around again. He flew further across the chasm, seeing smoke rise from one of the walls below the gorge. He flew down and landed in there, coughing from the large amount of black smoke. He waved it off a little as he progressed further, seeing the cave totally on fire. He was able to use his powers to bring in and absorb the flames, making them vanish. Once they were all gone, Nigel found the orange warp pad before him. He stepped on the pad, and let it take him away.

_Sub-boss: Fire Spirit_

Nigel appeared in a room which was totally surrounded by flames. He watched as the flames formed together into some armor, becoming a spirit designed like a demon with horns. The horned demon breathed fire at Nigel, who quickly dashed around the room as the flames chased. As he ran, Nigel shot flames at the monster, doing it some damage. He then conjured his Fire Daggers and ran over, dealing blows against the demon's legs. The spirit jumped and kicked at Nigel, shooting flames from his feet to burn the Brit as he shot over into the surrounding flames.

Nigel wiped the soot from his eyes and looked around for the spirit. He quickly jumped to the side when it shot out from behind, trying to punch down at him. Nigel shot his rocket-flames and shot over to the spirit, his fists alighting with flames as he shoved it against the wall and dealt a few punches across his face. Nigel jumped back onto the floor and conjured fireball meteors up on the ceiling, and the spirit was immediately pelted by the huge flames as they came down. The Fire Spirit then began to conjure lightning in his fingers, shooting straight at the Brit, but Nigel was able to catch the lightning in his fingertips, redirecting the lightning and zapping the spirit with heavy damage.

_"Passion of the Sun and Underworld Spirits."_ Nigel's body alit with flames, feeling the fiery powers of Solaris and Malladus burning inside him. He spun, and his whole body turned into a flaming meteor, shooting directly forth and piercing the heart of the Fire Spirit. Nigel stylishly landed back down, and the spirit gripped his pierced chest and fell over, exploding. With that done, Nigel turned to see the vision of Solaris.

_"The flames of passion burn brightly within you. You may proceed."_ Nigel smiled and bowed to the Sun God. The Brit proceeded to stand on the floating platform and let it take him up.

**The Trial of Air**

Sonic the Hedgehog stood before the Air Gate, watching as it opened and exposed a vortex of breezy winds and vast, blue skies. The speedy hedgehog entered the vortex to begin his trial.

Sonic found himself standing on a long, floating path high up in the cloudy sky. The hedgehog dashed along the path at high speeds, making a few turns and going up a huge loop-di-loop. Sonic dashed into a spring that shot him up to reach another platform. The platform was too out of reach, but he conjured an Airball and sat on it, using it to carefully float himself over and land on it. A pole sat on the platform, so Sonic performed a Sonic Tornado, using it to spiral up and shoot to another pole, spinning around and shooting from one pole to the next. He eventually landed on another path and dashed across. He was coming to an area of floating water, but used his speed to easily skid across the liquid.

At the end of the road, he grabbed onto a huge balloon, hanging on as it floated across the endless chasm in the sky. He kicked his legs out to launch air blasts, pushing the balloon further forward. The balloon slowly carried him to a floating rocky isle with a road that led into a cave. He jumped off the balloon and landed on the road, running over and into the cave. He ran onto a white warp pad, which instantly warped him to his boss room.

_Sub-boss: Air Spirit_

Sonic ended up in a room with several fans below the floor along the walls, blowing air above the ground. The wind blew itself into some armor and formed into a female-like spirit with long hair and a staff. Sonic tried to home attack the spirit, but it waved its staff and blew a powerful wind that pushed him back. Sonic was caught in the fans' winds and blown up, but he was able to push against the winds and dash along the wall, running around the room to confuse the spirit, then boosted into her from behind, making her cry in pain. She tried to stomp the hedgehog, but Sonic performed a Tornado Spin around her, spinning the spirit around and making her bump the ceiling.

_"Freedom of the Spirit of Skies."_ Sonic felt the winds of Rayquaza blowing past him. The hedgehog charged forth and curled into a pinball, his Spin Dash charging faster and faster before he pierced straight through the spirit's heart. He landed with a victorious smirk as the spirit fell over and faded away. The hedgehog turned as the image of Rayquaza appeared before him.

_"The winds of freedom blow strong within you. Now keep running."_ Sonic smiled and nodded at the Sky Spirit. He stepped onto the platform and let it carry him up.

**The Trial of Poison**

Matthew Dimalanta stood before the Poison Gate, the awful smells of toxic fumes reaching his nose when the vortex exposed itself. Matthew kept his nose pinched closed as he entered to begin his trial.

Matt found himself standing within a huge field of piles of trash, the smoke from the stench rising to cover the sky and block the sun. Struggling to withstand the smell, Matt was still able to press forward. He came to a river of toxic waste, littered with several waste drums, and carefully stood on one, using his power to wave the waste and move himself forward. Once on the other side, Matt got off and kept going, noticing a huge wall of trash blocking his way in the distance, as well as a burning drum right next to it. Matt burped a Gas Bomb and sent it over, hitting the burning drum and creating a tremendous explosion, taking the wall down.

Matt coughed as he walked through the resulting smoke, eventually finding himself by another gas cave. He used his power to gently blow the gas away, allowing him to enter the dark cave. It was hard to find his way around, but he was able to do so, reaching a cleaner part of the cave. There were some junkyard monster dogs guarding the warp pad, the guard dogs waking up and snarling at Matthew, but the toxic leader released some Sleeping Gas and calmly put them to sleep. With them out of the way, Matt proceeded to enter the warp pad.

_Sub-boss: Poison Spirit_

The room was littered with many piles of trash, emitting a green stench along the floor. The awful stench formed itself into a being, and some of the trash formed the armor over the spirit, with a head designed like a poisonous skull. The spirit drew out a Poison Whip and started rapidly swinging it, but Matt jumped around and dodged before making his own Poison Whip, swinging and wrapping it around the spirit's and pulling it away. Matt took both whips and ran around when the spirit tried to crush him, getting behind and performing several blows at his rear with both whips.

The whips vanished as the spirit conjured a new one. Matt burped Gas Bombs and pelted the spirit several times as it was pushed back. The spirit released poisonous breath from its mouth at Matthew's face, making him cough and try to blow it off. The Poison Spirit tried to whip him, but Matt dodged again and ran to scratch its form, doing a Poison Sting.

_"Hurtful stings of Hexxus's pain."_ Feeling the poisons of Hexxus hurting inside him, Matt calmly closed his eyes and conjured clouds of Acid Rain above him. The clouds flowed above the spirit and rained down on him. The Poison Spirit screamed and groaned in pain as the Acid Rain caused him to melt and vanish. With the spirit defeated, the image of Hexxus appeared before him.

_"Eh, nice job, Matty!"_ He gave a thumbs-up. _"Ya got those poisons brewin' inside you! Keep 'em comin'! And remembuh: Toxic Looove!"_ Matt gave a light chuckle and scratched his head. The spirit vanished as Matt was able to get on the platform to float back up.

**The Trial of Shadow**

Danika Anderson stood before the Shadow Gate, viewing the vortex of pitch-black twilight energy. Danika calmly entered the shadowy vortex and vanished into her trial.

Danika once again found herself standing within the Twilight Realm. She stood upon a small, floating isle with no way to go, so she used her Shadow Glide to fly around, noticing a path out in the distance and flying that way. She landed as some Stone Trolls awakened to see her, but she simply blinded their vision using Shadow Breath before entering the temple ahead of her. She hid behind a wall as she noticed some Vaporian troops guarding up ahead, but was able to sneak under and past them using Shadow Veil.

"What're the Vaporians doing here?" she wondered aloud. She continued to a room which appeared to be a dead end. She suddenly remembered her Shadow Sense and closed her eyes, detecting that one of the walls appeared to be fake. She smiled and was about to enter, but was suddenly trapped within a square barrier. Some Shadow Soldiers dropped down to attack her, but Danika once again defeated them using the Shadow Shockwave. With them gone, and the barrier disabled, Danika proceeded to pass through the fake wall, stepping on the black warp pad on the other side.

_Sub-boss: Shadow Spirit_

Danika appeared in a room still emitting the twilight glow. She looked down at the floor, watching as her shadow turned blacker and blacker, growing even longer before separating from her body. She rose from the ground and became a pitch-black, identical copy of Danika, only growing 3 times her height as it drew out daggers. Amazingly, Cheshire was still with Danika. The goth dodged and avoided the spirit's stabs with the daggers, running over to slice at its legs. The spirit tried to kick her, but Danika jumped away and used Shadow Glide to fly around, getting above and changing back as she sliced down the shadow's body.

The spirit tried to stomp Danika, but she used Shadow Veil the moment her foot came down, sneaking under and behind her before coming up to slice her butt. The spirit then became invisible, and Danika searched around with a dagger raised, only to be kicked away from behind by the spirit. When she recovered, the spirit vanished again, so Danika decided to use Shadow Sense. When she caught notice of the spirit, Danika performed a Shadow Shockwave and sent Cheshire to gnash at her face.

_"Rising sun of the Shadow Spirit."_ Danika felt the warmth of the dawn's sun, and Midna's powers flowing inside her as she grew to the spirit's height in her Light Shadow Fury form, only a bit bigger. Danika released Light Shadow Breath all over the Shadow Spirit and got it completely covered, making her vanish. Danika shrunk back to normal as the image of Midna and Giratina appeared before her.

_"A new day… brings new things."_ Giratina spoke.

_"You're one heck of a Guardian."_ Midna smiled. _"Don't worry: I'm taking care of Nolan while you're gone. Eee hee hee! See you later!"_ Midna wiggled her fingers and vanished. Danika smiled at her Firstborn's childishness before stepping onto the platform and being taken up.

**The Trial of Psychic**

Mikaela Corella stood before the Psychic Gate, sensing the incredible amounts of psychic energy within as it opened. She entered and let it take her to her trial.

Mika found herself inside of a spaceship, like from _Star Wars_. The path was above a wall in front of her, but she easily got up by floating herself. She then came to a tiny mouse hole and used her power to slowly shrink herself down, getting small enough to enter the hole. She re-expanded on the other side and found herself on a ledge over a chasm. She noticed a red switch on the other side and used telekinesis to pick up a nearby metal barrel and hurl it over, pressing the switch and causing the wall to open, revealing another path, to which Mika floated over to.

An electrical barrier was then standing in Mika's way, but she was able to teleport herself to the other side. She continued down the hall before arriving at a doorway with four light-up switches around the floor. She tried to switch them on one at a time, but they all blacked out in an instant. That's when she decided to get in the center of the switches and do a Psycho Shockwave, making them all alight at once. The door opened and revealed the bright-pink warp pad, which Mika used to teleport out of there.

_Sub-boss: Psychic Spirit_

She stood within a room where a large, black cloak lied in the center. The cloak began to levitate itself as a being made of blue psychic energy formed beneath it, resembling a Sith Lord as it switched on a large, red lightsaber in its right hand. The spirit swung at Mika, but she flipped away and drew out her own saber, trying to clash against his. The spirit pushed her away using psychic and forced her against the wall. She recovered before the spirit could stab his sword at her, getting the weapon stuck in the wall and trying to pull it out. Mika took this time to run and deal a few strikes from behind.

The spirit pulled his saber out and jumped away, turning at her and conjuring Psycho Spheres. Mika dodged as the spheres exploded around her, then created her own and sending them back, pelting the spirit as the explosions covered him in smoke. When the smoke cleared, the spirit had vanished, and Mika gasped when it reappeared behind her. She noticed three copies of the being and threw a Psycho Sphere at the one in the middle, but the copy vanished. She shot one at the right, but it was also a fake, and the real one shot over and slashed at her. When she recovered, the spirit teleported again, and three more copies surrounded her. She simply used her shockwave move again and stunned them all, making the clones vanish while the real one became dizzy.

_"Imagination of the Spirit of Psychic."_ Feeling the psychic energy of Mewtwo flowing inside her, she conjured a bright pink barrier around her form and expanded it, creating an explosion that wiped out the Psychic Spirit, making it vanish into nothingness. With the spirit gone, the vision of Mewtwo appeared before Mika.

_"Imagination is the gateway to many things. Just do not let that gate bring you to the Dark Side."_

Mika nodded at the spirit, but then remembered something. "Um… I thought you were a cloned spirit. Why doesn't Mew appear?"

_"Well… Mew doesn't talk, so I was the best choice."_

"Okay." Mika shrugged. The platform then appeared to carry her back to the center.

**The Trial of Fear**

Mandy McKenzie stood before the Fear Gate, still keeping her usual frowny expression. The doors opened, and Mandy felt slight fear in her heart as she faced the red, nightmarish vortex before her. She took a breath and calmly walked into the fear-filled vortex.

Mandy stood in some nightmarish dimension, similar to what Bowser's Castle had, as the sky was littered with the nightmare substance. She came above a cliff over an abyss, seeing two poles beside her with rings that had teeth in them. She unleashed a Fear Scream and made the rings spin, absorbing the energy as a bridge was created to help her across. On the other side, she encountered a wall with large eyes glaring straight at her. She simply gave her own glare back, using Scare Stare to make the eyes frighten and retreat, causing the wall to open. She proceeded to walk over to a strange door, opening it and revealing a Dark Void.

_Mandy stepped into the Dark Void and appeared in a small house alit by a fireplace, where she encountered her greatest fear: her older self, married and making out with Erwin. "Oh, Erwin… you're so smooth…" her older self moaned. Mandy's eyes widened in absolute horror._

_"Mandy, come on! I'll get you out of here!" Mandy looked back and saw Rachel standing in the doorway, reaching a hand out._

_"R-Rachel…? How did you get here?"_

_"Never mind that. I'm here to help you. Come on, Mandy. Trust me."_

_Mandy resented trusting _Rachel_ of all people… but she glanced back at her older self making out with that _nerd_ and saw no other way. And besides, Rachel did have an honest look in her eyes. She decided to take her cousin's hand and let the blonde leader pull her and hurry them out of there. _After a few seconds, Rachel was able to lead them out of the Dark Void. "Um… thanks, Rachel."

_"Anytime, Mandy."_ The illusion of Rachel smiled before going back into the void. The dark portal vanished, allowing Mandy to enter a room with a red warp pad. She stood on the warp pad and went to her battle zone.

_Sub-boss: Fear Spirit_

The fear substance was surrounding around as old, raggedy clothes and chains lied on the floor. The clothes rose as the fear energy flowed into it, forming itself into a psychotic being with a sash around his face, drawing out nightmare syringes between his fingers. The spirit shot the syringes at Mandy like darts, but she was able to duck them. He held up a longer one like a sword, but Mandy took out her pirate sword and clashed against it, running under to deal a few strikes against his leg. The spirit jumped away and spun his chain around, throwing it to wrap around Mandy's legs and swing her away.

As she got up, the Fear Spirit conjured Fear Spheres and sent them at her, but she easily dodged and shot her own Fear Spheres back. The Fear Spirit raised his arms in the air, conjuring a Dark Void up above, and glaring down at Mandy. But while he did so, Mandy was able to step closer and glare back. The spirit ceased making his Dark Void and shook with fear, backing away from the frightening child.

_"Fears of the Nightmare King."_ Feeling Darkrai's nightmarish darkness inside her, Mandy took a long, deep breath and unleashed an extremely loud Fear Scream. The Fear Spirit shut his ears and shook from the pain, but the sounds still penetrated as his head puffed up and exploded. Mandy stopped screaming and watched the body fall to the ground, dead. Afterwards, the vision of Darkrai II appeared in the room.

_"Fear is the enemy. But depending on how you use it: it can be your friend."_ Mandy kept her frowny look and nodded at the Nightmare King. That's when a vision of Jar Jar Blinks appeared beside him, taking notice of the Fear Spirit's headless body.

_"OOHHH! ! Me-sho dink Legy-wegy woul'-sha LOVE to have a new bubby! MW-MW-MW-MW-MW-MW-MW-MW!"_ The Gungan excitedly grabbed the fallen spirit and ran off, vanishing.

_"Uugh…"_ Darkrai sighed, putting a hand over his eye and shaking his head with disbelief as he vanished, too. Mandy then proceeded to step onto the platform and let it carry her up.

**The Trial of Space**

Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom stood before the Space Gate, watching it open to reveal a vortex of endless pitch-black space, lit up with tons of tiny stars and had a few asteroids floating through. The GKND Leader stepped into the infinite gate and begun her trial.

Dimentia found herself standing on an asteroid in the depths of space. She began floating across the infinite space, looking for someplace to go in this trial. She saw a series of bigger, flatter asteroids ahead with mechanical stuff on them and floated over to land on one. She walked ahead and noticed the next one too high to reach, but was unable to float at the moment. She decided to conjure up floating Space Blocks and make a small staircase to allow her to reach the next asteroid, where she found a small base.

The field in front of the base appeared to have some electrical generators. She zapped the generators using Space Lightning and powered them up, causing the base's entrance to open. She quietly walked through the base's corridor and soon came upon a room with several camera monitors, one of them watching over the room with the dark-pink warp pad. Now aware of the warp pad's location, she was able to easily warp herself into that room, stepping onto the pad and warping again.

_Sub-boss: Space Spirit_

Dimentia appeared in a room which had the illusion of infinite space surrounding the walls. Out of the space came an armored being whose body had the complete vision of infinite space itself. The being held its arms open, and Dimentia felt herself being sucked into the space, but gripped the floor and warped herself behind the spirit, where she attacked him with Space Lightning. The spirit turned and tried to swat her, but Dimentia flew and forced him against the wall using Space Lightning.

The Space Spirit recovered and conjured a Space Block around Dimentia, snapping his fingers and exploding it, knocking Dimentia to the ground as she was covered in soot. The spirit walked over to try and crush her with its fists, but she warped behind him again, zapping his butt using Starbursts. She was instantly stunned by his Space Lightning, then kicked against the wall, but she recovered and snapped her fingers, making mini explosions occur on the ground around him and knocking him over.

_"Openness of the Spirits of Stars."_ Feeling fueled by Jirachi's powerful magic, she focused and conjured a black hole behind the spirit. The Space Spirit stood up and tried to run at her, but was quickly sucked into the portal as it vanished. After the battle, the visions of Jirachi and Palkia appeared before her.

_"With your heart opened to many friends… your space becomes stronger."_ Palkia spoke.

_"Wait to go, Dimentia!"_ Jirachi cheered. Dimentia smiled and nodded at her Firstborn.

_"Hey, sorry I'm late!"_ the DNA Spirit, Deoxys suddenly appeared out of nowhere. _"Now, would someone mind telling me why I was excluded from the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T. cyberspace level as the boss?"_

"Author didn't wanna be bothered with it." Dimentia told him.

_"Ugh. Well, I better be in the Final Mix version of this."_ With that, the three spirits vanished, and Dimentia stepped onto the elevator to lift her back to the other room.

**The Trial of Time**

Jagar King stood before the final trial, which was the Time Gate. The gate opened, exposing a vortex designed like a black-and-white ticking clock. Jagar passed through the gate to finish the last trial.

Jagar found himself on the inside of a giant clock. The gears and contraptions were moving very quickly inside, and Jagar quickly dodged before a giant pendulum could knock him over. "STOP!" he yelled, using his powers to make everything freeze completely. With everything frozen, he began making his way up the clock, going up a pathway, walking across a frozen treadmill, then climbing up some block platforms. The next bit of platforms appeared to be triangles, and Jagar was unable to stand on the tips of them, so he made it so that time moved slower, so that the platforms would slowly turn and allow him to stand on their flat parts.

Jagar made his way up and entered a short hallway over an abyss. He noticed a platform slowly moving along and got on it, resuming time at normal speed, in which he was unprepared when the platform ZIPPED across like lightning, but still stayed on it. He looked with terror when he was about to ram into a wall and quickly froze time in place just inches from the wall. When he saw no other way to go, he had an idea and used his Rewind ability to make the platform carry him back the way it came.

He finally arrived at another platform where he found the warp pad, but it seemed to be deactivated. A sign read, _Warp pad closed. Come back one hour ago._ Jagar knew what he had to do here, but felt it would be complicated. Despite this, the boy shut his eyes and focused all the timebending energy he could. Slowly, a portal began to expand and open, allowing him entry into the past.

_One hour earlier_

The Stone Trolls were about to close down the warp pad, but Jagar appeared out of nowhere and shot Time Blasts to take them all out. After defeating the last of them, Jagar stepped back into the portal.

_Present time_

With the warp pad never having been shut down, Jagar was able to stand on it and teleport.

_Sub-boss: Time Spirit_

Jagar appeared in a room with various clocks around the walls. Some of the clocks formed up to make a cloak, in which a gray spirit appeared inside it, having a ghostly tail and holding a Chrono Staff. Jagar prepared to fight, but the spirit aimed its staff and froze him in time, then proceeded to bat him against the wall. Jagar recovered as the spirit approached to freeze him again, but Jagar threw his hands out and was able to freeze him first, afterwards pelting him with several Time Blasts.

When the spirit unfroze, he was blown against the wall from all the attacks. He recovered and used Time Speed to rapidly zip around and punch Jagar from all directions. Fed up with enough of this, Jagar yelled, "TIME BRAKE!", and slowed the creature down when his fist was just inches from his face again. Jagar calmly walked behind the spirit and snapped his fingers, resuming regular speed, and making the spirit ram a wall, knocking him dizzy.

_"Memories of the Spirits of Time."_ Feeling the powers, given to his spirit form by Dialga, growing stronger, Jagar sucked in some breath, and unleashed a massive Roar of Time, blowing powerfully against the spirit and slowly making him fade away into nothingness. With the spirit gone, Jagar ceased roaring, and the holographic visions of Clockwork and Dialga made themselves known.

_"Memories are a precious thing."_ Dialga spoke. _"You can learn from mistakes in your past… but it is also important not to let dark events bother you. And rather let the brighter events give you power."_

_"Now go, and continue your journey, my apprentice."_ Clockwork spoke. Jagar smiled and nodded as the spirits faded away. When the elevator came down, Jagar stood on, and allowed it to carry him back to his friends.

"Hoo, boy… That was totally rough." Danika sighed, walking out of her vortex and giving an exasperated sigh. Everybody watched as Jagar rose up from the Pool of Light in the center, seeing his trial gate close.

"So… is everyone ready?" Jagar asked.

"Yup. I think that's the last of them." Nigel said. "Now where to go now?"

_"Well done, children. You have proven yourselves worthy of entering my domain. Please… come in."_ The large door on the other end of the room opened, revealing what seemed to be a library on the other side.

The band of benders entered the library with curiosity. Many books, far as the eye can see throughout the aisles. It may have been as big as Wan Shi Tong's library. Mika was actually joyous deep down, being the bookworm she is. _"Welcome, my children." _The Chronicler's voice echoed throughout the room. _"Come into my-" _There was the sound of a faulty speaker, making a high-pitched ringing sound.

"Gah! Blast this bloody contraption…" a British-sounding voice was heard. Their attention was directed to a blue curtain a few feet away. With a look of disbelief, Matthew proceeded to walk over and pull the curtain open. Everyone was exposed to a gray, rather ancient-looking dragon, as he had bushy, white brows, a slight beard, and torn-up wings. The dragon was startled slightly when Matthew opened the curtain. "Uh… pay no attention to the dragon… hiding behind the curtain."

"Cut the act." Matthew said.

"Oh, there's no fooling you kids. Still, can't blame an old dragon for trying."

"You're The Chronicler…" Nigel already guessed.

"Yes. Indeed I am. 'Twas my suggestion that the gods should allow mortals their elemental powers. Things went awry with the Avatar-Negatar deal… and I was banished here. For millions of years, I've been resting upon this isle… only able to contact outsiders through their dreams. My real form is what you see before you… but while in the Dream Realm, I take the form of an incredible Lion Turtle. And it is from the Dream Realm I teach benders of great importance their elements, such as the young Avatar; with lightbending."

"You've been living in this isle… for millions of years?" Nigel asked.

"Yes, well… I've had my books."

"No kidding!" Mika beamed. "Look at all these books! I'd be on Cloud 9 if I had these many books to read!"

The Chronicler chuckled. "These are not quite the books meant for your eyes, Child. For you see, all of the books you see before you are actually stories, endless articles written about the lives of people."

"You mean… all of these books are… stories of peoples' lives? Including ours?" Matt asked.

"I stand correct: stalker!" Angie exclaimed and pointed.

"Gee, how did I not see that coming?" Chronicler said with disbelief. "But it is true. All of these books tell the tales of everyone's lives. However, most of the pages… are left incomplete. Including yours. For your destinies have not yet been printed onto the pages. Just… small fragments of them, really."

"Mind if we have a look at few?" Mandy asked.

"Very well, then. We'll start with you, Mandy." The Chronicler used his telekinesis to grab a book from a row on a shelf, which was titled _Mandy McKenzie_. The Chronicler opened the book and presented the pictures to the kids. "Here is young Mandy McKenzie. Quite a darling little angel, wouldn't you say?" They observed pictures of Mandy's early life as a baby. In just about all of them, Mandy had a frowny face.

Mandy growled in anger as the other heroes gave little laughters.

"Here is Nigel Uno." The Chronicler presented to them Nigel's book. "He certainly was into spaceships back then." The 5-year-old Nigel in the picture was tugging on his father's shirt, smiling and pointing up at a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in the sky. Nigel blushed sheepishly as the others giggled. "And, awwwe… here is little Eva Roberts and Kade." He showed them a picture from Eva's book, showing when she first met Kade at five years old. Eva smiled at the happy memory.

"So you're able to record history." Jagar guessed. "Like a timebender."

"Sort of like a timebender. Mm, without the powers. But these are not the only stories, mind you. My aisles are endless. As they contain the stories of your people from _other_ universes."

"Other universes?" Nigel asked. "You mean like Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom, or Aang's worlds?"

"Well, yes. But that's not quite what I meant. There are many parallel universes to your own. Such as the Out of Mind dimension. Where the Kids Next Door is an evil organization, and Benedict Uno and his Delightful Children are the heroes."

"Wow… that sounds pretty cool, actually!" Nigel smiled.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, the pages of said universe… appear to have gone missing. But anyhoo, there are many more like that. Most of the same people exist in other universes. Although the events play much differently there. Be they minor or incredible. For example, you, Nigel Uno, seem to lack your family history with Malladus. You also fall in love with Abigail Lincoln in a few worlds."

"Heh…" Nigel blushed.

"And also, Violet McCleary does not become a cat person in some dimensions. In fact, Bruce even falls in love with that lovely Luna girl. In fact, that dimension appears to be very well-linked with your own. I would not be surprised if Bruce ended up falling in love with her there, too."

"Well, she is just as good for him." Eva said.

"What about my Harveykins? How's he like in different dimensions?" Angie asked with a mischievous smile.

The Chronicler turned the pages of another book. "Things do not quite end well for Harvey in other dimensions. Although he does become Supreme Leader in one, and he does seem to have a various amount of girlfriends among them. In fact, Angie, I believe the great being who watches this dimension was able to form you from the traits of an Angie from a different dimension."

"'The great being who watches us'?" Angie asked.

"Why, yes. Each dimension has its own Guardian. They watch over and decide what events will occur in said dimensions."

"…That's kinda creepy."

"What'm I like? I suppose I don't have waterbending powers in other dimensions?" Eva asked.

Chronicler turned the pages in a book. "Yes… and you are also paired with various other boys besides Kade. Such as Gabe, Bruce, even Paddy."

"Hm… I guess it's true when they say I could date whoever I want." Eva smirked.

"I believe you are _also_ paired with Andrew Stevenson in one. Who _actually_ turns out to be 'The Steve' in that one."

"You mean… Numbuh 100? Weird…" Eva looked disgusted.

"What's Nolan like in other dimensions?" Danika asked, curious.

The Chronicler turned more pages in a book. "In another universe, Nolan York does not become a traitor, and succeeds as being Wesley Dodds's... well, successor. Although I cannot say that things end quite as well for him as they did not long ago in your dimension. But on the bright side, he does fall in love with this rather fetching girl," he turned the book to give them a look at the girl, "Kayla Valera."

"Well, good to know Nolan still gets the pretty ladies!" Numbuh 10 smiled.

"I don't like her." Danika stated simply, folding her arms.

"Ah, don't be jealous, Danika." Nigel smacked her arm. "I'm sure she's just as good a girlfriend for him as you are."

"And in that same universe, the GKND is under the command of a different power than Dimentia. And it seems they have something special planned for _you_, Nigel, from what I have gathered."

"Hmm… good to know I'm still a big deal in other universes." He smirked. "Let's just hope they mean better than OUR GKND did. Right? RIIIGHT?" Nigel playfully nudged Dimentia.

"Yes…" Dimentia rolled her eyes.

"Alright, so we're basically reading a bunch of peoples' personal diaries, written by someone else." Sonic summarized with a look of disbelief.

"But why did you bring us here in the first place?" Mandy asked. "Was it about our destinies?"

"It sort of relates to that, yes. But let me tell you a story. Sonic, you should be familiar: it is the story of Light & Dark Gaia."

"Hey, yeah, I remember that!" the hedgehog perked.

"Care to refresh us?"

"Yeah… the idea is, Dark and Light Gaia live within the Earth. Dark Gaia grows over millions of years, then rises to destroy the world. Then Light Gaia puts it back together. I worked with him to do that!"

"Talk about bein' the hero…" Matt muttered.

"Indeed." Chronicler said. "That story, much like the elements, relates to people. Darkness grows inside their hearts. Eventually, it rises to take control. Destroying the person internally. But then the light returns to them, and brings them to good again. Although neither the Light or Darkness is destroyed. But merely lays to rest, waiting to awaken. Though that does not apply to everyone. Sometimes the light or darkness is permanent, throwing everything off balance. But mostly darkness. And some people, such as your Nolan friend, willingly accept the darkness inside them. They accept the fact that… there is just so much anger inside them, they just can't get rid of it, no matter how much they wish to or try. Those people are referred to as 'Antiheroes'. And yet, they could follow mostly good, or evil. That Shadow character is one of them…"

"Hmm…" Sonic stood in thought, and slight agreement.

"Okay, well, this whole 'Light & Darkness' lesson is good and all… but I was hoping we would learn more about our elements." Matt intervened.

The Chronicler lightly chuckled. "Oh, Matthew… your mastery with all your elements has already arisen. For you have learned of your spiritual nature. Matt… you know that it is the care from your friends that makes your poisons healthy. Nigel…" he turned to the Brit, "your passion to protect your friends and the KND makes the flame burn brightly. Dimentia…" he turned to the space leader, "you know the true meaning of open trust. And Mika…" he turned to her, "your mind is a good one. Your imagination carefree, and your beliefs strong."

"Hehe, awww… thaaankiiieees!" Mika blushed goofily.

"In fact, my dear… you have a very important destiny, regarding your Morgan friend. One day, she will be in great danger, and it will be your duty to save her."

"What kind of danger?" Nigel asked.

"A danger that is not set to happen soon. Long after this quest is done… will Morgan require Mika's assistance."

"Good to know." Mandy stated sarcastically. "But what about me? Got _my_ destiny in there?"

The spirit picked Mandy's book back up and opened it. "Your destiny has yet to be fully written… though there _are_ fragments. Your story is linked with Rachel's. Is it for good… or for evil. That depends on you. For now, we must discuss things of a different matter. I told you of the parallel dimensions to your own… and you are already aware of the _other_ worlds that exist in their own dimensions. But I've noticed something oddly particular about _your_ dimension. It appears to be the core of… a Dimensional Fusion."

"A Dimensional Fusion? What's that?" Nigel questioned.

"Dimensional Fusion is when a space-time rift occurs, causing _many_ separate worlds to suddenly come into contact, fusing their timelines completely together. As a result, the timelines start over. Mostly, the same events happen, only the result of the mix with other worlds will allow different events to occur. Already, you have met many others who have originated from different worlds. Such as Kirby. Meta Knight. Donkey Kong. Marine the Raccoon. The Irken Empire. Even that Legion fellow originated from a parallel dimension. Why… I am no exception myself. This was not the only time this has occurred in the Multiverse. The last time this happened was when the Heartless came into existence the first time. With so many diverse worlds and so many people… the darkness that existed in those worlds called them to life, and they began running amuck. 'Twas when the Keyblade-bearers were called to fight them off."

"But… I thought it was the power of the Negatar that brought the Heartless back?" Eva asked.

"Yes, it was. But such a task would not be possible… if Dimensional Fusion did not occur."

"Um, Chronicler? What happened… when the first Dimensional Fusion occurred?" Nigel asked with a worried look.

The Chronicler gave a worried sigh and closed his eyes, facing away as he sat on the floor. "The Heartless' goal in that first dimension… was to locate the hearts of the worlds. They wished to devour the hearts of those worlds into their darkness, forever swallowing it up. Their ultimate goal was to locate the true heart of the universe, which came to be known as Kingdom Hearts. And when they did, eventually…" he reopened his eyes and faced them with a serious look, "that whole universe exploded."

"WHAT? !" they all screamed.

"But do not fear, children!" the dragon told them hastily. "The heart of this universe has been long since vanished. It rests with the Supreme God of this universe. Arceus himself."

"…But… I was told that… Arceus was destroyed." Jagar pointed out.

"No god can truly be destroyed. For parts of Arceus's soul… reside within the Avatar and Negatar themselves."

"They're inside Aang and Gnaa…" Jagar spoke quietly.

"That's right. And even if their hearts were to be taken by darkness… Arceus's soul would not. If they were to be destroyed, the bits of the soul would find new hosts, and they would become the new Avatar and Negatar. The only way to truly extract the soul… is by the power of Arceus's children."

"The Eight Firstborn…" Nigel deduced.

"So, in other words, Gnaa wants to find the Firstborn… so he can awaken the soul and swallow it in darkness!" Eva exclaimed.

"Then we mustn't let it happen!" Nigel decided. "We've got to find the Firstborn now!"

"But, wait." Matthew spoke up. "If finding the Firstborn is what will bring his soul back… wouldn't it be a good idea _not_ to find them?"

"He has a point." Danika agreed.

"That would still be a problem," The Chronicler said, "because if the Heartless continued to roam, the worlds may eventually be swallowed in their darkness. Your worlds are safe for now… but if you did not find the Firstborn, and use their power for good and destroy the Heartless… I fear what may happen."

"Hmm… so I guess the best plan is to find them, huh?" Nigel guessed.

"But where ARE the last 3 Firstborn, Mr. Chronicler?" Angie asked, a curious look on her childish face.

"The last 3 exist on separate lakes on Planet Poké. As for the Guardians… I am sure Clockwork would be willing to help you out there. And even so, I am certain they already know who they are."

"Then I guess we ought to head back to Earth and find them as soon as we can." Nigel figured.

"There is another problem at hand." Chronicler noted. "Regarding Ganondorf. He is planning something grave. And you may already know, it is Rachel's destiny to stop him. Of course… she may need help." He spared a glance to Mandy, who glanced away.

"Like us?" Danika asked.

"I sense the lot of you traveling to Mt. Malladus, to learn of Ganondorf's secrets. I cannot determine if you are successful… but you may find some things."

"Then that's our next mission." Nigel decided. "Let's get home now."

The Chronicler then led the 10 back to the chamber with the Pool of Light. "This pool will allow you to travel back." It showed the image of the park the kids were previously playing in.

"And I assume you'll be heading back over to Ganon once we're there?" Nigel asked, raising a brow at Mandy.

"Actually… I need to talk to Rachel about something. Don't worry that bald head of yours, it's nothing violent."

"Hmph…" Nigel folded his arms.

"One more thing." Chronicler said again, raising a finger. "I should remind you that I am quite knowledgeable with topics in the universe. Should any of you have any questions, relating to certain characters, stories of gods, locations, etc.… I would be happy to divulge any information I may have. Just feel free to come back. The door will be open."

"Em… thanks." Nigel shrugged. "We'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the help, Mr. Chronicler."

"Take care, Mr. Chronicler!" Angie smiled and waved as everyone jumped into the Pool of Light. "Bye-bye, now!" With that, she was the last to jump in.

The Chronicler just went back to sitting on the ground, looking around in boredom. "Hum… did I seriously just destroy the 4th wall there?…"

"Nope, sorry." Sirius Black replied, walking out of thin air. "That was all you." With that, he faded away and left The Chronicler to himself.

**Final Brain**

Kweeb peeked his head out of Lehcar's sweater, seeing they were approaching the abandoned Brotherhood base. "What are we doing here?"

"Despite the Brotherhood's separation from Gnaa's forces, The Brain still allowed my father to use the basement as his secondary base." Lehcar explained. "Now that the Brotherhood's frozen, that gives us more base to ourselves! We plan to move to our actual base once we're finished with things…"

Ganondorf was busy rubbing his flamed hand along Yllaw's flash-frozen body. After a while, the Negative thawed out, and he gasped for air. The two then looked as Lehcar and Scarlet arrived, bowing before him.

"Where have you been? !" Ganon thundered, startling Lehcar with his angry glare. "We are far behind schedule, Lehcar. Those fools defeated Darth Genious! That means they'll be after me, next. Rachel is already showing strong similarities between her and Link. No doubt she'll have the strength to defeat me before long."

"Where is Mandy?" Lehcar asked.

"Ehh. A little snake decided to take her away. That means the time for action is now."

"Anything you say, Father." Lehcar bowed.

"Good. Go and challenge Rachel… and bring her… to her _knees_."

"Um, you still want her alive, right?"

"Of course, you idiot! We can't retrieve the Triforce of Courage if she's dead. After you best her, you will bring her unconscious body to me, and I will extract the Triforce of Courage from her form. Then it's just the matter of bringing Mandy back and taking her piece. With all three pieces of the Triforce together," Ganondorf smirked, crushing his right hand closed, "I will finally be crowned the true King of the Underworld! I will bring this entire world to an age of ruin… and I will be blessed with the powers of Satan."

"And… what of Rachel, Father?" Lehcar asked with a nervous smile. "Will she…"

"Rachel is far too dangerous to have around now. When the time comes… she must _die._"

"Ahem, um…" Lehcar gulped. "Won't that… kill me, too, Father?"

"Heh… My Dear…" The dark man grinned, kneeling down to put a hand on her shoulder. "When I am King, I will have power over death. I can bring you to life… and still keep Rachel drifting in the Sanzu River. You have absolutely _nothing_ to worry about…"

"Oh! …Well, great!" Lehcar gave an excited/nervous smile. "We'll bring that Triforce part back before ya know it, hehe! See you later, Father!" With that, she and Scarlet hurried off.

"Lehcar, I'm really not sure if you can trust him." Kweeb whispered from Lehcar's shirt collar.

"Bug's got a point." Scarlet said. "You're really gonna help him go through with a plan that risks getting you killed?"

"Oh, you two don't know what you're talking about." Lehcar denied, still keeping her grin. "Of course Father will bring me to life! He…He cares about me… deep down! Hehehehe!"

Ganondorf kept his smirk, watching the two girls leave. As Hannibal Bean watched from the ceiling, the little bean jumped down, and Ganon felt him land on his shoulder with a smirk. "Ya don't really plan to bring her ta life… do ya?"

"Huh huh…" Ganondorf grinned. "You know me all too well, Bean. Heh. Haha!…" The two demonic villains burst into maniacal laughter.

"Uhhmmm…" Yllaw had just been standing there, looking worried.

"Uh-oh! Looks like we got a little rat!" Bean pointed out.

"Oh, don't worry, Bean… he won't say anything. Because if he does…" Eeballaw gave a frightened look when Ganon touched his sword to his neck, "he's gonna be a bloodbath. Won't you… Yllaw?"

"Emm… n-no. O-Of course not." The boy stuttered.

"There we go…" Ganondorf spoke calmly, sheathing his sword. "We have nothing to worry about…"

Unbeknownst to them, someone else was eavesdropping outside the room. _"Think again."_ The female spoke gravely, quietly hurrying out of there.

* * *

><p><strong>Ay-ay-ay, that was the hardest stage to write, ever! Probably the longest one yet, maybe second to the final stage. So, yes, we finally meet The Chronicler, and I totally break the 4th wall. :P Next time we continue, we should get on the search for the final Three Firstborn. Which, will ALSO have some rather interesting trials, but I'm quite looking forward to the last one. : Later!**


	74. The Trial of Willpower

**Okay, everybody, welcome back. Anyways, not much happens here. Except we do begin a rather complex stage. :P Anyways, here is Chapter 74, and here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong>Sector V Treehouse<strong>

After playing around in the park, the group of kids decided to hang out in Sector V's treehouse, where Wally and Kuki had already begun playing a videogame. Nolan sat with April at the kitchen table, watching as Rachel and Patton walked over with a wheelchair made out of 2x4 tech. "Hey, Nolan, Mario and Josh made you this wheelchair." Rachel smiled. "It's got the same features the old one had. Only it's… less Brotherhood-y."

Nolan weakly stood up using what little strength his legs had and sat himself in the new wheelchair. "Hm… not bad." He smiled. "What's it called?"

"We're… still trying to think of an acronym." Patton said. "We think we'll ask Mika for that."

"Oh, speaking of which, they went to your room at the base to grab your stuff after the battle." Rachel said. "They… found this." She pulled out the broken pieces of the HEAD-SET, dropping them in Nolan's hands. "I'm… sorry, Nolan."

"Ah, no big deal. I can make another one easy!"

"Hey, look! Numbuh 1's back!" Kuki cheerfully pointed toward the door.

"Hey, Nigel!" Rachel greeted as the Brit walked in with Eva, Angie, and Danika. "How was the Spirit World?"

"Uh, very Spirit Worldish, I guess." Nigel shrugged. "But boy, have we got a lot to tell you."

"Hey, Nolan," Danika walked over beside her Team Brotherhood friends, "we went to meet The Chronicler, and he has all these books that tell about peoples' lives!"

"Really? Cool! Though it sounds kind of stalker-ish…"

"It is. But he has one about my parents! They're still alive!"

"They are?"

"Yeah, they're under Mt. Malladus! We think… whaddya say we head over to look for them? Matthew already went to get the rest of his team."

"There's probably a lot of demons swarming that place." Eva reminded them. "Me and Nigel oughta come with you."

"Yeah. But one other thing, Rachel." Nigel said. "We brought someone else along, too. She's…" He was about to direct their attention toward the entrance, but saw no-one else there. "Hey, where's she go?"

"You got anymore diet soda in this place?" They redirected their attention toward the fridge, seeing Mandy digging around. "It's not easy watching my figure, you know."

"Mandy!" Rachel yelled, drawing and aiming her blade, ready for battle.

"Oh. Hey, Rachel." Mandy uninterestedly greeted, turning around after pulling the soda she was looking for out of the fridge. "Long time, no see. How're things with you?" she asked, cracking her soda open.

"Nigel, what is she _doing_ here?" Rachel whispered.

"I dunno, she wanted to talk to you or something."

"Yeah." Mandy replied, walking closer. "You mind giving us a little privacy, Baldy? This sort of a girl/girl thing."

"As you command, Your Highness." Nigel sarcastically bowed stepping aside.

"Sigh, come on, Mandy." Rachel sighed, leading Mandy out of the living room and into Nigel's room. Once there, Rachel decided to have a seat on the bed while Mandy paced around the floor, still holding her soda.

"Alright, Rachel, here's the deal. I went with Ganondorf because he said I would be able to get revenge on you, but after a while I got bored there, then Brain was having his little 'Calling All Titans' type deal again and decided to go with them and ambush you. Then after getting knocked out by that Light Arrow of yours, I guess you can say I was able to use that time to meditate."

"Ooookay."

"SO, basically, when I was asleep, I've been thinking about, how nice it woulda been if things _were_ different between us, and how it would be nice to get along. I also figured, you know, since we're both bearers of the Triforce pieces, it was my duty to help you destroy Ganondorf and save the world before he gains the power to turn everything into a demon-infested wasteland. The thing is, I despised having to work with you, but then I decided to give you a shot, you know?"

"Um…"

"Sigh, okay, the truth is, Rachel, I had a dream where I watched my older self make out with Erwin, and I had no idea how to get out of there (or at least I THINK that's what the deal was in there), and then you came along and said you knew a way out and said to trust you, so I DID trust you and we got out of there. The point is, that, I feel like my fears maybe HAVE gotten the best of me, so now I want to come back to you, and… well…"

"Do all the things you wished we could've did together?"

"I didn't say anything like that! I was just gonna say that I feel like I should help you defeat Ganondorf and help fulfill your role as the 'Hero of Time' or whatever."

Rachel only gave a smile.

"…And then… maybe…" Mandy sheepishly looked away, "go get ice cream with you or… something."

"Aww, Mandy." Rachel happily bent over and hugged her cousin. "I missed you, too, even if you're too proud to admit it."

"But hug me, and I'll chop your good arm right off of you."

"Hehe. Sorry." Rachel smiled, letting go and patting Mandy's shoulder. "Anyway, come on. Let's see what the others are doing."

The two walked back out to the living room, where Nigel was currently talking with Nolan and Hoagie. "So, there's a bunch of different universes parallel to ours, each with differently arranged timelines and events?" Nolan asked.

"Cool!" Hoagie smiled.

"Euh. Ah just can't I believe I go out with Nigel." Abby said.

"Now, what's wrong with that?" Nigel asked.

"Forgetaboutit." Abby waved him off.

"Hey, guys, whatcha talkin' about?" Rachel came and asked.

"He's talkin' about how me and him are a pair in another universe or somethin'." Abby answered.

"Really? Is this true, Nigel?" Rachel asked, raising a brow.

"Well, uh, technically…" Nigel nervously fiddled his fingers.

"It's actually quite interesting, really."

"AHH!" Nigel screamed when Clockwork appeared behind them with the other timebenders. "You know, I wish you wouldn't do that!"

"Hehe, it's a habit." Misty replied.

"The time is nearing for the end of this quest." Clockwork spoke. "The final three Firstborn are within our reach."

"Great!" Rachel exclaimed. "Just point out who the Guardians are, and we can go to get them!"

"Now, wouldn't that be a little too easy for me to tell you?" Clockwork smirked. "Of course, if you already know, you just need to ask."

"Well, I know I'm the Guardian of one of them." Rachel replied.

"Who were the Firstborn again?" Nigel asked himself, tapping his chin in thought. "There was Azelf, Goddess if Willpower, Mesprit, Goddess of Emotion, and Uxie was the Goddess of Knowledge."

"I think Rachel could be Azelf's Guardian." Hoagie guessed.

"And April, you and Sonya have the power to control and sense emotions, right?" Nolan asked.

"Well, yeah... You think that might have something to do with Mesprit?"

"It might," Nigel replied, "Let's look for Sonya and see if she has any ideas."

"Me and Sector W were about to head to the KND Museum until CLOCKWORK came!" Angie whined.

"But what about Uxie?" Rachel asked.

"Hm, we'll think about her later. You guys just go and look for Sonya." Nigel decided.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, raising a brow.

"We have to go to Mt. Malladus and look for Dani's parents, remember?" Eva asked.

"Oh yeah."

"The Chronicler said that the Firstborn each lived on lakes on Planet Poké." Nigel explained. "The only people I know that've been there are Cosmo and Nova. They should be able to lead you there if you ask."

"Then let's go nab us some Firstborn!"

**KND Museum of Artifacts and Stuff**

Matthew Garley sat on a stair at the KND Museum with a laptop in his lap, typing away at the computer as Numbuh 202 walked over. "Hey, Matt! You wanna go to Lime Rickey's? I hear they got this new-"

"No thanks, Kim. I'm trying to check out a list of _other_ traitorous operatives that might've existed in the past! If their stories are just as good as the one about Revan Bane Sidious, oh ho ho!"

"But… don't you like hanging out?"

"Of course I do, Kim. But I like to keep the brain juices flowin'! Just wait, if I find enough information, I'll have LOADS of cool stories to tell!"

Kim only frowned and looked down in sadness, glumly walking out of the museum's exit. Meanwhile, Sector W stood around and gazed at the golden statue of Numbuh 2030. "Cool!" Lee said, playing with his yo-yo.

"I'm really glad Nolan got to be a hero in the end." Sonya smiled.

"I'm not." Harvey stated grumpily, folding his arms. "I coulda been the hero! I woulda taken Brain down easy."

"Ah, don't be an egomaniac, Harvey." Charlotte told him.

At this time, Sector V's COOL-BUS had just arrived, with Rachel driving it, and the crew stepped off and met Kim sitting along the wall beside the entrance, head rested on her hands. "Hey, Kim! What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

"Oh… it's nothing."

"Oh. Well, is Sector W here? We need them for something…"

"Yeah, they're in there." She pointed inside. "Matt, too."

"Great. Thanks, Kim." With that, the group followed Rachel inside, leaving Kim to slump in depression.

"Huummm…" Kim gave a long sigh.

"Psst. Hey."

"Oh?" She looked up and raised a brow, seeing a black-gloved hand sticking out from behind a doorway.

"Over here." The hand gestured for her to come. Kim curiously approached the gloved hand, and when she peeked around to see who it was, another person from behind bashed her in the head with a lamp, knocking her clear out.

The two ninjas carefully studied her unconscious form, checking if she was still awake. "I think we got 'er, Nick!" the choco-skinned ninja with glasses whispered.

"Great! Now let's get 'er back to the Boss." The other ninja, Nick whispered. The two quietly picked the German girl up from both ends, Nick by her feet, and the other ninja by her head. The two tried to carry her out, but the glasses ninja constantly dropped and had to keep picking her back up. After a few times of this repeated process, Nick just decided to drop his half and walk over to twist his accomplice's arm, in which the other one gave a weak grunt. Afterwards, Nick walked back to his side and gestured his finger toward the girl, giving a serious look in his eyes. The two picked the unconscious KND scientist up again and proceeded to carry her out.

"Hi, guys!" Angie greeted, running to stand with her friends.

"Hey, Angie! What are you guys doing here?" Sonya asked.

"Time to nab us another Firstborn." Rachel replied. "Sonya, do you remember when we went to that library and read about those three spirits, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie?"

"Um, I think…"

"Well, we think you might actually be Mesprit's Guardian." April said. "Mesprit is the Goddess of Emotion, and we think our powers may have actually come from her."

"Hey, she's got a point." Lee said.

"Hm… but me… a Guardian?" Sonya questioned.

"Tell me about it. That's crazy." Harvey stated, earning a glare from Sonya.

"Well, Sonya, ever had any odd visions, or seen something unnatural?" Clockwork asked.

_Sonya instantly remembered that night at Goofy Goober's, seeing the image of a silver-bodied, pink-headed being waving at her from the corner._ "Hey! Maybe I am a Guardian!"

"Well, that was easy." Patton stated. "But what about the other one, Uxie?"

"I believe someone knows the answer to that question." Clockwork said, gesturing to Matt Garley, typing on his computer.

Rachel proceeded to approach the busy fanboy. "Hey, Matt."

Numbuh 101 looked up from his computer and noticed his leader. "Oh, Numbuh 362!" the boy stood up. "Sorry I didn't see you come in. Er, what can I do for you?"

"Um… do you know anything about the last three Firstborn? Azelf, Mesprit, or Uxie?"

"Hrmmm… can't say that I have. Although this ONE time, when I was looking up that Numbuh 23 BBY, I did have a vision of this… weird thing with a golden head, and silver body."

"That sounds like the thing I saw, only with a golden head!" Sonya spoke up.

"But… is Matt a Guardian?" Paddy asked.

"Boy, if I was a Guardian, that would be so cool!" Matt exclaimed. "I could finally be popular, and a lot of people would like me, and a lot of girls would want my phone number!"

"Well, someone's happy about this whole thing." Patton smirked.

"It would make sense. He is pretty smart… fer a boy." Fanny said.

"Well-p: I guess that's our 3 Guardians." Rachel figured. "That's me, Sonya, and Matthew. Now we just have to find Cosmo and Nova and let 'em take us to Planet Poké."

"First, you'll need these." Clockwork said; Jagar gave a Spirit Ball to Rachel, Misty gave one to Sonya, and Olive gave one to Matthew.

"Perfect!" Rachel exclaimed. "With all three of us Guardians, the Firstborn are just a hop, skip, and a hyperspace ride away! Kids Next Door: let's get moving!"

The large group walked their way out of the museum as Patton asked, "By the way, what was Kim doing out here?"

"Oh, I dunno, something about soda." Matt replied simply.

**West Virginia; Matthews Household**

The three ships took land in front of Emily's house (Rachel and her squad had a COOL-BUS, Sector W had a SCAMPER, and Matt had a SPRAYSHIP), and Rachel was first to approach and knock on the door. Thankfully, Cosmo and Nova came to answer, smiling at their friends. "Numbuh 362! Pleasure to have you visit." Nova greeted.

"What's up with you all?" Cosmo asked.

"You two have been to Planet Poké, right?" Rachel asked.

"Of course we've been there!" Nova said with a bright face. "It's only-"

"'The most BEAUTIFUL place in the galaxy.'" Cosmo mocked.

"Hehe." Rachel laughed. "Anyway, do you know about… three important lakes or something?"

"Huh? Hmm…" Nova began to think. "Well, I HAVE heard about these three lakes that are home to spirits… Lake Valor, which is Azelf's home. Lake Serenity, which is Mesprit's home, and Lake Acuity, which is Uxie's home."

"Yes! Those are the ones!"

"Listen, Rachel, Matt, and I are Firstborn Guardians, so we need you to take us to these lakes so we can find them." Sonya explained.

"Well, don't think it's gonna be that easy." Cosmo told them. "According to what we heard, the Firstborn Spirits each live inside a cave rested on their lake. But to reach them, those who enter their cave need to pass a Personal Trial."

"Trial? What's a Personal Trial?" Rachel asked.

"The Three Personal Trials are trials that test the three main traits that make up a person:" Nova explained, "Willpower, Emotion, and Knowledge. Each one belonging to the respective spirit."

"And another thing, we don't exactly know where the lakes are." Cosmo said. "I mean, they're actually scattered all over that planet. We aren't sure where to look."

"Zuri! Zuri!" called the purple little bat-like Pokémon, scampering over excitedly.

"Whuh? What's he doing?" Patton asked as Zuri seemed to be pointing towards the backyard.

"He's pointing to where our ship is." Nova observed. "I think he's saying he knows where the lakes are."

"So all we have to do is follow him and he can lead us to the lakes!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Don't forget about those trials." Matt reminded. "Of course, assuming that _I_ have to do the Knowledge Trial, I shouldn't have many problems. You guys on the other hand…"

"Well, if we're lucky, maybe we'll be allowed to do the trials as a team!" Sonya said.

"Okay, we'll have to split up." Rachel decided. "After we get there, Zuri can lead us to Lake Valor, and Fanny, Patton, and I will drop off to attempt that trial. Sector W and April will drop off at Lake Serenity and try Mesprit's trial. Then I guess Matthew… will then go to Uxie's trial."

"Wait, by myself?" Matt asked.

"Well, it's only knowledge. How hard can it be for a smarty pants like ya?" Fanny asked.

"Well, that's true…"

"Okay, Zuri: you may lead the way." Nova said to the Pokémon.

"Zuri!" Zuri excitedly ran into the Nova Cruiser in the back. Cosmo and Nova followed the alien pet and boarded the ship, starting it up as the others got back into their ships. Zuri stood in the windshield and pointed ahead as Nova flew her ship in that direction, with the others following close behind as they left Earth's atmosphere.

"Whoa! I need to call Kim and tell her what I'm doing!" Matt remembered, pulling out a communicator. He tapped his wristwatch and waited for his friend to respond, but the screen remained in static. "Huh… no signal. Oh well, I'll show her when I get back. Boy, when she sees that I caught a real live Firstborn, we'll be a couple in MINUTES!" With that, the four ships zoomed into hyperspace, warping off to Planet Poké.

**Planet Poké**

The operatives were out of hyperspace in minutes, entering the atmosphere of the Pokémon themed world. Nova kept flying in the direction Zuri was pointing, and the three ships followed, eventually flying over a vast lake with a small island in the center that had a cave. "Well, there it is: the first of three lakes." Nova spoke. "Lake Valor."

"Guess that's our call to drop off, Rach." Patton figured.

"Okay, we'll all regroup after we've recovered our Firstborn." Rachel decided, landing her ship on the lake's island. "Just call and let us know when you're done, and we'll all head back to Earth. Good luck, everyone."

"Be careful, guys." Sonya called from her ship as the others took off.

"You know, I keep forgetting Nova's a Guardian, too." Patton said as the Team Leader group entered the Valor Cave.

"Probably 'cause her Firstborn was so easeh." Fanny said.

"Okay, guys, focus." Rachel ordered. "We're in the lair of a Firstborn, now. One of the Triforce-makers, if I recall. Just stay alert, and prepare for anything this cave gives us."

"Sure, if it's anything like flaming mutant bunnies, we'll be just fine." Patton joked. (Play "The Three Trials" from Kid Icarus: Uprising!)

_Stage 53: The Three Personal Trials_

_Mission: Complete the Trials and retrieve Azelf, Mesprit, & Uxie!_

_Act 1: The Trial of Willpower_

The three KND commanders quietly entered the dark cave, keeping their guard up as they searched for the Firstborn. The three saw a door up ahead and decided to enter. They found their selves with a gargantuan chamber of the Valor Cave, an infinite abyss dwelling just below them, and tons of stairs that led up to higher areas. "Um… are you sure we're in the right place?" Patton asked, worriedly. "'Cause it… looked a lot smaller on the outside."

"That means this is totally the right place." Rachel stated simply.

"_Greetings."_ They were all startled when a spotlight zapped on and shone onto them from above. _"Welcome to Lake Valor Cave, home of the Goddess of Willpower. I am her. You may call me Azelf."_

"Azelf? Great! Heh, you're my Firstborn!" Rachel smiled. "Listen, uh, I know this outta nowhere, but, I'm sorta your Guardian. So, uh, I was wondering if, you could come out, so I can… I dunno, capture you. In order to… fulfill my Guardian duties?"

"_Not yet. First, you must prove yourself as the Guardian. If you are able to overcome my challenge, the Trial of Willpower, and find me, only then will I become yours. The trial tests your strength and endurance. If you have courage strong enough, you will be willing to face the battles ahead."_

"Pfft. That's all?" Patton scoffed cockily. "We've dealt with monsters and freaks all the time! This is nothing new! Come on, guys. Let's show this goddess just what we're-" Patton started first up the stairs, but stopped when a squad of Shadow Heartless and Soldiers appeared out of nowhere. The three stood side-by-side and readied to battle. "See, this is nothing new."

However, the Heartless were accompanied by some other enemies as well. "Koopas? Eggman robots? AND Irken soldiers?" Rachel asked, puzzled.

"'kay, this is kind of weird." Patton said.

"Let's just fight them, anyway." Fanny suggested.

Rachel ran and began slicing the Heartless and Irkens in half, causing each defeated one to fade away into darkness. Fanny shot fire at some of the Koopas, but they curled in their shells and defended, but Patton simply ran and kicked them into the robots. The team kept going up the stairs, and Patton yelled, "LOOK OUT!", grabbing the girls and ducking when a TIE Fighter flew by and shot lasers at them. The ship was coming back, but Patton stood up and shot his SCAMPP and shot it down. An Imperial Star Destroyer flew by and dropped an Imperial Walker, but Rachel charged a Skyward Strike and slashed at the cockpit, able to take it out.

"Those were Stormtrooper ships." Rachel observed. "What the heck is going on?"

They made it up the stairs and reached the first platform, as wide as a battlefield. Some Eggman jets soared overhead and dropped some robot fighters, as well as a few Egg Hammers. The robots aimed their spears forward and charged, but Rachel ran over and knocked the spears away before slicing the robots. She dodged just before an Egg Hammer tried to smash her, jumping up from behind and slicing its head off. Patton aimed and shot at another one as it stomped over, and when it began spinning its hammer, Patton grabbed and held on tight as he climbed his way over to the robot and shot it in the head. The third one kept trying to smash Fanny with its hammer, but she dodged around before getting behind and kicking flames at its butt, eventually destroying it.

They used this moment to catch their breath when the enemies were cleared, but looked up as some bright, orange lights came down from the sky, followed by some Irken Megadoomers. They kept their guard up, recognizing the lights as Vaporians. One of the Vaporians launched its electric tentacle to grab Fanny's leg, the Irish girl gripping onto the floor as she was being pulled. Patton ran over to grab her arms, desperately trying to pull her back. Rachel saw this, and quickly leapt before a Megadoomer shot her. She got on the robot's head and broke into the cockpit, killing the pilot before taking control and shooting a missile at the Vaporian, successfully destroying it. Rachel also shot missiles at other Megadoomers and Vaporians, before a Vaporian was able to absorb her Megadoomer's power. Rachel quickly jumped out and faced the Vaporian, shooting a Light Arrow and destroying its shield, afterwards allowing Fanny to shoot flames and blow it up completely.

They then looked behind them and watched as a pair of large double-doors opened. "You think that's it?" Patton asked.

"I doubt it." Rachel said. "Let's see what's in here." The three leaders entered the gateway, and were caught by surprise at what was inside. (Play Egg Dragoon's Theme from Sonic Unleashed!)

_Boss fight: The Almighty Tallest_

"WHOA!" Rachel screamed when the three suddenly found their selves on the large platform, falling down a humongous chasm within the exploding Massive. They watched as the Tallest, Red and Purple, appeared before them, once again controlling their DESTIR Sirbot. "The Almighty Tallest? ! This is impossible! !"

"HAHAHA!" They laughed. "Didja miss us, Rachel?" Purple asked. "Now it's time…"

"FOR REVENGE!"

"FLAME!" The heroes ran around when the DESTIR unleashed flames around the area. Rachel ran over and dealt a few strikes against the robot, but it flew to the other side. "LASER, SPIKE!" The Tallest dropped pink spikes around the area, and afterwards shot cyan lasers to bounce around and zap them. Rachel and Patton just grabbed onto Fanny as she kicked on her rocket shoes and hovered up, evading the lasers. "SHRINK!" They fired a bright-pink laser at Fanny, shrinking her to Kateenian height and making Rachel and Patton drop to the ground.

"Uh-oh. We're malfunctioning again." Purple said as the robot began shaking around.

"Gahh. Piece of junk!" Red yelled. Rachel remembered this, and proceeded to grab the miniaturized Fanny and took careful aim, flicking her onto the robot's shoulder. The Tactical Officer creeped into a crack in the robot and shot flames to burn wires on the inside. The arms of the robot came off as Fanny jumped out and reverted to normal.

The Tallest growled in anger and yelled, "DRILL!", becoming a drill and piercing through the platform's center. The three fell out of the ship as they were approaching Earth's atmosphere. Fanny grabbed her friends and kicked on her rocket boots to fly around, avoiding the Tallests' bomb shots and landing onto another platform.

"Sigh, let's just hurry this up." Rachel decided, already tired of this same boss fight. She held her sword horizontally and allowed her two friends to jump on it so she could fling them up onto the robot. Patton punched and shattered the cockpit glass, and Fanny proceeded to tie up the Tallest with her GRAPPLUH. Afterwards, Rachel leapt up into the cockpit, and the Tallest looked in horror as she swung her blade, slicing them in half.

"_Ohhhhh…_" the Irkens groaned, fading away into darkness. The three quickly jumped out as Rachel stepped on the self-destruct, and the robot shot up into the heavens and erupted into orange, green, and yellow fireworks, which read 'Team Leader!' The three commanders smirked and high-fived, raising their fists in victory. (Play "Three Trials" again.)

The three were instantly teleported back to Valor Cave. Another long staircase appeared, so the three continued their way up. A squad of Stormtroopers and Battle Droids were marching down, but Rachel easily sliced them while Patton shot them with his SCAMPP. Afterwards, a gang of Klumps, Kasplats, and Fatblin charged down. Fanny ran to punch a Klump, but its fat absorbed the punch, and Fanny's eyes widened when he fell over and crushed her. While he was on his belly, Patton charged over and kicked him straight in the noggin, knocking him out, and then pushing him off of Fanny, helping her up. A Kasplat was coming over, so Fanny ran and dealt several punches across his face before he was knocked out. Rachel jumped away when some Fatblin tried to fall over and crush her, then she proceeded to stab away at their fat forms before they were destroyed.

After taking out the last of them, the three were able to make it to the next field, in which some Kargaroks flew over and dropped off Bokoblin, Moogers, and Spinach Soldiers. Patton easily just and destroyed the Spinach Soldiers with the SCAMPP, and Rachel charged a Skyward Strike and sent it to take out some Moogers, then shot arrows to kill the Bokoblin. Afterwards, some Fuzzies and Davy Jones's demon fish leapt onto the field. The fish began biting all around Patton's skin, so Fanny shot flames to burn the fish off. The Fuzzies tried to latch onto Rachel, so the blonde hero swung all about to slice anyone coming close. The next batch of enemies appeared to be some Phantom Guards and Teen Ninjas on bikes. Rachel quickly shot and destroyed the Phantoms with Light Arrows, but the Teens sped by and knocked them all around the place.

Patton saw one coming and shot his SCAMPP at its window, jumping away before it could crash. Fanny was able to shoot flames at the bikes' wheels, making them swirl around and crash as well. But right away, some Girl Troops and Beverage Patrol men flew onto the field on jetpacks. The Soda Troops fired soda rays at Patton, who simply kept his mouth open and afterwards spat the soda all over the girls. The girls looked grossed out, so they tried to shoot Patton, but Fanny got in the way of their fire and shot flames back, burning their weapons. Rachel defended from the soda men's blasts with her Hylian Shield, then proceeded to toss it and bounce all around the troops' heads, knocking them out.

After the enemies were defeated, the large double-doors opened, and the trio took a moment to catch their breath. "Man, what _are_ all these enemies doing here?" Patton asked.

"Care to explain, Fi?" Rachel asked. The spirit jumped out of her sword and responded.

"_Master, signs indicate that the beings before you appear to have spawned from fragments from all three of your minds. Upon further research, this very cave itself detects previous battles with enemies you've encountered within the challenger's mind, and brings them to reality for the purpose of the trial."_

"So, all the enemies here… are illusions."

"_Correct. And yet, they possess equal battle technique and appearance just as the originals."_

"Then I guess the Tallest and those guys were fakes, too." Patton said.

"Well, equal skill or not, those freaks are no match for real people like us!" Fanny smirked. "Let's take 'em on!" With that, the three proceeded into the door, and faced another battle. (Play Malladus and Cole's Theme from Zelda: Spirit Tracks!)

_Boss fight: Grandfather and Cole Fulbright_

The three suddenly appeared atop the Demon Train, riding it over the Sanzu River in the Underworld as Grandfather floated on the other end. The demon-leprechaun, Cole flew over as Rachel tried swinging her sword at him. The short demon flew around and dodged, cackling away as he made his glowing broccoli appear around them, making them weaken from being around it. Rachel was able to stand her ground and slice the broccoli, then Fanny proceeded to shoot flames at his rear. Rachel tried to run over and attack Grandfather, but the shadowy demon shot heat vision over and blew her back. Cole suddenly appeared behind Patton, who screamed as Cole zapped him with his hands. Cole began controlling Patton with glowing strings like a puppet, making him kick at Fanny.

Rachel tried to run at Grandfather again, but Cole made Patton jump in her way and kick her. Rachel took out her Boomerang and tossed it, slicing the strings which controlled Patton. Afterwards, the Arctic Base Drill Sergeant grabbed the man's legs and pulled him down, spinning him around before hurling him straight at Grandfather, horns pointed his way. Grandfather quickly grabbed him by the horns, tossing him away as Rachel charged over with her sword ready. Grandfather unleashed more heat vision, but Rachel was able to defend with her shield. Fanny switched on her rocket shoes and flew overhead, landing on the demon and shoving him to the ground. Grandfather flew all around in front of the train, trying to shake her off, but Rachel took this time to carefully aim her Light Arrow, successfully shooting straight into the demon's chest. Grandfather screamed to the heavens as the light eventually swallowed the entire area. (Replay "The Three Trials".)

The three appeared back in Valor Cave as a new staircase appeared. The three kept going up, having an unexpected run-in with Davy Jones's zombie-fish pirates and Mandy's Boogey Pirates. Fanny shot flames at the fish people and burned them to ashes, while Rachel ran and sliced the Boogey Pirates in half. Some Koopatrols were then marching into the area, followed by Purge Troopers. The armored Koopas charged away with their head-spears pointed at them, jabbing Fanny and pushing her down the stairs. Fanny recovered and tried to shoot flames, but the Koopas shielded in their shells. Rachel swung her sword at a Purge Trooper, but the armored troop kept his shield up and kicked her away. While his guard was down, Patton tried shooting at its head, but another one grabbed him from behind and threw him down as well.

They stood up as another Koopatrol was coming at Patton, but the Drill Sergeant grabbed him by the head-spear and was able to spin and throw him over the edge. He did the same with another one, grabbing its spear and hurling him at a Purge Trooper, knocking him over on impact of the spikes. Rachel then ran over to deal blows against him, eventually taking him out. When another Purge Trooper tried to get her, Fanny shot her MUSKET at him from behind, making the mech suit short out with all the mustard, then allowing Rachel to slice him. Fanny took aim at some Koopatrols and shot into their eyes, making them wander around, unable to see, and eventually walking over the edge. Rachel shot her Hookshot at a Purge Trooper and latched on, pulling herself over and stabbing straight at his face. With one more Purge Trooper, the three heroes decided to attack it together, and he was unable to defend as he was eventually pushed right over the edge.

After arriving at the last platform, the trio encountered some Skelobits and Decommissioning Troops. Patton to punch the Skelobits' heads right off their bodies and afterwards stomp and crush them. Fanny shot flames and melted the weapons of the Decommission Troupe, afterwards kicking them across the face and knocking them out. Those enemies were followed by some Dai Li Agents and chi-blockers, the chi-blockers flipping over to deal mini-punches against Fanny to block her firebending. However, she was able to shoot mustard in their eyes with her MUSKET, followed by Patton's SCAMPP. The Dai Li tried to rockcuff Rachel, but the hero ducked and sliced the rocks with her sword and jumped over to slice the earthbenders.

The three carefully looked around for the next bit of opponents. They were unprepared when some Magiblots appeared behind them and shot magic blasts at them. Rachel tried to run and slash them, but the shadowy globs disappeared. At the same time, some Shadow Demons were flying into the area. Having regained her firebending, Fanny shot flames at the shadows and burned them, but a Magiblots came from behind and zapped her. Rachel charged a Skyward Strike and slashed it at some Shadow Demons. She sensed a Magiblot appear behind her and quickly rolled away. Patton kept his SCAMPP aimed and ready, and when a Magiblot appeared next to him, he instantly blew its head off. Another one appeared behind Fanny to zap her, but Rachel ran and sliced its head off right away. A Shadow Demon flew by and grabbed Fanny, beginning to suck out her soul, but Patton instantly shot it with his SCAMPP, making it release Fanny before Rachel destroyed it with her Light Arrow.

The trio then looked in horror when a squad of Senior Citi-zombies rose from beneath the ground and began approaching them. Patton and Fanny did their best to keep the zombies away with their weapons, but the zombies kept coming. Rachel was only able to kill them with her Light Arrows, it seemed. When one of the zombies had latched onto Fanny and was about to gnaw at her, Patton dealt a few punches on him and kicked him away, allowing Rachel to shoot it. Another zombie grabbed Patton's wrists from behind, but Fanny pushed it away with fire before Rachel shot it. The zombies were then followed by more of Davy Jones's pirates. Once again, Fanny burned the fish people with her flames while Rachel cut them in half. She sliced the head off the hermit pirate, Obnito, and his head became a crab and began scuttling around. Patton ran and kicked the crab to Fanny, who kicked it to Rachel, and the trio began kicking it all around before Fanny sent it flying over the edge, with the body jumping after.

With all the enemies defeated, the next doorway opened. The trio proceeded to step inside, having a feeling of what to expect. (Play The Kraken's Theme from Pirates: Dead Man's Chest!)

_Boss fight: The Kraken_

Just as they figured, they ended up on the deck of the Black Licorice in the middle of the ocean. The massive tentacles that belonged to the Kraken emerged from the depths from all sides of the ship. The tentacles slithered around in search of its prey, but Fanny shot her flames and kept the giant octo back. Two of the tentacles tried to grab Patton, but the Drill Sergeant shot and kept them away with his SCAMPP. Rachel jumped around and dodged the tentacles coming at her, cutting some away with her sword, but was suddenly grabbed by one around her. Fanny and Patton hurried to her aid as she was being swung around, but Rachel was able to cut herself free by stabbing the tentacle. The tentacle went back below the depths as more of them came up. One of them was able to grab Fanny, binding her arms, but Rachel charged a Skyward Strike and slashed it horizontally, chopping the huge tentacle clean off.

Two more of them came onto the deck and began feeling around for the three operatives. Rachel jumped over the one on the left and charged a Skyward Strike, tossing it vertically to cut both of the tentacles off. Two more came up over a distance, holding powder kegs in them as they tossed the exploding barrels over to their deck, blowing them back from the explosions. As they tried to recover, a tentacle shot up and wrapped around Patton, and Fanny gasped when it started swinging him around. Fanny kicked on her rockets and shot up, grabbing the top of the tentacle and trying to pull Patton free. Rachel simply charged a Skyward Strike and sliced the tentacle off again, making them both drop. They directed their attention back at the tentacle throwing powder kegs, and when they picked up a new batch, Fanny simply shot flames over to blow the barrels up, causing the tentacles to burn and retreat.

After a while, the rest of the tentacles retreated back beneath the sea. They kept their guard up, awaiting for the Kraken to come up and show itself. The head of the hideous beast emerged from the depths with the rest of its body, unleashing its deafening roar and getting saliva all over them. The Kraken slammed its fist onto the deck to try and smash them, but the kids were quick to avoid as Fanny and Patton shot its hands, while Rachel struck them. The Kraken then gripped Rachel in its right fist, the girl trying to shake away as she was being raised to his face, his mouth wide open. Rachel got her left arm out and struck his arm with her sword, causing her to be dropped onto the tip of a tentacle. She hung on tight before she was thrown up over his open mouth, but she grabbed onto another tentacle and slid down it, then jumped to another one when it tried to smash her.

She kept hanging on, and when another tentacle was coming, she dropped down to land on a lower one. She dashed up that tentacle as many more were trying to smash her. When she arrived at the tip, she gripped it with her right hand as the Kraken held her above its mouth. The sea-demon tossed her inside, but she pierced her blade through the top and prevented herself from going in all the way. As it shook its head in pain, she pulled the blade out and flipped to the top, piercing her sword straight into the brain and was able to kill it completely. (End song.)

Rachel landed back on the deck with her friends and sheathed her sword as they watched the Kraken scream and sink below the sea, waving 'good-bye' at the monster. "Later, Beastie." Rachel called. "Well, that's a wrap for this stage. Let's get the Firstborn and get out of here."

"_Not so fast. Your trial is not complete yet."_ Azelf's voice echoed, making the children frown in disappointment.

"Awww. But isn't this stage called 'The Three Trials'?" Patton asked. "And we faced three bosses from our past…"

"_Three _Personal_ Trials. Which relates to all of the trials given by my sisters and me. _This_ trial is still going on. You'll have to endure for a little while longer."_

"Ugh. Fine. So what next?" Fanny asked. "We fight bosses from the Firstborn Prequels now?"

"_Something like that…"_ With that, they were teleported again. (Play the Boss Medley from Kid Icarus: Uprising!)

_Boss fight: Shaunie Fulbright & Bowser_

The three reappeared within the throne of Bowser Koopa, watching as the Koopa King appeared himself, alongside- "Shaunie?" Fanny questioned.

"GWAH HAH HA! Guess what, Team Loser? Your little pipsqueak friend is with ME now!" Bowser exclaimed.

"This has to be another illusion." Rachel said. "Isn't it, Fi?"

Fi came out and replied, _"There appears to be a slight error with my analyzing… but it seems that the Shaunie and Bowser before you seem to have the exact data and samples as the originals. There is an 80% chance these beings are the real ones themselves."_

"They…They are?"

"That's right, Fanny!" Shaunie yelled. "I'm tired of being the weaker sibling! It's time to kick your butt for good!"

"YEAH! ! LET'S DO IT!" Bowser yelled. Rachel ran forth and swung her blade at the Koopa, but he defended with his horns and pushed her back.

"I don't wanna fight ya, Shaunie." Fanny said to her brother as he stepped closer with a fierce expression. "Let's just-"

"RAHH!" The little Fulbright leapt and grabbed onto Fanny's face, tugging at her hair. Rachel quickly defended with her shield as Bowser slashed his claws, and Patton ran to grab his tail from behind, lifting and spinning him around before sending him flying over the edge. Back with Fanny, the Irish redhead was still being pummeled by her brother, on the ground on her stomach as Shaunie was jumping on her back. "Ah, THAT'S IT! You'll think twice before attackin' YOUR sister! EE-YAH!" With that, Fanny grabbed her brother's legs and started swinging and bashing him all around the floor. His body was severely bruisednow as he limped away dizzily. Bowser leapt back onto the floor and tried to attack Rachel, but the blonde leader dealt several blows against him before he was pushed back.

"AHHH!" Shaunie screamed before becoming crushed under the Koopa's spiky shell. The two opponents were defeated as they were transported again.

_Boss fight: Sonic & Dr. Eggman_

The three appeared in Eggman's control room aboard the Death Egg as the mad scientist appeared beside the blue hedgehog. "OH ho ho ho! Guess what, kids? Me and Sonic have finally reached an understanding!"

"Yeah, and now we're gonna kick your butt." Sonic smirked. The hyper-fast hedgehog zipped around the room, dealing several strikes against the three leaders. They rolled and dodged when Eggman fired missiles from his pod, but were knocked over by Sonic's Spin Dash. When the hedgehog was coming back, Rachel quickly stood and kept the spiraling pinball back with her sword, scraping against his hard exterior. Eventually, Sonic stopped and became dizzy, allowing Rachel to slice him through the middle horizontally. Eggman put on a face of fear and flew higher, but Fanny leapt up to where he was and kicked his pod away, and afterwards Patton charged a Powuh Shot in his SCAMPP and fired, making the pod explode.

_Boss fight: Kami Drilovsky & King K. Rool_

They were taken to K. Rool's throne, facing the Kremling King and his apprentice. "Y'know, being his apprentice isn't so bad." Kami smiled.

"Now we will crush you once and for all. MWEH heh heh har!" Kroctus laughed. Rachel ran forth and swung her sword at the King, but Kroctus gripped her blade and lifted and swung her away. Kami charged over and threw punches at Patton, who tried to defend and punch back, but the female Drilovsky twin slide-kicked him off his feet. Fanny tried to grab her from behind, but Kami threw her overhead as Patton recovered to tackle Kami, wrestling her to the ground.

Kroctus charged around the room to run Rachel over, but she kept jumping the Krem King and tricked him into ramming his head in the wall. Kroctus wobbled around dizzily before facing Rachel again and tossing his crown like a boomerang. Rachel tossed her own boomerang and knocked the spiked crown to the floor, then proceeded to toss her shield at Kroctus's face, knocking him dizzy. Kami pinned Patton to the ground, but Fanny tackled the blonde Drilovsky off and wrestled with HER. Kami had Fanny pinned down, but she shot flames and sent her away, and Patton punched her upon her landing. Kami fell to the ground and tried to stand up, but gasped when Kroctus wobbled over and fell and crushed her.

_Boss fight: Jagar King & Lucinda Talzin_

They reappeared in the top of Lucinda's Enchanted Domain, watching as the space witch and timebender appeared. The witch sent three electrical pillars their way, but they rolled and dodged, but Jagar froze them in time. He unleashed a Time Blast and blew them back, and when they stood up, Lucinda zapped a spell at Fanny and made her confused. Rachel shot her Hookshot at Jagar and pulled him over, then punched him across the face a couple times. She raised her shield in defense when Lucinda unleashed flames from her wand, and Patton ran behind to tackle the evil fairy, trying to take her wand.

Jagar tried to freeze the Drill Sergeant in time, but Fanny shot flames and burned his butt. Lucinda threw Patton off and shot a confusion spell at Rachel, but she deflected the spell with her sword and sent it at Jagar. The dizzied timebender unknowingly slowed Lucinda down in time, so Patton proceeded to run by and take her wand, snapping it in two. Afterwards, Rachel sliced Jagar diagonally by the time his dizziness wore off, and the three were warped to the next room.

_Boss fight: Nolan York & The Brain_

They appeared in the Final Brain control room as Nolan York sat beside his master. "Let us attack them, Darth Ferior."

"As you command, My Master." The three dodged as Nolan launched missiles at them. Rachel leapt and attempted a jump attack on Brain, but the Sith Lord grabbed her with psychic and tossed her away. She got up and rolled to the side as Nolan shot more missiles her way. Fanny got behind the crippled boy and grabbed his chair, kicking him over against a wall. She was then zapped by Darth Genious's electric tentacles, but Patton ran behind and punched the Sith Lord across the head. Nolan turned himself around as Rachel charged over, quickly punching his chair's glove at her when she tried another jump attack. The Brain made the metal claw on the wall reach over the grab Rachel, but she was able to cut herself free before shooting an arrow at Brain.

Brain caught the arrow in his psychic and shot it back, but Rachel knocked it away. She was suddenly pushed away when Nolan boosted his wheelchair into her. Rachel gripped the operative by the shirt and threw him into Brain, afterwards slicing the wheelchair in half down the middle. The Brain tossed Nolan off of him, but was too late to defend as Rachel leapt with a jump attack and successfully sliced him down the middle as well, the Sith Lord splitting in two halves, which fell over.

The trio was transported to Rachel's office up on Moonbase, watching as Fi herself jumped out of the sword, landing beside Rachel's desk. "What? Fi?" Rachel questioned.

"_Forgive me, Master. But it is my duty to stop you."_ The spirit shot over and threw kicks at Rachel, but she dodged as Fanny shot flames in Fi's face, then was knocked to the ground by Rachel's sword. When Fi stood up, the flames Fanny set on her face had disappeared, exposing Fi's newly rearranged distorted face, with one eye half-opened, a twisted, squished-up nose, and an uneven mouth with her tongue sticking out.

"Euh!" Rachel and her friends looked grossed.

_Boss fight: Pseudo-Fi_

"_FEEL THE SHAME!"_ the fake Fi yelled, unleashing lightning bolts at the heroes. Rachel dodged the lightning and ran over to strike at Fi, but the spirit flew behind and kicked her away. Patton tackled the spirit from behind, but Fi twisted her head around and wrapped her long tongue around Patton's head, pulling it into her mouth and began drooling. Fanny pulled Patton out of her as Fi recovered, flying up when Rachel tried to strike her from behind. Fi flipped upside-down and got in Rachel's face, burping in her face, and Rachel desperately tried to wave the stench away. Fi did the same thing and burped in Fanny and Patton's faces, and the spirit spun around in the air and kicked all three of them away.

When Rachel waved the stench away, she watched with grossness as Fi's eyes slithered out of their sockets like snakes, going to wrap around the Supreme Leader, but she stepped out and squashed the eye-snakes, getting her sandals covered in purple goo. "Ew…" Fi eyes respawned in her sockets, and then her nose began twisting more and more until it grew into a black hole. Rachel hurriedly tried to dash away, then stabbed her sword in the ground and held on as she was being sucked in. Eventually, the vortex stopped, and Fi became tired, so Rachel dashed over and sliced the phony spirit across her waist, making her diamond form break into half. "HA! ! YOU'RE FINISHED!"

"_At least… I am beautiful… Master…"_ (End song.)

**The Land of Hyrule**

After that battle, Rachel was teleported again. She lied unconscious, until she awakened and found herself within a vast, grassy field, seeing unrealistic waves floating through the air, making her believe this was just another vision. In the distance, she could see a massive castle towering over a small town around it. She noticed her Master Sword lying on the ground under her left hand, watching Fi come out of it, looking tired.

"_Oh… Master… I cannot seem to remember what has just happened…"_

"Um… I'll tell you later, Fi. Let's just find a way out of here. Fanny, Patton, are you… huh?" she looked behind her, but found her two friends missing. She stood up and searched around some more. "Fanny? Patton? …Oh?" She finally took notice of some armored skeleton man several feet in front of her, wielding a shield in his right hand, and a sword in his left. Rachel kept her guard up as the being glared at her with glowing-red eyes, panting heavily by the sound of it. The being slowly gripped the side of his armor and ripped it off, exposing his true form. (Play "Hidden Skill Training" from Zelda: Twilight Princess!)

Rachel's mouth dropped wide open as the spirit revealed himself to be a 17-year-old boy cladded in green clothing, with a green pointy hat, golden-blonde hair, and deep-blue eyes. He gripped the Hylian Shield tight in his right hand, and raised the Master Sword in his left, facing his descendant with a fierce expression. Rachel's visage became more serious and nodded to her ancestor. The two crossed their blades in an "X" and readied for battle.

_Boss fight: Link_

The two jumped away from each other and both ran forth, clashing their blades together. The swords came in contact and tried to push against the other, but they jumped away again. Link ran and swung down at Rachel, but she dodged and rolled around the Hero to strike him from behind, but Link jumped away and performed a jump attack, which Rachel back-flipped before trying to shoot arrows at Link. Link defended with his shield and rolled to the side, drawing out his own bow and rapidly shooting at Rachel. The current Hero swatted the arrows away with her sword and kept her shield raised as she ran around. She rolled forward to Link as the ancestor raised his shield in defense, but Rachel leapt overhead and struck him from behind.

Link panted and got back up, raising his arms in the air to change their scenery. They were now in a similar field, just outside of a town as Rachel noticed a humongous moon closing into the atmosphere, the moon baring an angry visage. She ran over to Link to throw more swings at him, but the ancestor clashed his blade against hers and defended once more before jumping away. He pulled out his Hookshot and shot at Rachel, yanking her over before kicking her away. Rachel go back up and aimed her own Hookshot at Link, who rolled to the side, but Rachel saw this and was still able to launch at him, pulling him over to deal a few blows against him. Link rolled behind his descendant and struck her, still keeping his guard up as Rachel recovered to face him. The two both held their shields raised as Rachel inched a bit closer. She thrusted her shield at Link's and made him wobble back, allowing her to run and strike him.

Link then warped the two of them in the middle of a vast ocean, the two standing on the seemingly solid water. Link held his blade out and charged power into it. The Hero of Time gave a loud cry as he unleashed a Hurricane Spin, zooming all around the field and knocking Rachel around from all directions. By the time he stopped, he was really dizzy, so Rachel took this time to run over and deal blows against him. Link recovered and rolled behind her, but Rachel jumped away before he could strike. Link sheathed his sword behind him as Rachel stepped closer, ready to strike. But when she got close enough, Link performed a Mortal Draw and sliced her, knocking her on her back. Rachel decided to try this for herself, sheathing her blade behind her. When Link charged over to strike, Rachel pulled her blade and was able to strike him back.

Once more, they were teleported, this time appearing high above the clouds in the sky, standing and battling in midair. The Hero of Time raised his blade and charged a Skyward Strike, Rachel flipping to the side when he slashed it at her. Rachel was about to toss her Boomerang, but Link tossed his first and knocked it away. Rachel faced her ancestor, and both charged and began clashing their blades again. Rachel flipped over behind Link and swung, but Link still defended and kept clashing his blade. Link was about to throw his shield, but Rachel threw her shield and knocked it out of his hand. She caught her shield and threw it back, bashing his head and knocking him on his back. Rachel raised her blade skyward, letting the power fill up and create a Skyward Strike. She leapt and flipped high above the green-cladded teen as the current Hero of Time pierced her blade straight through his chest. (End song.)

"_Hnngh!"_ Link grunted, squinting his eyes from the intense strike. Rachel pulled the blade out and flipped off of him, and Link slowly reopened his eyes to face ahead at her. The former hero picked his blade up, and slowly sheathed it behind him. Link stepped closer to his descendant and gave a smile, reaching his left hand out. Rachel smiled back and sheathed her sword. She proceeded to reach out, and shake her ancestor's hand. The mark of the Triforce of Courage glowed brightly upon their hands. After a few seconds, Link faded away into light, and the light absorbed into and covered Rachel's body as the light swallowed her.

**Valor Cave**

"Rachel? Racheeel? Wake up, Lass!" Fanny yelled, slapping her unconscious leader across the cheeks.

"Mmm…" Rachel was slowly regaining consciousness.

"Alright, let me try something." Patton said, bending over. The Drill Sergeant pressed his mouth to hers, blowing breath into her, but Rachel's eyes instantly shot open as she punched him away.

"PLEH! God, I'm awake already!" Rachel yelled, standing and brushing herself off. "Where are we, anyway?"

"We're back at the cave's entrance, it looks like." Fanny answered. "We appeared here after that last battle with Fi. You passed out, so we've been tryin' ta wake ya up."

"Bleh…" Rachel tried to get the taste of Patton's tongue out of her mouth. "So, what happens now?"

"_I congratulate you for passing my trials."_ Azelf's voice called. _"Please, step into the door, and I shall be yours."_ Just as she said, a door opened before them. The three proceeded to walk in and enter the chamber of the Firstborn.

"WHOA!" Rachel screamed, keeping her balance as she nearly fell over the edge of a bottomless chasm. The three looked ahead, seeing the entrance to Azelf's chamber far on the other side. "Oh, great. What're we supposed to do now?"

Fanny tried to switch on her rocket boots, but they wouldn't come on. "Can't say the answer ta that, Lass."

"_To reach my chamber, you must jump the infinite abyss. Do not fear falling to the darkness, and you will be okay."_

"Uhhh…" Rachel didn't feel sure about this. "I'm not so good with heights. Any of you two wanna-"

"No way, Lass." Fanny cut off, she and Patton pushing her closer. "We aren't the heroes here, you are."

Rachel sighed in defeat. "Okay… here goes…" Rachel tightly shut her eyes and took a deep gulp, biting her lower lip in nervousness. With one last breath, she leapt over the edge, her eyes shooting wide open, and Patton and Fanny looking with horror as she was about to fall to the abyss. "AAAHHH- OOF!" She suddenly stopped falling upon drop, floating in midair and feeling around for what she landed on. The three gaped when an invisible glowing path revealed itself. Rachel gave a bright smile and stood to her feet, jumping and dancing around the glowing floor victoriously. "HAHA! Take THAT, heights! Come on, guys, let's nab us a Firstborn!"

The trio entered a small chamber of the cave with small puddles of water. On the other side from them, a being floated in a light-blue bubble. She had a silver body with two tails, with a red emblem in each of the tails. Her head was blue, and had another red emblem in her forehead, and her eyes were yellow. The spirit's back was turned to them, and her eyes were shut and her tails crossed as she appeared be meditating, singing quietly.

"_Hesu… sununununu… sono oai… sono onehudu..."_ The three leaders quietly approached the spirit with curiosity. Sensing their presence, the being opened her eyes and turned to face them as her bubble popped. "Oh! You have arrived. Welcome to my cave. My name is Azelf, Goddess of Willpower. I've been expecting you… Hero of Time."

"Uh, great! I've been expecting you, too… sort of!" Rachel smiled. "So, you're the one who created the Triforce?"

"One of them. My sisters and I each worked to make a piece of the great Triforce. The one I designed was the Triforce of Power."

"But… I have the Triforce of Courage. Why would you be…"

"While each Triforce piece has its own purpose, it contains a bit of power from the other spirits as well. Mesprit designed Courage, though we both shared a bit of our magic. You've had your courage, and you have shown great power as well. There is even a good amount of wisdom in there."

"Oh… well, that makes sense, I guess."

"Great, so let's catch the Firstborn and get out of this cave already." Patton said, impatiently ready to leave.

"Geez, can't ya stand in one place for 1 minute, ya stoopid boy?" Fanny shouted.

"Patton's right." Rachel said, taking out the Spirit Ball. "We have to get you in the Spirit Ball I can mark myself as your Guardian… or something." She was about to throw it…

"Er, w-wait! Don't throw it!" Azelf raised her arms in defense. "It's too dangerous. Just… walk over and give it a little tap."

"Uh… okay." With that, Rachel slowly walked over and held her Spirit Ball just inches from Azelf's body. She lightly tossed the ball, and it lightly bounced back to her hand, and the Spirit Ball opened.

"…Um…" Patton looked confused.

"Don't you, like, transform into a light or something and get sucked in the ball?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe ya just need to throw it." Fanny suggested.

"N-no! She can't! It's too risky…" Azelf denied.

"Gee, someone's gung-ho for safety." Patton said. "What, ya afraid of gettin' bruised or somethin'?"

"N-no… it's not that… it's… er, I'll tell you later. Perhaps we should… try to rescue my sisters? Then we could all explain…"

"Oh, a couple friends of ours are already on that." Rachel told her.

"Oh, okay. We may as well go see how they're doing."

"This is Numbuh 362, repeat, Numbuh 362 to Cosmo and Nova." Rachel spoke into her communicator. "We've retrieved the Firstborn, sorta, and will regroup with you very shortly. Rachel, out."

"So, why didn't you want Rachel throwing the Spirit Ball too hard?" Patton asked as they were walking out of the cave.

"Oh… we'll tell you soon enough." Azelf told him simply.

* * *

><p><strong>Hoo, and so ends the first trial. I actually wanna divide all three into separate chapters. :P Alright, next one is the Trial of Emotion. Also, just another thing, anyone here wanna attempt the Trial of Knowledge? Lol it's basically a trivia quiz game about my stories! ;D Anyone who knows my stories well enough oughta try it! Feeling lucky? ;D Later!<strong>


	75. The Trial of Emotion

**Okay, let's get on with this second trial! And by the way, I decided to change it, Mandy isn't doing it with them. :/ Play the "Land of the Livid Dead" theme from Rayman 3. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong>Lake Serenity<strong>

_Act 2: The Trial of Emotion_

After landing on the island in the middle of Lake Serenity, the Sector W Team and April proceeded to enter the Serenity Cave. Sonya was already quite terrified, considering how much darker it was on the inside. "I-It's dark in here…" Sonya stuttered quietly.

"Tell me about it. How are we supposed to find this cruddy spirit without any lights?" Harvey asked.

"_Ah, don't feel down!"_ They were startled at the sound of this cheery voice. _"Switch those frowns up and around! The lights are comin' on, in Mesprit's Trial of Emotion!"_ The cave suddenly alit with pink lights, though it was still a tad dark, exposing them to several doors that surrounded the room, each one with a picture above it that had different expressions, such as a greedy face, a sad face, an angry face, etc.

"Whuh? Who are you?" Harvey shouted.

"_I am Mesprit! Goddess of Emotions! It's ever-so wonderful to have visitors here after so many years! I get ever-so lonely without company!"_ The echoing spirit then started sobbing. _"Why did they have to lock me in here? It makes me so MAD! !"_

"Now I see why she's the Goddess of Emotion." Charlotte commented.

"I can see why they locked her in there, too." Harvey said.

"_Are you guys talking behind my back? !"_ Everyone jumped in shock at Mesprit's shout. _"That's so mean! !"_

"N-NO! NO WE WEREN'T!" they all yelled.

"_Don't lie to me! I know you were! I was going to let you in, but now I'm gonna make you do my Trial of Emotion!"_

"What? No!" Harvey shouted.

"_Sor-ree! You would've had to do it, anyway! Gotta keep safe from bad guys, ya know!"_

"Miss Mesprit, please." Sonya spoke up. "We're not bad people. Honest we aren't."

"Yeah, except Harvey." Angie followed.

"WHAT? Well, what about April? She's the one who used to be a bad guy!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't the Dark Master's puppet." April remarked.

"_Ooh, looks like SOME people are hotheaded! But come on, guys, the trials will be fun! And since there's a bunch of you, that makes it super extra specially fun!"_

"Well, what do we have to do?" Harvey asked.

"_Just complete my rooms. Each door will take you to the chamber of a different emotion. The trial tests on how well each of you control those emotions. When you've completed all the rooms, I will be yours to collect!"_

"Well, it shouldn't be SO bad." Sonya smiled. "I mean, there's a lot of us, so we can just split up and take on a bunch of rooms at once!"

"_Nnope! Sorry! Can't do that!"_

"Aw, WHAT?" Paddy shouted.

"_I get confuzzled when people do that. You all can only take on one room at a time. But don't worry! I'm sure you can beat 'em in no time at all! Hehehe! Good luuuck!"_

"Well, no wonder she's Sonya's Firstborn. That spirit's crazier than she is." Harvey remarked, earning a glare from Sonya.

"Yes, well, anyway… let's start with the Sad Door. Get it over with." Sonya suggested. With that, the team proceeded to enter the door with a frowny face over it.

The inside appeared to have the illusion of a dark, grassy field with rain pouring from dark clouds in the heavens. Already the sight of this depressing place was enough to give the group sad expressions. April's attention was caught by a couple of mysterious figures a few feet away, shaded in by the darkness. She walked a bit closer, seeing her 5-year-old self, sitting on a rock in depression as a younger Olivia and her goons pointed and laughed at her. As for Harvey, he also noticed some figures in the distance, walking closer to see himself sitting on a rock in depression, while his friends and a bunch of other kids played far away from him.

"W…What is all this?" Sonya asked.

Mesprit's laugh echoed in the distance. _"Don't you get it? These are the things and events that make them sad! Each room has something like this."_

"Well then, what are we supposed to do?"

"_You can mend emotions, right? So use that power of yours and turn those frowns upside-down!"_

"I can't do that. Making people happy against their will… it doesn't feel right."

"_Who said it was against their will? Hm-hm!"_ Sonya could tell Mesprit was smiling gleefully.

Sonya then felt like she knew what she meant. She looked over at Harvey, who continued standing and watching that depressing vision, and decided to approach him. "Harvey, is that what makes you upset? Feeling… lonely?"

"Well, yeah… a little. I feel like no-one likes playing with me, and they want to get away. They want _me_ to go away."

"Don't think that way, Harvey." Sonya told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll admit you aren't the 'nicest' guy, but you're still pretty fun to hang out with. Your sister likes you, and your friends like you, too."

"You do?" Harvey looked up and faced her.

"Yeah!" Angie cheered, walking beside him and patting his shoulder. "If you weren't around, who else would I be able to bug, huh?"

"Aw, thanks, guys." Harvey smiled. "But don't touch me!"

Sonya then walked over to her older sister, and asked, "Are you upset about people making fun of you for your powers?" April gave a slight nod. "Well, don't be, April. I'll admit, that was the reason I was scared to show my powers before… but after this whole journey, I realized, our powers don't describe who we are on the inside. And if people still can't accept us… well, so be it. But thankfully, we have friends that do." At this, April smiled and gave a nod.

"_Perfect!"_ Mesprit exclaimed, everyone smiling and looking up as the dark clouds vanished, and were replaced with a bright, sunny sky. _"You've cleared the Sadness Room! On to the next one!"_

The group of operatives exited the room, watching as the frowny face became a smiley face. "Um, let's go in this one." Sonya decided, leading them into a door with a devious grin.

The group entered the Greediness Room, looking around as piles of gold and treasures littered the room. Harvey gasped, taking notice of the humongous pile of videogames and game systems just several feet away, giving a wide, greedy smile. "What is this, Cave of Wonders?" Charlotte asked.

"Looks like it." April figured. "I'm guessing this is the Greed Room."

"Well, whatever it is, it's wonderful!" Harvey said, keeping his gaze on the pile of games. "Just look at all those games! And all of this gold! Boy, if I had all this money, I'd be set for life! And all those games… I just gotta have one! I-"

"Wait, Harvey!" Sonya grabbed his arm before he could run at the games. "Remember what happened in _Aladdin_? Maybe we aren't supposed to touch this…"

"Ah, speak for yourself, ah'm gettin' me a game!" With that, the bucktoothed child charged at the pile of games.

"Harvey, wait-" Before Sonya could finish, Harvey had tripped on a tiny wire, causing a net trap to catch them all inside. Harvey looked back to see them all hanging in the net, and the group looked down in terror as a trapdoor opened, revealing a pit of lava.

"_Ahh, the old trap never fails on you humans!"_ Harvey looked around, hearing Mesprit's voice. _"Don't worry, Harvey, you can still save them! By hitting that button over there!"_ Harvey took notice of the big, red button on the wall, which read 'Trap Deactivate'. _"But if you press it, the pile of games will be lost."_ At this, Harvey's expression lit up in shock, and was about to pick up a game from the pile. _"BUUUT, if you remove just one game, the net will drop them all into the pit! Your calll!"_

"Harvey! Save us!" Sonya yelled as the net dangled over the fiery pit. Harvey looked worriedly toward them, then glanced back at the pile of games. He repeatedly glanced back and forth between the two.

"Come on, Harvey, what's more important to you, your friends or some dumb games!" Paddy shouted.

Harvey did care about his friends, but if he saved them, he would lose all those valuable games! But if he took the games, his friends would die, and he would have no-one to play with. Plus, he'd probably be decommissioned for abandoning his team. But he'd still have the games! But, it probably wouldn't be worth it… The Sector Leader put on a serious look and made his decision, walking over to press the button on the wall. The floor closed, and Sector W and April were safely dropped back onto land. The pile of games sunk beneath the floor afterwards and vanished.

"I knew you would choose right, Harvey." Sonya smiled. Harvey blushed and scratched the back of his head. It was then that Sonya noticed Lee, with a greedy smile, bending over and reaching his hand out to grab a gold coin. "Lee!"

"Uh, hehe." Lee blushed sheepishly and faced the angered Sonya.

"Come on, let's go!" Sonya ordered, grabbing Lee's arm and dragging him out of the room while the others followed (with Lee having a sad look now). The door closed as the greedy face became a smiley face.

"_Nice work! Friendship would definitely make you happier than lousy games would! And by the way, there was another switch in there that read 'Save games AND deactivate trap'!"_

"Aw, WHAT?" Harvey yelled.

"_Just kidding! Or am I? Anyhoo, moving on!"_

"Um, let's try this one!" Sonya decided, going into a room with a grumpy-looking face, the others following behind. The room appeared pretty dark, and small, having only dim lights on the ceiling, shining down on two pedestals, one with a Chad doll, one with a Nigel doll, and another with a Fanny doll.

"Wh…What are these?" Paddy asked.

"They look like… voodoo dolls." Charlotte observed.

April approached the Chad doll, Harvey approached the Nigel, and Paddy approached the Fanny doll, each of them picking theirs up. Right away, memories flashed through their minds; April remembered Chad wrongfully kicking her out of Cadet Next Door Training, Paddy remembered always being bruised and beaten by his sister in the past, and Harvey remembered Nigel Uno always stealing his spotlight. Sonya sensed the anger started to rise in each of them for those certain people. Each of them overcome by that anger, and now holding the fate of those people in their hands, the three began twisting and bending those flexible voodoo dolls, and Sonya's expression turned to horror when she sensed feelings of pain emitting from the dolls.

"W-Wait! I think those dolls are hurting them!" Sonya yelled.

"Good! Uno deserves it for all the trouble he caused me!" Harvey said, angrily twisting up Nigel's waist.

"Must… get back at… mean older sister!" Paddy yelled, bending the Fanny doll into a ball.

"Paddy, stop." Charlotte ordered. "Your sister apologized for all that, didn't she? You're friends, now."

"Harvey, quit being mean to Uno!" Angie demanded. "Doesn't it make you happy that your sister is at LEAST happy with him?"

"And April… you aren't really mad at Chad, right?" Sonya asked as April twisted the head of the Dickson boy. "Sure he was jealous… but I'm sure that, deep down, he just wanted to protect you, too. You can't stay mad at him. And he's probably sorry, too. After all, he is our brother."

Hearing this, the three's anger slowly began to die down in realization. Charlotte was right, Paddy thought. Despite all of the problems in the past, he and Fanny were starting to get along a lot better ever since the 'giantess' incident. And while Harvey still didn't like Uno, he was at least happy that his sister was happy with him. And deep down, April really did want things to go along better with Chad, and he probably felt the same way. With this in mind, they each fixed their voodoo dolls back to normal, and gently placed them back on the pedestals.

Afterwards, they could hear Mesprit's echoing claps. _"Nice job, everyone! Though those dolls weren't really voodoo. I just made them myself to have something to play with! Just kidding."_

"Uh, hehe… you and that sense of humor." Sonya chuckled. With this trial done, the group decided to walk out of the Anger Room, seeing the angry face become a happier one. "Well, which one now?"

"What about that one?" Lee asked, pointing at a door with a face that seemed to look ashamed.

"O-Okay. Let's try it out." Sonya guessed as the group proceeded to enter the Guilt Room.

Inside seemed to be a bunch of mini TVs. Harvey's attention was directed to one, and it was playing the clip of when Harvey was convincing his sister to let his sector have the cake mission and replace Sector V. April was watching a TV that showed a clip of her and Chad's small battle at the first Brotherhood Base, stationed in Death Valley. Paddy and Charlotte watched a TV that played the scene of Paddy and Shaunie, pouring the Growth Potion into Fanny's mouth during her sleep that would make her giant (but first thought it would shrink her). Sonya, Lee, and Angie watched the other TV, playing the memory of when the three of them dressed Harvey up as a girl in his sleep, then tricked him into coming out to the living room where a bunch of people waited.

Sonya, Lee, and Angie exchanged guiltful glances after watching that clip replay. "Boy, when you watch certain things play over again, it really makes ya think differently, huh?" Lee said.

"I know Harvey's kinda mean to us, but if we didn't do mean stuff like that, maybe he wouldn't've become possessed by Gnaa…" Sonya thought aloud. Sonya glanced over to her Sector Leader and calmly approached him while he watched his own clip. "Harvey…" Harvey turned to her with a sad look. "About that one prank from before… we really didn't mean anything… well, mean by it… and we're sorry. We were just-"

"Don't worry about it, Sonya. I did my share of mean things, too. I mean… if I hadn't told my sister to take Sector V off the cake mission, Uno probably wouldn't've left, and then she wouldn't think he was mad at her."

"Well, don't blame yourself for that, Harvey. Nigel _had_ to leave, otherwise the GKND would've destroyed everything."

"Yeah!" Angie smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Who knows, you probably helped him SAVE the world just by doing that! But even if you didn't, that's all in the past! Knowing your sister, she'd definitely forgives you by now, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah… I guess so. But don't touch me!"

"Poke!" she exclaimed.

Sonya then went over beside April, viewing her memory. "You feel guilty about fighting with Chad?"

"Well, yeah. It's like you said, Sonya, he's our brother. I know siblings don't get along, but we aren't supposed to fight as bad as that."

"Well, considering where we come from, maybe it's natural!"

"Hehe!"

"But hey, I know must be feeling sorry, too. Seriously, I know! Hm-hm! I'm sure when we get back home, we can all make up and have fun just like we always wanted to!"

"Yeah… we probably could." April smiled.

"You're still feeling guilty about the 'Giant Fanny' incident?" Charlotte asked Paddy.

"Well, a little bit… I only did it because she was being mean to us. But doing that to her, kind of made me feel like a bully, too. And what's more, I sort of pushed Shaunie into doing it with me."

"Well, you may have messed her life up a bit, but the three ended up having a lot of fun, right? And hey, Fanny sort of liked being a giant, didn't she?"

"Well… I guess she did. Hehe." Paddy smiled.

"Hm-hm! You oughta buy me one of those Growth Potions sometime!"

"Uh, I'll keep that in mind."

The seven heroes then walked out, and once more, the guilty face became a happy face. "Okay, why is it that most of these trials seem to be about me and Harvey?" April asked.

"Yeah. It feels like we're the only ones getting tested here." Harvey agreed.

"_That's because you two are the ones most emotionally troubled!"_ Mesprit called. _"Just like certain powers in the elements can be Light or Darkness, emotions work the same way. And people who have taken to the Dark Side usually work with a certain Dark Emotion, like sadness, desire, anger, etc.. The whole purpose of the trial is to remind you of these dark feelings, and sees how well you control them."_

"But… we probably would've failed those trials if it wasn't for Sonya." Harvey said.

"Or Charlotte." Paddy followed.

"_I know! Sometimes you need a little help in keeping those emotions under control. And the best person for the job is someone who really cares. Like Sonya!"_

"Well, she is the energetic one of the team." Lee said. "She definitely knows how to keep our spirits goin', and she's real sweet."

"Awww… you really mean that, Lee?" Sonya smiled sheepishly, folding her hands behind her back.

"Um… maybe." Lee lightly blushed.

"Hm hm hm!"

"_But don't celebrate just yet. You still have one room left: the Fear Room."_

"One left? Boy, this trial seemed easy…" Paddy said.

"_Well, it's only Emotion. If you wanted more action, you shoulda gone to the Willpower Trial! Heehee!"_

"Fear doesn't really sound too easy." Sonya said, worriedly. "Let's get it over with." With that, she was the first to enter the Room of Fear. (End song.)

The door immediately slammed shut behind them, sealing them in the pitch-black room, where Sonya screamed, "EEEEEEEK!"

"W…What happened?" Charlotte asked.

"Where did all the lights go?" Paddy asked.

"I think this trial's just trying to spook Sonya out." Harvey guessed.

"It's… DAAAAARK!" Sonya screamed.

"Ow! That's right in my ear!" Angie yelled.

"Come on, let's find the light switch before Sonya goes all psycho." Harvey suggested.

"_The trial isn't just about Sonya, you know!"_ Mesprit smirked.

"Um… er, uh, shut up!" Harvey demanded, secretly terrified of the darkness.

"Hey, Sonya, can you hear me?" Sonya heard Lee ask.

"L-Lee? I don't like the dark! Get me outta here!"

"It's okay, Sonya, just calm down. We'll find a way out of here, just keep your cool." At this, Sonya only stood in place, quietly shivering and looking around in fear.

"Hey, Sonya, remember that song our parents used to sing us whenever we were feeling afraid or upset?" April asked.

"Um… yes?"

"Sing it." April smiled.

Sonya took a few quick breaths and tried to remember how the song went. She was beginning to calm down a little, then sang quietly to herself.

_When the heavens have dark clouds_

_Blocking the sun…_

_Don't let the rain wash away_

_Your freedom and fun._

_When it seems skies are bleak_

_All hope fades away…_

_A ray of light comes…_

_And brings back the day…_

Right at that moment, the lights came on, and everyone found themselves inside a seemingly ordinary living room in a house. "Hey, I found the light switch!" Paddy exclaimed.

They heard some strange moaning noises coming from behind a chair in the corner, so they quietly snuck behind and found- "Harvey? ANGIE?" Sonya exclaimed.

The two kissing operatives immediately ended their make-out session, facing their friends and smiling nervously. "Uh… eh hehe."

Sonya felt somebody grab her hand, quietly gasping and blushing when she noticed it was Lee. "Um… I heard you singing. You were cool." He said silently, making Sonya blush more.

"Yeah, yeah, kiss and make-out, 'cause-" Harvey tried to say.

"It's your turn?" April smirked.

"N-no! We gotta look for that spirit!"

"He's right. Let's head back." Sonya agreed, leading the operative team back through the door.

"WHOA!" However, they instantly fell into a pit, ending up landing on a giant spider web down below.

"Ohh… where'd the floor go?" Paddy asked.

"More importantly, what's this huge web doing here?" Harvey asked, trying to break free of the sticky substance.

Charlotte's eyes widened in absolute terror and fear when she looked up. "Guys… I think the trial's still going on." When she pointed above, they group looked up as a massive spider-like being was curled up on the ceiling, giving frightened gasps. The spider uncurled its skinny legs and looked down at them, its five eyes widened and its fangs drooling with hunger. Charlotte looked down and noticed only her shoes were stuck to the web. She carefully slipped her feet out of the shoes and dropped through one of the gaps in the web, landing safely on the floor below. Charlotte quickly pulled out a MUSKET and shot mustard at the hideous monster, blinding its five eyes.

"_Well, I must say, you faced your fear quicker than I thought you would. Now, just free your friends, and be on your way to my-"_

"Not so fast." The spider suddenly spoke.

"_Wh-What?"_ Mesprit was struck speechless when the spider grew a doll-like woman's head and body out of the head, which had a black wig, black-buttoned eyes, and several stitches.

"Greetings, Kids Next Door. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Beldam, one of the Nightmare King's finest creations!"

"Hey… I heard of you!" April pointed at the being. "You're that… evil doll monster that steals children's souls and puts buttons over their eyes!"

"Mm, that's right. At first, I was only created to do my job and scare little children, fueling the citizens of Nightmare Land with power, just like any Nightmare would do. But when I discovered how to fuel the city better by stealing children's souls and sucking the fear directly out of them, that's what earned me the slammer. But no more! I've escaped that wretched city and was able to sneak my way in here as one of Mesprit's little 'tests'. You kids have fallen right into my trap. Now that I have you, I can take my precious time sowing beautiful little buttons over your eyes. I know your precious little goddess won't take the time to come out here, considering her little… curse."

"Curse?" Sonya questioned.

"Hey, doll-freak, I think you're forgetting someone!" Charlotte yelled up at the monster.

"Oh, yes, poor little Charlotte seems to have fallen out of her web." The Beldam smirked, crawling down to the floor below. "No matter. I will have you wrapped up again in a matter of minutes, so enjoy your last few moments of life, kid!" With that, she reverted to her spider head and yelled, "RAAH!" (Play Sally's Song from Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge!)

_Boss fight: The Beldam_

Charlotte tried to shoot the hideous spider, but it leapt all around the walls and shot webs at her from her back. Charlotte dodged and narrowly avoided the webs, shooting more mustard at the spider's eyes. The spider leapt down in front of Charlotte and tried to swing its claws, but Charlotte ran underneath and got behind, quickly shooting the hole where the webs came out of. The spider shook its butt around to try and shoot a web out, but failed, and Charlotte took this time to shove her weapon into the hole and shoot directly inside. Doing this made Charlotte desperately want to puke, running back to the front as the monster screamed in pain. The head vanished and became the upper-body of the Beldam again.

Beldam grabbed Charlotte by the leg and shook the girl around before holding her upside-down in front of her face, hissing, and releasing spit all over her face. Charlotte shot her face and blinded her with mustard, afterwards grabbing Beldam's weak stick-arm and ripping it off, dropping back to the floor. While Beldam was still trying to wipe the mustard off her face, Charlotte climbed up her legs and onto her back, afterwards climbing up the body. When Charlotte reached her head, the Beldam had wiped the mustard off, so Charlotte proceeded to grab the button that was her left eye and yanked it right off.

"GYAHH!" Beldam screamed, angrily facing Charlotte with only her right eye. The Beldam turned back into a spider's head, hissing at Charlotte. Charlotte ran and dodged as Beldam coughed venom balls at her from the mouth, then tried to shoot its head and gnash at the girl. The Beldam jumped around and shot more web-balls out of its butt, getting Charlotte's feet stuck to the ground under one of them. As she tried to pull away, she gasped when the spider pounced and pinned her to the ground under its legs, hissing at her face. Charlotte shot mustard into its open mouth and got its lungs clogged up, making the creature step back to cough it out. Charlotte quickly shot her MUSKET as the web binding her to the floor, becoming unstuck and jumping to her feet.

"Aw, and these socks were brand new. I'll never get these stains out." Charlotte whined, looking at the mustard covering her bright-pink socks. She faced back at the monster, noticing she was still trying to cough the mustard out of her throat. Charlotte hurried and ran behind, stabbing her weapon and inserting more mustard into its rear. The Nightmare hissed in pain and reverted its head back to Beldam's upper-body. "Ooooog…" Charlotte groaned, now ready to throw up from having done that again.

"YOU!" Beldam hissed, grabbing Charlie's leg again and holding her upside-down by her face, swatting the MUSKET away. "This time… I'll-"

"BLEEHH." Charlotte's cheeks puffed up until she threw up right in the Beldam's face, blinding her only remaining eye.

"AYAHH!" While the monster tried to wipe it off with her remaining arm, Charlotte was dropped, and the operative proceeded to climb up to her head again. When Beldam had wiped the puke off, Charlotte was able to grip its right button-eye and yank it right off. "Ohhhh! I'm blind!" she screamed, shaking and wandering aimlessly.

Back with the others stuck on the web, Angie gripped Harvey's hands as both tried to pull her feet unstuck from the sticky substance. The two eventually succeeded, and Angie carefully stood and balanced on Harvey's body, lying on its back. "Agh! Your smelly foot's in my face!" he yelled.

"Quit whining, Harvey, and give me a boost." Angie carefully hopped to stand on Paddy, then hopped to April's taller body, close to the wall. Angie pulled her fist back and punched the wall, forcing rock chunks to pop out and fall from above, pushing through the ends of the web.

"WHOA!" The web dropped, and everyone fell to the floor below. Sonya dropped onto Beldam's head and gripped her hair, falling and pulling the wig off.

"Take THIS!" Angie exclaimed, stomping the ground and making more rocks drop down from the walls above, crushing the Beldam underneath, leaving only her upper-body sticking out. The Nightmare moaned and tried to help herself up, but Sonya took this time to use her powers and mess with Beldam's mind.

"AHHHH! These… happy feelings… they're… AWFUL… they're… sickening… oooaaaahhhhh…." Eventually, the Beldam stopped uncontrollably shaking her head around, and the hideous Nightmare's body fell unconscious. (End song.)

"_Uh-huh… well, I certainly didn't expect that. Anyhoo, congratulations, children! You passed all my rooms!"_

"Yay!" Sonya cheered.

"_Well, not quite."_

"WHAT?" Harvey whined.

"_You're almost there! Just step into the beam of light, and it'll guide your way!"_ Right away, a pink beam of light shone onto the middle of the room. The team of children stepped in, and allowed it to carry them back up, past the floor with the other trials, and onto a higher floor, where there stood a door with a smiley, goofy face above it, surrounded by a heart. The operatives entered the door into the dark room, letting Mesprit speak again. _"The Love Room! Most powerful one of 'em all! It's no challenge at all, really. Stand by the person who you value the most!"_

Just then, spotlights shone down from the ceiling, one on Sonya and Lee, one on Paddy and Charlotte, and one on Harvey and Angie. All three couples faced their crushes beside them, staring into each others' beautiful eyes. The three pairings gently took their crushes' hand and continued to stare at them. "Um… A-Are-Are we- Like this?" Harvey stuttered.

Mesprit smiled from inside her room. _"Yes… Love is the most powerful emotion of all. It is the most powerful of the Light AND Dark Ones. Every person has someone in their life that gives them joy and light. And that light makes you stronger than anything else would. But if someone values that other person too deeply, and something terrible happens to them… that someone could lose themself. The true inner darkness could be unleashed from their souls. Love is a powerful thing… whether it be used for Light. Or Darkness… But for right now, neither of you have anything to worry about. As long as you have the person you're standing with now…"_ the boys continued to stare into their crushes' eyes, and vice versa, _"your light will be stronger than ever."_

April only scoffed. "Well, what about me? I don't have anyone to look at… I guess I fail."

"_Oh, don't feel that way, silly! Just because he isn't here now, doesn't mean he isn't out there! You'll find the one who will be your light eventually! For right now, you just need faith."_

"Hm." A smile appeared on April's face.

"_Well, that does it for this trial! Great job, everybody!"_ A door began to emit a bright-white light on the side of the room ahead of them. _"My chamber is just up ahead! Thanks for playing!"_ With that, the group proceeded to enter the room ahead.

They found their selves inside a cave-like room with puddles of water along the floor and water dripping from the ceiling. On the opposite end of the cave, a spirit being floated in a pink, heart-shaped glowing bubble, turned away from them as she hummed a tune to herself. She meditated, having her twin-tails crossed in an "X". The tails held a red emblem in each of them and were connected to her silver body. Her head was a dark-pink, and had a few droops on each side. In her forehead was another red emblem.

The children stepped a bit closer as the spirit heard them as they splashed the puddles with each step, turning and noticing the operatives and gasping happily, popping her heart bubble. "YAAAY!" she clapped. "You made it through my trials! I knew you guys would make it! My name is Mesprit, Goddess of Happiness, Love, and EVERY emotion imaginable!"

"Mesprit… you're the one who gave me and Sonya our powers, aren't you?" April asked.

"Mm-hm, that's right! I knew my Guardian would eventually be born of the Dickson family. I sensed the two of you becoming very special people, kind and caring hearts who would help with the problems of any living creature! So, I gave you my powers over emotion! That's a very naughty move for someone like me! Heehee!"

"Shyah, but April didn't seem very 'kind and caring' when we first met her." Harvey replied smugly.

"I'm still a lot nicer than you are." April remarked, hands on her hips.

"She's having a little trouble, but deep down, I see the good she really possesses! And what about you?" her attention focused on Sonya. "You must be my little Guardian, aren't you?"

"Yep. I'm Sonya Dickson." Sonya smiled and introduced herself. She was then about to walk over, reaching her hand out, and about to shake Mesprit's. "It's nice to meet you, Mesp-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME! !" the goddess screamed, her eyes alighting with fire, and flames shooting up behind her as well as she yelled in a fierce tone. "DON'T. _EVER_. TOUCH ME! ! !"

"Y-Yikes!" Sonya yelped, immediately jumping back, looks of fear appearing upon everyone's faces. "I-I'm sorry, Mesprit! I-I just wanted to…"

"Boy, and I thought _I_ had problems." Harvey said, earning nods of agreement from everyone.

Mesprit gasped loudly in realization, clapping her hands over her mouth as the flames vanished. "I-I'm sorry, guys! I didn't mean to scare you like that!"

"Eh, it's okay. We deal with this aphephobic freak all the time." Lee said, pointing his thumb at Harvey, who gave a glare.

"Er, no, it's not that I don't like being touched, it's… well…"

"Hey, wait a second, didn't that monster say something about a curse?" Charlotte asked,

"Oh, right, my curse… um… Well, I'll tell you about it later. Do you know anything about my other sisters?"

"Well, a couple friends of ours went off to the other lakes to retrieve them." Sonya answered. "They're Guardians, too."

"Oh, okay. We can all explain to you later. Do you have the Spirit Ball?"

"Right here!" Sonya perked up, pulling out the magical Poké Ball. The Soda, Snacks, and Treats Officer tossed the sphere at the Firstborn, and when it came in contact, the ball shot open, and the spirit became a light as it was sucked in. The ball snapped shut and fell to the ground, shaking and making a beeping sound. Sonya calmly approached the Spirit Ball and picked it up, holding it by her mouth and quietly singing to it.

_When the heavens have dark clouds_

_Blocking the sun…_

_Don't let the rain wash away_

_Your freedom and fun._

_When it seems skies are bleak_

_All hope fades away…_

_A ray of light comes…_

_And brings back the day…_

The Spirit Ball hovered in the air and erupted a light, the top half now glowing pink while the lower half glowed silver. The ball slowly dropped into Sonya's hands, and the cheerful girl raised it in victory.

_**Sonya captured a FIRSTBORN! Just 2 more! !**_

Sonya happily stuffed the ball into her pocket, gently patting it. "Let's go!" Harvey ordered, and everyone hurried back outside.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, yeah, I procrastinated a lot with this. -_- So, yeah, the Trial of Willpower was basically a bunch of action scenes, and the Trial of Emotion is a bunch of small emotional scenes. And the Trial of Knowledge will be a test of remembrance! Come on, ANY body wanna take the Knowledge Trial? Did I mention the quiz is multiple choice? Each question has 4 choices. ;) Ah well! See ya for that one!<strong>


	76. The Trial of Knowledge

**All right! Wanna remember the series? Well, here's the place to be! Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Trial of Knowledge. What Matters Most of All.<em>**

**Lake Acuity**

Matthew Garley was closing in on the final remaining lake, Acuity. The curator held a glum look on his face, wishing that Kim could've come with him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, trying to call the 2x4 expert again. Unfortunately, no luck. Matt only sat there and sighed depressedly. He felt a little guilty about 'shooing' her away at the museum earlier. He hoped that once this was over, he could make up with her. Hopefully…

After a short while, Matt landed his ship just outside Acuity Cave, looking back up at Cosmo and Nova's ship. _"We'll head back to pick up the others."_ Nova called down to him. _"Call us when you've finished. Good luck."_ With that, the aliens flew off.

The museum curator turned and faced the cave entrance before him. After taking a deep sigh, the boy entered the dark cave.

_Act 3: Trial of Knowledge_

Matthew calmly entered the cave and nervously searched around, calling out to the Firstborn. "Helloooo? Firstborn Spirit Uxieee? If you're in here, just…"

_"So, you've finally arrived."_

"Wah!" Matt yelped at the sound of this voice. "Uh… wh-who are you?"

_"I am Uxie, Goddess of Knowledge and Intelligence the like. And you are my neglectful, nerdy Guardian. How unexpected that I would be the last of the Firstborn."_

"The last Firstborn? You mean my friends already captured the others?"

_"They're close. Though I never said the Firstborn were captured, yet."_

"Oh. Well, do you think you could come out, so I could capture you? You know, get it over with?"

_"Right, because it's always that easy. No, you're gonna have to face my trial first, like it or not. Of course, knowing someone like you, you'll have no trouble."_

"And just how DO you know me?"

_"Oh, I know everything. That's something we have in common, I guess. Though, there are a FEW differences…"_

"Whuh?"

_"Oh, never mind. Just step inside here."_ Matthew saw a door open on the other side of the room. _"Your trial will begin."_

Matthew did so and slowly entered the door. The room inside still appeared to be dark as the curator walked and looked around. In the dimness of this small room, he could make out a large picture frame on the wall, a small stand to the left of it, and three other stands on the right side in a row, each one with what looked to be a red buzzer. Matt walked over behind the middle stand and observed the button. The fanboy raised his hand above the button, and slammed down. (Play the "Tower of Tragedy" Theme from _Banjo-Tooie_!)

Matt gasped in surprise when spotlights brightened the room, giving him a clear view of a cheering audience sitting in the background, whom seemed to be all Fanfiction authors. Matt looked to the stand on the other side from them, and none other than myself rose up from out of the ground, taking a bow as I began to speak.

"WELCOME, fellow authors, so nice to have you all here and reading this WONDERFUL story! Arissaprincess, how ya been! Depthcharge, good ta see ya, buddy! Numbah435spiritsong, it's you! Danika, where've you been, girl? April, Kim, Morg, and Emmy, hiya there! LazyPencilLender, you're back! And nightmaster000, how do you, too! Hi-hi, Rhy-Rhy! Mika, there you are, still waitin' on _DUSK_! CosmicFourze, you too! And HELLOOO… anonymous person who started reading this story recently. Oh; oh-oh, Fanny! And welcome to…"

"THE FIRST! ANNUAL! FIRSTBORN! QUIIZ!" everyone cheered as the logo for this gameshow appeared on the screen.

"That's right, everybody, this story's nearin' its close, and the last Firstborn is in reach!" Everybody gave moans of disappointment at this. "But don't worry! We still got plenty o' action to go, and one heck of a show tonight! Tonight, we have a very special gameshow; a quiz based on the wonderful Fanfiction series that led to this moment! Tonight, I will be asking our guests questions about my grand series. Each question will have 4 choices, and the first person to buzz in and answer correctly will score 2 points, with one point being awarded if it was a second guess, following the incorrect answer. Answer wrong, and you LOSE 2 points, and you lose 1 point if you missed the second guess, and the person with the LOWEST score at the end of each round… will meet their destiny."

At this, Matthew looked up, gulping at the 10-ton block hanging above him and his opponents' stands.

"Now let's meet tonight's vic- er, I mean, contestants!" I directed their attention to the person on the left of Matt. "On the left, we have my gun-happy, potty-mouthed assistant, Nicholas Klouse!"

"Wassup, BITCHES?" Nick cheered as everyone else cheered.

"And on the right, we have my nearsighted, lesser-muscled assistant, Zachary Guiles!"

"Hey, how ya doin'?" my African-American friend waved to everybody.

"And the middle… the Kids Next Door Museum Curator and the nerdiest of fanboys, Matt Garley!" Matt confusedly waved to everybody. "And I am your host: Gamewizard2008! But call me Jared, if you so like. Though I prefer to keep that in here! Now let's begin. But first! Our prizes for tonight's show!" I directed their attention to the large screen, which showed 1st-place-3rd-place stands holding three prizes: the 3rd-place one had the collection of my series, the 2nd-place had the Fountain of Hui Shen Gong Wu, and the 1st-place had-

"KIIM!" Matt screamed, seeing his German friend tied up with duct-tape over her mouth, shaking around as she struggled to break free of her ropes. The image vanished, and Matt yelled, "LET HER GO!"

"Sorry, Mate! But ya gotta play to win! And whoever wins may choose their prize! Now let's beGIIIN! First question:"

"What is the first story of this wonderful series? _Monty's Galactic Days_, _Operation: GALACSIA_, 'Nigel and Eva's First Meeting', or _Operation: ANCESTOR_?"

Matthew buzzed in, "_Operation: GALACSIA_!"

"Correct! Next question: What was the first bendable element introduced? Space, Fire, Air, or Water?"

Matt buzzed, "Fire!"

"WRONG! Anyone else!"

Nick buzzed, "Space!"

"Correct!"

"Haha, because Jirachi!" Nick remembered.

"What hand is Nolan? Left hand, right hand, ambidextrous, or no hands?"

Nick buzzed, "Um… right hand?"

"NOPE! Anyone else?"

Matt buzzed, "Pfft. He's obviously left."

"Correct! Now then… Who came up with the H.E.A.D.-S.E.T.'s acronym? Revan Sidious, Nolan York, Morgan Catherine, or Wesley Dodds?"

Matt buzzed in, "Uh… Nolan did?"

"NOPE! Anyone else?"

Zach buzzed, "Eh… I dunno, Morgan?"

"Correct!"

"Hey, I got it!" Zach smiled.

"Who was the first villain to appear in my series?"

Nick buzzed, "Malladus!"

"WHAT?" Matt shouted.

"Correct!"

"Hey, I didn't even get a chance to buzz!" Matt whined.

"Take a look at my screen." The large screen showed the image of an endless field of piles of ruined electrical items, the sky covered by black clouds, and flames gushing to the skies in the distance. "Where is this? Black Acropolis, Nightmare Land, Ancient Wastelands, or Vaporia?"

Zach buzzed, "Vaporia!"

"Correct! Listen now, and make your choice: which character has this dumb voice?" _"C'mon, Mason! 'ave a little fun, ya grumpy old poisonbender!"_ "Marine, Sheila, Wally Beatles, Dixie?"

Matt buzzed, "Marine!"

"No! Anyone?"

"Um, Sheila?" Nick asked.

"Correct!"

"Yeah-ha-hah!" Nick cheered.

"Err!" Matt placed his hand on his forehead in stress.

"Okay, people, round's almost over, and Matt's falling behind! Let's keep going. What is the name of Nolan's father-"

Matt quickly buzzed, "Darian!"

"Correct! Who gave Nolan his third scar? Danika, Brain, Koda Shrieves, or his father?"

Matt buzzed, "Danika!"

"Correct! Where is his third scar located?"

Matt buzzed, "His right cheek!"

"Correct again! Who was the main antagonist of Jagar's story? Captain Rourke, Gruntilda, Lucinda, or Ganondorf?"

Nick buzzed in, "Um… Lucinda?"

"Correct! You're in the lead, Nick! Now… Which of these stories ISN'T canon to my universe? _Monty's Galactic Days_, _Operation DUSK_, _Ethics_, or 'Anger II'?"

Nick buzzed in. "Um… _Monty's Galactic Days_?"

"NNOT quite! Anyone else?"

Zach buzzed. "…Is it _Ethics_?"

"Nope! Sorry, boys! Okay… Which of these authors does Gamewizard share a universe with? Yougotburned, Depthcharge2030, Numbuh Phenon, or littlemissfg?"

Matt buzzed, "Depthcharge!"

"Well, of COURSE you'd know that! Okay, Matt is in the lead with 3 points now, while Nick & Zach are tied with 1. Let's see if we can break that. What is the name of Depthcharge's alternate universe series? The KND Dimension, Kiddom Planet, KND: Universe, or the 2030 Saga?"

Nick buzzed, "…2030 Saga?"

"NO! Anyone else?"

Zach buzzed, "KND: Universe."

"Correct! Which villain from the KND: Universe appeared during 'Heroes Together'? Pester, Gwen Tucker, Holiday, or Legion?"

Matt buzzed, "Legion!"

"Correct! Now which HERO from KND: Universe appeared in 'Heroes Together'? Kayla Valera, Soulless, Crystal Wickens, or-"

Zach buzzed, "Crystal Wickens!"

"Correct!"

"Wow, I didn't even know!" Zach said. "That name just sounded cool." Nick just looked in disbelief.

"Who does Yuki Crystal marry in the future? Olive Pioji, Misty Greene, Crystal Wickens, or April Dickson?"

Nick buzzed, "Is it April?"

"No! Anyone else?"

Zach buzzed, "Um… okay, Olive."

"Correctamundo! What was the name of the 8th stage in this story? Star Station, City Retreat, Sahara Skies, or Forest of Light?"

Zach buzzed, "Forest of Light!"

"Correct! Listen to this tune." The stereos around the room played "A New Venture" from _Sonic Rush Adventure_. "What is this? Restless Coastside, Seaside Surf, Mushroom Greens, or Sea Fleet?"

Matt buzzed, "Um… Sea Fleet!"

"NOO! Anyone else?"

Nick buzzed, "Um… Seaside Surf!"

"CORRECT! Okay, time's almost up, people, so hurry up and rack those points! Which of these girls WASN'T a love interest for Nolan? Danika Anderson, Kayla Valera, April Dickson, or Gwen Tucker."

Matt buzzed, "Gwen!"

"No! Anyone else?"

Zach buzzed, "…Kayla?"

"Uh, nuh-uh. Now let's move on: Which of these OCs had a major storyline? Nolan York, Violet McCleary, The Quads, or Kami Drilovsky?"

Zach buzzed, "Is it… Quads?"

"Oh, DEFINITE no! Anyone else?"

Matt buzzed, "Pfft, it's Nolan."

"NO DUH! ! Well-p, that's all the time for this round. Let's have a look at the scores. Nick Klouse: -1. Matt Garley: 0. And Zach Guiles: 6! Looks like Nick's cockiness has got him nowhere, and his potty-mouth has led him to his fate. Buh-bye, Nickie!" With that, I pulled a lever hanging from the ceiling beside me.

Nick's eyes widened in terror as he heard a chain creak, looking up at the dangling 10-ton weight above him. "Ooh! !" he yelped, and the heavy weight came down, crushing Nicholas's body and bones underneath.

"Oooh…" Matt and Zach shielded their eyes from the sight.

"Okay, so now it is you two as we head into Round 2! Let me just change my score sheet…" I spoke, looking under my stand and pulling out a bigger pack of notebook paper. "It's so annoying having to keep score. SO, is everyone ready? ?"

"Um, just a question." Zach raised his hand. "So, basically, if we lose, you KILL us…"

"OH ho ho ho!... Let's begin. Round 2, HERE WE GO! Who did Dr. Eggman fall in love with? Gramma Stuffum, Mother Mae-Eye, Fonda Chow, or Crazy Old Cat Lady?"

Zach buzzed, "Gramma Stuffum."

"Correct! In _Monty's Galactic Days_, what color was the Star at the Ghost Zone? Dark-blue, purple, white, or green?"

Matt buzzed, "Eh… green!"

"No! Zach?"

"Um, purple?"

"Correct! What OC was Angelie Granite based off of? Rabe Beatles, Kami Drilovsky, Charlotte MayHence, or Angelina Stone?"

Zach buzzed, "Angelina Stone!"

"Correct! Falling behind, Matt! Okay, which of these authors is Gamewizard NOT sharing a universe with? Buddygirl1004, Dynamite Girl, Numbuh 6.13, or Depthcharge2030?"

Matt buzzed, "Buddygirl1004."

"Correct! Listen now, and make your choice: which character has this voice?" _"Y…You're an alien! !" _"Emily Matthews, Rachel McKenzie, Kami Drilovsky, or Noah Heart?"

Matt buzzed, "It was Kami."

"Correct! Who was the very first boss in my series? Antberry, King Croacus, Fuzzibeast, or Titanosaur?"

Matt buzzed, _"Titanosaur?..."_ he mumbled to himself, questioning that name. "Erm, King Croacus!"

"Correct! What was the Talisman located on Adabat Island? Green Fish Talisman, Brown Shark Talisman, White Seagull Talisman, or Gold Octopus Talisman?"

Zach buzzed, "Brown Shark."

"Correct! What was the 32nd stage in _Legend of the Eight Firstborn_? Restless Coast, Nightmare Land, Roy's Fortress, or G.U.N. H.Q.?"

Matt buzzed, "Silver Forest!"

"Correct! Who grew into a giantess in the story _Attitude Adjustment_? Violet McCleary, Eva Roberts, Kami Drilovsky, or Fanny Fulbright?"

Matt buzzed, "Fanny!"

"Correct! When did the pairing 2/5 officially become canon in my universe? _Truth or Dare: KND Plus Others_, _Operation: DUTCHMAN_, _Operation: DEATH-EGG_, or _Operation: GALACSIA_?"

Matt buzzed, "Truth or Dare!"

"No! You Zach?"

"Um, _DEATH-EGG_."

"Correct! What was the second-to-last Nighlok battled in _Operation: ANCESTOR_? Threezore, Negatron, Madimot, or Arachnitor?"

Matt buzzed, "Negatron!"

"Correct! What color are Michelle McKenzie's shoes? White, green, brown, or she doesn't wear any."

Zach buzzed, "She doesn't wear any."

"Correct! What element can Marine bend? Light, Water, Fire, or Psychic?"

Matt buzzed, "Light."

"Correct! What are the names of Matt Dimalanta and Yin Bean's kids in the future? Lee and Leanne, Dillon and Mario, Mason and Haruka, or Cheren and Aurora?"

Zach buzzed, "I think… Mason and Haruka."

"Correct! Who was defeated by Mario Ramsey during 'Heroes Together'? General Immortus, Le Mime, Monsieur Mallah, or Teen Tornado?"

Matt buzzed, "Lllle Mime."

"Correct! How tall is Kweeb? 1 ounce, 1 foot, 1 centimeter, or 25.4 millimeters?"

Zach buzzed, raising a brow in thought, "…25.4 millimeters?"

"Correct! Who was the boss of Planet Avalar in _Operation: GALACSIA_? Dodongo Dragon, Ice King, Squidlord, or Francis?"

Matt buzzed, "Dodongo Dragon."

"Correct! What chapter of _Final Preparations_ did Emily Matthews become a Halfa? 2, 5, 6, or 9?"

Zach buzzed, "Chapter 6."

"Correct! Look at the picture on my screen." The screen showed the picture of a girl with long, black hair and black eyes, a white T-shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. "Who is this? Melody Jackson, Lilac Farley, Sheila Frantic, or Emily Garley?"

Matt buzzed, "Melody!"

"Correct! Listen to this tune, and make your choice, foolish goons." The stereos played "Does Anyone Have Any Cough Syrup" from _Rayman 3_. "What is this? Vaporia (Cad Bane), Ghost Zone Prison, African Citadel, or Koopa Kore?"

Zach buzzed, "Vaporia."

"Correct! Running outta time, better hurry, Matt! What was The Brain's Numbuh in the KND?"

Matt instantly buzzed, "23 BBY!"

"Correct! Okay, last question, then we gotta end it. Who does Kami Drilovsky have a crush on? Buddy Utsukushii, Jeremiah Heartly, Yang Bean, or Patton Drilovsky?"

Zach buzzed. "Umm… Buddy!"

"NNOPE! You, Matt?"

"Er… J- It's Jeremiah!"

"CORRECT! ! Now, let's tally up those scores. Matt: 17. And Zach: 16. Seems like Zach's chances of winning were as short as he is, and his score of 16 is smaller than his upper-body strength. Sorry, Zachiiiee!" With that, I pulled the lever.

Zach glanced above him to see the 10-ton about to drop. "Uh-oh." The weight came down, and the scrawny African was squashed flat underneath.

"Well, Mattie, it looks like you're the only one left." I observed.

"Really? Does that mean I win?"

"Indeed it does! Feel free to pick any of these prizes!" the screen on the wall showed the images of the three prizes. "A real live Kids Next Door operative, the entire collection of my series, or the Fountain of Hui?"

"Pfft. I choose Kim, of course!"

"Did I mention the Fountain of Hui is a magical item that can grant unlimited knowledge about any topic?"

"I said I choo-… Wait, it can?"

"Mm-hm. But by itself, it can only give you random info. Unless… you have this." I held up a strange item designed like an eagle.

"W…What's that?"

"The Eagle Scope. With this, combined with the Fountain of Hui, you'll be able to gain ANY information your big little brain desires. I would be willing to give it to you… if you played another round."

"Really? ! I'll take it! !"

_"HMM? ?"_ Kim's face widened behind the screen.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed, switching the screen off. "So here's how I'll change things up: I'll give you a set score to beat; 20 points. If you win, you get the Eagle Scope, and can choose any of the 3 prizes. But if you LOSE, you get crushed, and I keep the lot! And to make things more interesting, you'll get no multiple choice! You'll have to guess them on your own! Are you ready?"

"Er… well, yeah!"

"Perrfeect! Here we go! Alright then… What was the dungeon on Planet Secco in _Operation: GALACSIA_?"

"Secco Ruins!"

"What Shen Gong Wu did Jack Spicer use to sneak the Teen Ninjas into Moonbase?"

"Changing Chopsticks!"

"Where did they stow away in?"

"Nolan's pocket!"

"Who is the Princess of the Sea?"

"Eva Roberts!"

"Who is Nigel's great-GREAT grandfather?"

"Pariah Dark!"

"Who does Numbuh 13 get married to?"

"Numbuh 11-Teen!"

"Where was the White Seagull Talisman located?"

"Pirate Fleet!"

"WRRONG! Who was the original owner of Boba Fett's red lightsaber?"

"Monty Uno!"

"Wrong! Who spied for the Tallest?"

"Ava!"

"Take a look at this picture!" My screen showed the image of the corner of a hallway with blue coloring. "Where is this?"

"Final Brain!"

"Listen to this voice." _"Thou art as tall as yon KATEENIAN!"_ "Who is this person talking about?"

"Um, er, Nigel!"

"Wrong! Who gave Nolan his first 2 scars?"

"He gave 'em to himself!"

"What magical item did Fybi use to shrink Anthony?"

"A light-blue Skypian Apple!"

"What color was the Growth Potion?"

"Green!"

"Who was the most recent author to let me use which OC?"

"LazyPencilLender, who said you could use Angelina Stone!"

"What story taking place in the Nextgen Series is scheduled to be written?"

"_Mason and the Minish Door_!"

"Take a look at this picture." The screen showed the image of the sun setting in the distance. "Where is this?"

"Um, African Citadel?"

"NO! And we're running out of time! Who was the 6th Firstborn to be captured?"

"Azelf?"

"NO! ! What part of The Great Galactic Race did the Demon Train crash?"

"The nineth part!"

"Who is the antagonist of Rachel's story arc?"

"Ganondorf!"

"What was The Brain's real name?"

"Revan Bane Sidious!"

"What final form did Dr. Eggman take?"

"Um, the Egg Overlord?"

"NO! What is the name of Ganondorf's final form?"

"Satandorf!"

"Who does Vaati have a crush on?"

"Annie Wilconson!"

"LOOKATHIS!" The screen showed the picture of a boy with a black sweater, blue jeans, white shoes, brown eyes, and short black hair with a midnight-blue streak in the middle. "WHO IS THIS? ! ?"

"Dillon York!"

"LISTEN TA THIS! !" The stereos played "Darktoon Chase" from _Rayman Origins_. "WHERE-SA THIS? ?"

"Uh… Restless Coastside?"

"NAY! ! Whas about DIS? ?" _"You fail…"_

"Leanne Andrea Grayson!"

"And last but not least, WHO is more powerful: Mortals… or SPIRITS?"

Matt smashed his hand on the buzzer, "I believe the correct answer would beee… MORTALS! !"

"CORRRRECT! Well, folks, that is the end of our 3rd, bonus round, and Matthew Garley has WOOON! With a whopping score of 22!"

"YEEEAAAHHH!" the tons of authors cheered away.

"And here is your bonus prize!" Matt smiled widely when I tossed him the Eagle Scope Shen Gong Wu. "Now feel free to pick any one of these prizes!" Three holes on the ceiling opened, ropes lowering down, which were tied around the three prize items, including Kim, her legs tied up as she hung upside-down. "Now which will it be? My entire series collection? The operative? Or the _sweet_… Fountain of Hui?"

Matt's eyes were transfixed on the mystical item that contained unlimited knowledge. _"Mm! Mm-mmm-MMM!"_ However, he redirected his attention over to Kim, struggling to shake free of the rope.

"Well, what'll it be, Matt? Choose!"

Matt was conflicted at the moment. On one hand, he could have all the knowledge and information he could ever want, and be the smartest kid in the KND! But on the other hand, there was Kim. The one girl that bothered to pay attention to him, and- Alright, you know what, screw all this conflicting crap, you know what he's gonna pick! "What are you talking about? Of course I pick Kim!"

"He wins KIIM!" With that, I pulled the tape off of Kim and untied her, setting the German girl gently on her feet. The Sector G scientist walked over beside her friend, and both gave a smile. "Well, that's our show, folks, thank you for coming!" I announced to the audience. "And if ANYONE would like me to give you your own Firstborn Quiz, don't hesitate to send me a PM and test your knowledge of my amazing series!" Matt and Kim only exchanged disbelieving glances as Kim removed the bubble gun from… supposedly her back pocket. "Thank you, and have a good-" Kim immediately whacked me backside the head with the large gun, and I wobbled around dizzily and uncontrollably before finally falling over behind Matt's stand. The chain that was holding the 10-ton above it finally gave, and the massive weight came down and crushed me. (End song.)

The lights then went out, and the audience vanished, leaving only Matt and Kim standing in the darkness. "Kim…" Matt scratched his head and looked down in shame, "I'm sorry I've been ignoring you so much lately. You should know, that, the only reason I like to… get all smart or whatever is because I want to impress you."

"Oh… it's okay, Matt." Kim smiled. "Though you can be a bit neglectful… I'm just glad having a friend like you. Whether you're a smarty or not."

"Uhh… uh, hehe." Matt smiled and blushed.

_"Oh, to be a total nerd…"_ The two looked up, startled at hearing Uxie's voice, _"and to be madly in love with someone prettier. How close you were to failing your…_ real _test. And passing… just at the last minute. Please… step into my domain."_ A white light came from a door that opened ahead. The two operatives exchanged curious looks before proceeding inside.

They appeared in a room of the cave with large puddles of water, a dim light reflecting the water's image off the walls. On the other side from them, a spirit figure meditated inside a golden bubble. It bared the same features just like the other two. Only difference being its head was golden. The creature turned around and faced them, popping her bubble. However, she did not open her eyes. "Greetings. I humbly welcome you to my abode."

Matt and Kim exchanged another curious glance and walked closer. "I congratulate you for completing my trial. I am Uxie, Goddess of Knowledge. I am maker of the Triforce of Wisdom, and giver of intelligence everywhere."

"Well, thanks for the extra dosing! Hehe!" Matt joked. Kim giggled lightly at this. "Though you may wanna give another helping to a certain Aussie I know."

"Eh hehe." Uxie laughed lightly. "I have observed your knowledgeable know-how from this chamber during the quiz, using my telepathic vision. But my real test was seeing if you could resist the lure of unlimited knowledge and choose the one most dear to you. It came to a close, but you passed. You have instead shown _true_ knowledge. The true knowledge that states how knowledge is NO treasure… compared to friendship. For as knowledge is priceless… it is therefore worthless."

"Ehhh… okay." Matt looked totally confused. "That makes perfect sense there." He stated sarcastically. "Anyhoo, glad I could pass. Nice ta meet you, Uxie."

"Wow! I can't believe Matt turned out to be one of the Guardians!" Kim smiled happily. "He really _is_ more special than I thought. But… why are your eyes closed? Is it, like… supposed to be thinking or something?"

"Um, no." Uxie frowned. "It's…It's awfully complicated. You see… we can talk later. Perhaps it'd be better to meet with my sisters first. Your friends should have recovered them all by now. Once we reunite, we can fully explain our story to you."

"O-kay, then. Let's go!" With that, Matthew pulled out the Spirit Ball, and tossed it at Uxie, the Firstborn becoming light as she was sucked inside. As the ball shook and beeped on the ground, Matthew walked over to pick it up.

The gem hovered up in the air and erupted a bright light; the top half now glowing golden while the lower half was silver. The Spirit Ball lowered back into Matthew's hand as he held it up in victory.

**Matthew Garley captured a _FIRSTBORN_! Only 1 more to go! ! !**

Matt stuffed the ball into his jacket pocket and turned to face Kim. "So… does that mean all of the Firstborn are captured?" Kim asked.

"Hmm… I'm not sure. There's somethin' weird goin' on, I can feel. Oh well. Let's get back to the others first. I'm interested to hear what this 'story' is she's talkin' about." With that, the two friends headed outside the cave.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO, and so ends the quiz! The last three Firstborn have been found, but NOT captured! Well, one of them at least. Next time, we will hear about Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie's infamous curses, and a little more backstory. We'll also see what the others are doing, and be gettin' close to finishing Rachel's story arc! Also, if anyone still wants to try the quiz, the offer's still open! Maybe I'll think up a one-shot for you! ;D Later!<strong>


	77. The True Tale of Arceus

**O-kay, everybody. I was lazy… as… f^&k writing this chapter. My motivation, is, completely dead for writing this. Sigh, alright, let's see what everyone else is doing, nothin' much. Expect a hiatus coming up on this story. I might just get working on some stories in the Nextgen Series, like _Mason and the Minish Door_. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The True Tale of Arceus: A God Who Lost His Heart.<em>**

**Mt. Malladus**

Legions of demons and Underworld creatures trekked the fiery mountain, hauling weapons, chairs, and other assortments up into the crater. Some human beings were also with them, and they wore dark, black cloaks and had their eyes covered by hoods. Deep down within the mountain's underground, a tunnel was alit by Nigel Uno, holding a flame in his hand as Nolan, Danika, Mandy, Eva, and the Toxic Four followed him, and Toph Beifong was stomping open a path further in the tunnel. Eventually, they reached the end of their passageway, entering a small cave with several skeletons resting in the walls, and several other pathways to go.

"Thanks for opening a way for us, Toph." Nigel said to the earthbender.

"But how come we couldn't just come in the normal way?" Elijah asked.

"Because this place is crawling with a kajillion demons." Toph answered. "And I doubt you'd wanna get mixed in with them."

"What is this place, anyway?" Eva asked, looking creeped at all the cobwebs and rotting corpses.

"These are the Underground Catacombs of Mt. Malladus." Mandy replied. "It's the closest place to the Underworld from our world. Ganondorf's been planning something here, but I don't know what. Probably something to do with reviving the Triforce."

"Well, nonetheless, we need to research Ganondorf for any weaknesses." Nigel recapped. "I know we won't be able to beat him, but we can still help Rachel. Just everybody be careful."

"For some reason, I can't get any read on anything." Toph said, kneeling and putting her hand to the ground. "It's like this place isn't made of real rock."

"It probably is. We're just in a spirit location is all." Nigel figured.

"Either that, or it's the Underworld Curse taking effect." Eva replied. "Remember mortals who aren't demigods are slowly drained of their energy the longer they stay in the Underworld."

"Well, whatever the reason, we'll have to split up." Nigel decided. "I'll go with Eva, Mandy will go with Dani and Nolan, and the Toxic Four will be a team. Toph, you stay and keep watch by the exit."

"Marvelous." Toph stated sarcastically.

"How come _you_ always decide how we do things?" Mandy asked.

"I don't _always_ decide how we do stuff." Nigel replied.

"Eh, you kinda do, Nigel." Eva said.

"Well, I am a Sector Leader."

"Well, so am I!"

"Me too." Nolan said.

"Ugh!" Nigel face-palmed. "Well, what do you want from me? !"

"I dunno." Eva stated, folding her arms. "Maybe _I_ wanna decide how we'll split up and do things next time."

"Fine." Nigel said, annoyed and gritting his teeth. "You can make the decisions _next_ time, O great anchorwoman leader."

"I was also a Sector Leader." Matt stated, raising his hand.

"CAN WE JUST GO? !"

"Alright, alright. No need to get all yelly." Eva replied. With that settled, the three teams split up into individual caves and left Toph to herself.

The girl sighed, "Ho boy.", and sat on the ground in boredom. "Sittin' by myself in a smelly old cave. Pfft. At least last time I had Appa to talk to. I don't suppose you have anything to say." she said to a skeleton in the wall.

"…" The deceased bones lied in silence.

**With Nigel and Eva**

"Look, all I'm saying is it would just be nice if you gave one of US a chance at the leader stuff." Numbuh 10 said to her cousin as they crouched and crept through a tunnel, using Nigel's flames to see the way.

"Eva, I've been doing this stuff since the beginning, it'd just feel weird to let one of you guys do it."

"Oh, come on! I don't even think you let me do it during MY story! And yet I got the intro narration."

"Numbuh 10, your story sucked anyway, I made it cooler by giving the orders."

"Uh! Not as bad as your SECOND one did! And don't even get me started on that piece of crud excuse for a story your dad told us. You're just like Freddy on _Scooby-Doo_."

"You're saying I'm totally the coolest, handsomest character on this show?"

"I'm saying you totally hog all the glory and attention. Give your cousin a piece of the pie for once!" At this time, the two made it out of the small tunnel and into a much larger room with a giant, square platform.

"You had your 'piece of pie' during your own story. And Hoagie had his, Fanny had hers, Nolan got his own series, Ashley from Sector Z sort of got hers, and a bunch of people in this story like Kami or Shaunie get their own divided arcs." The two proceeded to climb a ladder onto the platform.

"Yeah, but YOU got two stories dedicated to you. And either way, it still feels like you're playing the big bossy leader in this story." Eva argued as the two walked to the center of the platform. "I know you're the main character of the actual show, and seemingly that other guy's universe, but it just wouldn't hurt if-"

They stopped walking as Nigel faced her, "Look, Eva, we can keep breaking the 4th wall and arguing about this the whole way, or we can just look for Ganondorf's weakness or whatever and just freaking go with it."

"Uh." Eva rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Whatever." The two cousins then looked around and observed the massive room around them, hundreds of skeletons buried in the walls. "Where are we, anyway?"

_"Ahhh… Look at this, Koume."_ This high-pitched, witch-like voice caught the children's attention. _"A couple of snot-nosed, bratty kids coming to make themselves sacrifices to the Great Ganondorf. Well, we shouldn't just let THEM roam around here. We best do something now!"_ (Cue Koume and Kotake's Theme from _Ocarina of Time_!)

Two portals opened on the ground on both sides of the platform, a red one and a white one. The demon-witch, Koume came out of the red one, while her sister, Kotake rose out of the white one. "With my flames, I will burn them to the bone!" Koume spun around and alit with flames. The evil witch burst into maniacal cackle afterwards.

"And with my ice, I will freeze them to their soul!" Kotake alit her body with icy mists, and burst into laughter.

"Wait a second: you're Ganondorf's witch servants!" Nigel recognized.

"Servants? Oh ho ho!" Koume laughed.

"We are his mothers. Surrogate mothers, if you will. Ah ha ha!" Kotake said.

"We watched Ganondorf from the moment of his birth-"

"-and raised him to the fine ruler he is today!"

"Koume is my name. Flames are my game."

"And my name is Kotake. And I prefer an icy chocolatay."

"AND TOGETHER, we are: the Sorceress Sisters, Twinrova!" The two witches circled around the room on their broomsticks, and the two operatives prepared for battle. (Play the "Boss Theme" from _Ocarina of Time_!)

_Boss fight: Twinrova_

"Nyah!" Koume cried, unleashing a ray of fire from her broomstick.

"Look out!" Nigel pulled Eva out of the way before the flames came in contact with the ground, creating a pool of fire.

"See, there you go again!" Eva shouted.

"Is this REALLY the best time to argue about this? !" Nigel tossed flames at the fiery witch, but Koume spun and swat them away with her broom. Behind them, Kotake was charging a ray of ice, and the witch unleashed the coldness from her broom. Eva saw this and tried to protect with a water shield, but the ice pierced through, freezing the both of them solid. Afterwards, Koume swooped down and rammed the two over, knocking them away as the ice shattered. They shook their heads as they stood back up, quickly dodging around as the witches swooped down and tried to hit them some more. Nigel eventually jumped and grabbed onto Koume's broom, and the fire witch looked back to see him climb on. Eva dodged once more when Kotake swooped down, launching her water tentacles to grab her broom and pull herself up.

Nigel carefully balanced and stood on the broom as he held a fire dagger in his right hand, but Koume conjured her own fire dagger in her right hand, holding on to her broom with her left, and began to clash against Nigel's dagger. Nigel was able to knock her dagger away, then tried to punch her with a flame fist, but Koume caught his fist in her palm and began to squeeze it. Nigel yelled in pain as Koume's fist alit with flames and started to burn him. He pulled his hand out and tried to shake the pain off, but this allowed Koume to roll over and knock him off the broom. Eva tried to whack Kotake with a water tentacle, but the witch grabbed and froze it solid, freezing Eva's arm as a result. Afterwards, the witch turned her broom and made Eva fall off.

The Ocean Princess landed with a thud beside Nigel, and both stood back up and looked at the witches. "Fight fire with fire, ice with ice." Koume said.

"Not this time, though! Better think twice!" Kotake finished.

"Hmmmm…" Nigel and Eva exchanged thoughtful glances.

Koume then began to charge another blast of fire. When the witch unleashed her flames, Nigel grabbed them in his hands, took aim at Kotake, and released the flames at the ice witch, burning and damaging her. "Ha ha, that works!" Eva perked. The anchorwoman then grabbed more water and splashed it up at Koume, who tried to shield with her hands and back away. Kotake unleashed an ice ray at Nigel, but the Brit unleashed a ray of fire from his hands and pushed it against her ice, eventually burning the witch once again.

"Wow, this is easy!" Nigel beamed.

"Shya, once you discover their obvious weak points." Eva agreed, standing back-to-back with him.

"Bleh! I think it's time we unveil our true form, Kotake." Koume suggested as the two witches began to circle around close to each other.

"Indeed it is, Koume."

"Koume & Kotake's Double Dynamite Attack!" The two exploded into a puff of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, the two children gaped at the sight of… a horribly disfigured woman, with a twisted-up face with an upside-down nose, one eye, an ear on her forehead, a leg in the place of her right arm with an ear in its knee, an arm in the place of her left leg, with an eyeball on the back of its hand, and another longer nose sticking out of her back.

"Uhhhh…" Nigel looked confused.

"Um… this isn't how we were supposed to look." Twinrova said. "We haven't fused together in so long, we're kind of rusty. Oh well. Let's finish this!"

Nigel and Eva tossed water and flames at the distorted witch, but she merely caught the attacks into her brooms (she held one broom in her 'normal' arm, and one in the arm where her leg was supposed to be). The witch laughed and sent the powers back in a mixed, spiraling ray of the two elements, freezing the two heroes in an explosion. They were trapped in a huge chunk of ice, but Eva was able to fight through the ice and bend it into water. She made it a huge water shield as Twinrova started launching flames, but the witch simply threw an ice wind and froze the shield. Afterwards, the witch spun around and shot through, knocking the kids over.

They recovered to see the witch turn around and toss another ice ray at them, but Eva was able to suck it into her lungs, puffing up a little bit before blowing it back. Twinrova absorbed the returned wind into her broomstick, but Nigel was able to shoot flames up to her and push her back. Twinrova flew down to the kids and started swinging her brooms at them, but the two defended and tried to counter with their powers. Twinrova flipped behind Eva and kicked her into Nigel, but the Brit grabbed her by one arm and started swinging her around. Eva used her free arm to bend some water out and create a Water Fist, letting Nigel toss her and hurl her at Twinrova, punching the witch clear in the face, knocking her over. She landed and grabbed Nigel in her water arm, swinging her cousin around as he lit on fire, and afterwards slamming the Demon Prince right onto Twinrova's body.

The witch groaned, weakly able to stand up, getting only to her knees. While she was doing so, Nigel and Eva ran to opposite ends of the platform on both sides of Twinrova. Nigel ran forth and spun into a fiery torpedo, while Eva simply surrounded herself in a spiraling bubble barrier. The two forces came in contact with Twinrova, and the disfigured fused witch exploded into nothingness. (End song.)

The operatives watched as a fireball and iceball emerged from the explosion and started flying around the room. The two took land in the center of the floor and turned back into the two defeated witches. Eva froze Koume in some ice while Nigel shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. and tied Kotake up, the ice witch falling to the ground. "That should keep them down for a while. Let's go see how the others-"

"Ahem." Eva cut Nigel off and stared angrily, folding her arms.

"Ugh. Fine, you can have the next one, okay?"

"That's what you said last time."

"Whatever! Let's get going!" The two operatives hurried out of there.

"Ohhhh…" Koume groaned in agony.

"Bahh. I can't believe we were defeated so easily. Oh, if only that transformation worked…" Kotake followed.

"Gahh! I can't lose like this! I'm only 5953 years old!"

"And I'm only 5933 years old!"

"What? ! We're twins, don't lie about your age!"

"It's not my fault that you're old!"

"Shut up, you heartless old bat!"

"Don't you talk that way to your sister!"

"Then why should YOU be allowed to LIE? !"

"Old crone!"

"Heartless bat!"

"YOU'RE heartless!"

"Lousy transformation morpher!"

"That was YOUR fault that we couldn't transform!"

"Old crone!"

"Heartless witch!"

"LADIES!" the two silenced and switched their attention to a smirking Ghirahim. "That's enough now… shouldn't we be happy? After all, this is a very special occasion."

The twin witches exchanged glances with wondrous looks on their faces. The witches faced away and smirked with evil grins.

**Elsewhere**

The Terrible Toxic Four was exploring another area of the catacombs, walking up a long, skinny staircase in some enormous chamber. "Uh, guys? This place gives me the creeps." Leo said, looking around at all the cobwebs and dead remains.

"Well, considering this is a demon-run place, I wouldn't be surprised." Matt stated sarcastically.

"AHH!" Leo screamed when a small, black spider suddenly dropped down, hanging from a web in front of his face. He swerved his head around the spider as he walked by, keeping his frightful stare on it. "I-I don't like it in here…"

Eventually, the four arrived at the top of the stairs, finding two certain demons hanging from the walls by chains on their wrists. "Ahh! Hello, boys!"

"Grandfather? Chancellor Cole?" Matthew asked.

"Aha, so nice of you to come and visit!" Cole smiled. "We've been getting such RUDE treatment, you know."

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Jeremiah said with a smirk.

"Oh… put a sock in it." Grandfather stated. "Now would you mind helping us down? This dungeon is ever-so dreary. Well, don't get me wrong, we rather like this dampness, we're demons you know… it's just that we have to listen to HIS nagging."

"Um, excuse me? I'm right here, I can hear every word." another voice called.

The four poisonbenders curiously approached the small cell on the other side of the room, looking down into a dungeon. "Harvey?" Matt asked.

"Nnope! I'm Yevrah! Harvey's opposite." The Negative smiled. "Sweetest operative in the DNK, whose existence has completely been forgotten throughout the course of this story."

"And purdy soon, this entire WORLD will join him in the plane of nonexistence." came a western-style voice out of nowhere. The Toxic Four looked up, at none other than-

"Hannibal!" Matt pointed as the dastardly bean hopped down onto the floor before them.

"Ah must say, Matthew, y'all've got quite the skin in turnin' against the Dark Side. But Ah believe y'all've forgotten yo' place."

"Listen, Buddy, we're through with the Dark Side." Matt told him. "We only joined because we saw no other use for our powers. But after all this, we know that ALL elements can be used for good or evil. Be it Fear, Poison… or Darkness!"

"Mm-hm, such a noble decision. Unfortunately, it's all denial. Once a Dark Side, always a Dark Side. Ah don't care if yer hittin' on my great-granddaughter or not."

"Forget it, Bean. We're done helping you and your demons. Now, we're gonna squash you."

"Oh, yeah? Well, it seems you need a fellow little demon to… teach ya a lesson."

"PAH HA HA HAH! ! And what are YOU gonna do? !" Leo shouted cockily. "YOU'RE PUNY! HAHAHAHA! !"

"Apparently you've forgotten Kweeb." Elijah stated.

"Oh yeah?" Hannibal smirked, pulling his vine-arms out from behind his back, which were wearing the- "MOBY MORPHER!" The demon put the Shen Gong Wu together and grew into twice their height.

"Eh-eh-eh. Eh-eh-eh." Leo only stuttered in fear as they all looked up, terrified at the enlarged bean.

"That's more like it. Now how about that lesson? Yin Yo-yo!" The bean launched his yo-yo out and created a portal.

"Whoa-ohh!" Matt screamed when the demon wrapped his vine-arm around him and pulled him inside, the portal closing.

"Matt!" Jeremiah screamed.

**Yin-Yang World**

Matt stood up and pacely looked around him, surrounded by gray, dim mist and endless black oblivion. _"So, ya decided to betray the Dark Side."_ Hannibal's voice echoed in the distance.

"What?" Matt gasped, jumping around to face the silhouette of the giant bean several feet away, his form shadowed by the mist.

_"Welcome, Matty…"_ Bean scooted a bit closer, the color returning to his form, "to the Yin-Yang World. My domension." **(A/N: spelled that way on purpose. :P)** "For it is here that you will see the true darkness inside you." Matthew only gritted his teeth in anger. "Look closely… your anger and hatred for all those that have shunned you. Your wasted life, sunk to the level of a criminal." The poisonbender fell to the ground, feeling some kind of aching pain in his chest. "And now to make a form… more befitting for that unholy darkness. Moby Morpher!" Matt shot his head up and widened his eyes as the Shen Gong Wu, clasped together, glowed brightly in his eyes.

**Mt. Malladus Catacombs**

"Matthew? MATTHEW? ?" Leo called, crouching on the floor where the portal vanished.

"Great, Leo, that'll work." Jeremiah retorted.

The dimwitted Anderson sucked in some breath and yelled once more. "MAAAAAAAATHEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW? ? ? …AAHH! !" he yelped and scooted away when a portal suddenly opened before him.

"Holy crap, it actually worked." Elijah said.

A quiet, monstrous roar could be heard from the portal, and the trio of poisonbenders could only stare with fright, with Leo still sitting on the ground. "…Matthew?"

**With Nolan's team**

In the depths of the catacombs, Mandy, Dani, and Nolan could hear the echoing cry of the monster. "Did you hear something?…" Nolan asked.

"No duh." Mandy replied.

"Danika, who suggested we skim this place for Ganondorf's weakness again?"

"The Chronicler did. You don't think he… lied, do you?"

"I dunno. Can't this guy, like, see the future or something?"

"Only small fragments. I… didn't really bother to ask if he knew anything… about what happens here. Oh yeah, that reminds me," she started angrily, "who the heck is Kayla?"

"What?"

Their attention was taken away at the sound of some echoing, maniacal cackle. _"My, what do we have here? A couple of thieving rats sneaking around my master's domain."_

"You!" Danika gasped, the three turning to see Zant standing in the cave's entrance.

"I heard a great deal about you, Nolan. Betraying your master like that. UTTER disloyalty. Same goes with you, Dani. Though I should've expected, considering that little _runt_ you have there."

"Huh?" At this, Danika felt her Spirit Ball shaking, and Midna jumped out and landed on the floor in front of them, facing Zant.

"It's been a while, Zant."

"You two know each other?" Nolan asked.

"Zant's a denizen of the Twilight Realm. He was a being made to serve the spirits. The spirits of shadow, really. He mainly served as a court jester. Anyway, over the years, Zant's grown into extreme dislike of his job. His darkness overtook him, and he pleaded to the heavens for some relief. And then… Ganondorf appeared. It was the time of Ganondorf's banishment to the Negaverse. He met Zant upon arrival and decided to make him his servant. Zant submitted to Ganon, and became loyal to him. Now he works with Ganon to destroy our realm."

"Hehe, that's right! And today is the day my master shines in stardom! Soon, all of you miserable humans will submit to his rule, and every ounce of this precious earth will be reduced to rubble."

"Oh yeah? Says who?" Mandy asked, walking closer and shooting an angry glare at Zant.

"Not you! Reversing Mirror!" Zant whipped out a strange mirror from behind and held it at Mandy's face.

"Nnn!" Mandy grunted, her Scare Stare being redirected back at her. The fearful girl fell to the ground and started panting heavily.

"Hahahaha! Ah, the Reversing Mirror. Always so… eh, reversing. We'll not be giving in to YOUR Scare Stare so easily, Child. Ganondorf's got big plans. And you're going to be helping him whether you want to or not."

"And what about us?" Nolan asked as he and Dani prepared to battle him.

"Oooh!" Zant frantically backed away from them. "My, children can be so frightening. HANNIBAAAL!"

A monstrous roar came from down the hall as the demon bean rode in on his bird. "You rang?" Dani and Nolan's eyes widened when they felt the ground begin to quake. The two looked up in terror, seeing the beast stomp in as it roared.

**Sector V Treehouse**

The members of Sector V gathered at the hangar to see the four ships coming in for landing. Numbuh 3 smiled and waved as Team Leader, Sector W, Numbuh 101 & 202, and Cosmo & Nova stepped off of their ships, accompanied by the Firstborn, Azelf. After regrouping in the living room, Sonya and Matt Garley tossed their Spirit Balls and released their Firstborn. After shaking their heads from being cramped up in the tiny spheres, they smiled happily at seeing each other. Azelf smiled as well and exclaimed, "Mesprit! Uxie! I haven't seen either of you in ages!"

"So, where's Numbuh 1?" Rachel asked Sector V. "Still with the others on Mt. Malladus?"

"Yeah." Hoagie replied. "I think they went to go get Toph's help, too."

"Everyone," Azelf announced.

"I'd like you to meet," Mesprit followed.

"My sisters!" Uxie finished.

"Azelf."

"Mesprit!"

"And… Uxie! And we're…"

"THE LAKE TRIO!" Azelf and Uxie wrapped arms around the other while Mesprit floated above them, making a heart shape with her tails.

"Aww! You three are pretty!" Kuki smiled brightly.

"Thank you!" Mesprit said.

"So you three are the last Firstborn?" Wally asked. "Ya don't look THAT great."

"Neither does your brain." Uxie stated, getting in his face. "Why, I bet if I looked at you, you wouldn't lose an ounce of memory. You're already so dimwitted."

"What does THAT mean?"

"Yeah… what DOES that mean?" Rachel asked curiously.

"SEE? Even Rachel doesn't know what… dim-witted, means." Wally said.

Rachel sighed, "No, I meant when she said… sigh, alright, look, the three of you have something to tell us. We completed your trials, and rescued all of you. So you have to do some explaining."

"Yeah! What's with these curses you all kept telling us?" Sonya asked.

"Hawww. Do we HAVE to tell?" Mesprit moaned. "WELL, if you MUST know," she smiled, "it was all thanks to Arceus."

"Huh?" Harvey questioned. "Who's Arceus?"

"Why, Arceus is our god!" Mesprit replied. "The mightiest entity that ever existed! The Supreme God of the Universe, creator of all elements AND the gods who control them! He's responsible for establishing the great balance that keeps our worlds together!"

"You mean… he's THE God? ?" Rachel questioned.

"You could say that." Mesprit winked. "Not to clash with the beliefs of _other_ religions. It's all a matter of… well, beliefs!"

"But Arceus created _us_ nonetheless." Azelf said. "It was by his hand that the gods and goddesses of the elements came to be, to uphold the laws and balances of this universe."

"His first order of business was creating the balance of Good and Evil." Uxie explained. "He knew that _everything_, be they a person, object, power, etc. was to have a bit of Light and Darkness inside them. So, he created the Goddesses of Light and Darkness, Palutena and Medusa. He also designed Hannibal Roy Bean, and the Yin-Yang World, to establish the idea that good things can become bad, and vice versa. Afterwards, he created the Gods of Time & Space, Dialga & Palkia. For the passing of time would allow many changes and new things. And the vastness of space would leave many, many realms to explore, and make for a bigger, wider universe."

"Next, he started creating the other elemental gods. Like Rayquaza!" Mesprit continued. "Rayquaza would create the sky and heavens that hover over our world, so that the winds of freedom blow FREEEE! There was also Darkrai, the Nightmare King. Who would establish the fact that there would always be fear in the universe, and make sure everyone would have that ounce of weakness and humility."

"He created Regigigas and Groudon, two spirits who would create the earth and continents." Azelf explained. "It was their design that our worlds would be strong, with a warming heart determined to bring life to the planet."

"Of course, a task like that wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for Celebi bringing all her love and life to the planet! Or for Solaris and his passionate fire!" Mesprit smiled.

At this, Celebi popped out of Nova's Spirit Ball and cheered. _"BII! !"_

"Hm, somebody heard her name." Nova smiled.

"And ALL spirits like that have played their role in building our fine universe." Mesprit continued. "But things are never a solo effort. Some gods need to work together! Heck, Arceus even needed Deoxys's help in making designs for other spirits! Deoxys was the DNA Spirit, and his job was the designing of objects, creatures, and all things! Like Numbuh 2! All he had to do there was draw a circle! Hee hee hee hee!"

"Mmmm." Hoagie grumbled.

"But the creation of those elements was impossible." Azelf said. "Along with the spirits who forge them. They hadn't the Willpower, Knowledge, or the correct Emotions to make them work."

"And SO, Arceus created us!" Mesprit cheered. "Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie. His DIRECT children."

"So…" Hoagie began to think, "Arceus created YOU guys… to create the gods, to create the elements… but first, he had to make Palutena and Medusa to create Good and Evil… and he made Deoxys to design you all, and… AAGGH! I am SO confused!"

"Yes… it is quite perplexing, is it not?" Uxie asked.

"Perhaps we'll leave the backstory for later." Azelf said.

"Yes! You were supposed to tell us about these curses!" Rachel exclaimed.

"We are getting to that." Azelf said. "Being the creator of all these gods, Arceus would've had to have their traits. Including Light and Darkness. He is a _very_ complex creature as one might expect."

"But let's move on to the history of elemental bending." Mesprit decided. "Many, many eons ago, before elemental bending ever existed, it was always the spirits' jobs of keeping the balance and protecting people from danger. It became an exhausting job, and The Chronicler proposed that the mortals be able to protect themselves. It was his idea that the gods lend the mortals their powers… and Arceus agreed. As did all the other gods. With the exclusion of Malladus and Darkrai the First."

"Figured." Harvey mumbled.

"But Arceus _knew_ that one particular mortal would have to be in charge with protecting the balance of the world. And so, he took four of his Light Elements, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, and placed them all inside a single jewel: the Jewel of Light. And the jewel was entrusted in the care of Theodore Turner. The first Avatar."

"But Arceus also knew he had to keep the balance between Good and Evil." Uxie continued. "He placed four of his Dark Elements, Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear, inside a second jewel: the Jewel of Darkness. And that jewel was entrusted to the first Negatar. To protect the balance within the dark realm of the Negaverse. THAT'S… when disaster came. Arceus spoke with the Avatar himself, and personally entrusted him the Jewel of Light, with the Avatar's promise that he would protect the world. But the Negatar… he only trusted the Negatar by chance, because the Avatar's powers would only work if his Negative was effected in some way. He kept faith that the Negatar would follow in the Avatar's duties. But he was wrong."

"The Negatar was consumed by the power Arceus had given him. He brought together armies of evil elemental benders. Some of them even benders of the Light Elements." Mesprit explained. "Together, they attacked the spirits. And brought destruction to the land. And Arceus… our father…" she sniffled, "Arceus was destroyed!"

"But his powers still lived on. In the Avatar/Negatar… and his own children." Azelf said.

"Us: the Eight Legendary Firstborn. The closest ones he's ever had!" Mesprit whimpered.

"The Eight Legendary Firstborn truly are the most powerful spirits." Uxie spoke again. "'Tis because we are the direct children of the most powerful being himself."

"So Celebi, Manaphy, and all the other Firstborn are… ALSO your siblings?" Cosmo asked, a tad confused.

"Something around those lines." Azelf replied. "Though Uxie, Mesprit, and I were always the closest. We are the ones mainly considered 'daughters' in his eyes. And that's why… he did what he did."

"Whuh? What did he do?" Rachel asked.

"It's like we said, Arceus was only able to create the other gods because he was made up of similar features, like the elements… including Light and Darkness. And emotions, Hate and Anger."

"Because of the Negatar's attack, and all of those other benders, Arceus has shown extreme anger and disgust for the mortals!" Mesprit spoke loudly, tears still forming in her eyes. "He-He… began to show distrust in them. He held a feeling of betrayal. All those rotten… UNGRATEFUL mortals… whom his spirits so generously granted their elements… how could they betray him… like-like he was nothing?" The Emotion Goddess then began crying.

"Arceus was able to stop the Negatar eventually… but by that time, he was very weak." Uxie said.

"And… he was destroyed, right?" Rachel asked.

"Yes… but not by the Negatar's actions. No… it was the gods that destroyed him."

"What? But why would the gods destroy him?" Sonya asked. "Wasn't he… their leader?"

"He was… but after that happened, Arceus's anger had grown. The darkness had overtaken him. And he was going to…to… _destroy_ the mortals."

Everyone gasped.

"The spirits had to act quickly." Azelf continued, "Knowing that his powers would still remain within the Avatars and Negatars, all of the spirits combined their powers and destroyed him entirely. However, the gods of Time and Space could do nothing, for Arceus had not mixed those powers into a jewel. But the other gods, however, were able to weaken him, because he had lost the powers of those elements that those gods were in charge of. And once he was weak enough, the spirits were able to destroy his body, scattering his fragments, the Unknown, into the gap between dimensions."

"But despite what their actions did, the gods knew that Arceus could always come back from the nothingness." Uxie continued. "For his direct children, the Eight Firstborn, contained his very essence. They had the power to extract the Jewels of Light and Darkness, and mix them back together. If that were to happen, the dimensional gap would open, and the Unknown would come back together. Arceus would be awakened."

"And… he would destroy… all of mortalkind?" Fanny asked worriedly.

"Possibly. And that is why, the Eight Firstborn were scattered to their different realms, so that one day, the prophecy could be fulfilled. The Eight Mortal Guardians would be born into the world, and take their place among destiny. For it was _their_ duty, to reunite the Eight Firstborn and bring Arceus back, and show the great god that all in the world is _not_ evil. Eight Pure Hearts, whom have been on the path to darkness, and SEEN the light. Of course, that isn't quite the case for SOME of you, but…"

"Anyway, the prophecy isn't all straightforward. Because anything could happen." Mesprit followed. "After the Firstborn are reunited by their Guardians, and the Jewels are extracted, what happens then relies on the Avatar or Negatar. If the Avatar blesses both jewels with his wonderful powers of light, Arceus will truly realize the good in people. But if the Negatar were to curse it with his EVIL powers of darkness, disaster would befall, and Arceus would destroy everything. So to speak…"

"But sometime before his destruction," Azelf spoke again, "Arceus just couldn't bear the thought of leaving US in a world with those… 'rotten' mortals. And so that is why, if anyone tried to hunt or harm us… he planted curses on Mesprit, Uxie, and me."

"Wh…What kind of curses?" Rachel asked.

"I am the Goddess of Willpower. So if anyone were to injure me, they would lose ALL of their free will within the next 7 days."

"That's horrible!" Kuki exclaimed.

"And if anyone touches me, the Goddess of Emotion, they lose ALL of their emotions in the next 3 days!" Mesprit cried.

"Whoa… that sucks." Lee said.

"And if I so much as exchange a glance with someone in the eyes, their memory gets completely wiped out. Instantly." Uxie explained.

"So THAT'S why you have your eyes closed." Matt deduced.

"Yes… it is. Though as a psychicbender, I am able to use my Force Sense to detect the presence of EVERY place or being. And yet, still… it is never the same. Never to be able to… look upon the beauties and WONDERS this world possesses. The trees blowing in the wind. The sun, sparkling upon the blue, briny waves of the ocean. The… smiling faces upon children whenever happiness befalls them. Never without that fear of… accidentally looking somebody in the eye."

"And that goes double for me." Mesprit said in a sad tone. "Because of my curse, I can never TOUCH anybody! Do you know how LONG I've gone without being able to give somebody a nice, warming hug? Way too much longer than I could take it! WAH HA HA HA!" Mesprit began crying more tears.

"Mmm… and even worse, nobody to pat you on the shoulder if you're feeling upset." Sonya replied sadly.

"And I know it may sound strange," Azelf began, "but… I've always been into fighting. Getting in battles, throwdowns, epic brawls! But because of my curse, I can't take the risk of that without somebody dealing too much damage to me. And then they'd only have the will of a mindless puppet. These curses truly are an awful thing."

"Our curses could EVEN effect each other!" Mesprit exclaimed, still crying. "So I can't hug my darling sisters for comfort!"

"Wait, how do you know your curses could effect each other if… you never tried?" Harvey asked.

"Well, I…I'm not sure. But we don't wanna take that chance!"

"And because of how dangerous our curses were, we decided to lock ourselves into those caverns." Uxie said. "And we designed it so that only our Firstborn Guardians could complete the trials inside."

"We were hoping that if the Guardians found us, and awakened Arceus, he would be able to take back our curses if things went right." Mesprit said, her tears slightly fading away.

"Well, don't worry!" Rachel smiled. "Now that you're all together, all we have to do is get Dimentia, Danika, and the other Guardians back here, and we should be able to bring Arceus back… right?"

"Not so fast." Azelf said. "Do not forget, you still haven't marked yourself as my Guardian."

"But… I thought that was because I just didn't throw the Spirit Ball hard enough. And I can't do THAT, because I might get cursed."

"No. Not quite. You still have yet to realize yourself as a Guardian. And if you are ever to prove yourself, you must awaken yourself as the Hero of Time and combine powers with the two forces that despise you the most."

"So, in other words, the only way you can mark yourself as the Guardian is if you destroy Ganondorf." Patton summarized.

"And you can only do that by working together with Mandy and Lehcar." Fanny followed.

"That is the general gist of it, yep." Azelf said.

"Well, isn't THAT a coinkidink!" Rachel exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "Looks like I woulda had ta DESTROY Ganondorf anyway, huh? Alright then! Let's do it! Where are they, anyway?"

_"Warning. Warning."_ The alarms blared throughout the treehouse. _"Incoming message from Numbuh 9-Lives."_

"I think we're about to find out." Fanny said as Violet's image appeared on their TV screen.

_"Guys, we need help, now. Lehcar's back and she's wreaking serious havoc downtown. You better get over here- WHOA!"_ The screen suddenly blinked into static.

"Well… I guess it was now or never." Patton said. "Just how do you plan to reason with her anyway, Rachel? She's a psychopath. Even more than Fanny."

"And certainly as dimwitted as Patton." Fanny remarked.

"It's not that she's crazy." Rachel said. "She's just doing what Ganondorf says. She's only causing harm because Ganondorf wants her to. Because she's afraid of him. But the truth is that Ganondorf is afraid of her. Because of her inherited power. If I can just get Lehcar to see that… maybe I might have a shot."

"Or maybe you'll have a NICE, hot date with some lightning." Wally remarked.

"Nobody said it would be easy, Wally. But I have to try. After all… what's the point in having a Triforce of Courage if I don't even use it? Huh?"

**Mt. Malladus**

The hundreds of demons and men cloaked in black began setting things up within the volcano's crater as the Dark Lord stood upon the stage in the center, looking to the cloud-covered sky above. Men were setting up chairs along the many rows of the audience, and a few demons were busy spraying what looked to be a Satanic Circle around the stage. Ganondorf alit small, purple flames in his hands, carefully lighting candles on the stage. He calmly inhaled the smoke from the candles through his nose, releasing a long sigh as an evil smile appeared on his face. The half-demon turned when he heard somebody approaching, finding Koume, Kotake, and Ghirahim, who held Mandy unconscious in his arms. The Demon Lord dropped the groaning girl and kicked her to Ganon.

"Zant delivered you a little gift, My Master…" Ghirahim bowed.

"Good, good…" Ganondorf knelt over and moved his hand over Mandy's face, closing his eyes. "I can already feel it… Zelda's spirit glows strong within this girl… and yet, her heart… twisted and feared. A soul could not be more tasty… as an offering… to our true god. The time is almost upon us." He stood up. "How are things with the others?"

"A couple problems, we will admit." Koume said.

"Those bratty children sure can hit." Kotake followed.

"But nevertheless, things go just great!"

"A new pet we have, fueled with hate!"

A monstrous roar cried to the heavens, and Ganon shot his attention up. Over the walls of the crater came a massive, black dragon, with sharp horns, venomous teeth, and midnight-blue eyes. The dragon took land in front of Ganon, quaking the ground, giving its deafening roar that made Ganon squint his eyes as saliva was spat all over him. When the crying stopped, Hannibal made his presence known on the dragon's face. "Whaddya think, Ganny? Can Ah make a dragon evil or what?"

"Ahh… such a fine creature… a magnificent beast." Ganon spoke, gently patting the nose of the dragon. "And yet it seems so… familiar somehow. Tell me, Hannibal… where does one find such a creature?"

"You'd be surprised. What vermin lay lyin' around. Eh heh heh heh! Already captured a few of his prey. Now when the Demon King makes his grand return, this dragon will be the ultimate causer of destruction everywhere. Ah've already got a few places in mind… for it to turn into ash."

"Your daughter has already gone to challenge the Hero, My Master." Ghirahim bowed. "Shall I go and make… the final adjustments?"

"Yes… Watch over them. And wait for the battle to end. If Rachel is bested… you will take hers. If Lehcar is bested… you will take hers. No matter who wins… the Triforce will be in my grasp." The demon thief clenched his right hand tight and gave his maniacal chuckle. Ghirahim jumped back up and vanished into thin air.

"Ahh…" Koume looked down and shook her head. "Such a devious dear Lehcar has been."

"It sure will be sad to see her end." Kotake agreed.

"EEEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!"

Eeballaw watched this from the darkness of the crater's entrance. "Ohh… I CAN'T let them do that to Lehcar. I know she wasn't the best leader… but I'll be damned if I see Ganondorf use her like a pawn! I gotta tell her the truth quick!" With that, the goatee boy hurried out of there.

* * *

><p><strong>Sigh… okay: I. Am. DEAD when it comes to my focus. It has COMPLETELY faded away. And now we get all this crap. Man, why did Nolan's story have to end? Sigh… oh well. These next few chapters shouldn't be SO bad. I must say, I'm quite looking forward to Ganondorf's showdown. It is the second best ending, with Brain being first. Anyhoo, see you later.<strong>


	78. The Holy Triangle

**_Warning: These next few chapters contain many Satanic themes and references. Anyone squeamish to the topic should not read._ Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Hell Rises To Earth: The King of Devils Awakened.<em>**

**Cleveland, Virginia**

"HAAAH!" Sokka cried, raising his Meteor Sword and charging forth at Lehcar, the two clashing their blades against the other before Lehcar was able to knock Sokka's away, afterwards kicking the warrior down. Katara bended some water and tried to splash it over Lehcar, but the wicked Negative conjured some lightning and struck straight at her water, giving her a stronger shock. Lehcar took notice of Zuko and conjured more lightning, zapping it at the Fire Prince, but Zuko was able to catch the lightning and tried to shoot it back, only for Lehcar to easily catch it again and zap Zuko even faster.

Yin, Yang, Luna, Bruce, and Violet were taking cover behind a dumpster, peeking out and watching the battle. "Ugh. Rachel better hurry up." Violet said.

"How do you know she can beat 'er?" Bruce asked.

"She beat her last time. Come to think of it, where's Scarlet? The two are usually with each other."

When Lehcar took notice of the 5 hiding behind the dumpster, she was about to conjure more lightning, but was suddenly hit in the head with a boomerang. She angrily growled in the boomerang's direction, watching it fly back to land in Rachel's hand. "Long time no see… Lehcar." Rachel greeted with a fierce look.

_"How many times has that line been used?"_ Yang whispered to his group.

"Ah, Rachel T. McKenzie, my goody-goody opposite. I suppose you still don't know what the 'T' stands for?"

"Nnope. And you don't know what the 'A' stands for?"

"I, do not. But I do know this: you've been in my father's way far too long. His time of reign is almost upon us, and the Triforce belongs to him. Surrender it over, or face my wrath!" she readied her sword.

Rachel sighed, "Lehcar, I don't wanna fight. I actually wanna talk…"

"Oho, THIS oughta be good." Lehcar rolled her eyes.

"Lehcar, why do you cause all this destruction? Is it because Ganondorf tells you to? Or do you just do it to take out the anger you WISH you could take out on _him_?"

"Uugh. More of this crud? Man, you're just like that Kweeb bug. My loyalty is for Ganondorf, and nobody else! And since he's ordered me to stop you, that's just what I'll do!"

Rachel sighed. "If that's how it is… I have no choice but to stop you, too!" She switched out her blade, and the two readied for battle. (Play "Boss Battle Theme 2" from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!)

_Boss fight: Lehcar EiznekCm_

Rachel ran forward to strike at her Negative, but had to quickly dodge aside when Lehcar released some lightning. She quickly defended when Lehcar shot over to strike at her, the two clashing their swords against the other. When Rachel swung at her waist, Lehcar leapt high up and kicked down at Rachel's face, sending the Positive rolling backward. Rachel looked up and gasped when Lehcar charged over, defending with her blade once again, then attempted a swing at the Negative, only for Lehcar to flip away. Lehcar charged some lightning in her fingertips, and Rachel rolled to the side when the electric bolt came. She had to keep dodging lightning as she made her way closer to Lehcar, successfully leaping behind the Negative and swinging at her again. When the two blades came in contact and began forcing against the other, Rachel was able to knock Lehcar's away, then proceeded to lay several blows against her counterpart.

Lehcar eventually rolled away and grabbed her sword off the ground, then pushed Rachel away by shooting a flame at her. "MEET your DEATH!" Lehcar launched lightning into the heavens, causing it to rain down all over the place. Rachel was stunned, allowing Lehcar to strike lightning directly at her chest. Rachel stood up and quickly defended when Lehcar came over to swing more strikes, successfully knocking the hero's Master Sword into the air, landing it several feet away as it stuck into the ground. Lehcar smirked and tossed flames at Rachel, but the Supreme Leader rolled forward and defended with her Hylian Shield. She rolled once more and was able to retrieve her blade, raising her shield as Lehcar shot over to stab her. Rachel jabbed her shield at Lehcar and pushed her away, making Lehcar drop her sword as she wobbled a little, then allowing Rachel to deal more hits.

Lehcar was knocked onto her back, but she grabbed her blade and rolled back onto her feet, gritting her teeth as she aimed at Rachel. Rachel raised her blade skyward and charged a Skyward Strike, sending the vertical wave at Lehcar, who flipped to the side. Rachel ran over to strike at Lehcar's legs, but she swung her sword down to defend, keeping her sword forced against Rachel's as she flipped over her Positive. Rachel rolled away when Lehcar jumped and kicked flames from her feet, landing back on the ground and performing another breakdance that released a fiery shockwave. Rachel jumped over and tried to swing at Lehcar some more, but the Negative was quick to defend. Lehcar eventually jumped away and conjured an electric ball in her hand. She tossed it at Rachel, who knocked it back, and then Lehcar batted it back, and the two ended up in a small game of tennis. The ball moved faster each hit until Lehcar was finally struck and stunned by it. Rachel then took this opportunity to lay more blows against her. Lehcar was pushed onto her back, and Rachel stepped over to stomp her foot on Lehcar's right wrist, keeping her from picking up the sword.

Rachel drew out her bow and took aim with a Light Arrow at Lehcar's face. "Sorry, about this, but it's for your own good."

"Rachel, wait!" Yang yelled from behind the dumpster.

"Wouldn't killing her cause you to die, too?" Yin asked.

"Yeah, but she- OOF!" When Rachel looked away, Lehcar was able to kick her off and grab her sword again.

"So much for YOUR focus. Now it's time to end it." Lehcar stated, ready to strike her counterpart again.

"Wait!" The Negative looked over and saw Yllaw running her way.

"Awww. What is it now, Yllaw?"

"Lehcar, it's a trick! Ganondorf's settin' you up!"

"What are you talking about?"

"HAAYAAH!" Rachel cried, leaping and kicking Lehcar clear in the face, sending her flying back. "How's THAT for being focused?"

"Will you two just STOP FIGHTING for one minute?" Yllaw demanded. "You're PLAYING right into Ganondorf's game!" He turned to Lehcar, "Listen, Lehcar, Ganondorf told you he was going to bring you to life after he's killed Rachel, but he WON'T! After he destroys Rachel, he's just going to leave you dead! He doesn't care about you at all! I heard it with my own eyes!"

"You see, Lehcar? I told you." Rachel said.

"Yes, except you don't HEAR with your eyes, so SHUT UP!" She lunged at Rachel, who defended and jumped back. "You're BOTH fools! Ganondorf doesn't wish to destroy me. He CARES about me! Like his own flesh and blood! I'm his daughter, he's my father, and I'll destroy anyone who dares to speak differently!"

"What he says is true." At this, everyone directed their attention to-

"Azula!" Zuko yelled, switching out his blades. (End song.)

"But… you were frozen with the other villains." Katara said.

"Oh, come on. You didn't think a firebending prodigy like me would be defeated by something as simple as liquid nitrogen. While all the other villains met their fates so easily, my powers allowed me to escape in no time at all. I would've helped the others, but I was curious to see how long it would take for the ice to thaw out on its own."

"I give it about 20 years or so." Sokka commented.

"But now onto more pressing business: Ganondorf lied to you." she told Lehcar. "He doesn't care about you. Once he has what he wants, he'll just toss you aside as if you were a simple minion with no further use. Like my foot-scrubber! Once he's done with you, he'll make you share Rachel's fate. It's only safer he should. After all, he _is_ afraid of you. He fears your power, just the same as Rachel's. Which is just why he controls _you_ with fear. And after it's all done, he'll never have to worry about you again."

"That's impossible! You're lying! Azula always lies." Lehcar still denied.

"Not this time." Angie replied, having her eyes closed as she walked closer to Azula. "Toph's been helping me train with Seismic Sense. I've been able to feel people's heart rate when they lie. And Azula… is telling the truth."

"Actually, Angie, Azula _was_ one of the few people that could get away from Toph's powers." Katara noted.

"I believe her." Zuko spoke up.

"Zuko? You do?"

"I don't know why… but I can just tell this time."

"Well, aren't you a caring older brother?" Azula remarked.

"But… that's still impossible." Lehcar said, baring a look of betrayal and sadness as she fell to her knees. "Father- Ganondorf… he cares about me."

"That's just what he wanted you to believe." Yllaw said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But all you were to him was a simple pawn in his game. You _and_ Scarlet. And I, in all honesty, kind of respect that about him." He smirked. "But I…I just couldn't watch him do that to you of all people."

"Then…" Lehcar faced up and looked in her underling's eyes. "Then you…- AAH!" Her face widened with pain when something pierced her from behind.

Everyone gasped at seeing Ghirahim reach his hand through the back of Lehcar's chest. The Demon Lord chuckled and slowly extracted what appeared to be half of a golden triangle. Lehcar fell to the ground and gasped for air afterward. The purple-flamed princess looked behind and watched Ghirahim hold the triangle in his hand. (Cue Ghirahim's Theme!)

"Well… that worked out nicely. I would have taken the Triforce of Courage from Rachel… but I felt it a bit safer to go for the one with the weakest heart. My master is surely to be pleased when he has his _other_ half of the Triforce of Power back."

"But… _I_ am your master." Lehcar said.

"Hm, you were merely a vessel to carry the sword. While your anger and hatred is great, you would be nothing if it was not for old Ganondorf. You serve him… he is a higher power, which means _I_ serve him, and him alone. Why else would I… _skip_ around with some annoying little brat and her kitten-freak friend? What am I, some children's PLAY TOY? I will NOT stand for this, NEVER! !" The ground shook at his anger, making everyone tremble a little. "Heeh… but excuse my anger. Because today is a happy occasion! The Demon King has yet to make his grand return! Today… all mortals burn in his eternal fire! And this little trinket is but one of the final keys he needs! Already he has the other…"

"The other?…" Rachel gasped, "Mandy!"

"Mmm, that's right. Your precious little cousin will be the grand course in his meal. Her soul is just so decorated with fear and hatred! A perfect treat for a powerful demon. And she won't be the only one, oh no. Which brings me to the _other_ reason why I'm here." The Demon Lord made a whistle.

A powerful bird's cry could be heard, and Violet looked up and screamed when the Helmaroc King swooped down and grabbed her in its talons. "VIOLET!" Bruce screamed.

"BRUCE!"

"Eh heh heh heh heh!" Ghirahim laughed.

"GIVE HER BACK!" Bruce demanded as Helmaroc carried her to the distance.

"Sorry. But the Helmaroc King _never_ releases its prey. …Except of course when something hits him in the head. ANYHOO… I have what I came for, so I must be getting back. If you want to save your precious friend, come to Mt. Malladus. I'm sure my master would be DELIGHTED to… make your acquaintance. AND YOU!"

"Oh!" Eeballaw yelped when the Demon Lord angrily grabbed him by the shirt-collar.

"You're coming with me!" With that, the diamond-skinned demon snapped his fingers and teleported them off. (End song.)

"Hey, give him back!" Lehcar demanded.

"Too late, Lehcar. He's gone." Rachel told her.

"We have to go save Violet!" Bruce yelled.

"And here we go with this again." Luna stated, rolling her eyes jokingly.

"Um… where is my brother?" Yin asked, looking around for Yang.

**Mt. Malladus**

Things appeared to finally be ready on Mt. Malladus. The demons and black-cloaked humans were taking their seats around the audience, and Ganondorf stood upon the stage with Mandy unconscious on the table. The Dark Lord watched as Ghirahim appeared before him, kneeling to his master. Ganondorf stepped closer as Ghirahim stood to face him, placing the Triforce of Power half in his right hand. Ganondorf's evil grin widened at seeing the golden glowing triangle, tightly gripping it in his hand. He felt the power finally coming back, and the glow of the mark on the back of his hand grew brighter. "Excellent. Now to make the final preparations…" Ganondorf stood upon the front of the stage and spoke loudly.

"FRIENDS! DEMONS! Humans who have submitted to the rule of the Underworld! I, Ganondorf, your loyal ruler! Leader! Your master! I speak before you today in the name of the great God of the Underworld! The TRUE god! Lord Satan himself!"

"YAAAHHH!"

"It still pains me to say I was born in this world as a mortal. But I have seen differently from other mortals. I have been blessed with the powers of the Devil. I have seen, through his eyes, where true power lies. The most powerful force in all the universes. And that true power… did NOT belong with Malladus. He has ruled over the Underworld as a false king for many generations. And has trembled to the Mortal World's might. But I: I have seen differently. I have seen… the truth! The Uno Family has led the Underworld to an era of weakness and humility. Same goes for that pathetic excuse for a NEW king. And I vowed I will not be that way. For I knew… that my birth-powers over the purple fires of darkness… were a symbol of my true passion. My passion… to lead the Underworld back to its RIGHTFUL glory! Ever since I was born in this world, and have remained alive through the many courses of the ages… I have vowed to RID this world of mortals, so that the demons of the Underworld could rise again! An era… of _destruction_!"

"YEEEAAAHHH!"

"And to the mighty King of all Demons—whose soul has been reborn in MY body to carry on his wishes—I offer… our SACRIFICE!" He stepped aside to reveal Mandy's unconscious body on the table. "And now…" the Dark Lord took a seat on the throne before the table, "it is time to begin our Ritual of Awakening…"

The Moblin began pounding some large drums, their booming echo sounding throughout the volcano as the demons and humans began uttering some incantation.

**Mt. Malladus Catacombs**

Nigel and Eva dashed back to the entrance where Toph waited, and Nigel hurriedly said, "Sorry we kept you waiting. Did the others come back, yet?"

"No, they didn't. In fact, I heard this weird-" Toph was cut off when the sounds of moaning were heard throughout the caverns.

"Oh, boy." Nigel said, his face horror-stricken. In a few moments, the dead bodies and skeletons rose from their resting places, making loud moans as they limped toward the three benders. "ZOMBIES! ! AAAAHHHHH!" Nigel tried to hurry back out of the tunnel they came in from, but a pack of Redeads and Gibdos were limping in from there.

"They're everywhere!" Toph exclaimed, stomping the entrance shut to hold off those zombies.

"We've got to find the others!" Nigel exclaimed as the three began using their elements to hold off the legions of zombies.

**Outside**

A few miles away from the foot of the volcano, the Grim Reaper appeared out of a puff of smoke with Team Leader, Sectors V & W, Lehcar, Bruce, Yin, Katie, and Luna. "You know, if I had a nickel for EVERY time you kids called me to take you someplace, why I'd be one rich Lord of the-"

"Hold off the complaining, Grim," Rachel ordered, "there's no time to waste. We have to stop Ganondorf before he goes on with that ritual."

"I… still can't believe it." Lehcar spoke lowly. "Would Father-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, your father's a jerk, we get it." Wally interrupted. "It's still annoying that we'd have to come here again."

"I remember this place!" Numbuh 3 smiled. "This is the place where Violet attacked us!"

"Ah, the memories." Hoagie sighed sarcastically.

"Then it's only fitting that this place would be your tomb!" Hearing this western voice, they readied their guard as a humongous black dragon came landing in front of them, releasing a powerful roar.

"Hannibal Bean!" Bruce, Luna, and Yin exclaimed, recognizing the bean on the dragon's nose.

"So nice of you to come and witness the crowning moment of Ganondorf's revival. Unfortunately, we don't have anymore room in the audience. But that's okay, then. We've got a nice, hot spot waitin' fer you in the Sanzu River. Bon appetite, my dragon pet!" Hannibal hopped back onto Ying-Ying's back and took off as the black dragon roared at them again. Yin could only gasp, looking into the dragon's midnight-blue eyes, feeling there was something familiar about him.

"Hey, guys." Angie spoke, feeling around the ground using Seismic Sense. "There's some kind of tunnel leading into the mountain below us. I think we can get in from there."

"Perfect." Harvey said, drawing out his own Yield Staff and twirling as he got in a battle-ready pose. "You guys get into the mountain. We'll hold off the dragon."

"Okay. Be careful, Harvey." Rachel cautioned. Angie proceeded to stomp open a hole that led into the tunnel, and everyone jumped inside, with the exclusion of Sector W (except Angie). The dragon dashed over and tried to stick its head in the tunnel, but Angie snapped it shut right away. The blue-eyed dragon turned back at Sector W with an angry, snarling expression. The 5-children team gave a battle cry and prepared to battle the beast.

**Underground**

Inside the catacombs, the three desperately tried to hold off the approaching zombies and mummies, but the legions were coming fast. "There's too many of them!" Eva yelled.

Toph suddenly felt something with her Seismic Sense and yelled, "Duck!", grabbing the kids and pulling them down as the entrance to their secret tunnel shot open, the wall flying over and pushing the zombies away.

The three lifted their heads up to see who was standing there. "If there's one thing I hate about the dead, it's the undead!" Grim exclaimed, swinging his scythe and slicing all of the zombies in half.

"Oh, guys! Thank goodness you've arrived." Nigel smiled at them.

"Good guys always show up at the last second, right?" Rachel replied. "Now where're the others?"

"AND WHERE IS MATTHEW?" Yin yelled, grabbing Nigel's shirt.

"Um, we dunno! We all split up and went separate paths. I think the poisonbenders went that way," he pointed to a tunnel, "and the others went that way."

"Alright, we'll split up." Rachel decided. "Bruce, Luna, Katie, Yin, you go help the poisons. Everyone else, let's look for Dani, Nolan, and hopefully Mandy."

"Let's go, team!" Nigel announced, and the two divided teams hurried down their assigned directions.

"Every time!" Eva yelled as the crew had to fight off zombies along the way. "I swear, it's every time!"

"GET OVER it, Eva!" Nigel yelled.

Bruce's team hurried up the long, skinny staircase as zombies limped down. Bruce kept them at bay with his carrot-nun-chucks while Katie used Fear Screams. Eventually, the four made it up to the prisoners' chamber, finding Grandfather and Cole chained to the wall. "Oh, goody! More guests!" Grandfather smiled.

"Oh, not these guys." Katie retorted.

"No wonder it stinks in here." Yin said, waving her hand by her nose.

"Look, do you two know if four boys passed through this tunnel?" Luna asked.

"Oh, you must mean the little goth kids!" Grandfather replied. "They're right over there!" He pointed to a cell along the floor, and the girls hurried over and peeked down in the dungeon.

"Leo!" Katie noticed.

"Elijah!" Yin said.

"And ME!" Yevrah exclaimed.

"Ugh. Just help us out of here before this kid teaches us to be pure of heart." Elijah demanded. Yin became a rat to pick the cell's lock, and once it opened, the four each helped out a prisoner, with Yin helping Yevrah.

"Um, where is Matthew?" she asked.

"Oh, you guys aren't gonna believe this." Jeremiah told them. "That Hannibal guy. He…he…"

"HE TURNED MATTHEW INTO A DRAGON! !" Leo screamed.

"WHAT?" they gasped.

**Rachel's group**

The rest of the team kept making their way down the corridor where Dani and Nolan went, and Grim had to constantly keep swinging his scythe to keep away incoming zombies. "Gah, stupid dead people." he mumbled. "Bloody undead. Unbloody dead! These are even worse than stupid cats! Undead. What's the bloody point? I hate the undead. Hate them!"

The crew left their skeleton friend and hurried down another tunnel. "Danika! Nolan!" Nigel exclaimed, finding the two trying to fight off a swarm of white and red blob monsters, with long necks and skulls at the end of them (ugh, they were Dead Hands from _Zelda_, sheesh these descriptions are pointless). "Let's help them-"

"Ahem." Eva coughed, folding her arms and glaring at Nigel.

"Ugh. Alright, next time, I swear."

When one of the Dead Hands was about to gnash at Danika, Rachel leapt over and sliced the blob's head off, its body falling to the ground. But right away, a couple of white, blobbish arms popped out of the ground and began squeezing her face. "Hey! Nn, get off!" While the others tried to fight off the monsters, they too were grabbed by the Dead Hands.

When the Dead Hand blobs slithered over to bite at the children, a Gas Bomb suddenly flew to the center of them and blew them all away. The operatives looked to where it came from. "The poisonbenders!" Nigel exclaimed.

Katie used her Fear Scream to stun the Dead Hands while Chancellor Cole used his rat ghosts to nibble their heads off. Just as well, Grandfather flew in to set fire to the hands that rose from the ground. "I hope you don't mind…" Grandfather grinned evilly.

"Maybe just this once." Nigel said.

"Is everyone here?" Rachel asked.

"No, not Matthew." Yin said sadly.

"Also Vi and Yang." Bruce noted.

"Then let's go find them." Rachel decided. "Hopefully they aren't too close to Ganondorf…"

**Mt. Malladus; upper area**

Violet McCleary groaned groggily and woke up, finding herself inside of a familiar room, on a small battlefield surrounded by a ring of lava. "So, you're awake." Violet looked up and found Scarlet sitting in a small hole in the wall by the ceiling, glaring down at her. "It's about time you got here."

Violet jumped to her feet. "Scarlet!"

The Italian catgirl flipped and jumped down onto the field before Violet. "Remember this place, Vi? This is where you and that pack of demon freaks ran your little operations!" Violet looked around and recognized this room as the place where she fought Nigel and the others, back when she worked for Father. "You almost let our world get sold to a bunch of freaks from Hell! It's only fitting that you'd meet your end here."

"Wait, Scar." Violet raised her hand in defense. "I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry for that. But you can't stay angry at me for something that happened in the past. And besides: look what's happening! You're working for a man who has his OWN army of evil demons! And what they're doing could very well put our world in the same situation! And you'll be to blame this time, do you want that?"

"You think I don't want to go out there and stab him in the face right now? ! Look at this! !" She jabbed a finger to the purple flame at her chest. "This flame is a symbol of my loyalty! My strongly misplaced loyalty. I signed over to Lord Gnaa because I wanted revenge on you, and look where it's got me! Even if I end up in the depths of Hell, at least YOU'RE coming with me! RAAAH!" (Play "Banshee Strikes" by Hatsune Miku!)

_Boss fight: Scarlet Vargas_

Violet began ducking and dodging as her cousin started throwing slashes with her long, metal claws, then was kicked away by Scarlet's boot. She got to her feet before falling over the ledge. Scarlet ran over to attack again, and the two half-cats grabbed the other's arm and began pushing her back, and Violet looked back in fright and stood her ground so as not to be shoved in the lava. She grinded her teeth and used all the strength she could to push Scarlet away. After doing so, Violet was able to lay a few scratch-swipes against her cousin's cheeks, bashing the side of her head and knocking her away. Scarlet growled and rolled onto her back as Violet pounced over to her, kicking the brown cat away. Violet stood up and spun to the side as Scarlet ran over, the Italian catgirl slipping and falling over the edge. Scarlet simply grabbed the ledge with her claw and pulled herself up, then attempted an airwave swipe at Violet, who ducked and rolled over.

Violet stood up as the two began throwing more punches and kicks. Violet rolled behind Scarlet and grabbed her cousin's tail, tossing the black cat across the lava pool. Scarlet stuck her claws in the wall and held on, the black cat scampering across the walls to the other side of the room before kicking back to the battlefield. Violet ran over to deal another punch, but Scarlet grabbed her fist and hurled her over the edge. Violet stabbed her smaller claws into the side of the field just inches away from the magma. She looked up as Scarlet stood over the edge, holding up one of her large kitty shurikens. Violet pounced to the parallel wall before Scarlet tossed the exploding weapon down, climbing the wall as Scarlet tossed and stuck more of them into it. Once at the top, Violet hopped back to the battlefield before they exploded. She dodged around as Scarlet threw more shurikens, eventually leaping and kicking Scarlet in the face, sending her away.

Scarlet hopped back to her feet as Violet began throwing her own shurikens, easily avoiding the smaller projectiles. Scarlet then unleashed her stretchy, twisty claws at Violet, who bended into a crescent-moon shape and narrowly avoided the extended claws. When Scar pulled them back, Violet quickly scampered away and rolled around to avoid the stretching claws. At one point, Violet was able to grind on the extended claws, over to Scarlet and successfully kick her away, knocking her over the edge as Scarlet simply grabbed the ledge and flipped back up again. Violet dodged before Scarlet shot her claws out again and leapt across the lava to the outer area around the lava. Violet then began dashing up and around the walls as Scarlet launched more of her claws at her, stabbing a trail of holes in Violet's direction. When Violet was close to Scarlet, she kicked off and tackled her cousin, the two rolling across the field before they stopped. Violet was atop of Scarlet, but they rolled over so that Scarlet was on top. The two stood up and leapt away from the other before charging and wrestling again. The two rolled along the ground before Scarlet was able to send Violet flying close to the edge. Violet landed on her back and looked up, gasping when Scarlet pounced over with her claws ready. Quickly, Violet kicked her cousin up and over her, and Scarlet fell over the edge, grabbing the wall with her claws.

At this time, the rest of the group hurried up the stairs and made it into the room, seeing Violet on the other side of the battlefield. "Violet!" Bruce exclaimed.

Violet looked over and smiled happily at her boyfriend. "Bruce!"

But just then, Scarlet climbed back up and grabbed her by the shoulder, holding a claw to her neck. "One wrong step, and the girl gets it!"

"Well, that's no way to treat your family." Grandfather said. (End song.)

Scarlet gasped, "You! You're one of those demons that-"

"Please, allow me to speak." Cole spoke as everyone else entered behind him. "As you recall, the McCleary Family had an accordance with Evil Adult Industries, a company which I helped run from the shadows. I was the one who orchestrated the experiment which would make Violet a wereanimal. I must say, I am still proud." Scarlet spared a hateful look to Violet, who glared at Cole. "Violet escaped, of course, and Victoria tried to protect her from the men. But using my keen persuasion, I convinced them to leave both the child and mother be. However, I made Victoria promise to never meet up with Violet again, or I would conduct further experiments. We both kept our ends of the bargain, but I never said I wouldn't bring harm to her. Nee hee hee. Anyway, I don't know where she is now. All I know is, mine and Father's plan to use Violet was a hitch. If she knew of my intentions at all, I'm sure she would've shown up by now. Siiiigh, girls are a peculiar thing. But… she has requested one last thing to me." He approached Violet and Scarlet as the latter still held a claw to Vi's neck.

_"Just tell my daughter… to make friends that will accept her. And to live for the future. And if you see my niece, Scarlet, tell her to be her friend, too. I know she's resentful, but they'll be the only family they have. If there'll be hard times in the future, I at least want them to handle it together. Because both of them… they're like daughters to me. And I want my daughters… to support each other."_

"…" Scarlet released Vi and retracted her claw. "Is that true?"

"The truth is what _you_ wish to believe." Grandfather replied simply. "But hey, we were the demons who made Violet do evil. We attack our family members… but what we hate about mortals is, they don't do the same. At least not with stupid reasons."

"Violet… I'm sorry." Scarlet spoke with her head down. "After everything… maybe I did get carried away. I… Victoria would feel ashamed."

"I should say." They glanced to Violet's back pocket as a tiny mouse crawled out, reforming into Yang.

"Yang!" Yin smiled.

"When the giant bird came down to take Violet away, I disguised myself as a rat and snuck into Violet's pocket. As you saw. But may I say that Scarlet hits hard." He formed a slight smile. "It was… _kinda cool_. Anyway, it's not too late for you two to begin anew. You've both done your share of evil, so you can come back to the light. Just like they did." He gestured to Danika, Nolan, and the Toxic Four. "Besides, it's not like Scarlet could've quit working for them anytime sooner. Considering her… situation."

"Yes… he's right… but I won't play the puppet anymore!" Scarlet decided. "I won't stand around and watch Ganondorf destroy everything we care about. I'm going to put a stop to him now!"

"Then save some room for us." Rachel said, having her sword drawn with a battle-ready expression.

"Let's go!" The team followed the catgirl through the door and up the stairs to the other side.

**Mt. Malladus Crater** (Play "Volcano Vibe" from _Donkey Kong Returns_!)

They stopped and hid behind the entrance, watching as the legions of demons and humans continued their chanting. Ghirahim was on the stage, making a few movements and incantations around Ganondorf and Mandy. "Are those… humans?" Rachel whispered.

"Those are Satanists." Scarlet replied.

"What? !"

"Satanists are worshippers of the Devil."

"I know what they are! I'm just… surprised."

"Yeah, well, Ganondorf's the leader of this ancient cult of Underworld followers. Made of humans. Like Ganon, they're a group that's submitted to the rule of the Demon Realm, and given to the darkness of Hell. They made Ganondorf their leader because they believed he was the Devil himself, reborn in the body of a human."

"A poorly-skinned human." Hoagie commented.

"This is just like when the demons were going to awaken Malladus." Nigel remembered.

"Yeah. But this is a million times worse." Scarlet said.

As Ghirahim finished dancing, the Demon Lord smiled when he noticed the Negatar himself float down onto the stage. "Ah, Negatar Gnaa! So nice of you to join us on this momentous occasion."

"My curiosity knows no bounds. I wouldn't miss seeing what it is you're planning here." Lord Gnaa said.

"Well… your curiosity shall wait no longer." The Demon Lord smirked. "Fellow demons and Satanic followers! It is with great honor that I, Demon Lord Ghirahim, announce the calling of our humble ruler! The coming back of the Lord of the Demon Realm! The one… who will surely put 'King Malladus' to shame! In only a few moments, our great god will awake within the confines of his human form! Ganondorf's true power will be unleashed, and the world will submit to the ultimate power that is the Underworld!"

"YAAAAYY!"

"Pretty cheerful for a bunch of cruddy Satan-lovers." Wally noted.

"Things are almost prepared! Now for our witches to deliver the coup de grace!"

At his command, Koume & Kotake carefully carried a boiling cauldron onto the stage and placed it in front of Ganon, whom calmly sat in his throne with his eyes closed. The two witches began waving their hands over the bubbling brew, dropping all sorts of nasty things in as they sang.

_Witches: Double-double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble!_

_Double-double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble!_

_Koume: Erinus toe and Moblin nose_

_Fatty's navel and Medusa hose!_

_Kotake: Devil's horn and lion's paw_

_Severed skin of old Darth Maul!_

_Both: Poison fang and badger-mole's eyes_

_A kazillion noses of flies!_

_Koume: My toenail for this stew_

_Kotake: Makes an excellent hell-broth brew!_

_Koume: Children's tears from the Sanzu River_

_Kotake: Makes even a Nighlok's spine shiver!_

_Koume: Gloomy bread and pizza of hate_

_Let the bubbles roticerate!_

_Kotake: An Anti-Cross! But how tasty_

_Both: WHEN WE ADD SUPER MARIO BROS. 3!_

_Koume: And perhaps a little kitty's chaudron?_

_Kotake: Even MORE for our _lovely_ cauldron._

_Both: Double-double! Toil and trouble!_

_Koume: By the picking of my nose_

_Kotake: Something horrid this way blows._

"EEEE HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!"

"Thank you, thank you. Wonderful, ladies." Ghirahim smiled. "Now witness the dawning of Demise's return to power, as he devours the soul of this helpless little maiden, and-"

"WAIT!" (End song.) The legions directed their attention to Rachel as the hero dashed down the center aisle, followed by the others. "This ends now!" She drew her sword.

"Father… is what they're saying… true?" Lehcar sadly asked him.

"He can't hear you." Ghirahim replied. "He's getting into touch with his inner demon. It's going to be MARVELOUS, just wait and see. In the meantime, I cannot have you ruining the rest of this ritual. Everything MUST go according to plan." The Demon Lord snapped his fingers. Rachel quickly jumped close to the stage as a barrier popped up, separating the other heroes from the stage. "Hmm… So, Little Miss Hero thinks she has a chance against the destiny of the demons."

"I am the Hero of Time. And as Hero of Time, it is my duty to stop you!" Rachel aimed her sword.

"Ah… such bravado. Such sheer misplaced willpower. I think it is time you learned your place, little lady." The demon snapped his fingers again, and the two were suddenly propelled upward by a floating platform of Ghirahim's magic. "And now… submit to the power… OF MY TRUE FORM! HNN! Huuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…" Rachel watched curiously as Ghirahim squatted and seemed to be adding more force to his muscles. "HYAAAAHHHHHH!" In that instant, Ghirahim's entire body flashed to a dark-brown, and puffed up with several muscles that made Rachel gape. His eyes were a pale white, just as his hair, and several pale-white lines decorated his body.

"Lookathis! This… DASHING form! This MARVELOUS physique! I SWEAR BY ALL THE MIGHT OF MY GLORIOUS GAYNESS YOU WILL NOT STOP THIS RITUAL! ! !" (Play "Final Ghirahim" from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_!)

_Boss fight: Demon Lord Ghirahim_

Ghirahim held his hands ready in defense as Rachel dashed over and started swinging, the Demon Lord easily grabbing her blade as Rachel struggled to pull it away. Ghirahim yanked her over and kneed her hard, sliding her away on her back. Rachel quickly rolled out of the way when Ghirahim leapt and tried to slam down, standing up to strike at him from behind. Ghirahim easily spun around and caught the blade in his hand, spinning around Rachel and tossing her to the other end of the field. Rachel got up and hurriedly ran away before Ghirahim tried to jump on her again.

She panted and said to the sword, "What am I supposed to do here, Fi?"

Fi jumped out and replied, _"Master, it seems Ghirahim's new enhanced body prevents him from being struck so easily. Still, I believe it may be possible to push him around when aimed at the correct spots."_

"Uh-huh…" Rachel looked up and noticed Ghirahim's hands aligned at the top and bottom. She hurried over and prepared a horizontal strike, but when she quickly noticed his hands change to that position, she performed a vertical slice and was able to push him further away. She ran to strike him again, but the Demon Lord grabbed her blade and kicked her closer to the edge. When Rachel saw him jump over, she quickly rolled behind him and successfully performed and upward slash, pushing Ghirahim straight over the edge. The demon fell onto a platform down below on his back, so Rachel flipped overhead and pierced the Master Sword straight into his chest. She flipped off as Ghirahim didn't seem to take much damage, and the Demon Lord got back to his feet.

Ghirahim angrily ran forward and began throwing punches at Rachel, who rapidly dodged before attempting to swipe her foot and kick Ghirahim off his feet. However, Ghirahim's buffer skin made such a task impossible, and the demon was able to grab her leg and spin her around, sending her flying over the edge. Rachel barely gripped on with her right-hand fingers, but Ghirahim smirked as he walked over and twisted his foot on her fingers. Rachel cried in pain before dropping to the platform below. Ghirahim leapt off and prepared to punch his fist down on her, but Rachel shot back up and pierced the sword straight in his chest. She brought him down and slid him a few inches across the floor, but Ghirahim was able to stand back up anyway.

The Demon Lord snapped fingers and began conjuring his mini darts again, a circle of them appearing around Rachel as she jumped over before they could fire. She ran and was prepared to deal more blows against Ghirahim, but the Lord was quick to move his hands. He tried to kick her, but Rachel jumped away, and Ghirahim made a vertical circle of darts appear around her. She performed a vertical spin and knocked the darts away, then back-flipped before Ghirahim could punch her. He held his arms in front at the ready when Rachel charged with her sword aimed straight, but the leader swiftly flipped over the Demon Lord and dealt a few blows from behind, successfully pushing him over the edge. The demon landed back on the ground on his front, and Rachel proceeded to drop down and pierce the blade into his chest.

By this time, both sides of Ghirahim's chest were broken, exposing the red-orange diamond that was his heart. Ghirahim gasped for breath and rolled onto his back before standing up. He gripped his aching chest and looked down when he noticed his heart exposed. He growled and gritted his teeth at Rachel before snapping his fingers and conjuring a large black club in his right hand. Rachel ran to try and strike the heart, but her sword was blocked by Ghirahim's club. However, she noticed a few cracks appear in the club when she struck it, so Ghirahim snapped his fingers and created a new one. Rachel had an idea and ran to throw more strikes at Ghirahim. When the demon held his club vertically, she performed a spin attack that made a huge dent on the right side of the club, exposing a core underneath. But when she tried this again, Ghirahim switched it to a horizontal position that knocked Rachel's arm back, and Ghirahim proceeded to strike her with it.

Ghirahim snapped his fingers and made another club. Rachel stepped a bit closer and pretended like she was about to strike, so Ghirahim quickly switched from a vertical to horizontal position. When he did so, she performed a vertical spin and made a dent in the bottom part, and when he switched to vertical again, she performed a rightward spin that dent the left half and eventually destroyed the club. With that done, Rachel hurriedly dealt quick stabs to Ghirahim's diamond heart.

The Demon Lord warped behind her and pushed her onto her front. Rachel looked up as he made the darts appear above and rolled out of the way before they struck down. When she rolled onto her back, the Demon Lord was able to leap onto her body and pin her down, proceeding to grab her neck and begin choking her. Rachel hurriedly grabbed her Hylian Shield and was able to bash his head and push him off. She stood back up to catch her breath, then quickly defended with her sword when Ghirahim charged over and grabbed it. The two used all their strength to pull it away from the other, but Rachel reached behind to grab a Light Arrow and used it to stab Ghirahim's eye. The Demon Lord backed away as Rachel took her blade back, doing a few more blows against him before he was pushed onto his back. Ghirahim reopened his eyes and looked up, his eyes widened with a gasp as Rachel flipped overhead and pierced her Master Sword straight into the heart. (End song.)

The barriers were disabled, and Rachel twirled her sword in victory. The defeated Demon Lord weakly stood up, gripping his chest tight and heavily panting. "It…It's not possible." He gasped. "You are just… a mere human! And yet… you possess the strength of a hundred demons. How…How does one… carry that much power? !"

"Because… we humans have heart. The strength that empowers us to never give up on our goals. We have the power of faith, and light on our side. Not like these miserable Satanists."

"Hnn… I see…" Ghirahim's frown grew into a smile again. "You really are Link's descendant after all. But unfortunately for you, you are far too late. The ritual has already gone as planned!"

"W-What?"

At this time, the many purple candles that aligned around the Satanic Circle grew brighter than ever. The smoke that emitted from the candles, as well as that of the boiling cauldron, all gathered and bunched together as it all flowed into Ganondorf's big nose. The demonic circle glowed a very bright blood-red. Mandy's weakened body shook around the table as the girl grunted and groaned, suddenly floating up into the air.

"Mandy!" Rachel yelled, trying to rescue her cousin, but Negatar Gnaa used Psychokinesis to grab and throw her back.

"Eh hehehehehehehe!" Ghirahim began laughing once more. Ganondorf kept his eyes closed as he felt the blood of the Demon King flowing through his veins. His lungs became empowered with the breath of the unholy demon himself. He felt the Imprisoned form of Demise rising up from the depths inside him. He held his mouth wide open, facing directly up to Mandy's floating body as the girl's soul was absorbed directly into Ganon's mouth. Rachel and the many heroes could only watch with horror as Mandy was completely drained. The energy around Ganon grew even more powerful, and the heroes and demons shielded their eyes as the white light swallowed the area.

A few moments had passed, and the blinding light had cleared. The heroes uncovered their vision, their mouths agape at what Ganondorf had become. The demon-man looked slightly the same… only the curls that had winded up his hair were long gone, and his long, fiery-red hair blew in the dark wind. The upper half of his pitch-black armor had been ripped off, exposing his dark-green, muscular body, and his vicious, demonic eyes brimmed with the fires of Hell.

Ghirahim have a light little chuckle. The hard-skinned Demon Lord quietly got to one knee… and kneeled before the powerful man. "I humbly welcome you back… _Master…"_

The demon-man took a large whiff through his nose and studied his right hand. The demon whooshed his hand at Ghirahim, releasing a sudden flash of black energy, and Ghirahim's form froze in surprise as he felt his breath come to a halt. Ghirahim's chest stuck out, his diamond heart drawing closer toward Ganondorf's open hand. Before their very eyes, the pitch-black hilt of a sword stuck right out of Ghirahim's heart, followed by the rest of the large blade itself as it floated over to Ganondorf's hand. The sword appeared to be a replica of the Master Sword itself, only it was pitch-black, much bigger and thicker, and made of solid diamond.

Ghirahim used the last of his breath to release another evil chuckle. The Demon Lord kept the excited smile on his face. His body, now with a gaping hole in his chest where his heart used to be, fell to the ground, now a dead, lifeless piece of diamond. His mission has been completed.

Ganondorf held the giant black blade before him, staring at his reflection in the solid diamond. The demon took notice of all the Satanists around the audience that had worshipped him. Ganondorf raised his blade in the air, for all of the mortal worshippers to gaze. Immediately, the souls of the pitiful humans were sucked from their bodies, becoming absorbed to fuel the blade wielded by the Demon King. The operatives watched with horror as the cloaks and corpses of the lifeless bodies fell to the ground.

_"Filthy humans."_ Ganondorf spoke in a tone more dark and ominous than ever. _"None of you deserve a place in my legions. Too weak to defend your own. Having to submit to MY power. You're all _nothing_."_

"Hmm… I must say, Ganondorf, this is impressive." Lord Gnaa smirked. "With power like this… the universe will be FILLED with our darkness in a matter of hours!"

Ganondorf gave an angry hiss and glare at the child. He shot his hand open and sent Gnaa flying against the wall with a burst of lightning. "What? ! What are you doing?"

_"You pathetic excuse for a Dark Master, Lord Gnaa. Your true evil has long since expired. _I _am the ultimate evil around here. You are a WASTE of dark matter. Your presence means nothing now."_

"What? !" Lord Gnaa angrily hovered in the air. "_I_ am the one who set you free! Obey my command now, or I will banish you back to the-" The Demon King only swung his blade in the air and sliced a rift in space. Tons of shadowy demonic arms reached out of the vortex, grabbing the Dark Master and pulling him into the nothingness. "YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! !"

"WHOA! !" Nigel screamed.

"Did you SEE that? !" Eva exclaimed.

"He…He killed him…" Wally whispered in horror.

The Dark Lord only burst into wicked laughter. "Uh… F-Father?" He looked down and raised a fiery brow at Lehcar's shivering form. "Now that you have revived your true power… does this mean you'll… share the universe with me?" She grinned nervously.

Ganondorf only gritted his teeth in absolute anger and disgust. _"You fool."_ Lehcar frowned. _"You think I want to share the power with you? You think I cared about you at all? You were nothing more than a tool for me. Your arrogance, your WORTHLESSNESS, has earned you a one-way trip to the fiery depths."_ Ganon charged a surge of darkness in his hand and was about to launch it.

"SSTOP!" Ganondorf stopped when Rachel blocked Lehcar. "This is as far as this goes, Ganon!"

_"Ahh… no…"_ Ganondorf's wicked smirk returned, taking notice of the Triforce of Courage glowing on her hand. _"This is only the beginning…"_

Rachel's eyes widened in surprise, her hand now glowing brighter than ever. Everybody stood and stared speechless, with looks of amazement, wonder, and shock. The Triforce of Courage grew bigger and brighter than ever as it emerged from the back of Rachel's left hand. The same thing was going on with Mandy. The Triforce of Wisdom slowly emerged from the unconscious girl's right hand. Ganondorf kept his maniacal grin and raised his right hand in the air. The Triforce of Power, both perfect halves, rose from the confines of his form. The three great pieces of the golden triangle flew into the heavens and formed together. The great, almighty Triforce… was created.

_"Hmmm! Hu hu ha!"_ Ganondorf could only chuckle in excitement, the Demon King flying up into the heavens and clutching the mighty Triforce in both hands. _"Gods of the Triforce: here that which I desire!"_ The heroes watched with absolute worry. _"Rise the Underworld from the depths of this planet. May the two realms coexist! Destroy this pitiful world of mortals. Let the demons of the Underworld lay waste to all of the land, and may ALL: humans, animals, and aliens alike, submit to the true power… that is the DEMON REALM!"_

"NO! !" Rachel screamed.

The almighty Triforce heard Ganondorf's wish… and accepted. The golden triangle brimmed with the light of the gods within the red sky. The three sacred pieces broke from the Triforce… and scattered away. The entire planet began to shake with incredible force. Pillars and mountains emerged from the earth below, and the sky became covered with blood-red clouds that reeked with the Underworld. A tremendous bolt of lightning struck from the heavens, passing through Ganon and striking the very center of the volcano's crater where the stage rested.

"OH NO! !" Nigel screamed. "His wish is coming true! The world's falling apart!"

"Ehh… couldn't he have just wished for a soda?" Numbuh 4 moaned.

"Man, forget about yo' beverage!" Abby yelled. "We have to get outta here!"

"Look!" Numbuh 3 pointed to what appeared to be a pitch-black flying bison, rode by none other than Vaati.

"Come on!" the Minish yelled. The band of heroes all exchanged confused glances and quickly piled onto the massive bison. Vaati whipped his pet, and the bison gave a cry as it took off from the mountain.

"Watch out!" Rachel exclaimed, the bison dodging before the black dragon could release a breath of purple poison at them.

"Y'all ain't goin' anywhere!" Hannibal Bean yelled, once again riding the dragon. "Get 'em, Draggy!" The dragon cried again and released ball of poisonous purple flames.

"Wait!" Yin cried, narrowly ducking a couple fireballs. "Matthew, stop!"

"MATTHEW?" everyone exclaimed.

"Aw, so ya know the truth now? Too bad! HYAH!" Hannibal whipped his dragon pet, and the flying beast kept after them.

The dragon had to duck suddenly when lasers were fired at them from above, looking up and seeing Sector W's S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. "Keep away from my sister, Dragon Breath!"

"Wait to go, Bro!" Rachel cheered.

"Don't hurt him! It's Matthew!" Yin yelled.

"Whuh?" Harvey looked confused.

"Hyah! Let's get outta here." Hannibal decided, and the dragon proceeded to fly away.

"We'd best be doing the same thing." Nigel decided. "Let's regroup at the treehouse."

"A-HEM!" Eva coughed.

"Whoops! Sorry, Eva."

"Oh just forget about it."

Rachel could only look back in Ganondorf's direction with worry. "Oh, Matthew…" Yin spoke quietly, afraid for her loved one.

**Cleveland, Virginia** (Play "The Requiem" by Linkin Park.)

Already Ganondorf's evil wish was taking effect through all corners of the planet. Clouds of red, demonic auras covered the skies of blue, spiraling around the lands as drops of flames rained down from the heavens. All sorts of bloodthirsty demons and creatures of the Underworld rose from the earth and began wreaking havoc, slaying and murdering any human or mortal that crossed their path. The giant Underworld bugs that were the Girin waited below ground for the fleeing humans to run into their pinchers, allowing them to happily snap them shut and devour the tasty morsels. The Reapers rose from the depths and sent their Reapettes to kill and collect any unfortunate soul that they could. Much of the exits to the towns were blocked by the Shildeens and Boogities, and the humans were unable to escape as the Bokoblin and Bulblin proceeded to strike them with arrows. Some of the GUN Troopers did their best to shoot away the unholy monsters of the Underworld. However, most of their shots were being absorbed into the vacuuming shell of Vaklooms, which then released powerful lasers that totally obliterated the soldiers.

But none of these monsters matched to the horror and grimness that were the Ornes. Floating skulls dropping from the heavens, made up of only the misery and hopelessness of those that had fallen to the Sanzu River, glowing with dark fires of Hell. These accursed vessels of fallen souls stopped any human that tried to make their escape. And any single touch the humans made to the Ornes caused them to drift along in the miserable darkness with the other souls.

Everywhere you look, demons and creatures of the dead rose from the depths and brought ruin to every ounce of land, sea, and air. A gargantuan castle, brimming with the unholy powers of darkness, rose from beneath the Delightful Mansion. The mansion crumbled to pieces as the great Castle Hell stood bigger and more menacing than ever. Ganondorf happily soared around the heavens, tearing more and more rifts in space that allowed more demonic followers to gain entry. An entire pack of them gathered around the treehouse of Sector V, beating it over and over again with their swords and axes before the whole thing toppled, and the demons burst into cheers.

"Oh no! We're too late!" Nigel exclaimed in horror as the heroes were currently passing over on Vaati's bison.

"We'll have to regroup somewhere else." Vaati decided.

"No! I can't let him get away with this!" Rachel stated in a determined fashion.

"Rachel, wait!" But despite Nigel's call, the Hero of Time leapt down and dropped to the earth below. Fi emerged from the sword and grabbed Rachel, holding her up so as to lighten her fall.

"Thanks, Fi." Rachel smiled to her spirit before she jumped in the sword. The Supreme Leader faced ahead, seeing Ganondorf land not too far away, laughing maniacally. "Stop right there, Ganondorf!" (Play "Hades' Infernal Theme" from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!)

Ganondorf's smirk grew wider, and he turned to face the descendant of his nemesis. _"Ah, what do we have here? Rachel!"_

"Ganondorf!"

_"Rachel!"_

"Ganondorf!"

_"Rachel!"_

"Ganondorf!"

_"Racheeelllll!"_

"Ganondooorrrrrf!"

"IT'S ON! !"

_Boss fight: Ganondorf Dragmire_

Rachel dashed over and swung rapid blows at the Demon King, but he swiftly defended with his bigger blade before pushing Rachel away. She stood and kept her determined expression as she ran to deal away at him again. Ganondorf kept his guard up and kept defending, batting Rachel's blade away before dealing strikes against the girl. Rachel hurriedly grabbed her blade again and charged a Skyward Strike, sending the shockwave and knocking Ganondorf's sword back. She quickly ran to deal a ton of blows against his chest and was able to push him back. She then whipped out her Light Arrow and took aim, piercing the glowing projectile straight through the forehead.

"HAHA!" she fist-pumped.

_"Hnn… HA!"_ Ganondorf yanked the arrow right out, making Rachel gasp. _"You're nothing without your Triforce of Courage!"_

"Grrrr!" Rachel charged forth to try and strike at Ganon, but the demon was easily able to knock her guard away and kick her onto her back.

_"These toys are too much for you. I demand you return them to me! Down the HAAAATCH!"_ Ganondorf shot his mouth wide open and released a massive wave of dark energy at Rachel. The Supreme Leader stabbed her blade in the ground and hung on for dear life as the energy seemed to be sucking her inside. But despite her efforts, the sword was pulled from the ground by the powerful sucking.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! !" Rachel's crying came to a halt, and her body appeared to shrink as she was sucked directly into Ganon's mouth. The Demon Lord snapped his teeth shut and grinned widely as he took a big gulp.

"RACHEEEEEEELLLLL! ! !" Nigel cried with agony and despair. Eva comfortingly patted her cousin on the back.

"Can you imagine how hard it must've been to swallow all that armor under her?" Hoagie commented.

* * *

><p><strong>HOO! And so, Rachel is dead. Or is she? Lol we'll find out! ;D And this story arc is nearing to a close. Lol and so is this whole story… kind of. Ay, I'm so glad to finally type up those fight scenes with the counterparts. I really wish I could've found the room to use Lehcar and Scarlet more in this story. Actually there's a lot of characters I wish I could've used more! I could care less for The Quads now though. :P Anyway, next time, we will find a way to possibly rescue Rachel, and hopefully think up a plan to defeat Ganondorf. Just don't hog all the glory, Nigel. ;D Later!<strong>


	79. Lost Courage

**O-kay, everybody! Wonder what became of Rachel? We'll find out! Play the "Hades' Belly" theme from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>All Hope Is Lost: Rachel Has Courage No More.<em>**

Rachel was knocked unconscious as she lie in a puddle of an unknown green liquid, surrounded by darkness. She groggily moaned as she awoke, gripping her aching head. She opened her eyes and found the Master Sword by her left, and the Hylian Shield on her right, picking both weapons up as she stood to have a look around the unknown area. "Where am I?" She looked down to see her feet were covered up by the strange green substance, kicking it around. "Euh… Fi, a little help here?"

The spirit servant flipped out of the sword and replied, _"Master: after your small battle with Ganondorf, it appears he has inhaled you into a vacuum of darkness coming from his lungs. Judging by the green acid and the internal structures around you, there is a 90% chance the chamber you stand in now is the stomach of Ganondorf himself."_

"You mean…" Rachel gave a look of pure horror and disgust, "I'm inside Ganondorf's BODY? EEUUUHHHH! !"

_"Correct. And although it would seem you have decreased in size, I can sense that you are still the same height as you were previously."_

"Uhh, well that might be because you're in here with me, so you shrunk, too."

_"Perhaps. And yet, at the same time, it seems the interior of this body consists of an entirely different dimension. But whatever the situation, I suggest we find our way out of here as soon as possible so you may fulfill your destiny and defeat Ganon."_

Rachel then looked down at the back of her left hand. The Triforce mark that was once there wasn't there anymore. "My Triforce… it's gone."

_"After Ganondorf made his wish, the three pieces of the Triforce seem to have scattered. I can sadly say I do not know what has become of them."_

"Oh, great…" She sighed, "Alright, then, let's find a way out. Seeing as we're in the stomach, we should probably make our way upward. Otherwise we'll have to take the backdoor." She shuddered. "Okay, let's… huh?" She watched as globs from the digestive acid began to rise up, revealing to be what looked like Chu-Chu blobs, designed in a cellular way. "Uhh… what are these?"

_"These appear to be Cellular Chu-Chus, one of many different cellular monster types within Ganondorf's body. They guard his interior from anything that might harm it."_

"In short, they're a bunch of white blood cells in the forms of monsters." Rachel raised her shield and sword and gave a battle-ready expression. "Alright, let's do it. HAAH!"

**Outside Ganon's Body**

The unholy Demon King still stood on the spot where he swallowed Rachel, his maniacal grin showing widely. He took notice of the black sky bison hovering around in the air far away as the group flew around and watched him from above. "Umm… what just happened?" Toph asked.

"Ganondorf just ATE Rachel…" Patton said in shock.

"Is she…Is she dead?" Fanny stuttered with fear.

"That can't be." Scarlet said as Lehcar sat beside her with a fear-filled expression. "If she was, Lehcar would be dead too, wouldn't she?"

"Then she's gotta still be alive." Jeremiah said.

"She's probably in his stomach or something." Hoagie figured.

"So we just have to make Ganondorf hurl?" Violet asked.

"I wouldn't count it." Grim said. "Demons' bodies are very unnatural and complex compared to your mortal bodies. While our forms may look simple on the outside, the inside is an entirely different dimension. She could be trapped within a plain of eternal misery and despair. While in reality, she's really in his stomach. She could be lost in a complicated, convoluted maze, which is really his brain. She could be buried under a mountain of trash, which is really his-"

"Okay, no need to expand further on that." Fanny interrupted.

"The point is, she may have a hard time getting out of there."

"Nobody mentioned another dimension." Wally said.

"Oh, don't get me started on that."

"Um… where'd Numbuh 1 go?" Violet asked.

The Grim Reaper looked at his right hand, and his face turned to shock as he frantically searched around. "'ey! Where's me scythe?"

"Hey, YOU!" At this, everybody gasped and looked to the ground below, seeing an angry Nigel Uno aiming Grim's scythe at Ganondorf. "This ends here!"

"You stoopid boy! Give me back me scythe!" Grim yelled.

"No! Not until I save Rachel! If she's in your stomach, all I need to do is cut her out!"

Ganondorf only burst into laughter. _"Your loyalty to her is boundless, it seems. The Uno Family really has grown weak. Placing their faith into a simple human with no chance of destroying me. Your precious Hero of Time has failed. Just as your family has."_

"That doesn't mean I'm going to stand around and watch you destroy everything. Ever since you killed my sister, I've vowed to avenge her. And today, I WILL! YAAH!" The bald Brit lunged at the Demon King and began to clash against his blade.

_Stage 54: Inside Ganon's Body_

_Mission: Find a way out of Ganondorf's body!_

"YAAH!" Rachel yelled, swinging her blade and slicing all of the Chu-Chu blobs she could in half, their slimy goo splatting all over the place. The Chu-Chus were eventually followed by what looked to be Cellular Bokoblins, and the demon cells proceeded to fling arrows at the sword-wielding hero. Rachel dodged and drew out her own bow and started to fire back at them. They seemed to go down as easily as regular Bokoblin would do. Rachel wobbled a little when she felt the room started shaking, and the green digestive acid below her began to bubble. "Uh-oh." She noticed what appeared to be a geyser rising up below what looked like Ganon's esophagus. After sucking in some breath, she jumped into the geyser, and allowed it to propel her directly upwards.

**Outside Ganon's Body**

_"BLEEHH!"_ Ganondorf exclaimed, releasing a waterfall of green barf at Nigel, who jumped to the side just in time.

"Gross! You demons really are sick. I wouldn't be surprised if the poisonbenders have an attack like that."

"_I do!_" Leopold called.

**Inside Ganon's Body**

Rachel panted heavily, covered in green acid after her speedy ride atop the geyser. The girl looked around and found herself at the bottom of some dark, vast chamber, with what looked like giant bone structures leading upward. "Whoa… the inside of a demon's body really is a different dimension. Something tells me just slicing every bone or kidney I see won't do very much damage to him. But it wouldn't really hurt to find out, either." She found a bone path leading up as a slope from where she was and decided to follow it up. It led her into a small hole, where she climbed up a ladder of some webby substance and made it to another hole that had another bone path in the same room. Rachel looked up as some Cellular Kargarok flew around the interior, and decided to shoot a couple down before making her way higher.

The bone path she was currently on only ended at a wall, but she noticed a few higher bones with Hookshot targets. She pulled out said double-weapon and used it to latch onto the bones and pull herself higher up through the body. She soon noticed another hole close by and latched her Hookshot onto it to pull herself over. She passed through a slight hallway and noticed two Cellular Armos Knights up ahead. The one-eyed statue-cells sensed Rachel's presence and awakened as they hopped their way over. But this then made Rachel realize something:

"Hold on a sec! I basically have all of Link's usual items but Bombs! Why do I not have Bombs? How can you give me a Boomerang and a Double-Hookshot… but no Bombs? Those have been in, like, every _Zelda_ game." She sighed to herself. "Ah well. Oh! But I do have M.A.R.B.L.E.s." She pulled a bag of the tiny explosives out. When the two Armos Knights shot their mouths open, she tossed the tiny bombs inside and blew them up. Up ahead, a tall platform lowered itself down, and Rachel hurried over to stand on it and let it take her to a wider hallway. "In fact…" Having an idea, she grabbed a few more MARBLEs and threw them all around, exploding parts of the inside of this part of the body.

**Outside Ganon's Body**

Ganondorf kicked and tossed several purple flames at the bald Brit, who swiftly spun and defended with his scythe. _"It's MY scythe!"_ Grim yelled. (Gee, pushy much.) Afterwards, the blood-Demon Prince charged forth to lay a few strikes against Ganon, stabbing his right arm a couple times.

**Inside Ganon's Body**

After throwing her last M.A.R.B.L.E. at a part of the body, "WHOA!", she yelped and jumped back when something gigantic, silver, and sharp pierced through the ceiling a couple times. "What was that?"

Fi jumped out and responded, _"A report, Master: signs indicate that any sort of damage done to the interior of Ganondorf's body seems to have no effect on the being as a whole. However, I have analyzed the weapon just now, and have identified it as the Grim Reaper's scythe. There is an 85% chance that your friends are locked in battle with Ganon on the outside."_

"Well, either Ganon isn't really moving his body much, or… this entire place really is confusing. Either way, I just hope any of their attacks don't pierce through and hurt me." The blonde hero passed through the hallway and came to a cliff over some large, purple flames down below. She noticed some hand-bone platforms rising out of the flames and quickly hopped across them before they went back down. She made it to a larger foothold on the other side, where a swarm of Cellular Miniblin came out of the walls and skipped over to her, jabbing their pitchforks. Rachel was easily able to wipe them out after a few spin attacks, but the monsters were soon followed by some Cellular Dodongos.

She rolled to the side as the dino-lizards shot green, gassy breath at her, pulling out a few more M.A.R.B.L.E.s and tossing them into their mouths when they opened, causing the cellular monsters to explode. When they were gone, Rachel noticed another tunnel in the wall on the other side. She crouched down a little and trekked through the tunnel, which seemed to be leading her back the way she came. After reaching the end, she found herself inside that same central chamber, walking up another steep bone path, although she couldn't get too far because the rest of the bone went straight upward. However, she noticed a couple Cellular Peahats floating up-and-down, leading upwards, and once again used her Hookshots to make her way up higher. Along the way, a couple of Cellular Bulblin were positioned inside holes in the wall, and shot Rachel a few times with arrows. She tossed her Boomerang to stun them for a few seconds, giving her time to hurry up further.

She arrived at another hole, very near to the top. The tunnel was smaller, so she had to crouch down and crawl through, and she found it was very littered with snot and nose-hairs. E-yep, she was in the nose. "Man, this is gross." She whispered to herself. "I still don't get it. The inside of a demon is more complicatedly structured, but isn't Ganondorf still technically a human?"

_"This alternate interior structure could be a result of his newfound power, Master."_ Fi responded from the sword.

"Probably. I mean, if I had to do a report of the inside of the human body, Ganon's body is NOT the place to study. The kids and teachers would think I'm crazy for doing a report about this body. Hehe. They'll think I'm crazy when I get out of here and tell them about it! Hehe! Anyway, since we're in the nose, then we should be close to getting out of here, shouldn't we?"

**Outside Ganon's Body**

Ganondorf held his large blade up in front of him to defend as Nigel released a powerful electric ray from the scythe. Once the ray vanished, both of them lowered their weapons and were panting heavily. Ganondorf then felt a strange, tickly feeling in his nose, giving a little twitch. He gave a smirk toward Nigel's direction and sucked in some breath through his mouth, then forced it all back through his nose and released double gushes of snot at Nigel, sending the bald Brit away with great force.

**Inside Ganon's Body**

Rachel suddenly felt the nose tunnel begin to shake, glancing back to see a huge wave of snot rushing towards her. "Uh-oh. WHOOOAA!" The giant green wave caught the blonde leader and pushed her down the rest of the tunnel. She flew out of the end and fell out, taking land on some hard substance. "Ugh!" She disgustedly brushed the snot off her face and stood up, finding herself inside of Ganondorf's head, standing on none other than his brain. "Oh, come on! How does THAT even make sense? ?"

She noticed a few pink globs moving throughout the brain, and they emerged and revealed to be Cellular Eenos. The brain-made monsters formed and started throwing brainballs, their equivalent of snowballs, and started chucking them at Rachel, who only bashed them away with her shield before running to slice the brain cells. Once they were gone, a bunch of Biris emerged from the brain. Rachel swung her blade and sliced one of them, but this resulted in her being shocked as well. So instead she decided to throw her Boomerang around and defeat the jellyfish monsters. She was caught by surprise when a bunch of Cellular Like-Likes dropped down from the ceiling, one of them landing behind Rachel and sucking her inside. After a few seconds, the hideous blob spat her out, and found she was missing her shield and leader's helmet. "Hey, give that back!" she demanded, dealing a few blows against the monster before it was dead, and when the remains melted, she proceeded to pick up her goo-covered items.

"Eww…" she groaned, trying to shake the goo off. She angrily glared at the rest of the monsters and hurried over to slice the rest of them as fast as she could. "Man, this is getting annoying." She said to herself. "Let's just find a way out of here fast." The Hero of Time carefully walked toward the edge of the brain and carefully climbed her way down. When she glanced down and noticed a floor far down below, she decided to drop the rest of the way and landed safely. She then noticed a hallway out of there and proceeded to pass through, entering a small, dark room with two circular screens in the wall, which she assumed to be his eyes.

"I wonder if I can see what's going on out there." She curiously approached the two screens and studied them, gasping at the sight of Nigel wielding Grim's scythe, panting heavily as he was on one knee.

**Outside Ganon's Body**

Nigel's body was slowly becoming worn and tattered, and was sweating more and more. _"Hahahahaha!"_ Ganondorf laughed once more. _"The mighty Demon Prince that saved the world from Malladus AND Dimentia? You're a joke. It's so painfully disgusting seeing what the Demon Royal Family has come to over the years. I plan to rectify this very soon,"_ he raised his sword, _"after I-"_

Before he could finish, Fanny Fulbright suddenly dropped to the ground in front of him and pelted him with a couple green flames from her hands, afterwards jumping and kicking a green flame from both feet and pushing him to his back. "What are you doing here?" Nigel asked.

"Savin' yer stoopid boy butt." Fanny retorted. "Rachel's _my_ best friend, too, ya know."

_"Haah."_ Ganondorf stood back up and held his sword ready. _"So, the little Fulbright child wishes to stand before me, too. You forget your place, Whelp. The Fulbright Family's purpose is to serve the Demon King, nothing more."_

"Pfft. You'd have a better chance at seein' me serve THIS boy than some bad-skinned desert man like YOU."

"Actually, Fanny, Ganondorf was born into a tribe of women." Grim yelled down at her. "So technically, we'd have more of a chance seeing you serve him. Just saying."

"Hold on, how does that even WORK anyway? Bein' born in a tribe of women?" Fanny asked.

"Yeah, and now do I think about it, if the man is supposed to be born every hundred years, where do all the other women come from?" Nigel asked. "If they have no men…"

"That really is a complicated story." Fanny replied.

_"Err, I've never really been able to figure that out either."_ Ganondorf said. _"But regardless, the both of you have forgotten your purpose, and for that you must pay!"_ With that, Ganondorf continued to clash with the two of them.

**Inside Ganon's Body**

"Nigel! Fanny!" Rachel exclaimed. "Oh, don't worry, guys. I'll be outta here before you know it. I just need to find the right way…" Rachel then hurried further down the hall, appearing back in that same large central chamber. There was a bone-made ladder just below her, so she used it to climb down onto a small ledge that had another tunnel, walking inside. "And now that I think about it, I sure AM glad I didn't take the backdoor! Woulda wound up in some infinite void for all I know." She shuddered again. At the end of the hallway was a pair of slide-open double-doors, and she walked inside as they closed behind her. (End song.)

She appeared inside some large, circular room with a large, round hole in the center, leading into an infinite abyss it seemed. Just hanging over the hole, attached to various cords throughout the room with energy flowing through, was what appeared to be a giant, beating heart, showing the image and illusion of the cosmos itself on its body, a shade of dark-blue around the edges, and a single yellow eye at the top of it. "Is that… a heart?"

Fi jumped out to explain, _"A report, Master: I am detecting tremendous, powerful energy flowing into this heart-like structure. There is a 90% chance that this device is the actual heart of Ganondorf himself."_

"Ganondorf's… heart?" Rachel looked a tad shocked. "_A bit surprised he would even HAVE a heart to begin with, but…_ Does that mean if I destroy this thing, Ganondorf would die?"

_"Possibly. Though there is a 20% chance that it will. Considering that anything else to happen in this body seemed to have no effect. And yet, I can sense that this heart is the most connected thing to Ganondorf's body than any other organ."_

"That's ironic, in more ways than one. 'Cause like I said, Dude shouldn't have a heart to begin with. HAHA! Still, a 20% chance is good enough for me. Let's take this thing out now!" she exclaimed, readying her sword, when- "Wh-What?" A huge wall of fire suddenly formed around the heart, nearly blocking it from Rachel's vision.

_"Ah, come on… you don't want to be doing that now, would you?"_ Rachel watched as a figure emerged from the fire. It revealed itself to be a cell-like person, with devilish-red skin, strange tentacle-like lumps for hair, black pants and shoes, bright yellow eyes, and a gray shirt with a black jacket over it. "Matter of fact, what's a healthy little lady like you doing in a place like this?" the man smirked, exposing his rotten yellow teeth as he raised his right index finger, longer than his other fingers and glowing orange with a fire energy.

"Who are you?" Rachel asked.

"Mah name's Thrax. I'm a GERM that gets inside your body and makes you sweat REAL hot like, until you just can't bear to live it anymore."

"And… you're here to infect Ganondorf?"

Thrax laughed a little. "Yeah, that would be the record-breaker. No, I'm actually here to DEFEND Ganon's heart from anything that might harm it. Ironically. And after this, he says he'll use his powers to have me multiplied, and I'll be able to sicken dozens of people at once. And since you're the Hero of Time I've kept hearing about, that makes you a dangerous virus. Looks like I'm gonna have to play the red blood cell. HIYAH!" (Play the "Boss Medley" from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!)

_Boss fight: Thrax_

Rachel jumped to the side as the evil germ leapt over and swung his fire finger, starting to clash her sword against his finger, then ducked as he swung a kick. Thrax jumped back as she swung her blade, charging power in his finger and throwing a bunch of vertical and horizontal flame waves which Rachel either ducked or sidestepped as she hurried over to Thrax. The virus tried swinging a few kicks, but Rachel was able to avoid them as she laid a couple strikes against him. The germ swept to the side and spun around, releasing a fiery shockwave that pushed Rachel against the wall. As she recovered, she quickly ducked as Thrax tried to stab his finger at her, and ended up getting that arm stuck in the wall. While he was trying to pull it out, Rachel ran over to the fire wall around the heart and charged enough power in her blade for a Hurricane Spin. She released a powerful spin attack around the flames and put all of the fire out. Afterwards, she used her Soul Surge ability to lock onto the evil heart, zipping it over and laying several powerful blows against it.

She jumped back to the battleground as Thrax pulled his arm free, afterwards creating another ring of fire around the heart. The germ threw his right arm up and conjured a smaller ring of fire around Rachel. The blonde leader quickly jumped before the flames closed in on her. Afterwards, she quickly swung her blade to defend against Thrax's quick swings, and the virus was able to make the sword fly out of her hand, spinning and getting stuck as it stabbed into a wall. He tried to punch down at Rachel afterwards, but she dodged and caused his arm to get stuck in the floor, allowing her to hurry over, jumping to grab her sword, and planting her feet against the wall as she tried to yank it out. After pulling his arm free, Thrax dashed over to punch at Rachel again, but she pulled her blade free just in time to avoid and get his arm stuck again. Hurrying before he could get free, she performed another Hurricane Spin and blew the flames out away from the heart. Afterwards, she charged another Soul Surge and zipped over, doing even more powerful blows against the beating heart.

When she leapt back to the foothold, she swiftly ducked and dodged behind when Thrax tried to punch her, dealing a few slices and kicks at him when he turned again, eventually pushing the burning virus right into the hole below. Afterwards, she took aim at the heart once again and launched an Arrow of Light, dealing intense pain to the dark heart. She then charged one last Soul Surge and shot at the heart with one final blow. (End song.)

**Outside Ganon's Body**

Despite Nigel and Fanny's efforts to hold back the Dark Lord, he had easily beaten them, and they were barely able to stand as they tried to catch their breath. Ganondorf kept his maniacal grin, his flaming demon eyes glowing brighter than ever. _"Uwah… oooggg."_ Ganondorf frowned and gripped his exposed chest, feeling some kind of aching feeling inside. His eyes widened, and the kids' faces alit with curiosity, as he uncovered his chest when a large crack of bright light suddenly shown upon him. Before the children's very eyes, Rachel McKenzie shot out of the chest, landing face-first on the ground before her two friends, gripping the heart of Ganondorf itself in her right hand. The heart now appeared as small as her hand, for it seemed she had been reverted to normal, still covered in slime from his insides.

"Rachel!" Nigel smiled happily, as did Fanny.

Rachel groaned slightly and stood back up, studying the still-beating heart in her hand. "What is that?..." Fanny asked.

"This is Ganondorf's heart…" she replied. "Yow!" Suddenly, the heart opened a pair of sharp teeth and snapped down on Rachel's hand, causing her to drop it. The frantic little heart spared one last glance up at her before fleeing away at a high speed.

The speedy heart zipped by Zant and a few demons, and the minion declared, "I'll get it, My Liege!", and went off to capture it alongside the demons.

Ganondorf gripped his paining chest as his fiery eyes faded away, becoming his regular yellow eyes again. He uncovered his chest to see the gaping crack that Rachel left was still there. "Looks like the jig is up, Ganondork!" Rachel exclaimed, readying her blade. "You thought you could hold me, but I escaped. And now that your heart is gone, there's no chance of you winning!"

Ganondorf's smile returned, and the Demon King burst into evil chuckles once again. "Foolish child… how do you hope to win? The Triforce of Courage is gone from your hand. You're powerless now, even with the Master Sword."

Rachel once again took a look at her left hand, as did Nigel and Fanny, finding the Triforce of Courage mark long gone. "So? Your Triforce is gone, too."

"Yes… but my powers of the Demon King… still burn brightly. You may have dismantled my powers for now… but it is only a minor setback. They will return in time. Besides… take a look around you. You have already failed." The three did so and viewed the horror that existed around them. Everywhere you look, destruction ravaged the land. Many parks and houses were burned. The once beautiful blue sky had become a devil-red, as did the clouds. The treehouse that was once Sector V's glory had toppled over, shattered into a ruinous pile of broken and fallen timber. And demons everywhere… were claiming this world as their own. "Your entire world… fallen before the might of the Demon King. It's all your fault, Rachel." A guilty look made itself onto Rachel's face, and Ganondorf kept his maniacal grin. "You played right into my trap. Coming to rescue your pitiful cousin. You ended up handing us the final piece of the Triforce. You failed to rescue your cousin, _and_ you helped us form the holy triangle that would lead to your world's demise. The Uno Royal Family has fallen… just as the incarnation cycle of the Hero of Time. We owe it all to you… _Kid…_"

Rachel only held her head down in guilt and depression. But suddenly, Ganondorf was struck from behind from a blast of lightning, the group looking behind to see the Princess Azula. Ganondorf shot an angry glare at the traitorous princess. The firebender gasped and jumped back when Matthew the Dragon suddenly took land several feet away, reaching his long neck to place his head between her and Ganon, glaring and snarling at the princess. Azula also took notice of Hannibal Bean flying above them on his bird, Ying-Ying. Before the Matt Dragon could poison her with purple breath, Katara grabbed its neck and held him back with water fists while Toph locked his feet to the ground using rocks.

When Vaati's black sky bison flew down closer, Nigel and Fanny grabbed Rachel and flew up to him using their rocket shoes. The Avatar Gaang members (and Azula) followed afterwards and hopped on the sky bison with them. "Come on, we'll regroup at Sector W's place." Vaati told them. "Their treehouse is still safe. Probably the only _one_ still safe. Let's go." With that, he whipped his sky bison, and it roared and kept flying.

As Ganondorf was trying to stand after his shock to the back from Azula, Koume & Kotake flew down to his aid, along with a bunch of demons. "My Lord. Are you okay?" Koume asked.

Ganondorf panted a little and uncovered his chest, exposing the huge crack to all the demons. "I'm fine. That really hurt, though." His smile came back, "…But hey: at least I'm NOT DEAD!" The Dark Lord burst into laughter, and the group of demons joined in shortly after.

**Ashland, West Virginia**

The group continued to soar over the skies on the tremendous sky bison as they finally saw a massive glowing bubble out in the distance. "Hey… that's our neighborhood!" Sonya exclaimed happily.

"Yep. Before all this happened, I used my magic to set up a protective barrier. Ganondorf loves putting up barriers around his evil lair, so I kind of learned it from him." Vaati explained. "Of course I had a little help. Facilier is there, too."

"Well, that's good." Abby replied.

Vaati used his power to phase the lot of them through the barrier, and the group took land near to Sector W's treehouse, which was over Rachel's house. "Alright, team, we were outmatched just now, so we need to come up with a plan to invade Ganondorf's castle." Nigel began. "First, I propose we, oooohhhh…" He stopped himself when he noticed Eva's angry glare. "Uhhh…"

"No no, it's fine, it's fine." She decided, still annoyed. "Just go on with your speech."

"Er, right, uh… Anyway, I think the best plan of action is to…" His sentence was cut off again when he noticed Rachel depressedly walking over to her house, keeping her head held down. "Rachel, where are you going?"

"I'm going to my room."

"What? Why?"

"Face it, Nigel." Rachel sighed, pulling open the front door of her house. "I've lost." Still keeping her head down, she pulled the door shut. Nigel and the gang exchanged glances and looked her way with pity.

**Later… **

A few hours passed, and everyone decided to have a rest in the safety of the barrier before thinking of a way to stop Ganondorf. Outside, Vaati was busy petting his sky bison as it ate some meat, and the Avatar Gaang (minus Aang) was on their way over to see him. "Boy, I sure am glad Vaati was able to grab us before all this started." Sokka said.

"Hey, has anyone seen Aang?" Katara asked. "I haven't really seen him in a while."

"I might actually have an idea." Toph replied. "After Ganondorf became all super freakazoid, he sorta opened a rift in space that sucked Negatar Gnaa in. Or so Wally told me. I think it's possible Gnaa was sucked into a different dimension, and Aang probably disappeared with him."

"Oh no!" Katara gasped in horror. "I hope Aang isn't dead!"

"E-yeah… I don't really know too many people that survive being pulled into a portal of doom by shadowy ghost hands." Toph said.

"Well, all that matters now is stopping Ganondorf." Sokka replied. "But speakin' of which, that's a pretty neat sky bison you've got there!" he complimented as they walked over to Vaati.

"Hm, thanks. Wanna hear something interesting? This is the last living sky bison from the Negatar Realms. I'll let you figure the rest out."

The three exchanged shocked glances. "This is Appa's Negative? !" Katara asked.

"E-yep. Coincidentally, his name's Appa as well. You know, 'Appa' mirrored is 'Appa'?"

"That could lead to some confusion." Sokka said.

"I found him while I was snooping the Negatar Realms and decided to take him, since I'm an airbender. You would guess him to be the Negatar's pet, but since he's an opposite, sky bison aren't usually as friendly to their masters. You have to tame them using force. Things that would anger a Positive sky bison. Plus, they eat meat. So I wouldn't get too close if I were you."

"And yet you have no problem with it. But since it's Appa's opposite, does that mean he'd be good in a conversation?" Toph asked.

"I'd doubt it."

"But wait, if he's an opposite, wouldn't he be a different element or something?" Sokka asked.

"Eh, not really, apparently. Negatives aren't usually 100% different from their opposites."

"Ah. So no good conversation, then." Toph said. "Just some angrier roaring whenever we have to sit by each other outside of some building. Yeah, I'd rather sit with our Appa."

**Rachel's House**

"Hey, kids!" Facilier cheerfully called as he entered the living room with a tray of steaming cookies. "Who here wants some o' Grim and Facilier's freshly made Underworld Cookies?" The band of kids excitedly hurried over to each take one. "Made of all the regular stuff human cookies have, with the chocolate chips, some cinnamon, but with the Underworld's little helping of small beetles!"

The children froze in their eating, putting on disgusted expressions. But after a few seconds, most of them continued eating the tasty treats anyway. "Guuh…" Abby groaned, gripping her stomach. "Numbuh 5's gonna be sick."

"Ah, relax, Kid, beetles ain't gonna hurtcha." Grim said with a mischievous smile.

"I still can't believe Rachel was inside Ganondorf's body!" Patton exclaimed, sitting on the couch beside Fanny as they both ate a cookie.

"Me either. I'd rather be inside YOUR filthy boy body." Fanny remarked.

"Oh, typical, Fanny. But we both know ya wanna be inside THIS body- OOF!" Fanny stomped his foot.

"That is DISGUSTIN'! In more ways than one."

"She was just sooper lucky to get out of there before you guys did something totally stupid." Eva said to Nigel.

"Well, it was worth a try." he replied.

"Say, where did everybody else go, anyway?"

"Nolan, Numbuh 101, and some of the others went to stay up in Sector W's treehouse. It's probably our last line of defense, so we need everyone we can guarding up there. And plus, we have WAY too many people in our group."

"Not as much as the Ocean Saga."

"OR the Galactic."

"But wouldn't the best plan be to attack Ganon together?" Charlotte asked.

"Possibly. But it is destiny that Rachel must be the one to slay the Evil King." Grim reminded. "Using the combined forces of the other two Triforce holders, and the Three Sacred Treasures of Hyrule."

"The Three Sacred Treasures?" Nigel asked.

"Yes. The three most powerful weapons in Link's arsenal: the Master Sword, Arrow of Light, and the Mirror Shield. Rachel has two of them. But she's missing the Mirror Shield."

"Where is that?" Sonya asked.

"After Ganondorf's first defeat, the Demon Royal Family decided to take the Mirror Shield, and hide it in Castle Hell. Which, coincidentally, has been uprooted onto the Mortal World, and now serves as Ganondorf's domain. Of course, the Three Sacred Treasures are only a minor part of the legend, really. Chances are, Rachel won't even need all of them."

"That's not the only thing she needs." Eva spoke up. "Rachel just looked so upset. It's like she's lost her motivation to battle."

"After de Triforce of Courage was removed from her, it looks like she's lost her courage in general. If she don't have de courage, she got no chance of beating Ganondorf, Mon."

"Well, there must be some way we can help her. Shouldn't we try and locate the Triforce parts?"

"She doesn't need the Triforce." Nigel told her. "What she needs is courage." The Brit stood up. "I'll be right back." The group watched him leave up the stairs to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Scarlet was sitting at the dining room table herself, just quietly scraping dirt out of her long, metal claws. Violet came over and pulled a chair out, having a seat beside her cousin. "Hey."

Scarlet glanced up. "Hey."

"You feeling okay?"

Scarlet sighed. "Not really. I just sold out my entire world. All because I wanted revenge on you. Sigh, it never would've been worth it. I should've listened to Kweeb to begin with."

"Hey, don't feel bad." Violet replied, patting her shoulder in comfort. "If anything good came out of this, it's that we're friends now, and now we can fight together."

"Hm, yeah…" Scar turned and faced Vi. "I still can't believe I blamed you all this time for her disappearance. I'm…I'm really sorry, Vi."

"Ah, it's okay." Vi smiled. "When you think about it, it really was kinda my fault to begin with."

"So you ADMIT IT!" she yelled, playfully aiming her claw.

"Yeah. Whatcha gonna do about it?" Violet asked in a joking tone. Both werecats joyously burst into laughter.

Upstairs, Nigel slowly creaked open the door to Rachel's room. He peeked inside and found his Supreme Leader lying down on her bed on her front in a depressed state, her head turned toward the wall right next to her bed. Nigel approached the Supreme Leader slowly with an apologetic look. "Um… Rachel? Are you… feeling… okay?"

The girl gave a sniffle. "It's all my fault, Nigel…" she sobbed a little.

"It's not your fault, Rachel. And even if it was, this isn't the end. You're still alive! That means there's still hope!"

"Oh, what does it matter? I lost my Triforce of Courage, and Ganondorf's the all-powerful ruler of the world now. There's no way I can win now. I just feel… so _weak_ and helpless right now. Face it, Nigel. It's all my fault. I'm the _worst_ person the Master Sword could've chosen. I'm the worst Supreme Leader in the Kids Next Door, I'm the worst incarnation of Link to ever exist, I am absolutely, the WORST person to EVER deserve a title as 'Hero of Time', and I, in no way, deserve such a title at ALL."

"Rachel…" Nigel's never seen her so doubtful and hopeless before, "I…"

"Oh, come on!" Rachel suddenly lifted her head when she heard Harvey's voice, seeing her little brother just walking into the room with Sector W. "That's probably the DUMBEST thing you coulda ever said, Rachel! But you know what: maybe you DON'T deserve it! But not because you lost the Triforce. No, it's because you're giving up! And because you're a quitter! Just like that!"

"Harvey, I-"

"SHUT UP!" he cut her off, stepping closer. "Sis: who was the person I wrote my paper about for the person I admire the most? Who saved me from that pack of bullies and lets me sleep in her bed whenever I have a nightmare? Who do I look up to every day, and follow in their footsteps so that I could become a great, and totally awesome leader, just like THEY are? Who's the biggest, strongest, bravest, most AWESOMEST operative in the whole KND?"

"But Harvey-"

"Sir:" Patton interrupted Rachel and stepped closer to his leader. "Who brought me and Fanny back together and fixed everything after we started a huge war with one of our fights?"

"Wait, did that actually happen-"

"And who was it that saved Harvey when he was being controlled by Gnaa, because of how loving, and caring, and forgiving a sister she is?" Angie asked.

"And if ANYONE can defeat Ganondorf," Sonya spoke up, "it's you: our Supreme Leader, the Hero of Time, the wielder of the Master Sword, the greatest operative to EVER lead the KND."

"Rachel." Rachel looked directly into Nigel's serious eyes as he placed both his hands over her left one. "You don't need some silly, magical golden triangle to give you courage. That Courage, that _true_ power, is inside you. You didn't earn the Mark of Courage just because you were… 'Link's descendant'." He rolled his eyes. "You earned it because you were strong… and brave… and never willing to give up. And if any person deserved titles such as 'Hero of Time' or 'Supreme Leader', it's you. I can't THINK of anyone more deserving of the title. It's the very reason I fell in love with you! But if that love is misplaced… then may God strike me down now."

"Um, slight problem with that- Ow!" Angie smacked Harvey before he could say more.

Rachel then looked as Azelf flew down beside her. "I know you can do it…" she spoke.

"That's right!" Yevrah exclaimed. "As Hero of Time, you have the power to stop Ganondorf and save the world! We're _all_ counting on you."

_"I keep forgetting he's here."_ Lee whispered to Sonya.

Rachel looked around at everybody in the room. All of her friends, having faithful and determined looks on their faces. They _all_ believed in her. It was amazing how hopeful they were. Nigel, Fanny, Patton, Harvey, Angie, Charlotte, Sonya, Lee, Paddy… they knew she could do it. She looked away, a more serious look appearing on her visage. She made her decision. "You're wrong. All of you." Everyone's hopeful faces dropped and turned to disappointment. "There's no way I can beat Ganondorf now. I…I just can't."

"But Rachel…" Nigel spoke in an upset tone. "If you don't try… there's no hope for anyone-"

"Forget it, Nigel." Rachel turned her head and faced him. "It'd be a death wish to go against Ganondorf by myself."

"But Rachel, you have to- Wait a minute." Nigel finally understood what she meant.

Rachel gave a smirk and winked at her boyfriend.

**Near the barrier's edge**

Several feet away from Rachel's house, Lehcar sat on a small boulder and looked up at the reddened sky beyond the barrier. She studied her right hand, formerly the hand with the Triforce of Power mark, and flicked her fingers, releasing only tiny sparks of purple fire and lightning. "Good MOOOOORNING, Sis!" She turned and gave an annoyed look as her cheerful brother approached with a sun-shiny smile on his face, accompanied by Rachel and the others.

"Firstly, Yevrah, it's late afternoon. And you can't even tell what time of day it is now. And secondly, get out of my sight. Getting betrayed by my father is one thing, I don't need YOUR shiny attitude giving me a headache."

"Now, now, Sis." He wagged his finger. "Being an angryhead got you here, it'll get you nowhere else. But we're all entitled to a certain responsibility in the universe. And yours is helping Rachel destroy Ganon and save the world."

"Like hell I would work with the oh-so great 'Hero of Time'. Besides, what would the point be, anyway? Ganondorf's won. We are powerless before him. And I certainly would be no match. My powers are gone, just like my Triforce. Reduced to a mere nothing. We're better off just sitting around, waiting for our doom."

"Hehe." Hoagie nudged Abby's shoulder. "Hey, Numbuh 5. Both Rachel _and_ her Negative were acting hopeless. Ah haha- Ow!" Abby smacked his arm.

"Isn't their someway we can convince you, Lehcar?" Rachel asked. "I know you don't quite like me, but if we work together, I know we could easily take down Ganondorf."

"And just how do you expect that?" Lehcar asked, raising a brow. "The only thing that made me strong were my powers, and Ganondorf took them back. Heck, he even took my sword. And besides, he's captured Mandy and has taken her soul. What do you plan to do about that, hmm?"

_"'ey! Let me in!"_ At this, everyone directed their attention to Yllaw Seltaeb, banging against the barrier from the outside. Grim walked over and snapped his fingers, making a hole in the barrier open for Yllaw to get inside. "Ho, thank God. I thought we weren't ever gonna make it."

"You still owe me for breaking you out of there." Kweeb told him, climbing out from Yllaw's pocket.

"Kweeb? Where've you been?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, Bug. I was wondering where you skittered away to." Lehcar said.

"Before your fight with Rachel, I climbed out before things got too crazy. When Ghirahim came, I went to hide in Yllaw's pocket to see where he might take us."

"Little bug might be a bug, but 'e's helpful at opening cells in scary dungeons." Yllaw said. "Now what're you all talking about? We're going to stop Ganondorf, right?"

"That's what we'd like to do." Rachel answered. "But Lehcar's being a little… uncooperative."

"Hehe. Oi, that Lehcar. Always so hateful, aren't ya?"

"Indeed, and there are a couple people in my presence now that I'd like to impale." Lehcar stated. "Nevertheless, it is hopeless. We are but insignificant bugs to Ganondorf's power."

"Yeah, well, every bug has his day! Right, guys?" Yevrah happily asked everyone else.

"Oh GOD, I wanna hit you!" Harvey yelled in anger and annoyance.

"Now hold on a second, Lehcar." Yllaw spoke up. "I know Kweeb and all these other lameoids are bugs-"

"Hey!" Kweeb yelled.

"-but you're different! You're the most FEARED person in all the Negaverse!"

"What about the Negatar?"

"Eh, he's trapped in a void. I think most people forgot him, anyway. But _you're_ the Demon King's daughter. Legions of children grovel to your feet for mercy. Back when you were Supreme DNK Leader, you used to execute anyone who brought you a wrong order of fries, or missed even a single stain on your clothing. Are you really gonna let a simple adult like _Ganondorf_ make you feel weak? Sure, you don't have your Triforce anymore, but, Ganon ain't really the strongest guy on the planet at the moment. In fact, I think you may have overlooked something vital." He smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, when you cut open Ganondorf's chest and pulled his heart out, his powers decreased. The heart is what empowers the being the most. And even if his minions put it back, it'll take time for his powers to return completely. That means you two have the perfect chance to get in there and lay waste to him!"

"Lehcar, please." Rachel pleaded. "If you don't help us, Ganondorf will destroy everything. Is that what you want?"

"I… am actually quite fond of destruction to be honest."

"Yeah?" Scarlet asked with a scowl. "I guess you also liked how Ganondorf totally hurt and betrayed you. He made you think he loved you like actual flesh and blood, and then he lied. All because he wanted to use you in his little game. You were nothing more than a puppet in his eyes. And you're just going to let him get away with it without punishment? Honestly, I would at least ram a sword into his chest or something."

"Oi, the Lehcar I know wouldn't THINK about letting something like that slide!" Eeballaw smirked.

Lehcar looked away in thought. Remembering how Ganondorf, her so-called 'loving' father, so rashly treated her, tossed her aside like she was some prom night dumpster baby.

Some music started to play, and singing was heard coming from a dumpster. _"Ah'm just some prom night dumpster-"_

Not now!

"Oop! Sorry."

Anger and pure hatred flowed through Lehcar's mind. She gritted her teeth and shook her right fist, clenched shut as it alit with purple flames. "That BASTARD!"

_"I get it!"_ Hoagie commented.

"How could he DO that to me? He MUST be taught a lesson. Let's get over there and rain DEATH upon that demon!"

"Yeah, now we're talkin'!" Yllaw fist-pumped.

"Great, then let's hurry to Ganon's castle as soon as possible." Rachel said.

Eva suddenly heard a horse's cry, noticing something scampering over from outside the barrier. "Um… what is that?"

Everyone faced to where she looked. To their surprise, a strange, red horse, with white hair on its head, dashed and phased through the barrier, and came to a halt beside Rachel. The horse gave another neigh and kicked its front legs in the air. "Hey! That's the horse that came to help you fight that Bulblin guy!" Sonya recognized.

"Y-Yeah… she is, isn't she?" Rachel asked, gently petting the horse. "Just what is this horse, anyway?"

Fi jumped out and responded, _"A report, Master: I have analyzed this horse, and have come to the conclusion that it is not of this world. It appears to be a spirit being. In fact, there is an 85% chance this is Epona, the horse that once served as Link's steed long ago."_

"This is… Link's horse?" Rachel asked lowly, in a tone of amazement.

"Co-o-ol!" Wally exclaimed. "You have your own spirit horse, too! Oi wanna ride!" The Aussie excitedly approached the horse and stared up at it with a wide grin. The horse only whinnied and turned its back to Wally, kicking the short boy and sending him flying. "WAAAAH!"

Rachel shook her head and climbed onto Epona's back, with Lehcar getting on behind her. "Can this simple animal really bring us to Ganon's castle?" the Negative asked.

"The animal kingdom really is full of wonders. And that probably goes double for spirit animals."

"You sure you'll be okay, Rachel?" Nigel asked.

"Don't worry about me, Nigel. I wasn't elected Supreme Leader for nothing. If anyone can stop Ganondorf, I can."

"Yeah, so don't get so worked up!" Eva yelled. "She's a girl, she can handle it."

"Exactly." Fanny agreed.

"Um, just in case, we better bring some help." Patton said.

"Patton." Fanny glared.

"Hehe. I'm just kidding!" He playfully grinned.

"Bring DEATH upon him, Lehcar!" Yllaw cheered.

"Stab his organs out!" Scarlet exclaimed.

"I will!" Lehcar assured.

"Oh! And one more thing!" Grim spoke up.

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

"It usually takes time for a demon to become fully accustomed to a soul. If you can weaken him hard enough, you should be able to recover Mandy's soul in time."

"Grim also said something about a Mirror Shield hidden inside the castle." Nigel told her.

"That's right. With all Three Sacred Treasures, your fight against Ganon should be a lot easier." Grim said.

"Good luck, Sis. I know you can do it." Harvey encouraged.

"Me too! I know the two of you will bring sunshine back to the world!" Yevrah happily cheered next to Harvey.

_"I swear, if I have to spend another moment with that guy, I am gonna lose it."_ Harvey mumbled through gritted teeth, his fists trembling.

"Thank you, guys. I couldn't do this without you." Rachel then made Epona face towards the barrier. "Let's go, Epona! Hyah!" The horse neighed and sped straight through the barrier, dashing across the ruined wasteland on its journey to Castle Hell.

"You really think we can take Ganondorf the way we are now?" Lehcar asked as the sounds of Epona's fast trotting against the ground sounded loudly in their ears.

"We have to try. If we can just rescue Mandy's soul before he's restored to full power, we might have a shot."

_"Master, know that even in the darkest depths of that castle, I will be there to aid you."_ Fi assured from the sword.

"I know you will, Fi. I'd never get this far without you."

_"And Master… good luck."_

From another area of the barrier dome, Azula watched the two counterparts speed off on the horse into the distance. She heard somebody approach behind her, turning to face her brother, Zuko. "Hey… that was pretty noble of you back there."

"Oh, you're too kind." she replied sarcastically.

"But why? Why are you helping us? Or is something in it for you…"

"Oh, come now, Zuzu, don't tell me you don't believe in a change of heart. Or is your life so much more important that you think it can only apply to you?"

"Well… it seemed kind of random. Breaking free after we froze you, just to help us. You never do this sort of thing without a motive."

"Alright, you want the truth, Zuzu? I had myself a little… spiritual journey. An epiphany, rather, a vision, while I was trapped in that frosty substance. And after seeing what Lehcar has gone through with her father… I question how _my_ father really felt towards me. His hunger for destruction was as boundless as Ganondorf's. Was he really that caring towards me, or was he just happy that I was strong enough to wreak destruction for him? I felt a small connection with Mandy, too. We are a lot alike. She feels uncared for, and uses fear to control people… just like I did with Mai and Ty Lee. And little did she truly know of the close relative that really cared for her deep down."

"Hm… I can't say I really cared much for you back in the time, to be honest. But, sometimes even the family members you don't get along with… can feel really close to you at some points. But still…" He looked up and faced her, "when you said all of that just now, it felt like you were… really serious. About wanting another chance. Of course, you… always were a pretty good liar. Maybe we should get Toph to check on you." He chuckled lightly.

"Hm, no need." She smiled slightly. "Saying all of that just now felt really weird. I normally don't feel that way when I'm lying. This… odd, different feeling of truthfulness."

"Hm, I'm starting to think you're the Negative Azula."

"If I was, then I wouldn't be so great." With that, the two burst into light laughter.

"Yeah, well, anyway… I'm sure Mai and Ty Lee would be happy to give you another chance. They secretly miss you. Without you, they don't really have anyone to poke fun at me."

"I'm surprised they don't hang out with Katara. But now that I mention it, where is Aang anyway? You don't think _he_ could've vanished from existence, do you?"

"Either that or he's looking for some giant monster to hitch a ride on in this world. Anyway, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually. Though I can't quite say for the Negatar though. Wherever he wound up, I doubt he'll be able to learn spacebending."

"Hmm. Then our main mission now is to beat Ganondorf."

"I think Rachel's already got that covered. After all… a girl that can kick Sokka's butt doesn't come around very often."

"Ummm…"

"…Okay, a lot of them come around. But still." The two burst into laughter once more.

**Castle Hell**

The Dark Lord had returned to his castle and was back in his regular black armor and had his red hair in curls again. The Demon King sat upon his throne at the top of the castle, quietly pounding keys on a pipe organ to relax after the stresses this day brought. The Gerudo thief closed his eyes in peace and had a vision in his mind. Rachel McKenzie and Lehcar EiznekCm, riding Epona across the vast fields of demonic ruin, on their way to his burning domain. He reopened his eyes and looked to the high ceiling above. Two angel statues, with one of their heads broken off and on the floor, held a statue of the Triforce in their hands at the top of the pipe organ. Within the center empty triangle of that Triforce, Mandy McKenzie lay unconscious, her wrists and legs chained to the stone, so she was stretched in an "X" shape.

A grin made itself across Ganondorf's face. He calmly closed his eyes and began chuckling. "So… the Hero of Time has returned… and she thinks she has a chance against me." He shot his eyes open. "Well then, come forth, Dear Rachel. We'll see what the generation of Link's bloodline has come to. If you truly think you have the courage… then come to my castle. HA ha ha ha, HAAH HAH HA HA HAH!" The Demon Lord pounded his fingers harder on the keys, and the organ's deafening notes echoed throughout the halls of the castle. The dragon form of Matthew Dimalanta, and the titanic bird that was the Helmaroc King soared around the demonic castle, waiting as well for Rachel's arrival.

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><p><strong>HOO, and we leave it at that. This story's drawing close to a close, folks. Next time, the showdown of showdowns, the final battle against Ganondorf Dragmire. It might not be as good as Brain's battle, but it's as epic as a final battle could get. Later!<strong>


	80. Ganon Reborn

**Well, people, it's sad to say, but here is the final chapter of this grand saga. Well, second-to-last. The final showdown against Ganondorf is here. With just this one remaining stage, and Rachel's destiny upon her, the grand finale is in our reach. Here we go. It's time.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Hero's Destiny: Triforce Wielders vs. Ganon!<em>**

Rachel and Lehcar held tight to Epona's back as the Underworld Castle was merely miles away from them. "I'm curious about something, Rachel." Lehcar spoke. "Why _didn't_ you slay Ghirahim during that first battle? You clearly have no problem with slaying the lower-level minions. Was it because your morals kicked in, or…?"

"Eh… I dunno… it just felt a little too… easy." She replied simply.

"Ahaaa." Lehcar smirked. "So you don't take well to killing things unless they provide a challenge first. Seems like BOTH of us are rubbing off on the other."

"Well… I will admit, I get a thrill with slaying enemies. But it's totally different from your way. I get a thrill with bringing peace and justice to all the kids in the world. You only destroy things just for the heck of it. That's totally different."

"Ah, yes, always the goody two-shoes. I suppose Link felt the same way in his time. But surely you don't slay things without the teensiest little thrill of seeing enemies fall before you?"

Rachel glanced at her Negative and gave a slight mischievous smile. Lehcar smirked back before the two faced ahead at the incoming castle. As they were just outside the drawbridge gates, surrounded by a magma moat, the two disembarked the horse, and Rachel patted Epona in thanks as the two looked up at the tremendous, impending castle. "Here it is: Ganondorf's castle." Rachel spoke as dark-red clouds circled the heavens, releasing purple lightning. "Funny thing is, we didn't have to do much here the first time."

"That's because the stage designers at that time were lazy." Lehcar retorted. The two girls burst into laughter.

"Okay, let's get going." Rachel chuckled. "It's our last stage, and I wanna get it done as soon as possible. It's only a matter of time before Ganon absorbs Mandy's soul completely. Let's go." (Play the "ZREA Tower of Spirits" theme from _Zelda: Spirit Tracks_!)

_Stage 55: Castle Hell_

_Mission: Locate Ganondorf and stop his demonic reign once and for all!_

_Act 1_

The two girls crossed the drawbridge and entered the castle's dead courtyard. The front entrance seemed protected by a massive wall of fire, so the girls went around toward the right. As they were about to enter a door to the next-door courtyard, a barrier surrounded them, and a squad of Bokoblin charged in wielding swords. Rachel just rapidly performed spin attacks to knock them away, and Lehcar jumped in the air to kick purple flames at them from her feet. In a matter of moments, the barrier disappeared when the enemies were gone. "Hey, I thought you didn't have your powers anymore?" Rachel said.

"Hm. Seems my anger for Ganondorf has revived it a little. I guess rage really does pay." She shrugged. The two proceeded to enter the door, and ended up in a Bulblin archery field. The masked demon riders got onto their Bullbos and rode around the field, shooting tons of fire arrows their way. Rachel held up her shield in defense while Lehcar skied out, tossing purple flames at the Bulblin and knocking them off the demon bulls. Lehcar then proceeded to hop on one of them, burning the bull a little so that it charged, and she controlled it to make it ram through the Bulblins and all of the fences set up to block their path. Rachel hurriedly ran after her Negative, seeing Lehcar jump off before the Bullbo rammed the wall far on the other side. When Rachel made it to her side, the two noticed six pillars with crystal switches on them. They all seemed to make a Triforce design, with three of them more spread out away from each other, and the other three closer together.

Rachel tossed her Boomerang around randomly to hit the switches, but they just seemed to switch back to normal. "Dang it. There's always a certain order."

"Hey, what's this?" Lehcar asked, noticing a pile of dead leaves on the ground. The Evil Princess burned the pile of leave, revealing what appeared to be a picture of the Triforce, drawn with lines in a certain path. Rachel studied the lines and arrows and carefully compared them with that of the switches. Figuring out the order, she tossed her Boomerang around so that it formed the outer triangle, then the inner triangle. The order was accepted as a cage opened near to them. The two hurried over and found a lever inside, pulling it the other way. Within the castle's front yard, the wall of fire vanished.

The girls high-fived before hurrying back to the front courtyard. They tried to get in through the front door, but unfortunately it was locked. "Oh, shyah, you can't go anywhere in dungeons without the next door being locked. Ah well, let's look over here." Rachel decided as the two went into the other courtyard on the left side. This one appeared to be more wide open, but as they walked into the center, another barrier trapped them inside, and a squad of Lizalfos charged in to begin attacking.

The lizard soldiers carefully sidestepped around the girls as they tried to leap and swing their swords. Lehcar shot flames at a few of them, but others rolled behind and tried to strike her. Rachel rolled behind the Lizalfos to strike their rears, but when she stood up, a couple Kargaroks flew down and began clawing at her face using their talons. Rachel rapidly swung her blade and sliced the bird monsters, flipping away just in time before some Dinalfos sliced at her. Both she and Lehcar ran to attack the demons and took them out in seconds. After they were gone, the barrier disabled, and the two took notice of the treasure chest beside the wall. They went over to open it and found the key inside. Shortly after returning to the front yard, the two opened the front doors of the castle and proceeded to enter.

They came into the castle's foyer and saw several doors high up on platforms, and chandeliers hanging around the room. Once again, a barrier surrounded them when they stood in the center. The room became much darker as swarms of Miniblin began scampering over, trying to jab their pitchforks into them. The two were dangerously outnumbered, but Rachel charged up a Hurricane Spin in her sword and gave her battle cry as she zoomed around the area, slicing all the weak-boned enemies in one strike. Rachel became dizzy afterwards, so this allowed a group of Moblin to charge over and bat her several feet away with their spears. The Moblin held up their spears in defense when Lehcar began shooting fires at them, but Rachel recovered and ran behind the Moblin to slice at their butts. The pig monsters gripped their rears and bounced around in pain, so Rachel was able to strike and defeat them.

The barriers disappeared as candles alit the room from atop the chandeliers. Rachel noticed one of them hanging beside a platform and shot her Hookshot to latch onto it. Lehcar held onto Rachel as the Hookshot pulled them up. Hanging from the chandelier, Rachel slowly lowered them with the Hookshot's chain, making them able to swing and build enough momentum before they released and fell to the platform. They entered the door and went up a couple stairs before appearing in a long, straight hallway. They hid behind their doorway as a strange, blue-cloaked skeleton being with a scythe slowly walked down the hall, aiming a red beam from its eye. "What is it?" Rachel whispered.

Fi responded, _"Target locked: Reaper. Reapers are soul-carrying monsters of the Underworld who lead souls to their fates after they've been decided in the afterlife, be it the Spirit World, the Sanzu River, etc.. A few of them are used as guards for the Underworld Army. I highly suggest we do our best to stay out of their line of sight, or else I predict a 90% chance he will be after us, with a very high chance of defeating us."_

"Well, it's best not to take any chances." Rachel figured. "Let's hide." When they saw the Reaper turn around and begin walking the other way, the two carefully tiptoed behind it. When he was about to turn around, the two quickly ducked behind one of the gaps in the wall. The Reaper turned and walked by without a single notice of them.

They soon made it to the end of the hall, going up a staircase that led them to what appeared to be the central chamber. Before them was a tower in the very center, surrounded by a dark barrier. The barrier was connected to what appeared to be four different-colored beams connecting to rods above doorways.

_"A report, Master."_ Fi began. _"The door in the tower ahead appears to be the entrance to Ganon's Tower. However, judging by the field of darkness encasing, I project we will not be able to continue unless we do something about it."_

"No duh, ya dumb spirit." Lehcar stated snarkily.

"Lehcar…" Rachel glared.

_"However, I presume if we do something about the four connecting generators, there is a 5% chance the shield will last."_

"Guess that's our cue. But man, what's with all these final stages having trial rooms?"

"Eh. It is the last stage." Lehcar shrugged.

"Good point. Alright then, let's do this one first." Rachel decided, leading them through the door the red beam was going to. They ended up into what looked to be a replica of the Groudon Volcano. "Hey, I remember this place. This was back when we first met Meta Knight. Ahhh, the memories…" Rachel sighed. "Where is Meta Knight, anyway?"

Rachel noticed the bomb flower attached to the stem of an unstable sphere-shaped boulder and fired an arrow, exploding the ball off its perch. The ball rolled over, and the girls carefully stepped on, using the ball to balance and roll their way across the magma. They noticed some Fire Toadpolies sticking out of the lava, but the two were able to roll the ball over and crush them. They noticed a lava geyser reaching up to a higher ledge, so when it sunk back down, the two rolled the ball on top of it, jumping off after it raised them higher. They trekked through a small cave, finding a small area with a glass wall, overlooking a deep chasm of lava, with geysers shooting out. There appeared to be a tiny hole just below the wall, and a tiny trail leading down to a crystal switch. On their right was a door, but it was closed with bars.

"Hmm. Shame we didn't bring the bug." Lehcar said.

"Well, maybe this should help." With that, Rachel pulled out her M.A.R.B.L.E. bag and rolled one of the tiny explosives down the track, but it exploded on contact of one of the geysers. "O-kay. Wait for them to go down." She decided. Once she knew the end geysers were low enough, she quickly rolled another M.A.R.B.L.E. down before the front geysers came back up. The bomb exploded on touching the crystal switch, making the door open. The two opposites smiled and high-fived each other before entering the door. Inside was a ball of dark energy, surrounded by the red beam. Rachel drew out her Light Arrow and took aim, shooting and destroying the generator.

At that instant, the girls were swallowed up by light and teleported to the central room, watching as the red beam disappeared. With that done, they decided to enter the door that had the yellow beam. As Rachel suspected, they were taken to a remake of the Sun Temple. "Aww. I remember this place! Those robots were adorable. Sure do miss 'em. Matter of fact, didn't Rainier say he had a robot like them? Whatever happened to that?"

"Who cares, let's keep moving." Lehcar demanded. They passed over the quicksand and went across the broken treadmills before arriving at a door that brought them to a long, thin hallway, the same one Rachel remembered. And as she remembered, the floor tiles started rising to the ceiling, so the group had to be quick. But instead of a switch being on the ceiling, there was an eyeball switch on the wall, so Rachel quickly shot it to make the door open. Another difference was the door was on a higher point now. Rachel noticed a Hookshot target and grabbed onto Lehcar as she shot the Hookshot to pull them up.

Within the next room, next to them was a key, and the door was on the other side of an even longer hallway, with a maze of spikes. When Rachel picked up the key, spikes emerged all over the ceiling, and the girls dashed through the spike maze as fast as they could when the ceiling slowly began to sink down. Looks of fear shone on their faces as the ceiling was coming close to crushing them. But thankfully, they were able to reach the door and open it before they were squashed. They found the generator that was surrounded by yellow energy. Rachel took out her Light Arrow and fired, taking it down.

They warped back to the central chamber as the yellow beam vanished. Next, they went into the room with the white beam, finding their selves in a replica of Sky Pillar. "Sigh… this place. Wasn't really too fond of this stage, though, though the scenery was nice. Why did Ganondorf wanna come here again?"

"I dunno, somethin' about being pissed at the Sky God." Lehcar shrugged. The two found a stairway and decided to head up the tremendous pillar replica. They found one of the balloon-crystals and grabbed on, letting the floatable take them up higher. They had to swerve to the side as flames came out of the walls, and Rachel swung her blade to keep away Keese that were trying to bite their balloon. When at the top, they kicked off onto the ledge and noticed a Peahat trail leading high above them. As they used the Hookshots to get higher, they noticed the ledge at the end had flames surrounding it. They also noticed some crystal switches in the wall, so Rachel tossed her Boomerang to hit them, deactivating the fires.

After getting to the ledge, they entered a door and found the dark ball surrounded by white energy. Rachel fired the Light Arrow and destroyed the generator, being transported to the main room. The beam of whiteness disappeared, and the girls proceeded into the final room with the green beam. Inside was a replica of The Tree of Beginning. "Ah, this place was pretty nice. Those Minish guys sure were cool. I'd like to see more of them."

"You mean that other tribe of bugs that Father told me about? Yes, they were fascinating creatures. Fascinating to see squished under my feet."

"Uh-huh. You love torturing bugs, don'tcha?"

"It's a habit. I like stepping on things." The two walked up a short hill to a higher point, where Rachel shot arrows at some large crystals on the ceiling to make the drop and stick to the ground, allowing them across. They went up another hill on the other side and entered a door to the outside area. Various large crystals stuck out of the wall as they led upwards, each of them having Hookshot targets, so the two used the Hookshots to make their way up higher. Along their way up, some Nejiron dropped down from above and tried to hit them, but the girls were able to avoid as they reached the balcony up top. Once up there, a couple of Aeralfos flew into the area and hovered around the balcony.

They both kept an eye on each of the Aeralfos as one of them launched down at Lehcar, but the Negative dodged and grabbed its sword hand, spinning it around before tossing it against the wall. The other one held its shield up at Rachel, but she shot her Hookshot to pull the monster in, then proceeded to deal away at it using her sword. Eventually, both Aeralfos were defeated, and the door opened before them. They entered inside and heard the sounds of the generator, but, no generator. Rachel felt a shadow loom over her, and quickly jumped out of the way when a Wallmaster hand tried to grab her. Rachel immediately stabbed the hand demon and took it down. Afterwards, the two proceeded to the wall ahead, feeling around and noticing the wall was fake. They phased through the fake wall and found the generator. Rachel took out her bow and arrow and shot the Light Arrow straight at the ball of darkness.

The two were transported back to the center room and watched as the green beam disappeared. With all beams shut down, the force-field spiraled around out of control before exploding and vanishing completely. As the two stood before th entrance to Ganon's Tower, Fi came out and spoke, _"Come, Master. Our foe awaits."_

"Okay. Let's go." And with a serious nod, both girls stepped into the entrance to the tower. (Play "Ganon's Tower" from _Ocarina of Time_!)

_Act 2: Ganon's Tower_

The sounds of a powerful pipe organ could be heard echoing throughout the tower. Inside the first room, a couple of Keese flew around, but Rachel swat them away with her sword when they got close. They heard the squeaking sounds of rats, and the two suddenly felt their selves be covered by something, slowing them down. Lehcar alit with flames and burned the Ghoul Rats off of her, while Rachel took them out with a spin attack. Afterwards, the duo hurried up the stairs and entered the door to the next room, where two Lizalfos and two Dark Lizalfos ambushed them. Rachel ran to slash at one of the Lizalfos as it defended with its stone arm, easily stabbing under the arm to take him out.

The other Lizalfos punched Rachel away, only to be burned by Lehcar, but the Negative became poisoned by one of the Dark Lizalfos. Rachel aimed her Light Arrow to shoot the Dark Lizalfos, then quickly back-flipped to dodge the other Lizalfos. She threw a few swings and defeated the Lizalfos, then focused on the other Dark Lizalfos. The dark-blue lizard tried to swing its tail, but Lehcar was able to grab it and set it on fire. The lizard monster ran around with his tail on fire, allowing Rachel to hurry over and stab it. With the monsters defeated, the girls hurried up the stairs to the next floor. A bunch of Chu-Chu blobs dropped down from the ceiling, but Rachel was easily able to wipe them out with a few spin attacks as they made their way up.

The next room was protected by a couple Stalfos, and also had a treasure chest surrounded by fire in the center. Rachel went to battle one of the skeleton soldiers, who held its two blades ready in defense. When it tried to strike, she ducked and quickly slashed away back, easily taking it out. Lehcar swiftly avoided blows from the other Stalfos as Rachel tapped its shoulder from behind. When it turned to face her, she smirked and tossed a M.A.R.B.L.E. into its mouth, and his eyes widened with fear as the skeleton exploded instantly. When the monsters were gone, the flames surrounding the chest died out.

Rachel curiously walked over to open the chest, and inside was a mysterious red shield with a mirror design on the front. She pulled the shield out as the two studied it. "Hey… is this-"

Fi jumped out to report, _"Master, I have information to report: the object you hold in your hands is none other than the Mirror Shield, one of Link's most valuable weapons in slaying Ganon. It is the 3rd of Three Sacred Treasures of Hyrule you hold in your possession, along with the Light Arrow and Master Sword. With all three of these weapons, your chances of defeating Ganondorf have increased dramatically."_

"So you're basically an unstoppable arsenal now." Lehcar smirked.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Rachel said, studying her cool new shield.

_"As the name implies, the Mirror Shield can deflect light, and other kinds of energy. Use this to your advantage when necessary."_

"And seeing as this is basically the end, there won't be much need." Rachel figured. The two continued their way up the tower, the stairs now guarded by a bunch of Redeads. Rachel noticed the rays of light coming out of the wall and used the Mirror Shield to reflect the rays into the zombies, stunning them and allowing Rachel to start slicing them. In the next room atop the stairs, a squad of Poe ghosts drifted around the room. The intangible ghosts tried to whack the girls with their lanterns, but Rachel stood in the rays of light coming from the wall and shone them on the ghosts. The ghosts became tangible again, and Lehcar proceeded to burn and finish them off.

They entered the next staircase where the stairs were aligned with a bunch of Beamos. The robotic eyes took aim at the kids and zapped lasers, but Rachel easily deflected the beams using the Mirror Shield and shot them back, destroying the robo totems. They made their way into the next room of the tower, where three Darknuts guarded the doorway. The heavily armored demons took notice of the girls and slowly approached with their swords raised.

Rachel flipped and ducked to avoid the first one's swings, running forward to deal quick blows against his armor. She hurriedly dodged the swings from the other soldiers as Lehcar charged up a jolt of lightning, shooting and dealing heavy damage against the armed demons. Rachel sheathed her blade as two of the demons approached, performing a Mortal Draw to knock off much of their armor. She sheathed her blade as they approached again, unleashing another Mortal Draw, continuing to repeat this tactic until all of the armor was gone. With no armor to slow them down, the demons ran forth and rapidly swung at the blonde hero. Rachel raised her Mirror Shield in defense and used Shield Bashes to make them wobble backward, allowing her to stab away at the unguarded beings. Lehcar kept avoiding strikes from the other Darknut and got behind him, shooting lightning at its rear. Eventually, all the armor was knocked off of him, and she had to dodge even faster as it began throwing rapid swings. Rachel saw this and charged over behind the Darknut, stabbing away at his back until he was taken out.

The two entered the next door and continued their way up what appeared to be the final staircase, much longer than all the others, and decorated with a red carpet, as the sounds of the pipe organ grew louder and louder. Just at the very top of the stairs, the girls gasped in horror when two Ornes suddenly appeared in their way. The floating, fiery skulls roared with the misery and sadness of hundreds of souls inside their form. One touch from the soul-eating skulls would be their demise. Rachel showed no more fear against the horrid skulls and put on a fierce look of determination. The Supreme Leader drew out her Arrows of Light and took a steady aim, piercing both of the skulls straight through and causing the Orne to be swallowed inside the light.

"Ah-halright! Not bad, Rachel!" Lehcar cheered.

"Hm. It's a living. Now then… are you ready to make Ganondorf share the fate of all these other fools?" Rachel smirked.

"Yes." Lehcar smirked. "I am." With that, both girls entered the massive door before them, and into the top area of the castle.

The sounds of the organ boomed even louder in their ears. They stood atop the balcony at the very top of Castle Hell. The duo looked over the edge, having a vast, marvelous view of the ruined wasteland below. From there, it was easy to observe what destruction had come to the land. The girls looked up and gasped when the Helmaroc King suddenly flew down beside their balcony. The massive bird gave a cry and looked like he was about to attack them. But before it could, some lasers shot down from above. They all looked up as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. was flying down from the heavens, zipping past the evil bird as it gave chase. "What are they doing here? !" Rachel exclaimed.

"Hey, they just made it a bit easier for us." Lehcar told her. "Leave old Big Bird to them. We have a much bigger bull to wrangle." Rachel exchanged a serious glance with her counterpart and nodded. The two looked to the double parallel stairs just beside them, leading up to the source of the organ's sound. The two went up separate stairs and reunited at the top. They stared into the massive chamber before them, the Dark Lord himself sitting at his throne and rapidly pounding his fingers at the pipe organ's keys. They slowly entered the throne room, Lehcar holding flames ready in her hands, and Rachel readying her Master Sword and Mirror Shield. They glanced down at the fallen angel statue head beside them near the entrance as they kept walking. Once halfway across the room, they stopped and gasped at seeing the unconscious Mandy cuffed into the Triforce statue above the organ.

Their attention focused back on Ganondorf, the Dark Lord continuing to play his organ. He looked just like Davy Jones doing that. Not to mention he was currently missing his heart. After a few more moments, the Dark Lord ceased the loud music, and sat in his throne quietly. (End song.)

"For many eons… I have lived. Reborn in this world from generation to generation." The two girls just stood there, but kept their guard raised. "I had known what my purpose was from the very beginning. Ever since before I lay my hands on the sacred golden triangle. Even before I met… _him_." Ganondorf calmly closed his eyes. "I'll never forget him… that…that SHINY golden hair and… beastly blue eyes. And garb more green than the greenest leaves on the trees of the forest. More green than the vast fields of Hyrule itself. And a heart…a heart could never be so strong. So pure. He had fought like no man or demon I have ever encountered in my time. Nor in any other time after that. For every time I had risen from the depths, every time that boy had been reincarnated in an endless cycle… his strength had proved no bounds. I had first known Link when he was just a simple little child. And he has become a fine man… ever since then. The perfect nemesis." The Evil King turned in his chair and opened his eyes. His dark-yellow eyes glared tight on Rachel T. McKenzie. "And now… look what the heroic Link has come to. A tiny little girl… who can't help but dig her face in that cheesecake of hers."

"Hey, I'll have you know that cheesecake is a plentiful-"

"Silence!" He slammed his fist, slowly standing up. "The Link I had faced in the past was strong… with a look of determination always in his eyes. Every lifetime I return to, I always look forward to gazing upon those blue eyes of his. And now… all I have is a simple little girl. Am I supposed to fear someone who can never miss a single second of her favorite television show?"

_"Dr. Time-Space is a good show…"_ she mumbled.

"It truly is laughable… and ironic all the same. Where Link's ancestry has come. But what I find _more_ ironic…" he turned his attention up at Mandy, "is where the bloodline of Princess Zelda has ended up. The once beautiful, vibrant spirit of the golden-haired goddess… reduced to this. Her soul even now is very tangy to taste. And yet… even more ironic than that…" his eyes focused on Lehcar, "is how I was responsible for creating the newest incarnation of Link itself. And that I had given birth to a counterpart so equal in her skills… that she ended up betraying me."

"Yeah, yeah." Rachel said. "Are you gonna keep going with this monologue? Or are we actually gonna battle."

"Hehe…" Ganondorf grinned. "Impatient as he was, I see. So desperate to save his pitiful world. You're just like the King of Hyrule. And all those worms that stood beside him. Don't you see? All of you…" The dark man whooshed his arm in an angry fashion. "YOUR GODS BETRAYED YOU! In the olden days of Hyrule, it was the gods' plan to wipe away and leave only small fragments of Hyrule! That time has come again!" Ganondorf calmed down a little, and sighed quietly as he stared at his open right hand. "I never believed it at first… but I know now." He clenched his fist tight and shook it as he looked to the heavens with a determined look. "I truly am the Devil reborn as a mortal… placed on this earth to continue on his will. And it is my destiny to redeem the mistakes made by the Uno Family, and remake this world. A new world order… that shall finally bring peace to all beings. Peace… within _darkness_."

"HA ha!" Lehcar only laughed cockily. "Such big talk for someone with literally no heart! But if that new peace is really what you want… then I will risk everything to STOP IT!" she yelled determinedly.

"HEH heh! Poor, poor Lehcar… you forget your place. You may be as defiant as your Positive… but you are part of me. _You_ were created from my blood. And I… am your FATHER!" He threw his hand open at her.

"HNNGH!" Lehcar grunted when she felt her waist area suddenly squeeze. Rachel looked in shock as Lehcar fell to the ground on her knees. "OHH." she gasped, falling to her hands.

"STOOOP!" Rachel demanded.

Ganon only chuckled. "You really are unlike your Positive, Lehcar. You're weak… submitted to the will of another. I've never seen anyone so pathetic." The Dark Lord waved his arm around, and Lehcar flew around the room in mimicked motion. When Rachel ran up the carpeted stairs to attack him, the Dark Lord poofed into a cloud of black smoke just upon her strike. She looked confusedly, then back at Lehcar after hearing her drop to the floor with a thud.

Rachel focused back to Ganon as the black cloud shot up and went straight into Mandy's body. Mandy's form shook a little upon his entry, and the ropes that shackled her came loose as Mandy's body slowly drifted down. Rachel kept her sword raised as Mandy gently landed on her feet, her eyes still closed and her head still down. When Rachel carefully moved her face closer to Mandy with a curious look, the demon girl shot her eyes open at Rachel, sending the hero flying away, beside Lehcar. When the both of them looked back up, Mandy stepped down the carpeted stairs and waved her hand, and Lehcar was sent flying out of the exit. When Rachel tried to run after her, Mandy set up a barrier to block her throne. She then set up another barrier to seal the exit, separating Rachel from Lehcar.

Rachel observed the orange barrier to find a way around. She heard an evil laughter and turned back, seeing Mandy approach with her sword raised. _"I've been waiting for you, Rachel."_ She spoke in a mix of Ganon's voice and her own. _"For you… yes… For the hero! Heh…"_ A smirk appeared on her face. _"Do not betray my expectations…"_ The possessed child hovered in the air and readied her sword.

"Why are all my relatives getting possessed?" Rachel sighed as she prepared for battle. (Play Ganondorf's Boss Theme from _Zelda: Ocarina of Time_!)

_Boss fight: Ganon's Puppet, Mandy_

Mandy soared around the room and waved her sword in the air, conjuring an electric ball of light. Remembering this plenty of times before, Rachel hit and sent the ball back when Mandy tossed it, and the two began to send it back-and-forth at the other. Mandy took the hit and became stunned, but was able to quickly recover and dodge out of the way before Rachel shot her Light Arrow. Mandy teleported behind Rachel and erupted a Fear Scream, stunning Rachel. Mandy warped in front of her and dealt a few strikes with her sword, knocking her against the barrier. When Rachel recovered, she saw Mandy fly into the air again. The fearbender charged another electric ball in her sword and sent it at Rachel. Once again, the two ended up swatting the ball back at the other, and Mandy took the hit at the end. Rachel quickly drew out her bow and fired a Light Arrow, giving Mandy a shock that caused her to drop to the ground.

Rachel tried to strike Mandy, but she flipped back and ran to rapidly swing her sword at Rachel. Rachel held up her blade in defense before leaping above Mandy and striking the back of her head to knock her away. Rachel sheathed her sword as Mandy stood back up, and when the younger cousin ran to strike her, Rachel performed a Mortal Draw and quickly struck back. Afterwards, Mandy flew into the air again and conjured another electric sphere, sending it at Rachel, but when Rachel knocked it back, Mandy simply dodged out of the way. The demon child then twirled her sword around and released a barrage of Fear Spheres, in which Rachel held up her Mirror Shield to absorb all of the attacks. Afterwards, Rachel released the energy right back at her, but Mandy flew out of the way. Mandy teleported and appeared right behind Rachel, looking with a glare. Rachel turned around and gasped, quickly holding up the Mirror Shield and causing Mandy to glare at herself. Mandy became stunned with her own Scare Stare, allowing Rachel to deal a few more blows against her.

Mandy repeatedly began warping and appearing on all directions of Rachel, who hurriedly aimed her shield all ways to avoid against Mandy's fast strikes. When Mandy stopped teleporting and appeared several feet away, Rachel tossed her Mirror Shield and it bashed her on the head, bouncing back to Rachel's hand. Mandy recovered from the dizziness and warped away again, raising her blade in the air as energy seemed to charge. Rachel looked down and gasped as a massive golden triangle was appearing below her, flipping away before it erupted a shockwave. Mandy swooped down and flew around to try and stab Rachel, but the KND leader swiftly sidestepped and rolled around her before Mandy was up in the air again. Mandy was once again charging power into her sword, releasing another energy ball at Rachel. Rachel knocked it back and began playing tennis with her again. This time the ball swerved behind Rachel and tried to hit from behind, but she quickly turned and swung behind her. Mandy kept the ball away and it kept coming at Rachel from different directions. Mandy also conjured another ball, so Rachel had to rapidly keep swinging to avoid being hit from all directions. Eventually, Rachel was able to knock one of the balls into Mandy, and after a few more quick swings, the second ball hit as well.

The possessed child fell to the ground, shaking from the painful electric waves. A dark aura was showing around her as well, so Rachel took this as her time to pull out the Light Arrow, and shoot directly at Mandy's chest. (End song.)

"UWAAH!" Ganondorf screamed, the Gerudo man flying straight out of Mandy's body and landing on his back as the two barriers disappeared. As the man sat up, Rachel watched as a light energy flowed out of his eyes and mouth, going straight back into Mandy. The child gasped for a breath of air before her eyes closed, and she was unconscious. Rachel hurried over to grab her before she fell down. "You… miserable…" Ganondorf panted in extreme anger, gripping his chest.

The massive cry of a bird was heard, and they all looked as the Helmaroc King crashed through one of the upper walls, taking crash-land and scraping his face along the floor as Violet and Scarlet rode on top of him. "How's that for kitty power?" Scarlet smirked.

A bunch of demons around the outer areas saw this, and charged inside as the COOL-BUS flew in through the wall and took land. "COME ON, GUYS! SEND THESE DEMON FREAKS BACK TO HELL!" Harvey screamed as he and all the other operatives charged out to begin battling the demons.

"Lass! Are you okay?" Fanny asked as she, Patton, and Nigel hurried over beside Rachel.

"I'm fine… but what are you all doing here?"

"You didn't think we'd let you go against Ganondorf all by yourself, did you? I mean, besides Lehcar." Nigel said with a smirk.

Rachel gasped. "Lehcar!" They all directed their attention behind Ganondorf, where Lehcar was slowly trying to stand up. Ganondorf glanced back there and raised his right hand, and Lehcar started uncontrollably zipping back-and-forth again. He used his power to make Lehcar levitate over, and set her on her feet in front of Rachel.

The Dark Lord drew out his black sword and shot a fiery-red ray over toward Lehcar's right hand, making the Sword of Immortality appear. "It's time you made up for your mistakes…" Ganon spoke as Lehcar waved her sword around against her will, "and destroy your opposite." Rachel quickly held up her blade to defend when Ganondorf made Lehcar begin rapidly swinging her sword. The two clashed their weapons against one-another before Rachel's sword was knocked right out of her hand, sticking into the ground several feet away. Rachel gasped at this, and Lehcar shot a flame to knock her off her feet. The Negative raised her sword, the others looked in horror, and Rachel shut her eyes and awaited her impending doom as Lehcar swung the blade at her neck.

The weapon stopped just inches away from Rachel's neck, and Lehcar gritted her teeth tight as she struggled to hold it away. "What are you doing? Finish her now." Ganondorf demanded.

"No! Don't do it, Lehcar!" Yllaw yelled from several feet behind her. "Come on, Lehcar, don't listen to him. You're the most cold-hearted person in the Negaverse. Ganondorf pretended to treat you like his daughter and then wanted to kill you. And now you're just going to let him control you? You're no puppet: you're our leader! The most selfish leader to ever rule the DNK! That's it, Lehcar. Feed your anger. Let it out, all over Ganon with all your force!" Lehcar groaned in desperation as she tried even harder to pull the sword away. Feeling empowered by her anger towards Ganondorf, the Negative shot around and sped straight into Ganon like a rocket, stabbing the sword straight in his chest.

Ganon's face was shocked frozen, and Lehcar pulled the blade out as the black energy flowed out of the gap in his armor and chest. The energy flowed directly back into the sword, and Lehcar proceeded to impale herself to become fueled with that energy. Feeling the powers of darkness inside her again, she pulled the blade out and prepared to strike Ganon with a dose of lightning. Before that could happen, the black dragon that was Matthew flew in and took land before giving a tremendous roar at the heroes. The dragon grabbed Ganon in its left hand and flew over to the throne, placing him there. Afterwards, he turned back around and roared again at the heroes.

They heard the tiny sounds of tiny walking and turned around to spot a familiar blue heart sneaking across the floor. "Look! It's Ganondorf's heart!" Rachel exclaimed. The heart curiously turned to look at them, then looked up and screamed as a rat cage dropped down from the ceiling and caught him inside.

"Haha! Gotcha ya sneaky little bastard!" Zant exclaimed, coming out from behind one of the pillars and picking the cage up, staring at the heart.

Koume and Kotake swooped down afterwards and took the cage, flying beside Ganondorf. "Quick, My Lord. Let us reinsert this heart back in." Koume said, shoving the heart into the gap in Ganondorf's chest and trying to fit it inside.

"Hnneeh. Good. My powers shall return to me in moments. Keep them all busy until it happens." With that, the Evil King snapped his fingers and reemerged the barrier to block his throne.

As Nigel, Fanny, and Patton carried Mandy outside, the barrier suddenly popped up and kept them outside. The three looked back and gasped, and Nigel exclaimed, "Rachel!"

"WHOOA!" Violet and Scarlet screamed when the Helmaroc King suddenly caught them in his talons, flying away with them.

"Scarlet!" Yang yelled, attempting to chase after them, but Yin held him back by his shirt.

"They can take care of their selves." She told him. "We have to help Matthew." The Twins, Katie, and the Toxic Trio (at the moment) focused their attention back on the hissing dragon.

"Come on, Matthew. Get a grip, Man. It's us." Jeremiah tried to tell him as they carefully kept their guard up.

"I'M SORRY I TOOK YOUR COOKIIIEEE!" Leopold screamed.

"Yell all you want." Hannibal said to them, flying overhead on his loyal bird. "Dragon ain't takin' squat from a bunch of do-goodies like you."

"I hate to agree with the bad guy, but he's right." Yevrah spoke up. "Beforehand, Hannibal took Matthew to the Yin-Yang World using the Yin Yo-yo. And anyone who goes in there and comes out without both yo-yos becomes completely evil."

"So we have to get those yo-yos and take Matt through another trip through." Yin summarized.

"That won't be easy." Yevrah said. "I saw Hannibal feed Matt BOTH of the yo-yos after they came back out."

"Hold on, hold on." Elijah spoke up. "I get the Yin-Yang part, but that still doesn't explain how he turned into a dragon."

"I know how! Look!" Lehcar yelled, pointing up at the tiny, evil bean. "Those things Hannibal's wearing on his arms can change anything or anyone into any shape or size. The Moby Morpher! It's probably what he used to turn Matt into a dragon."

"So that's where he got it. I thought it looked familiar. Heh." Ganondorf smirked.

"Okay: my sister, Katie and I will try to take the Moby Morpher from Hannibal and change it Matthew back. Meanwhile, you three keep Matt distracted. And see if you can get him to cough up those yo-yos." Yang ordered.

"YYES!" Eva exclaimed. "Finally Nigel isn't giving the orders!"

"Oh, ha ha." Nigel laughed sarcastically.

"So both of us each get three people?" Hannibal asked. "Well, I guess those are fair odds. You want this Moby Morpher?" Hannibal smirked as he leapt off of his bird to the floor. "Well then COME AWN OVER 'N' GIT IT!" The bean snapped the two parts together, and the three gaped as the tiny bean grew into a man-sized being using the Shen Gong Wu. He then decided to grow even more, and was now about two stories tall. The bean pulled his two arms apart as three more vine-arms appeared on each side, so he now had a total of eight arms. The large, demonic bean made a few stretches, and the Dimalanta Dragon roared as the kids readied for battle. (Play "Dark Beast, Ganon" from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_!)

_Boss fight: Hannibal Roy Bean_

The gigantic bean leapt into the air and came directly down on his three opponents, crushing them flat. He jumped off and didn't give them any time to recover as he started pounding them down with his eight vines. The Toxic Trio kept their guard up against Matthew, jumping to the side as the dragon tried to snap its fangs at them. The dragon tried to swipe its claw at Jeremiah, but he rolled under and slashed his pocketknives at his stomach. Hannibal grabbed Yin and Yang in his vines and bashed the two's heads against each other before hurling them behind Katie. Katie recovered to see this and gasped when the large bean charged toward her, quickly erupting a Fear Scream to hold him back, making him shield his 'ears'. "Hang on, you guys can transform, too, can't you?" Katie asked.

"Oh yeah-" Yang began.

"I guess we can." Yin finished.

"Let's try it!" With that, they both stacked up and switched into the disguise of a muscular figure. Hannibal furrowed his eyes at this form and readied his guard as they charged, unable to defend as the Twins started pounding away at him, shoving him straight into one of the columns and toppling it over. Afterwards, the muscular being leapt and slammed right onto Hannibal's belly while he was down.

Dimalanta Dragon shot his purple breath at the poisonbenders, missing Leo as the Anderson child dodge-rolled and dashed right under Matthew to get behind him. The dragon turned around and roared at him, but this allowed Elijah and Jeremiah to grab onto his tail and try to climb up. Matt turned to glare at them when he felt this, and Jeremiah flipped onto the dragon's back and ran over to slash at its head. Afterwards he leapt onto the head and grabbed his horns to force its mouth open, and Elijah took this time to conjure a Gas Bomb and toss it inside, exploding it inside Matt's stomach.

Hannibal stood up with an angered look and used his Morpher to transform once again. He now took the shape of a large drum surrounded by smaller drums, and some floating drumsticks which had the Moby Morpher on them. The sticks grabbed the three kids and dropped the on the drums, proceeding to beat away at the drums and send them flying up in the air. Katie was able to land on the floor and sent a bunch of Fear Spheres to hit and pound away on the drums, which seemed to give Hannibal a headache. Yin & Yang then grabbed onto each other and formed the disguise of a hammer, using the pickax side to pierce through the drums.

Afterwards, the drumsticks snapped the Morpher parts together again, and Hannibal took the form of a genie lamp. The devil-red genie emerged from the lamp and began blasting the kids with lightning, turning them black with soot. Yin and Yang saw the genie lamp hovering around the room and dressed up in an Aladdin disguise, pulling out a sword and dodging Hannibal's lightning shots as they made their way toward the lamp. They dealt a few blows against the genie lamp before it was shattered, and Hannibal fell to the ground.

"WOO, ho there, cowboy!" Leopold exclaimed, folding his hands over the dragon's eyes and holding on as Matt rapidly began swinging his head around to shake him off. Jeremiah and Elijah both held on to a Poison Whip as it was wrapped around Matt's tail, trying to pull the dragon back. Matt angrily shook Leo off of him and swung his tail, sending the other two flying. The dragon tried to unleash its Poison Breath upon the two, but Leo hurriedly leapt onto its head again, hanging his head upside-down in front of the open mouth and releasing a loud "BUURP!", making the dragon begin aimlessly shaking its head around as Leo was thrown off.

Hannibal Bean stood up and now took the shape of a tiny carniferous earwig. The three carefully stepped away as the earwig approached them, and Katie failed to smack it off when it crawled up her body and went straight inside her ear. Katie began banging the side of her head to get it out, and her eyes shot wide open as she gripped her head and began shaking it around. "AAAHHHH! IT'S EATING OUT THE BACK OF MY EYES! !"

Yin and Yang immediately shrunk and took the shapes of worms, crawling up and into their cousin's ears. They made their way to the area behind her eyes, and Katie's head began knocking around dizzily as the two were having a battle against the evil bean inside. Her face scrunched up when Hannibal crawled right out of her nose, followed by Yin and Yang as they reverted to normal. The demon bean held up his Moby Morpher again and took the form of a giant crab. "Sss ss ss, ssss, ssni sni."

"Huh? A crab doesn't say that!" Yang yelled at him.

"OOHHH-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP!" Hannibal cried, beginning to skitter around just like Zoidberg, towards the trio as he was snapping his claws. The three leapt back to avoid being snapped in two, and Katie used a Scare Stare to glare into the red/yellow eyes coming out of the shell. Hannibal fearfully crouched into his crab shell, and Yin and Yang took the form of Knuckles the Echidna, using their Shovel Claws to greatly damage and shatter the grab shell. The frightened crustacean quickly skittered away and transformed into what appeared to be a Vocaloid doll.

The giant maniacal doll hovered over toward them with its head drooping down, proceeding to pound away at them with its arms. The doll hovered in the air and tried to Ground Pound on them, shaking the floor a little, until Katie drew out one of her nightmare syringes and swung it at the doll, creating a tear that caused some stuffing to pour out. Yin and Yang then took the shape of a cat and clawed their way into the doll, tearing it up from the inside. Eventually, Hannibal shot the two out of him and took the form of a gigantic leg with a foot.

"A foot? What's a foot supposed to do?" Yang asked.

"Ever heard of athlete's foot?" Katie asked, the three dodging before Hannibal could stomp them, making the ground quake some more. The Nightmare girl extended one of her syringe needles, so when Hannibal was about to stomp her, she jabbed it up and easily pierced the giant foot. Hannibal shook his paining leg and kicked Katie away, then tried to stomp Yin and Yang, but the twins simply took the disguise of a spike bed and caused Hannibal great pain when he tried to stomp on them.

"OOF! 'kay, not mah best idea. Ah, the heck with these disguises." With that, Hannibal decided to revert into his regular bite-size form. The tiny bean hopped around the floor as Yin and Yang tried to catch him. Hannibal hopped up in front of Yang's face and knocked his head around with several rapid punches before sliding hi away. Hannibal landed on the floor, quickly leaping when Yin tried to slide and catch him. The Ying-Ying Bird soared by and caught Hannibal on its back, soaring around the air. Hannibal laughed at the kids below, then gasped when he found Katie in front of them, flying using her fly-like powers. Katie unleashed a Fear Scream at the villains, causing Ying-Ying to scream and shake, and Hannibal to fall to the ground.

Before the demon bean could recover, Luna appeared and suddenly crushed him under her foot. "And THAT'S how it's done."

"Great timing." Yang said as Luna raised her foot to reveal the squashed bean on her shoe. Yang pulled the dizzied bean off and gripped the Moby Morpher parts, pulling them clear off his arms. "All right! How are you guys doing?" he asked the Toxic Trio.

"Well, it's gone better." Elijah yelled over as the three stood on the dragon's back, pulling a Poison Whip that was wrapped around its mouth.

"Okay. Let me try something: Moby Morpher!" Yang used the Shen Gong Wu to take the form of a ghost, flying and phasing into Matt's belly. The ghost flew back out and reverted to normal, having the two Yin-Yang Yo-yos in hand. "Got 'em!"

"Great! Now turn Matthew back!" Yin shouted.

"Right! Moby Morpher!" The Shen Gong Wu glowed once more as Yang had it aimed at the dragon. In a matter of seconds, the Dimalanta Dragon had reverted back to his regular human form. (End song.)

"Matt!" Yin exclaimed in happiness.

"Ha ha, it's good to have you back, Buddy!" Leo exclaimed, embracing his leader in a hug.

"Off me!" Matt yelled, punching Leo in the face and breaking free. "Doesn't matter. I'll still have all of you destroyed!"

"Uh-oh. He's still evil." Katie said. "We have to take him through the Yin-Yang World using the yo-yos."

"Actually, you only need one yo-yo." Yevrah reminded. "It's how the effect gets reversed."

"But whoever takes him will end up becoming evil, too." Yin replied.

"_I'll_ take him." Yevrah decided. "It's the least I can do for you guys for helping Lehcar take a stand against our awful father."

"You really sure about this, Yevrah?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"Who cares, just let 'im do it!" Yllaw yelled.

Yin tossed Yevrah one of the yo-yos, and the smiley-faced Negative ran over to grab Matthew's arm as he yelled, "Yin Yo-yo!" He shot the item over and opened the portal, dragging Matt with him inside. The portal vanished and everyone stood in silence for a few seconds. But eventually, the portal shot open, and Matt and Yevrah came flying out.

"Ohhh…" the toxic leader groaned, holding his aching head.

"Matthew!" Yin excitedly hurried over and knelt beside him.

"Yin?" Matt looked at her. "What just happened?"

"Hannibal just turned you into a dragon!" Elijah replied. "He brought you through the Yin-Yang World and had you turned evil."

"You were scary!" Leo yelled.

"Hmm… I can't remember anything. Oh well. I'm sorry if I hurt you guys."

"Well, the good news is you're back." Yin smiled. "Now we can get back to finishing Ganondorf."

"Hey, Yevrah… are you okay?" Rachel asked, calmly approaching her brother's Negative as he stood and brushed himself off.

"I'm fine!" Yevrah angrily smacked her arm away. "Now keep your filthy hand off me! And get me some soda!"

"Ho yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Harvey perked.

"Hmmm. Seems the Yin-Yang turned Mr. Smiley-face evil." Hannibal smirked, riding on Ying-Ying's back again.

"Meh, whatever. All I wanna do is get home, eat nachos, and watch some TV." Yevrah stated smugly.

"Ahhh." Lehcar sighed in happiness. "Isn't he the most precious brother you've ever seen?"

"Uh, yeah… he's real… sweet." Rachel stated, scratching the back of her head in confusion.

The two heard a long groan and looked over to see Mandy recovering beside Nigel and the others. Mandy looked up to face her cousin as Rachel hurried over. "R…Rachel? Where are we?"

"We're in Ganondorf's castle. He was possessing your body." Rachel explained.

"Yeah, and then Rachel had to come and save your butt!" Numbuh 4 yelled. "So ya better be grateful!"

"Take it easy, Numbuh 4." Rachel replied. "Mandy's been through a lot today."

"Got that right." Mandy said, gripping her head before looking up at Rachel. "Still… I'm grateful for you… saving my life."

Rachel smiled. "Aww, it was nothin'. Now how about we get to taking down Ganondorf?"

"Hold up." the Grim Reaper spoke up, walking over with his scythe in hand. "You'll need this." He presented the mystical weapon to Mandy.

Mandy stared at the blade, wondering what Grim had in mind, and took it in her right hand. She stared in amazement as it began to glow with a golden light. "W…What's-"

"The Scythe of Light." Grim spoke. "By feeling undying gratitude towards Rachel for saving your butt, you are able to awaken the true power of light within."

"Hehe, MANDY has undying gratitude towards me?" Rachel chuckled.

"N-No I do not." Mandy refuted.

"Ah, quit hiding it, Mandy." Nigel smirked. "You can't keep your true feelings hidden under that Scare Stare forever."

Mandy only looked at Rachel with a light smile.

"Hnn!" Hannibal smirked, flying on Ying-Ying closer to Ganondorf, who still sat on his throne and gripped his torn chest. "You c'n always count on the good guys to make the cheesy endings. Heh he- OOF!" Before he knew it, the bean was clapped trapped between Ganondorf's palms. "Hurr!" He struggled to pull himself out of Ganon's folded fingers. "H-Hey! W-What're you-" Hannibal got a frightful look from Ganondorf's grinning visage. "WAAAH!" the Dark Lord tossed him up high, and Bean plummeted straight into Ganondorf's open mouth as his teeth snapped shut.

Everyone's mouths dropped with shock as Ganondorf proceeded to powerfully chew the bean, the grin still plastered on his face as his teeth swished back and forth. "So it is true… You really are the Hero of Time. Reborn." Ganondorf spoke to Rachel. "You've proven quite the fight. But it's over for you now. My powers have returned. The blood of demons… calls within me! Know the real darkness that is… _LORD SATAN_!" He shot his head up, eyes glowing with evil fires.

"RACHEL, WATCH-" But Nigel was too late as Ganondorf released a powerful beam that exploded before Rachel, sending her flying and screaming miles away from the castle. "RACHEL! Quick, everybody in the-"

"C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.! HA! I said it first!" Eva exclaimed.

"JUST GO! !" Nigel pushed his cousin forward as everyone piled into their ship. The 2x4 bus hurriedly shot away from the throne room as the castle already began crumbling with Ganondorf's rising power.

Meanwhile, Violet and Scarlet were still clutched in Helmaroc King's talons, trying to shake away as the humongous bird carried them. "Uugh! Let GO of me, you stupid bird!" Scarlet demanded and shook.

"Oi! Beakface!" The large bird directed its attention to Marine, the chipper raccoon hovering around in her spaceship. "Fresh raccoon ON THE menu today, COME and get it!"

The King's eyes widened at the tasty-looking raccoon, speeding right after her at high speed. Marine dodged her ship left and right to avoid Helmaroc King's snapping beak. After a while of chasing, the tremendous bird ended up coming face-first with the wall of Ganon's castle. "Hha! Moi piloting skills are better than a BIRD'S!" Marine exclaimed.

As a result, Violet and Scarlet were dropped from the talons, and Marine quickly flew down to land them on her ship. They watched the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. soar away from the castle and chased after it before the bird regained consciousness. "The wheel is mine!" Yevrah yelled, fighting with Harvey over the steering wheel.

"No, I'm driving!" Harvey fought back.

"I'm a better driver!"

"It's my ship!"

"It's Sector _V's_ ship."

"So, it's mine!"

"LET GO! UGH!" they both whined.

"WILL YOU TWO STOP IT?" Hoagie yelled, pushing both away. "_I'm_ the pilot here."

"Pfft. Fatty." Harvey called him.

"Lardo." Yevrah followed.

"GRRR!" Hoagie grit his teeth in anger and annoyance.

"Just focus on driving!" Nigel ordered. "We have to find Rachel!"

"Look! There she is!" Patton pointed outside a window.

"Yeah, and she's riding…" Numbuh 5 began, looking a little surprised.

"HUH? ?"

When Rachel awoke, she found two pitch-blacks dragon wings flapping on her left and right. She looked down and found she was riding atop a familiar black-silhouetted dragon. "F…FATHER? ?"

"E-yep. Probably the last time I'm gonna be savin' your butt, Kid." The Uno dragon told her.

"But don't worry." Rachel looked behind and saw Monty Uno riding with her. "We've got your back."

Rachel then saw Grandfather flying beside their right, and Chancellor Cole on their left as they were facing ahead at the castle. In a matter of seconds, the entire fortress crumbled as loud, demonic screaming was heard. The Demon King referred as Demise erupted from the fortress, flaming orange hair, vicious blood-red eyes, sleek black skin and gray chest, and a raven-black cape blowing behind as he wielded the massive Satan Sword in his right hand. Rachel heard a bird's cry and looked to her right to see none other than the Crimson Loftwing from Skypia. She hopped off of Father's back and took land on the Loftwing's, soaring ahead.

"Guess we'll get in the mix, too." Mandy decided, hopping out of the ship's window and riding Grim's scythe like a broomstick to fly. The operatives looked to see Helmaroc King crying and flying towards them, but Lehcar shot out of the ship and landed on the bird's head. The big bird shook a little as Lehcar pulled against its hair.

"That's more like it." The Negative smirked. "Now let's start pecking on Ganondorf's cheeks."

"Uno Family:" Grandfather announced to his bloodline allies (and Cole), "give him Hell!"

"YEEAAHH!" The legions of demons cheered down below and charged toward the gargantuan demon. (Play "The War's End" from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!)

_Boss fight: Demise_

_"So, you fools think you have a chance against me?"_

"Look who's callin' who a fool, Ganondork!" Rachel retorted, flying at high speed on her bird.

_"I've had it with your prattle! Now… let's FIGHT!"_ Rachel rapidly dodged around and fired Light Arrows as Demise began unleashing beams of fire, and the Demon King tried to shield himself as the Unos were shooting flames at him from all directions, and Mandy was shooting light rays from her scythe at his head, but the demon's tremendous figure made him easy to hit. _"Geh. You put up quite the fight, Rachel."_

"Don't blame me, you're so fat." Rachel retorted again before shooting arrows at his eyes.

_"HHEH! You can be awfully cute, Rach! Though that doesn't mean I won't SQUASH YOU LIKE AN ANT!"_ Rachel hurriedly rolled her Loftwing out of the way before Demise's fist could come into contact with them, and ended up getting stuck in the ground. _"DAMN IT! MY ARM IS STUCK!"_

"Let me assist with that!" Cole declared, unleashing the white strings from his fingers to grab the King's wrists, then started pulling his fist in to repeatedly punch the demon in the face.

_"Mind if we cut in?"_ Hoagie called from his ship as they flew behind and started shooting lasers at Demise's bent-over butt. Lehcar smirked at this as she flew the Helmaroc King down and took a powerful bite out of the rear.

_"YOOWCH!"_ Demise leapt into the air and came back down with a thud, then observed his free hand. _"There! All better!"_ He tried to swing his powerful blade at Lehcar's bird, the Helmaroc rapidly dodging as Rachel and Mandy shot more light rays from their weapons behind his head. Demise tried to swat them, but the Father Dragon shot down and snapped its teeth on Demise's crotch. _"YAAAH!"_ After shaking them away, Demise growled in anger and started spinning in a hyper-fast pitch-black tornado, the heroes trying to fly away as they were being sucked inside.

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TWISTER!" Monty yelled.

"YA THINK?" Mandy and Rachel cried. Despite their efforts to pull away from the twister, the two were ended up sucked inside. Rachel and her Loftwing companion were separated as Rachel was flung miles away, but the hero was thankfully saved by her loyal horse companion. "Phew! Thanks, Epona!"

_"GYAAH!"_ Demise roared to the heavens and crouched down, taking the shape of a demonic bull with horns.

"WHOA!" Rachel yelped, Epona dashing across the fields at high speeds as the enormous bull began to give chase. The demon began zapping laser rays from his eyes, so Rachel held up the Mirror Shield to deflect all of the rays back at his face.

"For a gigantic bull, he sure moves fast!" Sonya exclaimed.

"Kind of like watching an elephant sprint." Harvey said.

"Rachel, toss me the bow!" Mandy called down, still soaring on the scythe. Rachel kept the shield raised and used her other hand to grab her bow, tossing it up to Mandy. The fearbender successfully caught it and flew behind Ganon's right back leg. The evil child took careful aim with the Arrow of Light at the beast's fast-moving ankle and fired, successfully piercing it through.

_"D'OOH!"_ the Devil yelped, reverting back to normal as his body rolled along the ground, coming to a halt on one knee.

Epona skidded to a stop as Rachel looked back at him. "Did we beat him?"

_"No no, I'm fine!"_ Demise assured, getting back to his feet. _"But I coulda sprained my ankle, you know."_ The demon leapt into the air and stuck his foot out at Rachel. _"GOOD. THING. I. DIDN'T!"_ Rachel quickly sped out of the way before the demon could kick her, scraping and making a large trail along the ground.

"What's wrong, Ganon? Had enough?" Rachel smirked.

_"Oh, no! I'm just getting started!"_ Demise grinned back. However, the demon's smile faded when he caught a whiff in his nose. _"But what's that… I smell… some resistance! Thousands of mortal brats cradling into a single hive."_ The Devil looked up, and his evil grin returned at the sight of the full moon still hanging in the heavens. _"Of course… Be right back, kiddies. I need to grab a little snack."_ With that, the demon raised his arms in the air and shot off for the Moonbase.

"NO! He's going to destroy the Moonbase!" Nigel exclaimed.

"AFTER HIM!" Rachel cried, leaping off of her horse and back to her Loftwing, followed by the others as they took off for the heavens above.

The lot of them gave chase as fast as they could, pretty soon flying close beside the unholy demon. _"Oooh? You kids sure are persistent, aren't you?"_

"Don't EVER call me a KID!" Grandfather roared.

_"Meh. All you worms look the same to me. But let's see how well you so-called 'demons' fair against this."_ They watched as a series of cannons appeared along his legs. Grandfather flew around and avoided the missiles and bullets beside his left leg as he charged and shot fireballs to destroy the guns. Beside his right leg, Benedict Uno flew around to avoid the guns as Monty tried to shoot flames and take them out. The three Triforce-holders were flying around above his back, looking upward as they were drawing closer and closer toward the Moonbase, the demon's eyes fixed on the treehouse.

Fi jumped out and spoke, _"A report, Master. I am detecting a powerful focus of energy emanating from that void of darkness on his back."_ Rachel looked to Demise's upper back and found a crater with a black hole spiraling inside.

"Sounds like a weak spot. Let's take it out." With that, the three girls dropped onto the demon's back and were about to hurry over, but a bunch of faces suddenly popped up, designed like Ganondorf's as they coughed dark balls at them.

"W-What are they? ?" Lehcar stuttered.

"They look like Ganondorf." Mandy responded disgustedly.

_"Heh heh. I want you all to remember every detail of this lovely visage. It's the last face you'll ever see!"_

"We'll _see_ about that." Rachel remarked, and with that, the three ran around and started slashing at every face cannon they could, taking them out in a few hits. "Cover me, guys!" she ordered as they reached the black hole crater. The Supreme Leader jumped onto the crater and started dealing all of the blows she could. The vortex tried shooting energy balls at her, but she quickly defended with her Mirror Shield before striking it back. After a few more rounds, Rachel pulled out and charged her Light Arrow before striking it straight in the center.

_"DAAAH!"_ the Demon King screamed, causing the three girls to fall. Rachel and Lehcar took land on their respective birds while Mandy rode the scythe again. _"Tenacious little brats! That was very NAUGHTY of you!"_ With that, Demise turned around and unleashed a powerful Skyward Strike from his blade, successfully striking all three girls and knocking them off their birds/scythe. Thankfully, the trio took land atop the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

"You girls okay?" Nigel asked.

"We're fine. Just keep on 'im, Nigel." Rachel told him.

Demise smirked at the band of mortals, turning to face them and currently flying backwards toward Moonbase, making a bunch of cannons appear along his body. "Man, he's covered from head ta toe in weapons." Numbuh 5 said.

"It's SOOO beautiful!" Kuki cheerfully beamed.

"Shyeah, if ya like bein' covered in war machines." Wally said.

_"I think of it as my devastation assemble. This is only worn for very special occasions. You know, weddings, armageddons… or the slaying of all mankind! GAH HA HA HAH!"_

"Sorry, Ganny, but you're gonna have to pick a different outfit, 'cause the only one gettin' slayed here is you." Numbuh 2 smirked, proceeding to barrel-roll and avoid all of the shots he could while he fired missiles at the body of weaponry. Eventually, he was able to wipe all of the guns out. The Demon King kept his cocky grin as he opened his right palm at them, conjuring a black hole. Hoagie did his best to pilot them away from the vortex while Mandy slashed light rays at it, taking it out. Ganon opened a black hole on his left hand and tried to suck them in, but Mandy was able to take it out.

Afterwards, Ganon made a bunch more weapons appear along his chest. Hoagie struggled to evade the fast-shooting guns, but was able to take a few of then out. "Man! This guy has to have SOME weak point!"

"What's that 'X' on his forehead?" Numbuh 5 pointed out.

"Oh, THAT'S somethin'!" Rachel shouted. Hoagie kept trying to avoid the guns to get close enough to shoot the 'X' mark. Demise shook his head around and tried to swat them away. Hoagie was still able to evade the shots and kept shooting at the X.

"Oi, let us 'ave a whirl!" Marine exclaimed as her ship was closing in, with Vi and Scar riding on top.

"Taaake… THIS!" With that, both cat girls raised their shurikens and tossed them at the 'X', erupting a massive explosion.

_"OOWWW! MISERABLE little… UWAAAUUUGH!"_ His anger growing stronger, the massive demon swatted everyone else away and grabbed the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. in his right hand. _"HAHA! Plucked to the peak of ripeness!"_

"What's he doing? !" Hoagie screamed as the demon held them by his nipple. To their extreme disgust, a drill emerged from the nipple and began to pierce through the windshield.

_"Now to drill through the rind and remove the BRATS!"_ The children screamed in absolute horror and fear as the drill was rapidly destroying their craft.

"Hold on, guys!" Rachel exclaimed, raising her sword skyward as the other two did the same, leaping off of the ship. The lot dropped to Demise's waist and used their supercharged Skyward Strikes to dig their blades into the body.

_"Hey! W-What are you-"_ The powerful blades began cutting through the demon like chainsaws on all ends. _"GUUOOOOAAAAH."_ The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. was set free from his grasp as Demise's lower body half was chopped clean off, falling back to the earth below as the upper half spun around in space.

"Ha! Looks like you aren't HALF the villain you thought you were!" Hoagie exclaimed.

"Man, this is SO not the best time!" Abby replied.

_"Bah! I don't need a lower body to deal with a swarm of mortal scum."_ The demon regained control of himself and shot closer toward the Moonbase.

"Oh no! He's getting away! Come on, guys." Rachel ordered, the girls dropping onto their bird companions, and Mandy her scythe, as they soared faster after Ganon's form.

Thousands of operatives were gathered up on Moonbase to hide from the destruction, standing around with worried looks on their faces. The children gasped with horror as they saw the upper half of the Demon King floating just outside their bridge window, giving his devious smirk. Virginia, Bartie, Gwen, and Doug were the ones seeing it up close, and all erupted into screams as the demon raised his blade, about to chop the gigantic tree clean off its roots. Before he could go through with it, Rachel suddenly shot in his way.

"Look! It's Numbuh 362!" Bartie happily yelled. All of the operatives erupted into cheers as their leader raised her sword.

"This as far as you go, Ganon!" Rachel declared.

_"HHEH! What better way to finish you off than in front of ALL your supporters? Prepare to die, Rachel!"_ Rachel flew around and avoided as the tremendous floating upper-body tossed shockwaves from his sword. Rachel took aim at the 'X' on his forehead and rapidly fired as many Light Arrows as she could. Demise also launched energy missiles her way, and she was able to catch them in her Mirror Shield and sent them back. The demon used his power to blow her miles away, and as her Loftwing tried to fly them back, Demise released a bunch of mini barriers to push them back.

Rachel charged up Skyward Strikes and quickly shot them at the barriers' weak points to get through. She made her way close enough to Demise's body to continue shooting Light Arrows at the forehead. The king launched even more missiles her way, but she kept bouncing them back with the Mirror Shield. "Perhaps you could use a little help?"

"Lehcar!" Rachel smiled at seeing her Negative hover over the Demon King's head. The evil opposite charged a jolt of lightning in her fingers and unleashed at the forehead, causing the Devil to cry in great pain.

"NOW, Rachel!" At her cue, the Loftwing soared high above the demon, and Rachel powered a Skyward Strike before dropping down and impaling him straight in the forehead.

_"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"_

After that, Rachel pulled out her blade and leapt off, back to the Loftwing's back as the other girls flew beside her. "Okay, guys: on 3. 1, 2, thr-" And they were about to shoot over like rockets and impale him one last time. To their misfortune, however, he vanished. "HUH?"

_"Uuuup HERE!"_

"UOF!" Demise suddenly shot down from above and snapped all three of them between his hands. The operative army's faces were struck with horror as Ganon gripped their unconscious forms.

_"This was a nice trip, ladies! See you next FALL! GAAH HAHA HAAH!"_ The king proceeded to send the trio flying straight for the planet down below.

"RACHEEL!" Nigel cried as their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. shot straight after them. Because of Ganon's powerful throw, the three were falling at hyper-fast speeds. Already they were passing through the atmosphere, and the three were very close to hitting the ground. Quick as they could, Father shot down to grab Mandy in his hand, and Cole launched his puppet strings out to capture Lehcar. Nigel hurriedly dove out of his ship and kicked on his jet shoes, going at the fastest speed possible to catch Rachel.

The bald Brit was able to shoot right past and wrapped his arms around her, and just before they came in contact with the ground, Nigel kicked his rockets downward and instantly ceased their hard landing. Afterwards, Nigel gently rested his unconscious leader on her back, looking over her sleeping form. Father and Cole soon arrived and laid the other girls beside her. The lot then gasped and looked up as Demise arrived back down as well. The demon's lower-body half grew back in just a few seconds as he towered over them.

_"So much… for your PRECIOUS HEROES! AHH HA HA HA HA!"_ The demon was about to stomp them when-

"Not my family, you unholy BEAST!" Grandfather exclaimed, unleashing a powerful beam of heat vision at the demon's forehead.

The group down below watched as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. returned to help fight him off as well. When the three girls began to regain consciousness, Father and Cole decided to fly off and assist them. Nigel smiled in relief at seeing his leader okay, and Rachel smiled back. The group then turned as Fi jumped out of the sword. _"Master, I have news to report: I am sensing a tremendous force of energy coming from the heavens above; a godlike force. Though I am unable to determine the source of the mass, I can project that it is seeking Ganon."_

"But what is it?" Rachel asked.

"We'll find out. Let's just keep him busy until it arrives." Mandy decided. The girl continued launching light slashes from her scythe, Lehcar shot lightning from her hands, and Rachel kept shooting Light Arrows to keep Demise back. Demise was eventually able to push through all the attacks, swatting the airborne heroes away, then kicking the three girls and Nigel several feet away. The four were frozen with fear as Demise stomped over and prepared to crush them. Nigel and Rachel wrapped arms around the other and shut their eyes from the impending doom. Demise roared to the heavens and was about to finish them when-

"RAAAAARRRR!" None other than Malladus Uno dropped down and punched the demon across the face, knocking him on his back. The kids unshielded their vision, their faces frozen with shock and confusion.

"MALLADUS? ? ?"

"B-But… you're alive!" Hoagie stuttered.

"I thought Nigel finished you!" Abby yelled.

"When Ganondorf conjoined the Underworld with the Mortal World," Malladus began, "all of the souls in the Sanzu River were set free. Including me." Demise got back to his feet and shook his aching head. But he was suddenly met with even more punches against the face from Malladus. "But I will NOT stand around, watching him defile my realm, ANY MORE!"

_"GRRR!"_ Demise grumbled and gripped Malladus's arms, lifting the equal-sized Demon King overhead. Malladus stood his ground and continued throwing punches back at his enemy. Demise tried to raise his sword, and Malladus grabbed it and tried to pull it away. He was able to and tossed it several feet away (at his size), continuing to lay punches against Demise.

"HOORAAAYYY!" an army of demons cheered. "MALLADUS!"

"GANONDORF!" the enemy army of demons cheered.

"MALLADUS!" the other army cheered.

"GANONDORF!" The other side still remained loyal to their leader.

"MALLADUS!" the one side yelled at the others.

"GANONDORF!" the bad ones yelled back.

"MALLADUS!" They were getting annoyed.

"GANONDORF!" As were they.

"Mal-la-DUUS!"

"Ga-non-DORRF!"

"RAAAAHHH!" With that, both sides of demons charged and began dueling away at each other, trying to slay all the ones that didn't follow their side.

"Rick 'em rack 'em brick 'em yeast! Stab your claws into that beast!" Grandfather and Cole cheered to Malladus.

_"You stay out of this!"_ Demise yelled.

Grandfather sighed and waved a tiny flag. "Ganon, Ganon, he's our man, if he can't do it, GREAT! !"

As the group of kids watched the titans brawl, the rest of their group landed the ship beside them and stepped out. "Well, I never would've expected this." Fanny said.

"It's kinda great that they're beating each other though." Patton replied.

"Yeah, but now we've got Malladus to worry about again." Rachel reminded.

"But if we're lucky, they might end up killing each other!" Lehcar smiled.

With that, they continued watching as Malladus clashed with Demise. "The Underworld is MINE to command!" Malladus declared, hopping behind the Evil King and wrapping arms around his neck. "HRRRRAH!" Cracking sounds were heard as Malladus twisted the head, and Demise's face was frozen as his head yanked clean off. His body fell to the ground as blood leaked out where his head used to be.

Malladus panted tiredly before staring at the severed head, holding it by the hair. His smirk grew, and he rose the head up high in victory. "I AM THE KING! HAHAHAHAHA!" All of his loyal demons burst into cheers.

"All ROIGHT!" Marine fist-pumped. "Malladus defeated Ganondorf FOR us! Guess we c'n close THIS chapter, eh?"

"Not yet. Now we've gotta take care of Malladus again." Nigel reminded.

"Well, kids…" Malladus spoke, dropping the head and approaching the operatives, "it was an honor to help you in putting Ganondorf in his place. And now on to more pressing business: my lust for revenge has been building up in that river. And it's time I let it out." The blue-skinned Demon King began charging a powerful laser inside the beam on his forehead. Grandfather and Cole held smirks on their faces as they floated beside Malladus's head. "Say your prayers, kiddies, as I finally put you to rest, and wipe out the rest of your miserable…" The operatives watched with shock as the headless body of Demise stood back up behind Malladus.

"MALLADUS, WATCH OUT!" Nigel cried.

"What-" Malladus didn't have time to look as Demise gripped his claws into Malladus's back, lifting the former Demon King up.

"Daddy!" Grandfather cried.

A flow of darkness was going down Ganon's arm from Malladus's body, the Uno demon slowly shriveling up as all the life was leaving his frozen, shocked face. Once Demise was finished, he let the shriveled demon drop down, quaking the ground as his face landed close to the operatives. _"Almighty Satan…"_ Demise uttered as power coursed through him, _"I call upon thee! Make all hope in this realm…"_ The demon was encased in a gigantic red tornado, rising high above the clouds, _"MEAN **NOOOTHIIIING! !"**_ The Demon King transformed into a tremendous, red, devil-like demon, with flaming long hair, fiery eyes, two horns, and clutching the pitch-black Satan Sword in his right hand.

Patton gulped. "Well that didn't go very well!"

**_"The universe is mine to command… let not a speck of light be seen EVER AGAIN!"_**

Rachel fell to her knees in doubtfulness, and Nigel knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Rachel, come on! You have to stop him!"

"No… he's way too powerful now. It was hard enough before." She buried her face in her hands. "I'll never defeat him now."

"Rachel, remember what I told you." Nigel told her with a serious look, Rachel looking up to face him. "It doesn't matter HOW big or powerful the enemy gets. You never give up. You always keep fighting."

"If you can't stop Ganondorf, no one can." Fanny followed.

"Come on, Rach. You're our Supreme Leader." Patton told her. "It's your job to protect us, and all kids everywhere. You do it better than anyone else on the planet. You stopped the civil war and made me and Fanny friends again. You can do it. We believe in you."

_"You CAN do it."_ At this voice, Rachel gasped, and was engulfed in a flash of light.

_The Supreme Leader was surrounded by an endless black void, standing in a sea of golden light. Standing before her was the Hero of Time, Link, as well as the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. Rachel's mouth dropped wide open, unable to think of what to say to them. "L-Link… Zelda…"_

_"Rachel… this isn't the time to give up. Not now. The bloodline of the Hero runs strong within you." The green-cladded boy spoke._

_"For many ages, our ancestors have been powered by the sacred golden light of Hyrule. The power to smite evil." Zelda spoke. "And now, Rachel… that light empowers you." And before Rachel's very eyes, a golden light shone above them. Her loyal spirit, Fi was slowly drifting down, surrounded by the sacred triangle itself._

_"The-The Triforce!" Rachel exclaimed._

_"Each piece of the Triforce is made of the force held only by their chosen one. By completing complex puzzles, and knowing what is truly important, you have gained Wisdom. By enduring battles against fierce monsters, you have learned Power. And… by always believing in yourself… and always willing to face even the most difficult trials ahead of you… you have gained true Courage. And now, My Master, with your final battle ahead of you… The true force of Hyrule can belong to you…"_

_Rachel felt the golden light of the Triforce encase her. The three holy forces shot into her body, and the Courage she was once empowered by began to return. The Supreme Leader grabbed her orange tiger sweater, and ripped it right off, exposing the fierce samurai armor underneath. The light from the Triforce made it look even more stronger than ever, and her Master Sword brimmed with the ultimate powers to vanquish evil._

Rachel came out of her vision, and her friends gaped at the sight of her bright and golden form. "R-Rachel… you're-" Nigel stuttered.

"Wearing the most totally awesome outfit you've ever seen?" Rachel smirked and winked. The Supreme Leader directed her attention back at Mandy and Lehcar. They exchanged nods with her and walked over, placing their hands on the sword as Rachel raised it skyward. Mandy became empowered with the light of the Triforce of Wisdom, and Lehcar was fueled by the might of the Triforce of Power.

The three girls brimmed with the golden light of their Triforce. Raising their weapons high, the girls soared into the heavens, leaving a beautiful trail of light as they flew to clash with the unholy Satan.

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><p><strong>Hoo! That's probably a lot to take in, so we'll leave it off there! Next time, the final chapter of this epic saga, our true final battle against the Devil himself. Hope you all enjoyed this series, 'cause it's coming to an end. See you THEEN!<strong>


	81. The War's End

**Well, folks, here it is: the last chapter, and the battle with Final Ganondorf. Play "I Am All of Me" by Crush 40. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Final Clash For the Fate of the World! Heroes of Light vs. Demon God Satan!<em>**

_Final boss: Satandorf_

The trio of heroes soared into the heavens before coming face-to-face with the Devil himself. **_"Heh heh heh… well, look who's still choosing to rise against me. Rachel!"_**

"Ganondorf!"

**_"Rachel!"_**

"Ganondorf!"

**_"RACHEL!"_**

"GANONDORF!"

_"Rachel…"_ he said in a whisper.

_"Ganondorf…"_ Rachel smirked and whispered back.

**_"ACHOO!"_** the demon sneezed.

"Bless you!" Rachel smiled.

**_"Thank you- HEY! But anyway…"_**

"NOW IT'S REALLY ON! !" They all cheered, their swords clashing and forcing against the other. "ONTO VICTORY/**_DEATH_**! !"

The three girls were blown away and tried to fly back as Satandorf began slashing massive flaming waves from his gigantic sword. The three split up as Rachel dodged in all directions to avoid them. Mandy soared above Ganon and launched light waves from the scythe, but Ganon shielded with his arm and smacked her away. Rachel made her way over and tried to deal a few blows against the head, but the demon shook it off and sent her blowing away again. "He isn't easy to get close to, is he? Any advice, Fi?"

Fi jumped out to immediately help her master. _"Target locked: Satandorf. This unholy incarnation of evil is the result of the combined forces of both Demon Kings, Demise and Malladus. This abomination resembles that of the evil Satan himself."_

"No kidding." Rachel said, dodging another flame wave.

_"This incarnation is still greatly connected to Ganon's human form. The gash that was left in his chest earlier seems to still be there. There is a 90% chance any sort of damage done to his chest would expose his heart."_

"Oh?" Rachel took notice of the gaping, glowing gash on his chest. "Hooray for totally obvious weak points. Some final boss. Okay, girls: let's take him down!"

Lehcar flew in front of Satandorf and unleashed a stream of purple flames, and the Demon King fought back using the same power. While this happened, Mandy flew around from behind Ganon and got to his chest, dealing some painful slashes using her scythe. Satandorf yelped in pain and sent the child and Lehcar flying. Rachel tried to make her way over, but Satan was making a bunch of black holes spawn in her path to shoot out asteroids, so she rapidly swung her sword to avoid them. Ganon was also making a bunch of laser barriers appear in her path, but Rachel used the Mirror Shield to deflect them and get past. When she made it over, Satandorf charged a powerful surge of fire in his hands and unleashed them at Rachel. Rachel held up her Mirror Shield and easily sucked in the flames. When Ganon was finished, she redirected the flames right into his chest, burning the gash open and clearly exposing the blue beating heart inside. The heart yelped in fear and shot out of the body, trying to skitter away as fast as it could.

Rachel shot an Arrow of Light at the Demon King's forehead and was able to stun him, allowing her to chase after the heart. The heart ran around the air at a high speed, and Rachel struggled to shoot it with Light Arrows. "I'll handle it." Lehcar offered, charging a jolt of lightning and releasing it, shocking and making the heart shake with pain. Now that it was stunned, Rachel was able to charge a Soul Surge and shoot over, dealing fast, painful blows against the beating organ. The heart cried in pain as it flew back to Satan's hand, the Devil stuffing it back in his chest before closing the gap. The demon crossed his arms in an 'X' before teleporting away.

The trio watched him reappear a few yards behind them, the demon waving his arms to make city buildings and fallen debris rise from the world below. The Devil hurled the fallen pieces to push the girls back. Lehcar infused lightning into her blade and released a powerful wave of electric, slicing a building in half that was coming her way, and letting the two halves slide past. Rachel then charged a Skyward Strike and pierced it through another building, cutting it in half, then sending both halves to bash Ganon. The demon became dizzied, and Mandy flew over to deal a few strikes to the forehead using the scythe. Afterwards, Ganon sent the three girls blowing away, then started to conjure more black holes flinging asteroids as they tried to fly back. Once again, Rachel sliced any asteroid coming at her, and also used the Mirror Shield to deflect laser barriers.

Once they made it to Ganon, the Demon King instantly teleported, appearing behind them and swinging his sword, successfully striking them before warping back in front. Ganon then punched his fist, sending a barrage of fist missiles at them, but Rachel bounced them back using the Mirror Shield and knocked the demon senseless in the head. With his guard down, Rachel aimed her Light Arrow and struck the forehead. With him stunned further, Mandy raised her scythe and pierced through the top of his chest. She slowly scraped the blade down before his chest was ripped open. The heart yelped and jumped out, trying his best to get away from them again. Lehcar charged a jolt of lightning and zapped the heart, and once it was stunned, Rachel powered up another Soul Surge and shot over to lay painful blows against it. Eventually, the heart escaped and went back into Satan's body, his chest being patched up.

The demon warped away again, reappearing at a higher point in the red sky. The girls chased after him as more meteors were flung their way, having to slice them to get by. The Devil raised more fallen debris from down below and sent it flying at them. Lehcar swiftly dodged a taxi, a sign post, and a screaming Cleveland Brown in his bathtub. When she saw a skyscraper coming her way, top-first, she quickly shot her lighting to break open the top, and as she passed through the roof, she rapidly swung her sword to cut through the other carpeted floors, finally coming out from the bottom of the building. After the lot made it to him, the demon teleported behind them again. Before they could turn, the demon had already begun spinning into another twister. The girls hurriedly tried to get away from the suction, but ended up trapped inside as various debris did serious damage against them. Eventually, the twister stopped, and they were blown several yards away.

They began to fly back as more black holes appeared to shoot out asteroids. The girls easily cut past the asteroids and made their way over to Ganon. The Devil started sending fire waves their way using his sword, the girls dodging in all directions. The Demon King performed a spin attack and released a huge shockwave of fire, pushing them away. They shot back over as Ganon punched more fist missiles their way. Rachel bounced them back with the Mirror Shield, but Ganon still defended from them. The Demon King then waved his left arm and began to charge up a surge of lightning. Ganon fired it directly at Rachel, but Lehcar shot in the way and caught it in her fingertips. She struggled to hold back the massive bolt of lightning, but was still able to flow it through her body and send it straight back at him. The huge ray of lightning made the demon shudder with pain, and Lehcar took this time to power up a Skyward Strike of lightning and slash it at his chest, cutting it open. The heart tried to skitter away again, but Rachel simply locked on with her Soul Surge and laid another round of strikes upon it.

The heart went back into Satan and the demon flew high up into the sky. The king was now at the very top of a colossal cyclone, made of the fires of Hell. The trio shot up the cyclone as a series of debris was coming at them, dodging around it. A few Kargaroks flew into the twister and tried to peck at them, but they were easily able to cut them away. As they navigated around a couple floating buildings, some small bits of trash were coming at them. Lehcar was hit in the face with a milk carton, and she pulled it off and noticed the picture of a seven-year-old girl on the side. The picture read, 'Missing. Last seen in _For the Love of Harvey!_' Lehcar shrugged this off and tossed the carton away.

The girls kept flying through, having to avoid Biris as the jellyfish monsters tried to get in their way. Just as they were about to reach Ganon, a squad of Ornes suddenly got in their path, making them gasp in shock, but the three girls each performed spin attacks and easily defeated the soul-eating skulls using the light from their blades. Once they made it up, the trio shot right above Ganon, who looked at them. The girls faced down as Rachel yelled, "It's OVER, Ganon!"

"What are we supposed to do now?" Mandy asked.

"Now's your chance, Fi." Rachel spoke to her sword.

_"As you command, Master. Please, touch the three blades together, and I will begin charging power for the Sealing Tri-strike."_ The girls did so and touched the tips of their blades together. Very slowly, all three blades began filling up with glowing rays of light. _"Final charge will take some time. Do your best to avoid his attacks until then."_ The girls carefully moved around in the air as Ganon set two barriers up beside them. Between the two barriers, Ganon unleashed a ray of heat vision from his eyes to burn them, so the girls carefully navigated around to avoid being burned.

**_"Tiny insignificant PESTS! !"_** Demise screamed, desperately trying to burn the trio to death. The demon began moving the two barriers around as well, but the trio was still able to navigate around.

"We're almost there." Rachel spoke as the three lights were ever-so close to touching.

"Then it's time." Mandy said.

"Time for what?" Rachel asked.

"Our pre-final strike rallying cry!" Lehcar exclaimed. "You first, Rachel."

"Right, ahem: Demons of the Underworld, evil adults, and maniacal supervillains alike, hear this: I am Rachel T. McKenzie. Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, Hero of Time, and defender of all kids everywhere!"

"I am Mandy McKenzie. Captain of the _Boogey Bay_, and destroyer of all who stand in my way."

"And I am Lehcar A. EiznekCm. Supreme Ruler of the DNK, slayer of fools who oppose me, and servant of nobody but myself."

"And as Kids Next Door Supreme Leader, it is my duty to stop you, Demon King Demise. I'll make sure you never harm another kid again."

"I'll make sure you never tell me what to do again." Mandy vowed.

"I'll make sure you'll NEVER think to oppose me!" Lehcar exclaimed.

"Ganondorf Abriel Dragmire:" Rachel began. "You. Are. HISTORY! !"

_"The charge is complete, Master. Unleash the full force of your blades, and vanquish the Demon King."_

"SEALING TRI-STRIKE! HIYAAAHHH!" The three Triforce-holders spun into a whirlwind of sacred, holy light. The trio shot like a missile, the three forces of the Triforce illuminating beside them. And with one final blow, the three holy weapons impaled the Devil's body. The girls shot right out from the other side and looked back, smirking at their three weapons impaled in the back. They exchanged nods and began to fly away.

**_"Geh… NYAAAAHHHH!"_** The holy light from the three sacred blades began to swallow the evil incarnation. **_"I…I don't believe it, but… you've actually killed me, Rachel… Ohh… I fucking hate you…"_** (End song.)

All of their friends gathered and smiled as the three girls took land back on the surface, their golden glowing super forms switching off. The Dark Lord himself was down on the ground in front of them, panting heavily as the three swords remained in his back. The demon army stood behind him as Ganondorf tried to help himself up. The poor-skinned human's hair was hanging down again, and his muscular shirtless body was exposed. The Gerudo lifted his head up, blood drooping from his mouth as his bloodshot eyes focused on Rachel. With the holy lights of the blades sticking into his body, his form was alit by the blinding light above him. As he raised his head, the golden visions of Link and Princess Zelda made themselves known.

"L…Link…" His bloodshot eyes then focused onto his daughter. He panted heavily and raised his right arm to point at Lehcar. "You're out of my will, you _BRAT_."

_"Heeee-YAH! !"_ In a flash of light, the spirits of Link and Zelda shot through the dying demon's form. Ganon was immediately sucked into a cyclone of fallen souls, shaking frantically as the skin peeled off his form.

"C-Curse you… Zelda. Curse you… Link…" The Sanzu River was close to draining his form as he uttered his last words. "Geh… _DAMN_ you… Rachel T. MCKENZIIIIEEEEE!"

The cyclone vanished as the skeletal remains of Ganondorf vanished in an explosion. The marvelous lights of the sun that once shone upon the world began to return, illuminating the blood-red sky and returning its natural blue color. The beaten up form of Rachel faced forward as the golden spirit of Link stood before her. Link gave an assuring smile to his descendant, and Rachel smiled and bowed. Link bowed back as his form shrunk, becoming his younger, cartoonish child form. The green-cladded child smiled playfully as Rachel reached out to touch hands with him. The golden spirit faded away, and absorbed into Rachel's body.

The spirit of Princess Zelda stood before Mandy, the new holder of her Triforce of Wisdom. The former Princess of Hyrule smiled and bowed, and Mandy kept her frown and bowed back. Slowly, Zelda was absorbed into her body as well.

Lehcar stepped forward as a cloud of blackness remained in the spot where Ganondorf last stood. After inching a bit closer, the cloud of blackness shot into her body, and Lehcar looked and studied her arms as the powers of darkness flowed through. "When a god has offspring," Lehcar turned as Clockwork spoke, "part of their whole is given to the descendants. The god becomes vulnerable to death… but their spirit lives on, inside the offspring."

"So…"

"The power of Demise remains inside you. But how you choose to use that power… that's up to you."

"Hmph." Lehcar turned around as Nigel approached her. "Guess that makes two of us. Put 'er there…" Nigel reached an arm for her to shake, "fellow half-demon."

Lehcar stared at the arm for a bit and smirked at Nigel. She raised her hand and took his, immediately shocking Nigel with a wave of lightning. As Nigel fell to the ground stunned, Lehcar smiled victoriously and walked off.

After witnessing what had just happened, both armies of demons were left speechless. Both sides slowly lowered their flags of either Malladus of Ganondorf. Instead, they held up and waved around flags of Rachel's visage, or the number '362'. "YEEAAH! RACHEL! RACHEL! RACHEL! RACHEL!"

"Umm… that's nice of them." Yin stated, confusedly.

"Some demons are loyal to one side," Grim explained, "some are loyal to another. Others just go with whoever kicks de most ass."

"I…I don't believe it…" Rachel panted lowly, gripping her chest and smiling as she took in all the cheers. "I did it… Ohhh." The hero fainted in a few seconds.

"Rachel!" Nigel and Fanny hurried over to help their friend.

**KND Moonbase**

Rachel had slowly awakened sometime after and found herself within her office on Moonbase. She looked around and found all of her friends watching over her. "G-Guys?... What happened?"

"You passed out." Nigel answered. "Seems you were worn out after your battle with Ganondorf."

"DUDE!" Patton exclaimed. "That was totally the most awesome thing I've ever seen!"

"Uh-huh!" Harvey agreed. "Boy, wait until I tell everyone at school about this! This'll TOTALLY make an awesome story at school! My sister: Rachel T. McKenzie. The _Hero of Time_…" Rachel couldn't help but smile at her brother's little idea. "Wait a second…" Harvey began to realize something. "That means I'M descended from Link, too! You're the best, Rachel!" Harvey embraced his sister in a hug.

"That's our leader." Fanny smiled and nodded at her friend. "Ya did good, Lass."

"The best Supreme Leader to ever run the KND." Nigel followed.

Rachel could never imagine a warmer feeling in her heart. She had no words to express how grateful she was for their support. "Aw, guys… I couldn't have done it without you. If it wasn't for you, I never would've found the courage to go up and face him. Thank you, guys. You're all really great friends, you know that?"

"Pleh. Get me a barf bag." Mandy could only say.

"Ahem." Lehcar turned as Kweeb hopped onto her right shoulder, giving a little smirk. "So, now that you're free of Ganondorf, does this mean you'll start being a little nicer to us little people?"

Lehcar immediately smacked Kweeb off and against the wall. "Keep dreaming, Shortstuff. Ganondorf may be gone, but I'm still the maniacal child I've always been. I'll keep destroying things and scaring people as much as I want."

"Oh-ho YEAH!" Yllaw cheered. "That's my Lehcar!"

"And YOU!" Yllaw yelped as Lehcar grabbed his shirt collar. "You still haven't been punished yet for imprisoning me! But you did remind me how awesome I am, so… I'll make it easy."

Eeballaw only gulped in fear, wondering what she was about to do. To his surprise, the Evil Princess pulled the goatee boy in and embraced him in a kiss. "MWAH!" Yllaw gasped as they pulled away. "Whoa, nelly!"

"Rachel." Rachel turned as none other than King Bulblin approached, with Azelf by his side as he presented the Spirit Ball. "You forgot something." The chubby demon tossed her the ball, and she caught it before facing Azelf. The Firstborn Spirit smiled and nodded, knowing it was time. Rachel readied and tossed the Spirit Ball, catching the Goddess of Willpower inside. As the ball shook and beeped along the ground, Rachel stepped over to pick it up.

The ball hovered in the air and erupted with light. The top half was glowing blue while the bottom half was silver. The ball lowered itself into Rachel's hand, and she held it up in victory.

**Rachel captured a_ FIRSTBORN! WE'VE GOT 'EM ALL! ! !_**

(Play "Fi's Farewell" from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_!)

Fi remained floating in her spot, staring with amazement as her master raised the glowing sphere in the air. Memories went through Fi's mind… and Rachel truly did look like the spitting image of Link.

_Link rested the Master Sword into its pedestal. With his journey complete, the darkness was left into slumber, and the hero was on his way home. "Master…" Link stopped, turning as his spirit companion had emerged from the sword, one last time. "My purpose was to obey the command of the goddess and lead you, the chosen hero of this land on your quest. But now, as I prepare to sleep within the Master Sword forever, I experience a feeling I am unable to identify. I believe this feeling correlates to what your people call… happiness. Before I enter the sleep that calls me to the sword, I wish to relay words to you. Many have said them on your journey, but I now wish to say them for myself. …Thank you… Master Link… May we meet again… in another life…"_

Fi's heart was warmed by the memory. She felt a tear drop from her eye… even though she really didn't have tears. _"Master…"_ Hearing her spirit speak, Rachel turned and faced her. _"Rachel… It has been the most wonderful time of my existence to serve the Hero of Time… I am thankful you had allowed me… to have that experience again."_

Rachel smiled to her partner and stuffed the Spirit Ball into her pocket.

_"…Thank you… Master Rachel… I will always remain by your side."_

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Fi…" (End song.)

**Planet Earth**

The jester minion, Zant remained in the empty wasteland after all of the demons had cleared. "Master…" the shadow being sobbed, face buried in the ground. "Master. Boo HOO… hoo… BOO hoo… Oh?" He felt a shadow loom over him and lifted his head up, seeing a smirking Vaati, Nolan, and Danika as they sat atop Vaati's sky bison, Appa. The black bison gave a tremendous "ROOOOAAAAARRRR!", covering Zant in saliva. "WAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAH!" The bison gave chase as the minion cried and scampered away.

At the same time, the Ying-Ying Bird had flown back down and began pecking the pitch-black spot on the ground where Ganondorf vanished. "GYEH!" The bird jumped back when Hannibal Bean emerged from the ground in an aggravated fashion. "This is the last time Ah help other demons." His bird pet approached the bean and gave a slight whiff. Its eyes widening from the awful smell, Ying-Ying fainted. Hannibal just sat in his spot stuck in the ground, and rested his face on his vine-arm in anger.

**Moonbase**

Rachel, Mandy, and Lehcar stepped up to each other and aligned in a triangle position. (Play "Knight of the Wind" by Crush 40!) The three raised their blades skyward and touched them together, a glistening sparkle on their tip.

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's Story: Cast:<strong>

**Rachael MacFarlane as _Rachel T. McKenzie_ and _Lehcar A. EiznekCm_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Fanny Fulbright_**

**Matt Levin as _Patton Drilovsky_**

**Grey DeLisle as _Mandy McKenzie_ and _Princess Azula_**

**Greg Eagles as the _Grim Reaper_**

**Benjamin Diskin as _Nigel Uno_ and _Hoagie P. Gilligan_**

**Lauren Tom as _Kuki Sanban_ and _Uxie_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Wallabee Beatles_, _Appa_, and _Ying-Ying_**

**Cree Summer as _Abigail Lincoln_**

**Hironori Miyata as _Ganondorf Dragmire_**

**Anri Katsu as _Lord Ghirahim_**

**Tom Kenny as _Hannibal Roy Bean_ and _Yang Hanamizu Bean_**

**Kevin Michael Richardson as _Malladus Uno_ and _King Bulblin_**

**Bella Hudson as _Violet McCleary_**

**Tara Strong as _Harvey McKenzie_, _Angelie Granite_, _Yevrah EiznekCm_, _Yin Hanamizu Bean_, and _Scarlet Vargas_**

**Janice Kawaye as _Sonya Dickson_ and _Lee Harper_**

**Scott Menville as _Paddy Fulbright_**

**Amy Birnbaum as _Azelf_**

**Hynden Walch as _Mesprit_**

**Takashi Ōhara as _Link_**

**Megumi Toyoguchi as _Zelda_**

**Yu Shimamura as _Fi_**

**Takashi Nagasako as _Demise/Satandorf_**

**Characters by Nintendo, Mr. Warburton, and Maxwell Atoms**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**HOO! And so, this exciting story must come to an end. ): I mean, really, it's the end. Negatar Gnaa is dead, and we just pretty much defeated Satan, the baddest villain of all. :/ Some people probably expected a final showdown with Lord Gnaa, but we technically already had one with him when he was controlling Harvey. And honestly, I've grown out of Lord Gnaa as a villain. I've actually gotten more fond of the other villains, like Ganondorf or Brain. XD But anyhoo-**

"Wait a second."

**Huh? Hm… Anyway, yeah, the story is over. I'll put the actual credits for this whole story in a minute. I'm actually quite proud of how it turned out. I think it's really revived my series considering the awfulness of _Monty's Galactic Days_. I suppose _ANCESTOR_ and _DUTCHMAN_ weren't THAT bad, but y'know. In fact, that's why I decided to add in the action stages, because in my previous stories, everything just felt so rushed without them, going from one place to another, y'know? I decided to add them to further show just how it's done for the characters, going from one area to another… so to speak. And yeah, I was lazy at some parts and excluded a few action stages and bosses, but I hope to go back and fix them in there.**

"I said, wait a second."

**What? Man, I must be hearing things. Anyway, yeah, there are also plenty of characters I wish I could've found space to use more, and quite a few I wished I could use better. But looking back, I feel I should just use them in parts of the story where they actually matter. Because anything more, and I would end up f^&king them up, and I sort of did that with a few of them, like Nolan a little after his ending. Oh well, I do plan to rewrite a Final Mix of this story, one that should have edited out most of the flaws and lazy moments. Until then, _Legend of the Eight Firstborn_ is complete, and it is now time to work on the Nextgen Series. Here is the rest of the credits, and this has been Gamewizard2008, aka Ja-**

"Oh for God's sake, somebody turn the camera back on!"

**Huh? Wait, it looks like something's still going on. Let's have a look. **(Pause song.)

**Mt. Malladus**

The crater of the demonic volcano lied in complete rubble and ruin after Ganondorf's rise to power. A vortex sliced open several feet above the pile, and Lord Gnaa himself came screaming and shooting out, rolling and bouncing down to the bottom of the pile. The Negatar gripped his aching bald head and slowly tilted his head up. Anger and rage fueled the Negatar, that feeling of betrayal in his mind. Dozens of Heartless enemies appeared around the area, walking over as their Master stood back to his feet, his eyes closed in thought. Bowser, Eggman, Kroctus, Rumpel, Brain, Ganondorf, ALL of his allies had been defeated. Fallen to the power of darkness. He felt the darkness that once emitted from their hearts flowing into him. The Negatar was becoming even stronger. And he was sensing something else, too. Finally, the Eight Legendary Firstborn have been retrieved by their Guardians. The time of Arceus's awakening was almost here. There were only two things that remained: the extraction of the Jewels of Light and Darkness from his and Aang's souls… and _her_. The girl that would make it all possible.

Morgan Catherine shone clearly in his mind, as bright and beautiful as ever. His sights focused completely on her, his love burning hotter than all the fires of Hell. Yes, she… would empower him with all the darkness he needed. And the entire universe would fall into an endless sea of darkness and despair. The Negatar slowly opened his eyes, his eyes and arrows brimming with the bright purple glow that was the power of darkness. A beam of dark, purple energy shot into the air, and Gnaa gave a powerful roar to the heavens. His time of reign was nearing. (Resume "Knight of the Wind".)

* * *

><p><strong>Uhh… yeah, um, we're not done. XD How many people actually fell for that fake ending? You'd think I would just leave it like THAT? Come on, who here actually fell for it? XD We only completed Rachel's story here, and we could all agree that it was the second best compared to Nolan's. We still got another story arc to go, and THAT would be Morgan's story. Also known as: the last story. But until then:<strong>

**Rachel's Story: _END_**


	82. When Darkness Calls

**Well, peoples, after fooling several people with that fake ending, it is time. Time for the Last Saga of this epic. Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Firstborn Are Together At Last! Journey To Take Down Lord Gnaa!<em>**

**Spear Pillar**

Dialga & Palkia patiently sat upon the top of the Spirit World, staring up at the starry sky with slight worry in their hearts. A portal opened near the edge of the Spear Pillar all of a sudden, and they watched as Jagar stepped in, followed by Olive, Ukon, Clockwork, as well as Sector V and the Firstborn Guardians. "So… you have finished your mission?"

"As promised." Jagar bowed. "Behold…"

Nova, Eva, Dimentia, Mika, Danika, Rachel, Sonya, and Matthew aligned their selves in a row. Each of the Guardians pulled out their Spirit Balls, opening and releasing the Eight Firstborn before the duo of deities.

"So the Eight Firstborn have been united after all…" Palkia observed.

"The returning of the Supreme God is upon us…" Dialga followed.

"Sooo…" Hoagie drew out, "where is he?"

"Patience, children…" Dialga spoke again, "there is but one final thing we need."

"Awww, man!" Kuki whined.

"How many more times do we need to BUST our rears? ?" Wally exclaimed.

"Remember, children, the Eight Firstborn are the offspring of Arceus."

"They possess each of his greatest powers and abilities." Palkia followed.

"And only by their hands together can Arceus be revived from the Gap In-Between."

"But there is but one more final key to the puzzle you need: the Sacred Jewel that Arceus has bestowed onto the Avatar long ago, which was divided into a second jewel, that the Negatar took possession of. The Eight Firstborn must be used to extract both halves of those jewels, and reunite them."

"But how? The Negatar was killed by Ganon." Abby reminded.

"No. I sense he is still alive." Dialga replied. "He is gathering more and more Heartless, to spread darkness to the universes. He has made his retreat inside the distance castle, within the Negatar Realms of the Negaverse."

"ANOTHER castle? Really?" Rachel asked, disbelieved.

"But… how do we go about taking the jewel from him?" Nova asked.

"There is one other thing you should know." Dialga spoke again. "Depending on who is responsible for retrieving the jewel, shall determine if it is used for Light or Darkness."

"To determine such a thing," Palkia followed, "both the Avatar and Negatar must clash in one final battle."

"If the Avatar succeeds, the jewel shall be used for light."

"But if the Negatar succeeds, the jewel shall be used for darkness."

"And if it is used for darkness, terrible things may happen."

"So in other words… Aang definitely has to win." Eva figured.

"It was bound to happen eventually." Nigel said. "A Positive versus their Negative. Right, Rachel?"

"E-yup."

"One more thing." Dialga spoke again. "Should Aang go, see to it that Morgan Catherine accompanies him. She and Gnaa are bonded by destiny. She will have to face Gnaa with him. And-" The god stopped himself. The pool within the center of the area suddenly began to glow as a vision showed. "Uh-oh. Seems we've waited too long. The Heartless have returned to your world."

"You know your mission." Palkia stated. "Now you must go."

The heroes nodded with serious expressions. Clockwork opened the portal and allowed everyone to step inside. However, the Ghost of Time stayed behind as he flew up towards Dialga.

"In other news," the apprentice spoke, "I seem to have a problem. For some reason, I cannot see the future set before our heroes. Not too far from now. Can you?"

Dialga remained silent for a moment. "…No. I cannot… see a thing. I don't know what is happening. But I fear… DARKNESS is approaching."

**Cleveland, Virginia**

Right away, the heroes arrived back at outside city park. "Look!" Nigel yelled, pointing several feet away as the Avatar Gaang was locked in battle with the Heartless themselves. Heartless Soldiers jumped at Sokka, but the swordsman sliced anyone that attempted to grab him. Katara easily splashed the creatures away with water, while Toph sent them flying on rock platforms. But right then, a huge squadron of a hundred Shadow Heartless emerged from the ground.

"Man, what's with these guys?" Sokka asked, exhausted.

"Lord Gnaa is hungry." Azelf stated.

As the Shadows were about to leap at them however, Avatar Aang flew in from behind on Appa, dropping down with powerful force as he sent the Shadows flying with an explosion of air. "It's Aang!" Katara exclaimed.

"Finally! Where've you been?" Sokka asked.

"Um, got sidetracked by demons. But I'm here now! So let's blow these guys away!" Aang spun around in a tornado, blowing more Shadows away. However, a squad of Neo-Shadows appeared and prepared to strike, only to be struck by lightning from behind. The group turned as Azula blew the smoke from her fingers, standing by Zuko.

"It doesn't matter how many we defeat, they just keep coming." Zuko said before slicing an assaulting Shadow with his sword.

"We have to take them out at the source. But where?" Aang asked.

"Um… would that give us a hint?" Sokka asked, pointing upward as a large vessel was coming in from the heavens.

"It's the Gummi Ship!" Nigel recognized.

The orange yellow-striped ship immediately began firing lasers down below, wiping out any surrounding Heartless. The ship took land shortly after, and Meta Knight made his presence known from the cockpit. "Hope this doesn't mean I've kicked the bucket. Mm hm hm hm hm."

"Hehe. Good to see you, too." Nigel chuckled.

"Uncle!" Zuko exclaimed with joy as Iroh stepped off the ship, followed by the members of the White Lotus.

"Sorry we've been a while." The ancient man said. "But we've brought some friends along." He stepped aside and directed behind him as Morgan and her siblings stepped out.

"All riight! And just in time, too!" Mika exclaimed.

"Clockwork informed us beforehand." Piandao said.

_"The showdown against Lord Gnaa is upon us."_ Mewtwo said in his telepathic tone. _"I assume you've already spoken with the gods?"_

"Well… yes…" Nigel answered. The group began to explain everything.

"I see…" Aang said after sucking in the information. "So in order for the jewel to be retrieved… Gnaa and I have to fight."

"There's just… _one_ thing I have to say." Sokka spoke up. "If, the jewel is extracted… what happens to Aang and Gnaa? Will their powers… vanish?"

"He raises a good point." Toph said. "If that happens, it'll be the end of the Avatar Cycle. Right?"

"It'll also be the end of the Negatar." Aang said. "If it stops Gnaa, and saves the universe… so be it."

"But Aang." Katara spoke worriedly. "Without the Avatar, there will be no one to keep our world in balance."

"Sure there will, Katara." Aang smiled. "We'll have the rest of the benders. Sure, there're bad ones, but there's even more good ones. Anyway, I have to do this." Aang decided, more serious. "I have to defeat the Negatar, and take the jewel back."

"And… Morgan has to come with you?" Buddy asked.

"What is this 'destiny' exactly?" Athena asked.

"Maybe… he means I have a chance." Morgan figured. "A chance at… restoring the light inside Gnaa."

"Morgan, you've already tried, I don't think-" Sophie tried to say.

"He DOES have light." Morgan countered with a serious look- "And Sirius is dead! And I think this is what Dialga means. By turning Gnaa to the Side of Light, both halves of the jewel will be filled with light. In that sense… Arceus would be fully restored to good, and darkness will be abolished. Right?"

"Abolish darkness? That's impossible." Jagar said.

"Still… if you're that determined about it… we'll go with you." Buddy assured.

"Yeah. Imaginary friends 'til the end." Athena smirked.

Morgan gave a light smile and chuckled. "Thanks, guys… imaginary or not, you're the best siblings I could ask for."

The sounds of screaming were heard just then. They all directed their attention towards the city as slight smoke rised. "But the Heartless aren't finished yet. What should we do?" Nigel asked.

"The Guardians and I should go with Aang and The Quads." Rachel decided. "When Aang defeats the Negatar, we'll need to extract the jewel from him. The rest of you can handle the Heartless in this area."

"Hey, we're going, too." Sokka said, indicating the rest of the Gaang.

"The more, the merrier." Aang smiled.

"I think I'll stay, too." Azula said. "In case these kids need help, they'll need a real expert."

"So we have our assignments." Iroh spoke up. "Our fates are decided. Our final battle awaits us in Castle Gnaa."

"To reach the Negatar Realms, we must cross through TWO dimensions." Meta Knight spoke in his thick Spanish accent. "The Avatar's world, and the Negaverse. Luckily, I have a friend that will help. His power combined with the Gummi Ship will get us there in no time."

"You just look after things here, Soldier." Rachel ordered.

Nigel nodded. "Be careful, Rachel. If you can defeat Ganon, this should be nothing."

"We are ready for liftoff." Meta Knight announced. "Everyone onboard."

The Gaang, Quads, and Guardians all piled onto the ship as the engines started. The Gummi Ship pointed directly upwards and shot for the heavens, leaving the others down below.

"We're leaving the atmosphere. He should be around any… there he is!" Meta Knight exclaimed. The crew looked up ahead as Death's Head hovered in the air. "Death's Head: get ready to warp!"

"A double-portal for the final showdown. Makes sense, yes?" Death's Head aimed his ray gun and fired directly ahead of the ship. Meta Knight slammed his finger on a button, creating his own portal that fused with Death's Head's. The Gummi Ship zoomed into the portal and disappeared in a blinding flash of light, leaving only Death's Head to wander the area.

"We're reaching the exit point!" Meta Knight yelled as the ship trembled within the double-hyperspace. "I am detecting enemies ahead. We are entering the Negatar Air Defense Zone. Everybody, man your stations, so we may get through here. Let's move!" (Play "Battleship Bravery" from _Kingdom Hearts II_!)

_Stage 56: The Negatar Realms_

_Mission: Find and defeat Negatar Gnaa!_

_Act 1: Negatar Air Defense Zone_

The Gummi Ship zipped out of the portal and was immediately met by cannon fire from a fleet of Heartless ships. The Gummi Ship fired lasers as fast as they could at any incoming ship. The group flew around and dodged as the big ships were firing lasers, barrel-rolling as they also launched small bullets. Some spider ships flew in and latched onto the Gummi Ship, trying to squeeze and damage it, but Meta Knight was able to make it barrel roll and shake them off. A Heartless Driller ship was then coming on their tail from behind, the crew quickly dodging as it zipped past them. The Driller turned around to face the ship, raising its drill arms as it spun around and heavily damaged the craft. Meta Knight kept trying to counterattack with lasers, but the Heartless endured many hits, so Mewtwo simply flew outside of the ship and charged a Psycho Sphere, sending it out at the monster's head and destroying it in one final hit.

Mewtwo flew back inside as the Gummi Ship soared around more Cruiser ships. The crew hovered just a few feet above one of the big ships and shot down at it, dodging its cannons and making explosions erupt all over it. They then past by Cruiser on their left and fired away, then another one on their right, and blasted all over. By the time they got away, a Heartless Hunter was on their tail, surrounded by four floating mini-turrets. The Gummi Ship made its cannons face backwards to fire away as the Hunter began unleashing a storm of bullets. The Gummi Ship dodged around, first trying to take out the mini-turrets. By the time all four turrets were gone, the Hunter unleashed a series of mini bombs around the Gummi, making huge explosions erupted and bounce it around. As they were coming to another flagship, the heroes shot the ship downward, making the Hunter crash and explode.

As the crew shot downward, they flew straight into the Heartless Control Station. They flew through the first hall as Heartless ships already came after them, firing lasers to easily take out the enemy ships. Some wall turrets emerged and tried to take them out, but the Gummi dodged around and fired back. As they were coming to a dead end, they zipped to the left and flew through another hall. They then reached another hall and continued to their right, but were instantly pursued by a Reaper's Wheel. The massive spiked wheel extracted cannons to shoot at them, but the heroes fired back and pushed the wheel back further. After taking out all its cannons, the wheel still gave quick chase, but crashed once it rammed into a wall.

The team was able to escape through a smaller hole in that wall, but several gates were closing ahead of them. The heroes shot lasers at the glowing weak spots and broke the gates open, reaching the station's Core, a massive glowing blue sphere. Ships flew around and tried to shoot the heroes, but the group dodged and kept fire on the Core. After a few minutes of laser fire, the Core began exploding all around, so the team shot out of the nearest exit. They shot straight out of the control station as it erupted in a blinding explosion.

The Gummi Ship was very close to entering the Negatar Realms' atmosphere. However, before they could, one last Heartless ship got in their way, a Hunter-X. The powerful ship unleashed storms of bullets at the heroes, doing a heavy damage as they struggled to counterattack. The Hunter-X sent its mini-turrets to all four sides of the Gummi Ship, creating lasers to surround the ship as the group tried to stay in-between them. The Hunter-X then released its mini bombs and bounced and knocked the ship around with large explosions.

"Nngh! Negatar does NOT want us in his homeworld." Buddy stated.

"Our defenses are running low. The ship cannot withstand another assault." Meta Knight reported.

"Wwwe're screwed." Danika stated simply.

However, before the Hunter-X could unleash another attack, a laser-like slash zipped by and struck it from the side. "It is Death's Head!" Meta Knight exclaimed.

The dimension-traveling robot hovered by them as the Hunter-X angrily faced him. "Big save-the-day moment, yes? I'll handle this, no?" With that, the robot sped away as the Heartless gave chase.

"Nn-THAT helps a lot." Morgan said.

"The time has come. Get ready to land." Meta Knight ordered, and with that, the ship proceeded to enter the atmosphere. (End song.)

The ship took land within a barren, mountainous wasteland, where the sky was dark-purple, and seemed to show no signs of life. The Quads and the Gaang limped off the ship after their dizzying ride, a few of them falling to the ground. "I'd rather stick to riding Appa…" Toph groaned.

Aang slowly walked off of the ship and viewed the surrounding landscape. "So… these are the Negatar Realms."

"It looks… just like our world." Katara observed.

"Yeah, but more gloomy." Zuko replied.

"I can't really tell a difference!" Toph joked. "Except… not much plant life growin' around here, huh?"

"Where's the Negatar's castle?" Sokka asked.

"It is close." Iroh replied. The old man directed their attention several miles above and away from them. In the distance of the sky, a terrifying castle hovered around some even steeper mountains, surrounded by a dark tornado. "His castle floats just around the Southern Fear Temple. You must cross this plain in the Shadow Kingdom in order to reach him."

"The Shadow Kingdom… riiight." Toph said half-sarcastically.

"I guess that must also mean there're two Poison Tribes and a Psychic Nation." Katara replied.

"This place must be swarming with Heartless." Pakku figured. "The Negatar's presence must have caused a majority of this world to fall before the darkness. This may effect our world, and many others soon enough. You must stop him and retrieve the jewel. Before it's too late."

"Morgan… are you sure you want to go?" Sophie asked. "I mean, if the Negatar could turn a world into… this…"

Upon studying the dark world, Morgan did begin to have second thoughts. However, she was able to shake these thoughts away, and her hope returned. "This doesn't say anything. Every element has Light and Darkness. Including Light and Darkness themselves. This world may look dark… but I know there's a light somewhere. A light that Gnaa has."

"Hm. You never give up, do you, Marjorie?" Buddy snickered.

"Don't call me Marjorie, Ruburd! And no, I don't. And when we get there, I'll SHOW you that light. Just wait and see."

"Okay. Then let's do it." Aang declared, his determined look coming back. "Negatar Gnaa: prepare to meet the light!" (Play "The Burned Lands 1" from _Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon_!)

_Act 2: The Shadow Kingdom_

The team began their trek across the dark wasteland, making their way up the hill before them. A squad of Neo-Shadows emerged and began to throw slashes, but Zuko and Sokka sliced the monsters away with their swords. The Heartless were later accompanied by some Invisibles, who clashed against The Quads' light sabers with their own swords. Athena was struck by one as it vanished. Several dark flames appeared around Athena as a result, and she quickly dodged before the Invisible reappeared and pierced down at her. She then grabbed the Invisible using psychic and hurled it at another one while Buddy and Morgan both struck and destroyed one simultaneously.

The team continued up the hill and reached the top, overlooking a wider wasteland of dark tornados. The heroes progressed down the hill as some Creeper Plant Heartless emerged from the ground. Toph simply used earthbending to send the plant monsters flying away on rocks, but Gargoyle Heartless appeared shortly after, coughing blue flames at the heroes. Zuko countered with his own firebending while Aang swung a tornado from his staff, catching the monsters inside. They hurried ahead while they were trapped, but saw one of the dark tornados headed their way, and the heroes were immediately trapped inside.

They stood within a plain of darkness inside the tornado as squads of Wizard and Defender Heartless appeared. Morgan and Athena tried to shoot psychic at the Defenders and stun them, but the beasts protected with their shields, which then gnashed their sharp teeth at them. Sokka ran to try and slice a Wizard, but the magic Heartless erupted lightning from its staff and shielded itself as Sokka took a few shocks. Katara bended some water and froze the Heartless, allowing Zuko to shoot fire and smash it. The Quads clashed their sabers against the Defenders' shields, then leapt behind them to strike their backs, able to take them out. However, that's when some Eliminator Heartless appeared, which were red versions of the Defenders.

The Eliminator Heartless gnashed their shields' teeth at The Quads and pushed them back, and afterwards swung their shields as they spun around, batting them away. Aang leapt in the air and slammed his staff on the ground in attempt to send the monsters flying with an air blast, but the Eliminators stood their ground and pushed Aang back with their shields. Sokka was able to run behind one and strike it with his Meteor Sword, destroying it. The other Eliminators tried to attack him, but Sokka jumped back, and Morgan and Buddy ran behind the remaining two to quickly strike with their light sabers, wiping them out. Once all the Heartless had been cleared, the heroes were dropped from the tornado and back onto safe ground. They kept running across the plain, but were instantly sucked in by another dark tornado.

They stood inside another dark plain as they faced a giant purple, bull-like Heartless called a Behemoth. The Behemoth shot energy spheres from its horns, but Athena and Sophie grabbed them with psychic and sent them at his middle horn. The Behemoth lowered its head to the ground as energy began to charge, allowing Sokka and Zuko to get a few hits on its middle horn. When it finished charging, it stood back up and released a rain of energy beams and blew everyone back. Morgan ran to slash at its front left leg, making it wince and crouch so the group could attack its horn. The Behemoth recovered and backed up several feet before leaping forward and knocking everyone down with a shockwave.

As Toph stood back up, the blind earthbender sensed a boulder being sucked into the tornado. She jumped and gripped the boulder, then used her bending to make it a sharp point. She then swung it and hurled the point straight into the Behemoth's forehead, which caused it to explode into nothingness. With the Behemoth defeated, the crew was dropped onto a cliffside, high above the plain they were in just now as they overlooked the other tornados. The team looked above as the path seemed to lead them closer to the Fear Temple, so they started up the path. Along their way, they noticed a couple Heartless Battleships and Air Pirates flying their way. Aang flung rocks at the individual parts of the Battleships using earthbending, and Zuko shot flames to burn the Air Pirates' wings.

As they kept making their way upward, some Air Vikings soared into the area. Zuko tried to shoot flames at them, but the Vikings easily dodged and sent wing slashes to damage him. Morgan tried to grip them using psychic, but the Vikings were able to escape her grab as they shot over and head-butted her against the wall. Katara was able to throw water over one's wings and make it drop, and Sokka tossed his boomerang and successfully hit another's head, making it dizzy and drop to the earth. Eventually, the group was able to reach the top of the cliffside, where swarms of Darkballs and Invisibles appeared out of darkness.

The Darkballs zipped around the area and munched their mouths as they tried to bite the heroes, but Sokka whacked one with his sword and made it stop. Toph heard a Darkball coming her way, so she stomped a rock wall out of the ground and made it ram the wall, then sent the wall pushing away. Katara conjured some water fists and tried to take the sword from an Invisible. She succeeded as she swung and tossed the sword straight at the Invisible's empty chest, sending him flying. The Quads once again clashed their swords against more Invisibles, and were knocked over when a Darkball came and pushed them. The four recovered and quickly dodged before an Invisible stabbed them. Athena saw the Darkball coming back, so she stuck it onto her sword and tossed it at one of the Invisibles. Zuko and Aang then combined their firebending to take out the remaining ones from behind.

Once all of the Heartless were cleared, the crew kept going along the pathway, stopping at a dead end on the cliff as they overlooked the towering Fear Mountain before them. "Annnd how're we supposed to climb that?" Sokka asked.

A beast's roar caught their attention. They looked as a giant, green Heartless with wings soared over their way. The gargoyle-like Heartless, Tailbunker, flew just under the ledge and allowed them to get on. "Hm. Guess these guys aren't all bad." Aang figured as they proceeded to walk on.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Was all Katara could say as the Heartless carried them straight up the mountain. (Play "The Floating Islands" from _Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon_!)

_Act 3: The Southern Fear Temple_

After arriving at the temple high above the gloomy clouds, the heroes jumped off the Tailbunker, the Heartless flying away as they viewed around the ruins. "So… this is where the Negatar was born." Zuko observed. The area above the clouds of the Negatar Realms seemed a lot brighter, but the sky still held that look of fear and worry. The Southern Fear Temple was falling apart with crumbly buildings and dead plants and leaves that blew in the faint wind.

"This place is nothing like the Air Temple at home." Aang said, looking fearfully at the ancient buildings.

"But if this is the opposite of that, you think they have any food here?" Sokka asked.

"Sokka! Can you really think about food at a time like this?" Katara replied.

"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs."

"I'd doubt they have anything tasty." Aang said. "Let's find Negatar Gnaa and get out of here fast." The team looked off not too far in the distance as Gnaa's castle hovered within the center of a dark tornado. "This place gives me the creeps…"

The group started their walk into the Fear Temple as several Shadow Heartless snuck up along the ground and tried to jump at them. Zuko swung his dual swords and kept the Shadows away, the group quickly progressing through. After heading up some stairs, they all looked frightfully before a room with piles of skeletons. The Gaang easily recognized them as the Negatives of Aang's people. Aang himself slowly approached a skeleton that wore a wooden necklace around its neck. He recognized it as the opposite of Monk Gyatso.

Right at that moment, a squad of Wight Knight Heartless appeared out of nowhere, beginning to swipe their claws at them. The Quads raised their light sabers and easily whacked the flexible Heartless, pushing them out the window and sending them falling down below. The group continued through and soon reached the end of the hall, back outside. They overlooked a bridge that led straight across to the next temple, and started to cross it. Along their way, some Angel Stars, Heartless designed like light bulbs with wings, appeared and started to blast Light Spheres at the group. Sokka tried to hit one with his sword, but its glowing bulb made it shield, and Sokka's blade bounced back. Katara was able to short circuit them by throwing water over them, and Aang and Toph sent rocks at them to fling them away.

The group continued on and reached the next temple across the bridge. They quietly gasped as they entered a room with statues of none other than Gnaa's previous accomplices, all of whom were now deceased. The writing below the statue of Bowser read _The Hundred-Life King_. The label below the statue of Eggman read _The Ego-Consumed Scientist_. The statue of King K. Rool read _The Croc of Many Species_. Rumpel Stiltskin's statue read _The Despicable Prankster_. The statue of Darth Genious read _The Misguided Organ_. The statue of Ganondorf read _The Demons' Idol_. The statue of Davy Jones read _The Heart-Broke Captain_. And finally, the statue of Gaul read _The Loyal Ape_.

"O-kay… this is way too creepy." Katara said quietly as they moved on. They slowly passed through another hall before coming before a strange, large door that had two big ears on the sides of it.

"This looks like that door that was in the Air Temple." Sokka observed.

"Yeah, but it looks like fearbending can open it now." Morgan said. "I wonder if psychic would work?" With that, she and her siblings combined psychokinesis and was able to make the door open. The team stepped inside and viewed around the room, aligned with many statues of people upon the shelves.

"These are the Avatars." Sokka pointed out.

"I think you got it backwards." Toph said.

"They're the Negatars." Zuko said. "This is the cycle. Only… I think the order is switched."

Aang slowly approached the statue in the center. The boy gave a close look at the statue of a man with a hateful face. His eyes closed as a ringing sound was heard in his mind. He shot his eyes open in realization. "This is… Negatar Erodoeht."

"Who?" Katara asked.

"The Negative of the very first Avatar. Avatar Theodore. Aka Captain Planet. Erodoeht was the one that attacked Arceus, and brought him his hatred for the humans. Erodoeht's darkness… corrupted Arceus. He was _that_ powerful."

"Aang… how do you know all this?"

"…I don't know. It just… came to me."

"O-kay, officially weirded out right now." Sokka remarked. "Which you'd figure I'd be used to that by now."

"Well, the Negatar can't be too far, right?" Toph asked.

"Let's keep moving." Aang suggested.

Toph sensed a secret way behind a wall in the back of the room and stomped it open. The group crouched and entered the small tunnel, coming out onto a small balcony on the other side. From there, they had a great view of the Negatar Castle before them. "So how do we get in?" Sokka asked. But just like that, a tunnel of wind emerged from the surrounding tornado, down to the heroes, allowing them inside. "Well, that answers my question…"

"Lord Gnaa welcomes us." Toph already figured.

"Let's not keep him waiting." Morgan suggested. And with that, the crew stepped into the windy tunnel and were casually blown up towards the highest point in the castle. (End song.)

The Avatar Gaang, Quads, and the Firstborn Guardians had landed at the top of the castle, already standing before a huge door. Aang and Morgan exchanged serious nods before charging forward, using their air and psychic bending (respectively) to blow the doors open. There sat Negatar Gnaa upon his throne, brimming with the powers of evil. He was even garbed in a new outfit, a Fire Nation-like outfit similar to what Aang once wore during his time in the Fire Nation. _"Ah, my guests have arrived! Please… come in."_ he instructed in his dark voice. He raised his arm out and motioned them to come in, using psychic to make the double-doors shut.

Aang ran forward and stopped within the center of the room, his staff raised. "So, YOU'RE Negatar Gnaa."

_"Avatar Aang!"_ Lord Gnaa smiled. _"It's been a long time. Ever since you were trapped inside that iceberg, frozen below the sea for a hundred long years. Oh, and I see you've brought friends. The Firstborn Guardians, and-"_ His attention focused on Morgan, _"my dear, sweet Morgan. Still playing with your imaginary toys, I see."_

"Oh yeah?" Angered, Buddy drew out his light saber. "We'll see who's imaginary after I kick your-"

"Hold on, Buddy." Morgan held her brother back. "Negatar Gnaa… I know you don't want it to be like this. There's a light in there just waiting to be let out."

Lord Gnaa made little light chuckles. _"And still very imaginative. You don't know me very well, Morgie."_ A puddle of darkness began to surround the Dark Master as Shadow Heartless appeared, crawling up to him as darkness flowed. _"The Heartless are my children… They were revived using MY power. They are feeders of the darkness in peoples' hearts. They need ME to keep them alive. A heart that has not even the smallest glimmer of light. The only thing that flows through me is DARKNESS! It's ALWAYS been darkness! Ever since I was young, darkness had led me on the right path. It has led me here, to YOU: the ones who would deliver me the Eight Firstborn. And now, here you all are. Once the Firstborn are in my possession, EVERYONE will know the power that is Darkness. So, Guardians of the Firstborn: extract the jewels from our vessels, so that I may revive Arceus with the darkness that powers him."_

"Not on your life!" Rachel exclaimed, drawing her sword.

_"Then heroes of the light, answer this: Why do you hate the darkness?"_

"Well… we don't hate it, per se." Sonya replied. "It's just… scary."

"But everything has Light and Dark inside of them." Morgan followed. "Light and Dark are two sides of the same coin, they form our two universes."

"Sorta makes you wonder… why we would be scared of the dark." Eva said with a sheepish grin. "Hehe."

"It's because of what kind of people choose to lurk inside it." Zuko said. "What kind of people choose to follow it."

"But Negatar Gnaa, you don't need to follow it." Morgan said once more. "What may have happened back then, it's over now. There are people, even regular humans, willing to accept you if you come back to the light."

_"Heh heh heh. Still you try, Morgie? How cute… but you are as blind as the rest of them. Darkness gives me power. It's the only thing that grants power. I cannot feel sorrow… I could care less for what becomes of your kind. No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think. What you feel, or _how_ you exist… I can care less for any of that."_

"Then…Then we'll have to destroy you, too!" Morgan exclaimed, she and The Quads drawing their light sabers.

"You're the one that's responsible for ALL this, Lord Gnaa." Nova spoke up.

"The one who helped Davy Jones." Eva spoke.

"The one who brought destruction to our worlds." Dimentia spoke.

"The one who freed The Brain, and caused Nolan to be manipulated." Danika spoke.

"You're the root of ALL of this, Lord Gnaa." Aang spoke, readying his staff. "It's time to defeat you, and END this war once and for all."

_"So be it. Then let our final battle be the greatest the universe has ever seen, as you see the true powers of DARKNESS."_ The Negatar burst with the powers of darkness, an evil aura emitting from his form. The entire chamber seemed to crumble to pieces, the heroes now standing on a platform that drifted through a vast dimension of darkness. Poisonous gas emerged from the ground, spiraling around the Negatar's body. The shadows which stood behind the heroes shot over towards the Negatar and became their own shadowy circle. Several rocks glowed with the aura of psychic energy as they spun into a circle around the Negatar as well. Finally, Gnaa erupted a Fear Scream, the dark-red energy also becoming part of the circle. Negatar Gnaa was fully powered with his Negatar State as the heroes prepared for battle. (Play Tabuu's Theme from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: Negatar Gnaa_

The Quads leapt and tried to strike the Dark Master, but Gnaa began rapidly teleporting all around the room to confuse them. He appeared behind Rachel as he drew his Keyblade and knocked her away, then defended as Danika tried to slice him with daggers. He knocked Danika away with a spin attack and teleported again before Katara could freeze him, appearing behind the waterbender as he grabbed her ponytail and tossed her into Zuko. Sokka ran up and struck his sword at the Negatar, but Gnaa flew above the battlefield and conjured a storm of Psycho Spheres as he rapidly tossed them down below. Mika created a psychic barrier that protected everyone from the surrounding explosions, and by the time Gnaa finished, he warped back to the ground, and Mika struck upward with her light saber and struck him.

Aang and Zuko tried to hit him with fireballs, but Gnaa started teleporting again before appearing above the two, shooting and forcing his Keyblade to the ground and creating a shockwave of lightning. The two became stunned as Gnaa warped back down and smirked, but Toph sent an earthquake his way and jabbed a rock from the ground to send him flying. Gnaa teleported several feet behind the blind earthbender and used his psychic to create two big hands of psychic energy, both on opposite sides of the battlefield as Gnaa snapped them shut on Toph. Gnaa raised the closed hands and slammed Toph down on the battlefield before releasing her. Rachel tried to shoot her bow at Gnaa, but he only started teleporting again. The Negatar appeared above the battlefield as he surrounded himself in a psychic barrier. He expanded the barrier into an explosion, heavily damaging all that it struck.

The group was barely able to stand up after the explosion as Gnaa warped back to the ground. Buddy ran and attempted to strike with his light saber, but Gnaa only teleported behind and kicked him away. Athena and Sophie ran and were able to strike him on both sides, but Gnaa once again warped away from the battlefield, flying around in a circle as he released his Shadow Breath, slowly making the area pitch-black and unable to see. Within the blackness, they could make out faint glowing eyes, which belonged to the Heartless Shadows. Danika expanded an energy field and caught the creatures in a Shadow Shockwave, allowing Cheshire to zip around and gnash the heads of any Shadow she found. Once the blackness cleared away, the group searched around for Gnaa. Danika looked down and gasped as his shadow was sneaking on Nova, using Shadow Veil to slither over and proceed to whale on him, knocking him back above the ground.

Gnaa recovered and began teleporting again before coming to a halt below the battlefield. He released some poisonous gas along the underside of the field, causing the top side to gain puddles of toxic waste, making less room to move around. Gnaa warped back above and started burping Gas Bombs down to the field, knocking the heroes around with the explosions and causing some of them to fall in the poison parts, giving them damage. Dimentia was able to fly behind and unleash Space Lightning upon Gnaa's form, stunning him and allowing Sonya to leap up, grab his legs, and smash him down into one of the poison pools. The pools faded away as Gnaa hovered back up, teleporting around the area before appearing at one side and zipping across like lightning with his Keyblade, striking Katara and Sonya.

Athena and Sophie tried to toss Psycho Spheres at him, but Gnaa dodged one and caught the other, spinning around before sending it back, nearly pushing Athena over the edge before she grabbed the ledge. Gnaa once again started aimlessly teleporting before stopping at another end over the battlefield. He used his psychic to become a much larger version of himself, his massive head overlooking the field as he released a deafening Fear Scream from his lungs. The group shut their ears tight and fell to their knees at the painful scream, but Toph was still able to kick the ground and send a rock at Gnaa's face, making him stop. They all stood up, and Gnaa reverted to normal as he started teleporting around the area again. At one point, he sneakily appeared behind Sokka and Zuko and sent Fear Spheres to damage them, then continued to teleporting.

The Dark Master called Phantom Gnaa to appear by his side as he flew over to Morgan, making the phantom smack her and flow into her body. The phantom gripped and held Morgan in place, allowing Gnaa to easily strike her with Force Lightning. However, Buddy and Athena jumped in and struck Gnaa with their light sabers, so Phantom Gnaa left Morgan to join his Master's side. Both Gnaa and his shadow flew to opposite ends of the field, throwing Psycho Spheres around the area and creating tons of explosions, which Mika tried to shield against, only for her shield to shatter and for her to blow away.

Phantom Gnaa appeared beside his master as they flew around the field, and Gnaa instantly created a dark shield in front of him as he began zooming all around the area, pushing everybody around. As Aang recovered and saw Gnaa coming for him again, he swung his staff to the right and blew a powerful air gust, causing Gnaa to zip right past him. Gnaa stopped and teleported back above as he started dropping a barrage of Fear Spheres around the battlefield, knocking the group around a little. When he teleported back down, he turned and saw Buddy attempt to strike him with his light saber, but Gnaa merely blew Shadow Breath in his face and blinded his vision. He afterwards blew Buddy across the field using a psychic blast, but was then struck from behind by Morgan.

Aang ran by Morgan's side as Gnaa teleported away and surrounded himself in a barrier of darkness. Avatar Aang turned into his Avatar State as he made a bunch of rocks emerge from the ground, hurling them at Gnaa's shield. Gnaa used psychic to grab his own rocks and fight back at the Avatar, and in this chaos, Morgan ran up and dealt a few blows against the shield. Gnaa then charged into Aang and pushed him several feet away, but Aang recovered and flew over as he released Ice Breath onto Gnaa's shield, freezing it a little before launching fireballs at it. Morgan charged some Psycho Spheres and started firing at the barrier, surrounding the Dark Master in explosions. When the smoke cleared away, Gnaa was too late to avoid as Aang shot over on a giant rock shard, forcing him against the ground as Aang used all his might to force the sharp stone into the shield. When Aang had finally ceased and tossed the stone away, Morgan leapt above the Negatar and gripped a Psycho Sphere in both hands before shooting it down with great force, successfully destroying the barrier.

The smoke cleared as Lord Gnaa struggled to stay in the air, panting heavily. The illusion of the dark dimension around them began to fade away, the pieces of the chamber coming back together. Gnaa slowly landed back on his feet, facing the heroes as he gripped one arm. (End song.)

"Nngh…" Gnaa's face was dirty and bruised, facing the team with an angry look as the dark glow had gone from his form. "I am Negatar Gnaa…" he still gasped for breath. "You cannot bully me like some spineless-" However, his sentence was cut off when Eva gripped him in her water fist, rapidly swinging her arm and bashing him against the wall several times before twirling him in the air and smashing him hard against the wall, leaving a crater. Eva released the villain as Gnaa fell to the ground. The Dark Master weakly stood on his knees and studied his hands.

"No… I… wasn't strong enough. The anger in my heart… failing me… I need… more… More anger… More… darkness… I need… more… darkness…"

Morgan calmly approached the Dark Master with a sympathetic look. "Gnaa… there's more to a heart than just… anger or hate. It has all kinds of feelings. Love. Happiness. Care for your friends. Don't you remember?"

"Unfortunately…" Gnaa looked up and faced her, "I _don't_." With that, the Dark Master fell to the floor unconscious.

"Is…Is that it?" Sokka asked, still keeping his guard up.

"Quick, we must retrieve the jewel." Nova reminded. At this, all of the Guardians pulled out their Spirit Balls and released the Firstborn.

"Alright, Firstborn, do your thing." At Rachel's command, all of the Guardians surrounded Lord Gnaa and aimed their Spirit Balls as the Firstborn hovered above them. Each of the Firstborn held their eyes shut and focused energy into the Spirit Balls, releasing beams of their respective colors from the balls and alighting Gnaa's form. The kids stared with amazement as a glowing green jewel emerged from the Negatar's body, a dark aura surrounding it. The Firstborn stopped what they were doing as the jewel hovered over in front of Aang. Aang stared mysteriously as he gently took the jewel in both hands.

"So… this is the Jewel of Darkness."

"But what about the other one?" Sokka asked.

"Let us extract the other jewel when we return to the Positive Universe." Uxie suggested. "The presence of our friends may be a safer haven, if we are to combine them." And so, the team of heroes began their journey back to the Gummi Ship, leaving the unconscious Gnaa in his place.

However, as the crew left the castle, Phantom Gnaa emerged from the shadows, smirking and cackling evilly.

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><p><strong>And SO, Gnaa was a total pushover. XP So obviously, there's still more to go. Next time is when the REAL action begins. See you next time as we continue the Last Story. Later. XP<strong>


	83. Dimensions' End

**SO, everybody… what nasty tricks has Gnaa this time? Hm hm hm hm…**

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><p><strong><em>When Darkness Calls: The Supreme God is Reborn.<em>**

**Cleveland, Virginia**

The heroes arrived back in their own dimension, taking land in the park outside of the city. "Hey! They're back!" Tails exclaimed.

The heroes disembarked the Gummi Ship and looked as nearly all of their friends seemed to be there. "Huh?... What're you all doing here?" Matt asked.

"We wouldn't miss the grand unveiling of the end of the Negatar." Sonic smirked.

"So, come on! Do it!" Leopold demanded.

"Okay, okay, hold still!" Aang chuckled, holding the Jewel of Darkness up in one hand. The Eight Firstborn Guardians surrounded the boy as they aimed their Spirit Balls, the Eight Firstborn channeling their power and releasing the same colorful beams upon Aang. The Avatar glowed with a more radiant light than before, a bright glowing jewel emerging from his form. It was a similar green jewel with a light aura around it. Both of the jewels levitated in the air, swirling around the other before finally coming together. The two parallel jewels formed one bigger jewel, but not too much bigger, which brimmed with a mix of yellow and purple.

As the jewel lowered closer to the ground, Aang felt what he had to do next. The Avatar approached the sacred jewel, reaching his hand out to touch it. However, a shadowy smog shot down from the heavens, ramming the Avatar and pushing him away. Everyone gasped as the flying shadow took land next to the jewel, and Negatar Gnaa and Phantom Gnaa emerged. "GNAA!" Nigel exclaimed, readying his flames.

_"Waste not."_ was all the Negatar said before zapping Nigel, Eva, Angie, Sonic, Mika, Matthew, Mandy, and Danika. All of their eyes brimmed with evil, surrounded by auras of the powers of darkness. Each of them released their elemental powers onto the sacred jewel, making the purple auras increase as it levitated upwards. The darkness vanished around the eight benders as they fell and panted on the ground.

"And now… the time has come…" Gnaa lowly spoke as the heroes looked up to face him. "Right, Phantom?"

_"Yes, Master… our final ritual may commence."_ The devious shadow gave a wicked smirk, hovering high in the air as he touched the jewel with one hand. _"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Poison. Shadow. Psychic. …Fear. Eight Elements: Four of Light and Four of Darkness. These are the Eight Elements that form the Heart of the God of the Universe._ _When all 8 powers come together, binded by the two halves of the sacred jewel, the power that has been scattered for ages will at long last be reawakened."_

"Hnngh…" Nigel gritted his teeth and glared angrily at the phantom.

_"But one who wishes to USE the sacred power must unleash their Light or Darkness at their absolute strongest as the _key_ for that control."_ His eyes focused on Morgan. _"And so… in the name of our Supreme God… I… smite… THEE! ! !"_

At that moment, another phantom appeared behind Morgan, the girl totally unaware as he released a powerful dark laser from his mouth, penetrating her chest. "MORGAN!" Gnaa's eyes shot open in horror.

Eventually, the phantom ceased his actions. While no hole was left in her chest, Morgan could feel the last ounces of breath escaping her. Her eyes shut as she fell to the ground. Gnaa dashed over and grabbed her unconscious form before she fell all the way. He bore a worried look as he knelt down and turned her over. He touched his fingers to her wrist and felt no pulse. He pressed his hand to her chest and felt no beat. "Morgan…" Tears began to drip from the Negatar's face. Sadness had overtaken him. Pure despair and sadness. Phantom Gnaa only stood behind and watched this unfurl. The evil shadow was overcome with joy and excitement. He burst into wicked, maniacal cackles, echoing in the distance.

_"Hn hahahaha. HAA ha ha ha ha ha! AHH hahahahahahahahaha!"_

"No… NO…" Lord Gnaa exploded with the powers of darkness. A powerful dark aura shot up from his body, flowing into the Jewel of Arceus. A blinding flash erupted, shooting straight up into the heavens as dark clouds began to surround. The jewel flashed brighter and bigger than ever, lightning erupting from all directions.

_"Finally!"_ Phantom cackled at the swirling vortex that began to form in the heavens. _"After 113 years… I will be able to join with you… ARCEUS! ! !"_

The rest of the heroes could only stare agape.

Phantom Gnaa grabbed his master and said, _"And now, Master… to deliver the coup de grace."_ The two of them formed together into a spiraling ball of darkness. That ball shot into the heavens, mixing itself with the Jewel of Arceus. The jewel glowed even brighter, and the vortex grew bigger and bigger. The silhouette of a being of incredible size made itself known, growing bigger as it was leaving the vortex.

Upon its exit, the entity fused with the sacred jewel. The matter formed along its form, becoming a humongous, pure white horse-like entity with a golden ring around it, and eyes that brimmed with darkness. The entity landed on the earth, several miles from where the heroes stood. "Is… that…" Hoagie pointed frightfully at the imposing entity.

The Supreme God, Arceus, panted for breath before standing on all fours at full height. **_"TIME… FOR… JUSTICE! ! ! !"_** The all-powerful deity roared to the heavens and to the stars. A blinding light erupted and expanded, the group shielding their eyes as they were encased.

**Across the universe**

As Kami, Ava, and Kweeb rested on DK Island, they took notice of an expanding light in the distance. Their mouths dropped as the light swallowed them and the island.

High up on Planet Wisp, the Irkens and the Wisps looked up as a light expanded from the sky. It didn't take long before the light completely engulfed them and the entire planet. And in mere moments, everywhere else in the cosmos was swallowed by the light.

_"Ummm… wasn't the point of defeating Gnaa to PREVENT Arceus from turning evil?"_ Sokka's voice echoed in the whiteness.

**Dimension X**

Sector V and all the others were knocked unconscious. When they had finally awakened, they found their selves standing in what seemed like the playground behind Gallagher Elementary. "Argh… is everyone okay?" Nigel asked.

"I think so." Kuki replied, worriedly looking around. "But… where are we?" While it looked like Gallagher's playground, something was off: they seemed to be on a floating piece of land, surrounded by an infinite plane of darkness.

A portal flashed open above them. "WHOOAA!" Team Alien screamed as they fell straight out, landing with a thud.

"Kami!" Patton exclaimed.

"OOOHH!" Donkey Kong cried as the Kong Family dropped from a portal. Diddy landed on Ava, Dixie on Kweeb, and Donkey crushed Kami under his weight.

"Urgh!" Kami grunted, shoving the gorilla off of her and brushing off. "Can't I drop out of a portal just ONCE without being gorilla fall-break?"

A few more portals opened, dropping out the Junior Prospectors, Mario Bros., and Rainier and Lucario. "Guys!" Mika exclaimed, running to their side.

"Shaunie?" Fanny asked.

Two more portals opened, and out came Johnny & Plank and Rumpel Stiltskin. "Plank?" Cosmo questioned.

"Rumpel!" Jagar exclaimed.

At that moment, another portal opened above Johnny and Plank. Their eyes widened as Dr. Eggman came screaming and falling out, the fat scientist landing hard and crushing them. Eggman was followed by Bowser, crushing Eggman's flabby form under his stomach, and then King K. Rool, the croc's butt landing right on Bowser's spiked shell. Kroctus gave a loud yelp, flinging up in the air and over Rumpel, who tried to get away, but Kroctus fell and crushed him anyway.

"Augh." The three tyrants stood up as K. Rool brushed the flattened Rumpel off his stomach, turning their attention to their three respective archenemies.

"Eep! Bowser!" Shaunie yelped.

"Eggman!" Sonic gritted.

"K. ROOL?" Kami questioned.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?" they all shouted.

"Ergh, hey, who turned on the lights?" Boba Fett asked as he entered the area with Khryssa, Snake, Cad Bane, and Aurra Sing.

"Probably the same one who broke the universe." Cad Bane remarked.

"Aw man! And just when I had a great scam going!" Eddy complained.

"Awww. I lost Froggy…" Big the Cat depressedly stated.

"Great. It's Big again." Chad rolled his eyes.

"But still, where are we?" Emily Matthews asked, appearing with Annie, Vaati, and Zuri.

"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore." Lehcar remarked, standing with Scarlet, Bruce, Violet, and Luna.

"It seems we've all been caught in the spacial distortion." Dr. Eggman observed. "Boy. Now THIS seems familiar."

"You don't mean…" Shadow tried to say, standing with Blaze, Marine, and the rest of the Sonic crew.

"What _does_ it mean?" Plank asked.

"Take a look." Eggman directed their attention in the far distance of the dimension.

Within the distance, Arceus was slowly regaining his power. Darkness flowed into the god as Arceus screamed from the increasing power. Before their eyes, Dialga & Palkia appeared out of thin air, the two gods unleashing their power at their superior. Arceus took the hits and released a Hyper Beam, blowing them away. Thankfully, the two were accompanied by Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre, who each started unleashing their power. Regigigas, Solaris, Polaris, Giratina, Cresselia, and every other god came next, combining strengths to put the Supreme God in his place.

The sun shone brightly in the heavens above. Out of the golden-white light came Palutena, the Goddess of Light herself. _"Go now, Pit."_ The goddess commanded. A door opened out of thin air, and out came Pit Icarus, the heroic angel of Skyworld.

"FOR LADY PALUTENA!" the dedicated angel cheered, drawing his bow and unleashing a storm of arrows around Arceus.

At the same time, the hideous Goddess of Darkness, Medusa emerged, assisting the others as she released her dark powers upon Arceus. _"My… Now this was unexpected."_

_"Just focus on defeating the enemy."_ Palutena ordered as they continued to fight together.

"Woohoo! Them gods are the bee's knees!" Marine cheered.

"Ohhh-whoaaa." King Dedede and Escargoon groaned as they entered the area.

"Aw no. Not THEM again." Virginia whined.

"Huh-whuh? What's goin' on?" Dedede asked.

"And… why are you all still alive?" Nolan asked.

"Time and Space have been disrupted." Eggman replied. "Arceus has been revived, and filled with the powers of evil. He possesses the powers of all of the elements, and is using his evil to bring an end to all creatures." The fat scientist and his two allies then stepped aside to reveal The Quads and the Gaang, kneeling sadly over Morgan's lifeless body. "Due to the darkness given off by Lord Gnaa."

"Morgan!" Sector V yelled as the operatives all went over to join them. Her once-vibrant face was now free of any life or heart she possessed. The children all held grieving looks, bowing their heads in respect. Behind his helmet, even Boba Fett was upset.

"Phantom Gnaa played us all for fools." Eggman spoke. "From the very beginning, he planned to fuse with Arceus and swallow the universe in chaos. He manipulated Lord Gnaa into searching for the Eight Firstborn, and making him fall in love with Morgan. Once all the Firstborn had been located, Phantom Gnaa would strike Morgan down. Lord Gnaa would become consumed with despair and unleash his full darkness and negativity onto the jewel. Causing Arceus to awaken with his ultimate hatred for life everywhere."

"So that's why… he cared about her so much." Shadow the Hedgehog configured.

"No. It was all the phantom's plan. Gnaa didn't know at all." Rouge replied.

"But why would Phantom do this?" Rachel asked. "I thought shadows were loyal to their masters."

"No." Jagar replied. "The bender controls the shadow. But if their will isn't strong enough, the shadow can manipulate them. Gnaa had a weak will, but unfortunately, as the Negatar, his shadow had all his power. And he could use that power to destroy anything and everything."

Danika spared a regretful look to her shadow. She knew that Cheshire was loyal to her… because she had the chance to control Danika. But didn't. Unfortunately… Gnaa's shadow wasn't the same.

"Then… it's all over now." Rachel said depressedly.

"No! It can't be over!" Nigel exclaimed. "Grim! You have to bring Morgan to life!"

The Grim Reaper gave a serious nod and raised his scythe, striking Morgan with a beam. "I can't!" the reaper exclaimed. "There is… something wrong."

"What could be wrong?" Buddy asked.

"Her heart." Everyone gasped and turned to Clockwork. "She isn't dead. Yet. Phantom Gnaa's attack stole her heart. And threw it in this dimension."

_"Scattered pieces of her heart exist in the distant corners of this world. As are the Firstborn."_ Mewtwo spoke. The Eight Guardians searched their pockets for the Spirit Balls. They were no longer there. _"Finding them could take forever."_

"Then let's do it." Everybody turned with surprise at Buddy. "We have to save her."

"Buddy…" Beckah quietly spoke.

"Morgan was the only person that believed in Lord Gnaa. She was the only one that could see good… even when the rest of us couldn't. If anything can stop Gnaa… it's her faith. Her faith will be light to Arceus's heart."

"But we'll never find both the scattered pieces and the Firstborn through all THIS." Amy said.

"Yes we will," Nolan York spoke, rolling to the center of the platform, "if we work together. This whole time, all of us have been against each other. The Light Side vs. the Dark Side. But now, when the fate of the universe is on the line, is when we need to work together. With our combined strengths, we can overcome the darkness, and save Morgan AND the Firstborn."

Nigel ran up beside him. "I'm with Nolan. If we all stand together, we can bring Morgan back and CRUSH Arceus."

Rachel ran up between them. "So is everyone ready? ?"

All of the heroes and villains exchanged nods with one another. The Junior Prospectors nodded, followed by Team Alien, the Kong Family, the Mario Team, the Sonic Team, The Quads, the villains, the bounty hunters, the Toxic Four, Sectors V and W, and everybody else.

"Hmmmm…" Rumpel was the only one who didn't nod.

"DO IT! !" Bowser commanded.

"Okaaaay, okay!"

"Then Kids Next Door-" Nigel began.

"Tyrannical villains-" Nolan followed.

"And allies alike," Rachel finished, "BATTLE STATIONS!"

"I'll stay here and watch over Morgan." Aang offered. "I don't have my bending anymore, so… I can't help."

"It's alright." Buddy nodded. "Good luck, Aang." With that, all of the heroes and villains ran off in separate directions. The gods in the heavens continued to keep the Supreme God busy as everyone else went off to do their duty.

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><p><strong>AND, we'll just end it off right there for now, just to introduce. So yeah, this stuff is VERY similar to what happened in <em>Sonic Nextgen<em>. XP Only difference is, unlike Solaris, Arceus will be NO pushover! XP Oh, and, while the other villains were brought back to life, don't worry: Lucinda, Ganondorf, and Brain are GONE. XP Anyway, all the next chapter's gonna be is the final stage. After that, we'll fight the final boss. 'Cause this last stage is gonna be VERY long. I mean VERRRRRRY long. XP SO, see you for that! Later!**


	84. The Scattered Realms

**Hello, everybody. Does anyone remember The Great Maze from _Brawl_? This is that same stage… ON CRACK!**

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><p><strong><em>Dimensional <span>Hell<span>. The Struggle to Save the Universe._**

_Final stage: The Scattered Realms_

_Mission: Find the lost Eight Firstborn and save Morgan!_

The many heroes/villains went separate ways and entered different portals throughout the dimension. Inside, they ended up in the many areas they've been to on their journey.

**Mushroom Greens**

Mario, Luigi, and Peach found their selves back in the meadow of mushrooms. The three progressed along and bounced up some mushrooms to a high ledge as Hammer Bros came out. Mario and Luigi dodged the flying hammers and shot fireballs back, taking the Koopas out. A couple of Shady Paratroopas tried to swoop down at Princess Peach, but the blonde heroin grabbed her golf club and bashed them in the heads as they came down. They went to a ledge and made a far leap to another platform, proceeding to take down some Goombas as they were ambushed. They then bounced their way up more mushrooms to a higher ledge, being ambushed by Boomerang Bros as the Mario Bros. once again shot fireballs to take them out.

The Mushroom Kingdom residents went to the other side of the ledge, looking down as the gigantic Cheep Cheep remain crashed on the land, its mouth hanging wide open. They hopped down and found a green-dotted egg in its mouth, breaking it open to release Yoshi. After retrieving the Yoshi, the group made their way across a muddy pathway, letting Yoshi devour several Pokeys in their path. At the end of their pathway, they found a mysterious vortex swirling in midair. The four exchanged a questioning glance before allowing the portal to suck them in.

_Sub-boss: Metal Mario_

Mario landed in a vast plain of darkness, coming face-to-face with his metallic counterpart. Metal Mario ran forth and dealt a few punches, but Mario defended jumped back. The Metal Mario tried to belly-slide into him, but Mario leapt in the air and used FLUDD's hover to remain airborne. He hovered above Metal before performing a Ground Pound, forcing him against the ground. As Metal Mario tried to recover, FLUDD switched to Turbo Nozzle, and Mario proceeded to charge full speed at his counterpart. The Metal Mario used its strength to try and keep the plumber back, but Mario's speed prevailed as the metal-made replica was shoved over the edge, falling into the abyss.

**Planet Flora**

The Mushroom Team ended up in the forests of Planet Flora. They moved forward as Floran children were ordered around by Irken troops, so Mario fired water at the troops, the liquid making their green skin sizzle. After freeing the children, the Mushroom Team made their way up a hill, overlooking a small valley where trucks of broccoli were rolling past. The four of them hopped across the trucks as Mario and Luigi shot fireballs at any enemy Florans. After making it to the other side, the group dashed through another forest area, where they had to swing on vines as they made their way up the tall trees. They reached nearly halfway up one of them and hurried across a bridge. However, the bridge was suddenly broken when some Irkens blew it up, the four holding on as it dropped and hung over the abyss. The group thankfully found a couple vines hanging down beside them and used them to swing across.

Down in the chasm, they swung into a cave in the wall and moved past the carts of broccoli piles until they reached another portal, allowing said portal to suck them in.

_Sub-boss: Anti-Luigi_

Luigi appeared in a dark plain all by himself, going against a darker version of himself. Luigi attempted a Super Jump over his double, but the anti-form Super Jumped as well, kicking Luigi down onto his back. Luigi flipped back up and dodged as his anti shot fireballs, trying to counter with his own fireballs and laying a few hits. Anti-Luigi did another Super Jump over Luigi and tried to Ground Pound, but Luigi jumped to the side and tossed more fireballs. However, Anti-Luigi drew out his Poltergeist 3000 and sucked in one of the flames, gaining the Fire Element for his vacuum as he shot bigger flames at Luigi. Luigi kept rapidly dodging around as he tried to run behind his counterpart, but the double continued to shoot out flames.

However, the anti's vacuum ran out of flames, so Luigi was able to shoot over and head-butt him. The Anti-Luigi tossed more of his own fireballs, but Luigi sucked one into his vacuum and jumped behind his counterpart. The green plumber released a ray of fire upon his darker form, the anti shaking rapidly as he was burning, slowly disappearing from vision. Luigi stylishly sheathed his vacuum and raised four fingers in a victory pose.

**Fort Francis**

Princess Peach appeared in the all-too-familiar castle of the Nerd King, shuddering at the memories. She passed through the hallway as Meowbots were already out to attack her. She grabbed her golf club and beat away any of the mini Meowbombs that came her way. One of them released a Mini Shroom, so the princess ate it to become mini, using her smallness to go inside a hole in the wall. As she passed through the area between the walls, she stared curiously as chunks of the walls and floor was broken off. Since the floors were broken in where she was, she simply used her parasol to glide across. On the other side, she came out of another mouse hole in the wall, looking up as a giant cannon Meowbot patrolled the area. She took notice of a regular Mushroom on the floor and took a bite to get bigger.

That's when the cannon Meowbot noticed her and started shooting mini Meowbombs her way. The princess reached in her dress and grabbed an uprooted plant, simply tossing it at the cannon and clogging it, causing the robot to explode. She then noticed a ladder going up and decided to climb it, reaching the outer areas of the castle. She got onto the roof and moved across as winged Meowbots swooped down to attack her, but she used Toad as a shield again and defended, pushing the robots away. She stood upon the edge of the roof and overlooked another faraway ledge. As she felt the wind start to pick up, Peach pulled out her umbrella and raised it up as the wing blew her across. She landed safely and continued across the roof, reaching a large double-door designed like a cat. The pink princess proceeded to enter the door.

Inside, Peach gasped as she saw Francis, who was goofily smooching a glowing photo of Morgan. "Mmmm, Morgan. If the Dark Master doesn't want you, I'll always be here to-"

"FRANCIS!"

"WAH!" Francis yelped, hiding the photo behind his back as he shot his attention toward the angry princess. "P-Princess Peach! Long time, no see! Oh, where did I leave me Nerr. ?..."

"Francis, what are you doing here? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"Dangerous? I live here. This is my castle."

"The universe is falling apart, Francis."

"It is? I thought my hyper-sensitive scope was acting funny. I figured I needed to reprogram it. Oh well. At least I still have my pretty." The Nerd King smiled goofily, staring at the picture of Morgan again.

Peach stared curiously at the photo for a minute, how it glowed. _Could that be a piece of Morgan's heart?_ "Francis, may I see that?"

Francis quickly looked at the princess before stuffing the photo away. "N-No! A glowing photo like this is one of a kind! It's hi-technicaaalll! I-I'll never give it away! I'll fight you for it!"

"Oh, boy…" Peach only rolled her eyes. (Play Francis's Battle Theme from _Super Paper Mario_!)

_Boss fight: Francis Powalski_

Peach kept her guard up as the crazy Nerd King became invisible, watching as his shadow moved up the walls of the room. Peach dodged as Francis became visible and shot his tongue at her, the chameleon turning invisible again. Francis leapt off and tried to crush Peach, but the princess raised Toad in defense and pushed Francis off. Francis became visible and pulled out a remote, summoning some Meowbombs. Peach tried to evade as the Meowbombs approached her, having to jump around as Francis shot his tongue out from the walls. Peach was able to grab one of the bombs and toss it at his tongue, tricking Francis into swallowing it and exploding, making him drop to the ground. Peach drew out her golf club and proceeded to lay a beat-down on Francis's head.

The nerd recovered and became invisible once more, trying to evade the princess. Peach kept her club raised as she searched for where the nerd might appear. Francis appeared behind her, so the princess tried to strike, but Francis pulled out his massive camera and snapped a quick shot, swallowing the princess in a blinding flash. Princess was dizzied by the light as Francis snuck behind and performed a tail-whack, knocking her against the wall. Francis summoned more Meowbombs and sent them after her, but Peach knocked two of them away with her club. She then jumped and smashed down on the last one, which released a Mini Shroom. Princess ate the shroom and turned mini, which allowed Francis to shoot his tongue out and eat her. Within his bowels, Peach looked up and saw Francis's heart high above her. The princess noticed several bones leading upward and decided to climb, getting up to Francis's heart as she pulled out her blunt objects and started to beat away.

Francis's heart ached, and the nerd coughed the princess right out as she returned to normal size. Francis became invisible yet again as he snuck around, trying to lash his tongue out at the princess. Francis became visible and summoned three more Meowbombs. Peach simply used her golf club and hit them towards the nerd. The chameleon yelped and jumped away, causing one of the bombs to hit and blow up a wall. Behind the wall stood a glowing golden flower, with Peach stared beautifully at as she ran to grab it.

"Noo! My sooper-ultra rare New Super Mario Bros. 2 Golden Flower! It took me forever to get thaaat!"

Peach ignored his moans as she grabbed and absorbed the Golden Flower, becoming solid gold. With only three strikes of golden light, the princess knocked the Nerd King clean out as several coins exploded forth. "Neeeerrrr…" (End song.)

With the Nerd King defeated, the glowing photo of Morgan emerged from his pocket as Peach walked over to observe it. The princess took the memory piece and made her way out of the castle.

**Planet Secco**

Sonic the Hedgehog dashed across the vast, sandy dunes of the desert planet, going across several hills and avoiding several large sandmobiles. The hedgehog dashed up a hill and over a trench, taking land and continuing to run on the other side. Sonic sped to his left and started dashing through the Dryans' town, bouncing his way up a few buildings before leaping off onto one of the trampolines of the giant ships. As he bounced his way across the trampolines, several Bladed Spinners flew towards him, but Sonic simply Home Attacked off of them and kept making his way across. After getting behind the last ship, he stomped to the ground and dashed across the desert some more, sidestepping to avoid giant sand geysers that sprouted from the ground.

The blue hedgehog was suddenly sucked into a massive whirlwind, and was blown high up onto a cliffside. Sonic kept running along the cliffside as sand people jumped out, shooting ray guns at him, but Sonic easily avoided and knocked the Dryans out as he kept moving. The speedy hedgehog continued to dash his way up the cliffside before finally reaching the top and dashing into a portal.

_Sub-boss: Metal Sonic_

Sonic appeared upon the Stardust Speedway, already engaging Metal Sonic in a high-speed race. Sonic was shoved to the side by his metal counterpart, but he recovered and charged a Spin Dash, shooting into, and going past the replica. Sonic smirked back at his copy as Metal Sonic glared, the robot beginning to spin like a torpedo as he launched at Sonic. Sonic sidestepped and avoided as Metal turned and started spinning into a pinball. Metal began shooting into the ground and destroying parts of the track, so Sonic quickly jumped to avoid falling. Once Metal stopped, Sonic boosted by and struck him again. The robotic hedgehog recovered and shot at high speed as Sonic was getting close to the exit. Metal failed to make it as Sonic shot into the portal, the electric door shutting on the robot and causing him to crash.

**Black Acropolis**

Shadow rode his GUN Buggy full speed down the snowy hill as Egg Pawns chased after him on snowboards. Shadow drove around several rocks and made the robots crash, but some more were coming up from ahead of him. Shadow fired the buggy's guns at the robots and pushed them over, allowing him to keep going. The black hedgehog was coming up at a ramp, stomping the gas pedal to gain enough speed to shoot up the ramp, and over the walls of the base. The buggy exploded upon landing, so Shadow just continued on his own. More Egg Pawns charged out for attack, but the hedgehog Home Attacked some and threw Chaos Spears at others before heading into a nearby door.

Shadow charged down a hallway as laser barriers blocked his path, but the hedgehog easily jumped through the spaces between lasers. At one point, the path was blocked by several lasers, with Egg Pawns guarding the other side, but Shadow easily teleported behind the lasers and knocked the robots out. Shadow made it through the doors at the end and reached another outside area, where two Egg Hammers with helmets ambushed him. He dodged as both Hammers tried to smash him, spinning into a pinball as he Spin Dashed one of the robots. It didn't look hurt as it stood its ground and kept swinging, but Shadow began spinning around rapidly and striking both robots from all directions. None of the attacks seemed to be phasing the robots, but the machines began to feel a strange sensation come on. They felt their internal components coming apart from all the bouncing, and the duo of robos fell over in seconds.

Shadow stared at the fallen machines before turning his attention to another vortex. He jumped inside and entered the next area.

**Death Egg**

Shadow the Hedgehog sped across the massive space station of Ivo Robotnik, jumping onto a spring that shot him to a higher ground. Shadow wiped out a few more Egg Pawns as he moved along, but suddenly dropped onto the ceiling as the gravity changed. Shadow kept going and jumped across some Bladed Spinners over an abyss, but the gravity reverted to normal and made Shadow drop down, but the hedgehog kept jumping across Spinners. He landed on a grind rail as he looked ahead and saw a series of upside-down and right-side-up grind rails, all scattered around. Shadow had to keep jumping rails as the gravity constantly changed, jumping between upside-down and right-side-up rails.

At the final rail, Shadow simply went around some loops before it set him on a straight path again. The black hedgehog ran into a pile of debris, which formed into a broken incarnation of the one-eyed robot which Sonic had destroyed beforehand. Large electrical hands formed on the robot as it launched a hand over to zap Shadow, stunning the hedgehog. The robot then jumped and stomped Shadow against the ground with its boots. Shadow was able to recover as the robot shot bullets around the area, with Shadow speeding around to avoid them. The hedgehog jumped off of a wall and shot against the robot's eye, bouncing off and landing behind it. Shadow charged one last Spin Dash before piercing through the robot and destroying it entirely. Shadow then watched as a vortex formed onto where the robot was. The hedgehog left the broken scrape behind and jumped into the portal.

**Planet Wisp**

Sonic the Hedgehog sped across the vast green fields of Planet Wisp, entering the Irken-made city as Stormtroopers terrorized the region. Sonic ran toward an Imperial Walker and Wall Jumped up its legs, breaking in to the cockpit and knocking out the soldiers. He jumped through the windshield and shot into the cockpit of another Walker, wiping out the Troopers as the device toppled over, and Sonic dashed back out. Sonic drifted around some buildings in the city before charging to some tall trees, using them as platforms to jump up and reach a grind rail.

Sonic moved along the grind rail to go up and around several buildings of the city, watching as TIE Fighters flew by. One of the TIE Fighters flew by and rammed through Sonic's rail, but the hedgehog jumped and shot over to grab the right panel of the TIE Fighter, flying along with it before dropping into an open square. Several Stormtroopers began firing on him, but Sonic easily Home Attacked and defeated every one with his quicker speeds. The last Stormtrooper dropped a Rocket Wisp, which Sonic allowed into his form. Sonic morphed into an orange rocket and shot straight upward into the air. The rocket flew right into another portal, and vanished inside.

**Leaf Scamper**

Bruce Farley sped through the woods on his motorcycle as Violet held tight to him. The cat girl then jumped, scampered up the tall trees, and started to grind along some vine-rails as a group of Bokoblin chased her, riding Kargaroks and shooting arrows down. The Bokoblin shot ahead of her and were able to cut the vines with the arrows, Violet gripping the vine she was on as it dropped and swung her to a pathway around a tree, to which she jumped off and started running up. Once at the top, she grabbed a vine and swung across to another vine, right as a Bokoblin flew near her on a Kargarok, so she leapt off and grabbed on, pushing the Bokoblin off as she rode the bird herself.

Violet leapt off onto a giant tree branch and scampered across, quickly stabbing her claws into the wood when the branch gave way and dangled over the ground. Violet scratched and slid down the hanging branch before finally kicking off onto another spiraling path that led down a tree. Violet made it to the ground again and hopped onto Bruce's motorcycle, hanging on as they rode the bike up a ramp that led straight up a tree. A swarm of Skulltulas was giving quick chase as they sped upwards, but the couple escaped the spiders through a vortex at the top.

**Sea Fleet**

Marine the Raccoon sped across the cloudy ocean on her waterbike, looking as she passed by the many fallen ships of the Kremlings. The raccoon sheila hopped off her bike and decided to take land on one of the ships, entering a hole that was torn in the side. Inside, Marine was jumped by a squad of Kasplats, but Marine dodged to the side and threw rapid punches against a Kasplat that tried to tackle her, knocking the croc out. More of the Kasplats attempted to shockwave her, but Marine jumped to the ceiling to avoid them and dropped down, kicking off another Kasplat's face and landing behind them, hurrying ahead. Marine went up a couple stairs before reaching a hallway with some Krumples patrolling. Marine ran to punch one of the Kremlings, but winced once her knuckles came in contact with the croc's hard abs. She jumped back when the Krumple tried to grab her, then decided to dash across the wall to reach the other side. A group of Knockas ambushed and tried to ram her, but Marine jumped them and made it to the door outside.

She ran across the deck of the wrecked ship before jumping down onto her waterbike, continuing to speed across the waters as a few active ships tried to hit her with cannonballs. One of the cannonballs splashed right in front of her bike, the splash flinging her up to the air and landing her on one of the pirate ships. Marine punched her Light Spheres and beat away any Klomps that were onboard the ship. The raccoon sheila saw a portal floating in midair out in the distance, and once the enemies were cleared, she made a cannon face the portal before jumping in and allowing herself to be fired, successfully going in.

_Boss fight: The Multipus_

Marine ended up on one of many tentacles that belonged to the Multipus. The octopus abomination immediately began trying to smash her under its tentacles, but Marine swiftly dodged and punched Light Spheres at its eyes. It placed one of its tentacles on the side of the one Marine stood on and began brushing it back and forth, making Marine have to jump quickly. The Multipus swung its tentacle around to try and shake Marine off, but the raccoon child kept a tight grip and waited for him to lay it horizontal so she could stand again. The Multipus raised more tentacles above the water and tried to smash Marine even more, but the chipper raccoon was still able to dodge the fast-attacking tentacles. When he rose another tentacle even higher, Marine punched a Light Sphere to the tip of it and connected a light chain, swinging herself around in the air before flinging herself high above the octo's scalp. Marine rapidly swirled her fist and charged power before shooting straight down and laying a powerful punch on Multipus's head. This dizzied the Multipus greatly as it sunk into the sea. A spiraling vortex was left in its place, so as Marine landed in the water, the raccoon swam over and entered inside.

**Restless Coast**

Marine took land along the rocky shores as the gray clouds calmly drifted away from the beach. Marine hurried along the rocky shore as some Tiki troops emerged and flung arrows at her, but Marine jumped on the Tikis and easily broke them. The raccoon entered a slight cave area where the waves brushed roughly along the inside. Marine gripped onto some dangling vines and used them to swing across. When the last vine wasn't long enough to reach, Marine simply used her tail to hover across and land on the foothold. She walked across the rocky path and made it to the beach, where Eva Roberts was slicing Kremlings with her Phantom Sword.

As she finished up slicing a Klomp, a Crook was about to run and grab her, but Marine punched a Light Sphere and knocked him away. The two stood back-to-back as Kremlings continued to surround them. Marine punched Light Spheres at Kutlasses, who swatted them away with their swords, while Kannons fired cannonballs at Eva, who used water tentacles to grab them and toss them back. Marine dodged when a Kutlass tried to slice her, spinning behind it and whacking it with her tail. Two Kutlasses ran at her from both sides, so Marine simply jumped and hovered in the air, making them bash each other and knock out.

After Eva knocked out the last of the Kannons, they both saw a portal open at one side of the beach, while another appeared by the ocean. Marine and Eva exchanged nods and split up, Marine taking the first portal, while Eva took the portal by the ocean.

**Aquatic Abyss**

Eva was transported under the briny blue sea, the sun rays shining through the surface as Eva conjured an air bubble around her mouth. She began swimming across the ocean as the many water-type Pokémon swam around her. However, the Pokémon were scared away when some underwater Heartless started appearing. A Screwdiver swung its trident at her, but Eva clashed with her sword and sliced the Heartless in half. The Ocean Princess was pushed away when an Aquatank Heartless (a Heartless designed like a fat blue fish) rammed her, but she regained composure and turned as it was coming back. She swung her sword and struck it, stopping its movement, and proceeded to slice him to pieces.

Eva swam her way into a cave as Sea Neon Heartless emerged and tried to grab her, but she kept slicing them with her blade, spinning like a torpedo to gain more speed. She eventually reached a surface and climbed onto a foothold, in which the water's ripples reflected along the ceiling. Eva took this moment to catch her breath before diving into the even darker waters, wishing that Penelope Taynt was still here to help with her sub. The Phantom Sword emitted a slight glow, so Eva used that to see her way. As she drew further into the darkness, her eyes widened at the sight of a gigantic Jet Balloon Heartless, an angler fish even larger than an Aquatank.

The large fish conjured an electric charge and launched it at Eva, who dodged out of the way. The fish opened its mouth and launched at Eva, catching her in its mouth. It munched on her, but Eva was able to cut herself free. The beast launched another electric blast, but Eva blocked with her sword. The princess spun like a torpedo and shot herself at the Heartless, drilling through with her blade and destroying it. She watched as a vortex appeared, making the dark cave brim with light. A whirlpool caught the princess in its currents, and Eva spiraled into the vortex.

**Miracle City**

Sonic, Shadow, and Eva had all ended up in the city of crime and villainy. As they looked around, wondering where to go next, Eva tapped their shoulders and pointed at the volcano in the distance. Manaphy's Spirit Ball was glowing and hovering just over the volcano, which had already begun boiling with lava. (Play the "Open Your Heart" Remix from _Sonic Generations_!) Before their very eyes, a towering mountain of darkness, taller than the greatest skyscraper, burst forth into the sky, swallowing the Spirit Ball in its darkness. After piercing the sky, the evil monolith stopped growing, and sprouted broad, jagged arms that ended in clawed hands. Four horns rose from the demon's head as a mouth formed, and fiery red and green eyes, burning with hatred, opened. The monster flung his arms further into the sky, causing a horde of winged demons to erupt from the same portal from whence he came. The monster spoke with a dark and terrifying voice that echoed across the city.

**"I AM AKU."**

Sonic, Shadow, and Eva exchanged smirks before hurrying off in different directions.

_Boss fight: Aku_

Sonic started to run down one road in the city as Aku sent his winged demons after him. The demons tried to grab the hedgehog, but Sonic boosted and easily evaded capture, dashing past more demons as he made several turns down city blocks. The towering shadow demon started to sent flaming meteors down at the hedgehog, which impacted on the ground and created flames in that spot, but Sonic easily sidestepped the flames and made his way closer. The demon knocked several buildings down in his path, making those buildings burst into flames, so Sonic dashed to his right and jumped his way atop the buildings, beginning to dash across the rooftops. More demons were flying to catch the hedgehog, but Sonic continued to avoid them as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The hedgehog took land on the ground and continued speeding toward the demon, drawing very close to the volcano. When he finally arrived, the hyper-quick hedgehog dashed directly up the volcano, shooting high into the air after running past the top. He took aim at Aku's chest area and spun rapidly into a Homing Attack, launching himself and almost successfully piercing through the pitch-black chest. Aku felt this and winced with great pain as he smacked the hedgehog far away.

After Sonic failed to pierce through, Shadow began his dash across the city, jumping and Home Attacking any demons that came to grab him. He came to a Bulblin that fired fire arrows at him, so the hedgehog knocked the Bulblin out and took his weapon, using it to shoot arrows at any more demons. Shadow jumped across the rooftops until Aku launched a meteor which destroyed the one ahead of him, making Shadow have to leap down to a nearby highway which was riddled with flaming cars. Shadow kept running as Aku made sword-wielding demons spawn along the highway. "Chaos Punishment!" Shadow exclaimed, using his abilities to rapidly warp from demon to demon and lay a series of kicks on each of them. Once he was past all the demons, Shadow leapt off the highway and onto the ground below, continuing his sprint (or ski, since he was using jet shoes) towards the towering demon. Shadow made a left turn between some buildings, then turned again as he was headed straight for the volcano. As Aku launched a storm of meteors at Shadow, the black hedgehog immediately teleported and reappeared right beside his chest. "Chaos…" the hedgehog floated in place, charging power in his hands, "SPEAR!" He launched a mighty Chaos Spear, piercing the chest even further. Aku screamed with intense pain and flung the hedgehog away.

Finally, it was Eva's turn. The princess smirked and conjured a path of ice, using it to ski across the air as she made her way closer to Aku. Aku sent out meteors and was able to destroy her ice path, causing Eva to plummet to the ground. The princess kept going down a city street where many fire hydrants were sprouting fountains, using the wettened streets to ski further across the town. A storm of meteors were coming her way, so Eva made a quick leap into an open sewer hatch, proceeding to ski across the underground river. A few demons flew down to the sewer and gave chase, but Eva used her abilities to make columns of water emerge from the river and take them out. After a while of sewer-surfing, Eva decided to shoot into a hatch and back above the ground. She gasped with slight fright as she now stood before the towering Aku, the demon giving a smirk and wickedly cackling at her. Eva smirked as well, however, mustering all the power she could and causing the ground around her to explode with water, several geysers raising parts of the ground as high as Aku's chest. Aku gave a worried look as he tried harder to smash the raised platforms, but Eva quickly jumped her way across and got closer. After barely dodging Aku's hand as it smashed onto her platform, Eva arrived at the spot just feet away from Aku's open chest, which plainly exposed the Spirit Ball of Manaphy. Eva noticed the moon over the horizon and aimed her sword that way, charging a Moonward Strike. After charging enough power, Eva released the beam of lunar light and struck the Spirit Ball.

The Spirit Ball began to alight brighter than ever as Aku was tremendously struck. The colossal demon roared into the heavens as his form was quickly engulfed by the light. In only a matter of moments, the black demon was faded and destroyed completely. Eva then launched a water tentacle at the Spirit Ball and pulled it over, snapping it open. "Mana! Mana!" Manaphy smiled with joy as he hugged his Guardian. Sonic and Shadow leapt up there to join them, Sonic giving a grin while Shadow frowned. The lot of them proceeded to leap off the platform and make their way back. (End song.)

**Sector J Treehouse**

Marine reappeared along the beach of Sector J, already punching Light Spheres at squads of robo-pirates. As Marine drew closer to the towering treehouse, she bounced off of an umbrella and flung her sphere to a palm tree sticking up from the treehouse, creating a chain that hauled her up further. She kept latching her chain to several other trees before finally getting onto a floor in the treehouse. Tektites jumped around in the pool, but Marine shot Light Spheres and destroyed them before she proceeded to a ladder, climbing up to a higher pool. There, she found Big the Cat cowering in the presence of other Tektites. Marine immediately saved the fat cat by shooting Light Spheres at them.

"Deeeh. Danks, friend Raccoon." The dim cat thanked. "Now I need to catch Froggy." With that, Big sat along the edge of the pool and tossed his fishing lure into the water, sitting patiently as several fish, Froggy included, swam around underneath.

"Eh, no worries. Oi got a few minutes to spare, eh?" Marine grinned as she sat back on a lawn chair and rested her head on her hands.

**Battleship Halberd**

Death's Head and Meta Knight found themselves aboard Meta Knight's ship, which was currently under attack by Stormtroopers. Meta Knight ran forward and sliced away any Trooper he could with his sword while Death's Head took aim at TIE Fighters and shot them down using his plasma ray. Some Purge Troopers dropped onto the deck and attempted to grab the robot, but Death's Head easily swung them away. Meta Knight sliced one last Stormtrooper to bits before jumping into a hatch that led into the ship, followed by Death's Head. At that moment, the wall behind them exploded, and in came the Heavy Lobster. Death's Head turned and unleashed his plasma ray at the robot, but Heavy Lobster stood his ground, barely effected. "Just keep going!" Meta Knight ordered. They kept running through the hall and taking out anymore Stormtroopers along the way. Their way was blocked when some flaming debris fell in their path. They turned as the Heavy Lobster drew closer, but Death's Head shot at the ceiling and made debris collapse over the monster. Afterwards, Death's Head shot the ground below them and blew a hole open, so he and Meta Knight dropped inside.

In the lower corridor, they found a squadron of Battle Droids coming their way and shooting lasers. Meta Knight bounced the lasers back with his sword as the two hurried further down. The two stopped when they reached a swirling vortex, looking back at the approaching droids before jumping inside.

**Halcandra Depths**

The two landed in some vast, empty plain, surrounded by meteors which hovered high in the air. Meta Knight directed ahead, as none other than the Galacta Knight stood in place, glaring from behind his white mask. The destructive knight had company with him: a large robot that bared resemblance to Death's Head, only he had blue armor, seemed a lot more buff, and tons of claws on his right hand. Death's Head began to scan the robot lookalike. When the results came in, he looked quite shocked. "It… couldn't be… could it? No? But…"

"Do not let him distract you." Meta Knight told him. "We must prevail. The fate of the universe depends on it."

"Hm… yes…" However, Death's Head couldn't take his mind off it. "Yet, when I see him… I see only doom, no?…" (Play Landia's Theme from _Kirby's Return To Dreamland_.)

_Boss fight: Death's Head 2.0 and Galacta Knight_

Meta Knight and Galacta Knight ran at each other and rapidly swung their blades, with neither of them yet laying a strike. Death's Head II took aim with a much larger plasma cannon and fired at his counterpart, but Death's Head dodged and fired his plasma cannon back. Death's Head II merely took the hit as he charged at his smaller opponent, gripping his hand over the cannon and hurling Death's Head away. Meta Knight clashed with Galacta Knight's silver blade until his own gold blade was knocked out of his hand, and the purple-winged knight was smacked away. Meta Knight flipped to his feet and snatched his sword, quickly defending against the angel-winged opposite.

Death's Head II laid several punches across Death's Head's face, and the smaller robot slid away on his back. Death's Head looked up as his larger opponent charged and prepared to stab his claws into his chest, but Death's Head quickly gripped the claw in both hands, fighting to keep it back. Death's Head was able to haul his opponent into the air and swing and smash him against the ground. Death's Head II stood up and locked onto Death's Head with his plasma gun, firing all around in attempt to hurt him. Death's Head flew around and evaded before coming down and elbowing Death's Head II in the face.

Meta Knight was able to push Galacta Knight away as the angel knight took to the air. The pink-colored knight charged power into his sword, unleashing a massive white laser along the battlefield. Meta Knight hurriedly flew away as the laser pursued, the ground destroyed along its route. Finally, the laser stopped, and Meta Knight quickly flew up to lay some strikes against Galacta Knight. Both knights dropped to the ground as Galacta glided away from his opponent, but the pink knight immediately shot around to deal rapid swings against Meta Knight, who struggled to defend before his sword was knocked out of his hand.

Meta Knight tried to go to his sword, but Galacta Knight got in his way and began swinging, scratching against Meta Knight's mask. A crack was left in the mask as Meta Knight stood his ground, flying away as the Galacta Knight gave chase. Meta Knight immediately shot downward and shot back to his sword, taking it in his hand before doing a somersault around the Galacta, then dealing several blows on his backside.

Meanwhile, Death's Heads I and II had their arms locked as Death's Head II shoved the original away, sliding him on his belly. Death's Head II was about to jump and smash him, but Death's Head rolled out of the way and shot his plasma rifle, pushing the larger robot away. Death's Head ran and leapt in the air to punch down on his opponent's face, but Death II dodged to the side and punched Death I away. Death's Head II prepared to fire another plasma laser, but Death's Head turned and fired his own at the same time. Both plasmas collided with one-another as Death's Head II's seemed to be prevailing. Death's Head added more pressure into his own, and his plasma ray pushed against the larger robot's, destroying the larger's cannon. Death's Head II wobbled back a little, unprepared when Death's Head leapt into the air and brought his ax against Death II's skull.

Meta Knight still battled with Galacta Knight, flying away as the Galacta Knight gave chase. As the Galacta Knight drew ever so closer, Meta Knight suddenly disappeared into thin air. Galacta stopped and looked around for where he might be, unprepared when Meta Knight appeared from below and shot up, laying more strikes against his opponent and knocking the silver sword out of his hand. Galacta Knight fell to the ground as Meta Knight slowly landed, a dark aura around his form as he now held the Galaxia Darkness in his own hand. Galacta Knight looked up and glared into Meta Knight's dark, ferocious eyes. The bat-winged knight stepped closer, and the Galacta Knight was surrounded in darkness as Meta Knight threw his cape over him. _"Come…"_

_"GRAAAAAHHHHH!"_ The Galacta Knight was sent flying into the air, vanishing from sight from Meta Knight's powerful strike. Death's Head watched as Death's Head II began sparking, holding himself up with only one hand. The larger robot turned as the dark-auraed knight glared at him. Death's Head II faced his counterpart and stood up, releasing a photo of Morgan before flying to the air, vanishing into a portal to his own dimension.

Death's Head then watched Meta Knight as the blue knight twirled his silver blade, and stabbed it into the ground, his cape blowing in the wind. "I…I DID IT!" Meta Knight exclaimed. "I _am_ the greatest Star Warrior of all time."

With that said, Death's Head walked over and picked up the photo of Morgan, which showed the images of Buddy, Athena, and Sophie. "Such wonderful memories… yes?"

"Hmm." Meta Knight observed the photo as well. "But… if The Quads are in there… how can they be… here? Quite a conundrum, yes?"

"Do not steal my bit, yes?"

"Yes… let us return to the others." With that, the two proceeded back the way they came. (End song.)

**Jungle Hijinks**

The Kong Family charged headfirst into the jungle and began wiping out Kremlings like in the old days. Tiny Kong whacked some Kritters with her pigtails while Diddy Kong jumped on them. Dixie Kong strummed her guitar strings and sent sonic waves at some Klumps before the Kongs continued. Chunky Kong grew giant and charged through a horde of Very Gnawtys, making a path for the Kongs to move on. Lanky Kong stretched his arms to grab some palm trees, firing like a slingshot into some Kannons. Some Bazukas started to fire TNT barrels at Donkey and Diddy, but Diddy rode atop his uncle as DK rolled like a ball, jumping the barrels and charging over the Bazukas.

The Kongs continued along a bridge, which unfortunately caught on fire due to the work of some Fire Tikis, and the Kongs were sent plummeting down the waterfall. They each grabbed a board of the broken bridge and used it to surf down, with Chunky having to ride on DK's shoulders. The Kongs crashed into the river at the bottom, climbing to the surface as they passed by some trees guarded by Zingers. The bees shot their stingers at the apes, but Diddy drew his Peanut Popguns and shot at them, splatting the bees. The Kongs made it onto a beach where the _SS Kremlicht_ was parked just like before, the hatch still open. The apes charged into the Kremling ship, where they vanished into a portal.

**_SS Kremlicht_**

Kami, Ava, and Kweeb fought their way through the croc-infested ship against groups of Krumples and Klumps. Kweeb shot his laser at a Klump's eye, so the fat Kremling tossed an Orange Grenade, the three scattering before it exploded. Kami and Ava hid behind separate boxes, peeking to the Krumples outside. Kami ran out to kick a Krumple in he shin, but the Kremling felt nothing on his hard knee as he laughed at Kami, but Ava jumped overhead from behind and dropped a grenade on him. She landed beside Kami and handed her some Orange Grenades so they could start throwing all they could to wipe out the Kremlings. Kweeb hurried ahead of them, the girls following after as they passed through another door.

They were ambushed by squads of Kasplats, Robo-Kritters, and Robo-Zingers, the three operatives looking worriedly as they were outnumbered. They heard several monkeys cries and looked back in surprise to see the Kong Family charging toward them, jumping out of the way to let the apes lay waste upon the series of Kremlings. The Kongs strummed their instruments and tossed grenades all around to destroy the Kremlings, so Kami gestured to her alien friends that it was time to go. They quickly and carefully made their way past the crowd of crocs, having to knock out a few of them along the way. That's when a lone Kruncha jumped from behind and tackled the three to the ground, pinning them with its powerful arms. A gorilla's cry was head from behind, the blue-skinned croc looking up in fright as Donkey Kong dropped down and smashed the Kruncha with his fists.

The Kruncha defeated, Donkey Kong left a hand open for Kami to take, allowing the ape to help her up. Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Team Alien hurried through the crowd and made it to another portal, disappearing inside.

_Sub-boss: Anti-Kami_

Kami came face-to-face with her shadowy double once again, which immediately charged and punched her upside the face. Kami recovered and grabbed her anti's arms as it charged again, hauling the shadow and tossing her overhead. Anti-Kami dashed as Kami readied herself, but the anti suddenly slid and knocked Kami off her feet. Anti-Kami then grabbed her legs and spun her around, sending her flying to the other side. Kami fell over the edge and gripped the ledge as Anti-Kami walked over, stomping and grinding her heel into Kami's right hand. Kami was able to swing and kick upward, knocking the shadow back in the face, and the Drilovsky girl got behind and twisted the anti's right arm before shoving it into the abyss. Kami watched it disappear into the darkness and caught her breath.

**Hideout Helm**

The six found their selves inside K. Rool's floating island base. The base seemed awfully quiet, since the Blast-O-Matic had been shut down long beforehand. They quietly passed down the hall, encountering several Kritters and Kutlasses. Ava swiftly swung her swords and protected from the Kutlasses', dodging around them to strike from behind. Diddy Kong shot peanuts at Kritters, while Dixie knocked some out with her ponytail, allowing the operatives to pass. They entered a room filled with Tikis, immediately dodging behind a steel beam before they were bombarded with machinegun bullets. Kami rolled out and ran around as the line of rapid bullets followed her, jumping and landing on one of the Tikis to smash it. Ava dashed up the ceiling and tossed her swords to stab another Tiki, dropping down and grabbing her swords as she and Kami quickly took out the rest of the Tikis.

The Kongs regrouped with them afterwards as they continued into the next hallway. The kids found themselves in the center of the base, staring up at the towering, powerless Blast-O-Matic. A couple of Klaptraps patrolled the vicinity, but Donkey Kong easily punched them away as they approached. The group hurried up the stairs and through the hall that led to K. Rool's throne. They stopped once they reached the control chamber, where a squad of Krunchas and Krumples were awaiting them, the muscular Kremlings glaring fiercely. However, the crocs were immediately thwarted when Klubba swung his massive spiked club and bashed all of them away like baseballs.

Team Alien smiled at the Kremling friend for saving them. Kweeb then hopped his way to one of the monitors and noticed something. "There's another portal close to this base. But it's a bit far."

"Yarr, ye scurvy mates can use the wheel to move it close, aye?" Klubba suggested.

Kami did so and got onto the wheel, running to make it spin clockwise as Ava looked out the window. A portal was high up in the sky, getting closer as the base moved in its direction. "That's enough." She told Kami, who jumped off the wheel. The lot of them quickly hurried to the top of the base, riding K. Rool's throne up through the hole and passing through the gym. Once they were at the top, they all looked up as the portal still appeared too high.

That's when Diddy Kong switched on his jetpack and carried Ava and Kweeb up there, tossing them into the portal and waving good-bye. As Kami waited for Diddy to come down and grab her, Donkey Kong smirked as he got an idea. He stood firmly behind Kami as he charged his fist, and once he built enough momentum, he shot his fist and flung Kami high in the air, shooting her perfectly into the portal. Donkey Kong grinned as the Kong Family members waved good-bye.

**Gallagher High**

Team Alien reappeared in the Gallagher High School, where swarms of Teen Ninjas jumped out of the lockers and began firing lasers. Kami flipped to avoid the lasers, knocking some of ninjas out, while Ava ran and rapidly swung her swords, slicing their weapons into pieces. Some female ninjas shot at the ground, trying to hit Kweeb, but missed the tiny alien at every shot as Kweeb jumped into the first one's eye. She tried to punch him, but Kweeb jumped and made her punch herself, hopping all around the heads of the other ninjas as they aimlessly swung their arms and tried to grab him. The ninjas ended up smacking each other and knocking each other out as Kweeb landed on the floor.

The three hurried down the halls as Teen Ninjas jumped out of the lockers and fired more weapons, but Kami jumped a laser and jumped off of that Teen Ninja's face. Ava swung her double blades to protect deflect another one's shots, jumping behind the ninja and slicing it in the back. It wasn't long before the kids made it to the gym, where the dance was currently in progress. Some disco music was currently playing, and Team Alien struggled to get around the dancing teens. They decided to dance their way across the floor, just like in the _SS Kremlicht_. Kami danced up to two teens holding a limbo stick, bending backwards at a low enough level to go under the stick. Ava alternated and danced with several teen boys as she made her way to the other side. Kweeb, however, had to quickly jump his way across the floor to avoid being stomped on.

Team Alien made it to behind the DJ's table and crouched down to stay out of sight from the Teen Ninjas. The kids then took notice of a portal under the table. They simply crawled under and vanished from the Teen Ninjas' grasp.

**The Winter Ball**

_Boss fight: Olivia Johnson_

Team Alien immediately encountered Olivia Johnson and her two cronies, all wearing Battle Ready Armor. Jamie Dillon fired a missile at Ava, who jumped and ran at her to strike with her swords. Olivia drew a bo staff as Kami ran and threw kicks at her, and Olivia quickly swung her staff to protect. "Didn't think you knew how to handle a staff." Kami commented as she jumped one of Olivia's swings. As she landed, she charged and tackled the bully, but Olivia grabbed her head and tossed her away. Rabakkah Heartthorne tried to shoot lasers at the ground at Kweeb, but the small alien evaded them and shot his ray gun at Rabakkah's toe, making her hop around on one foot.

Ava swiftly spun and dodged Jamie's missiles, but her eyes widened when she saw the missiles coming back. Ava ran and dashed up the wall, and across the ceiling before dropping back to the floor, but the missiles still stayed after her. Ava then launched her swords at the missiles and destroyed them, her swords returning like boomerangs. Meanwhile, Rabakkah had Kweeb caught between her hands, the little alien struggling to break free. Kweeb was able to escape when Kami kicked Olivia Johnson at Rabakkah, making her toss Kweeb high in the air, where Kweeb shot his lasers down at Rabakkah's eyes.

Olivia kicked back to her feet and tried to swing her staff at Kami, but the blonde Drilovsky charged and tackled her, only for Olivia to push her away. Olivia kept swinging at Kami as Kami backed away and dodged, jumping and kicking off the staff to get behind Olivia and kick her off her feet. Ava spun around and dodged more of Jamie's missiles, turning around to see the projectiles coming back. Ava was about to throw her swords at them, but Jamie launched a laser-whip and snatched the swords away. Ava just ran around as fast as she could to evade the missiles, going up the walls and ceiling, then dropping beside Jamie. Jamie held up her whip as she was about to attack her, but Ava smirked and simply flipped away, and Jamie looked up and gasped as the missiles came down and crashed on her.

Rabakkah crawled along the floor and kept trying to grab Kweeb. She Kweeb in her hands again, but the alien slipped out of her fingers and shot her in the face some more. She stood up and tried to stomp the alien, but Kweeb jumped around and avoided before jumping his way up Rabakkah's body. The alien shot into Rabakkah's nose and crawled his way to her brain. Rabakkah shook her head around to try and knock the alien out, but was unable to as Kweeb started attacking her insides. Rabakkah became dizzied, falling face-first on the gym floor as Kweeb bounced out of her body.

Kami and Olivia Johnson were still doing combat with each other. Olivia tried to shoot Kami with a laser, but the Drilovsky jumped behind her and kicked her to the ground. The bo staff was flung out of her hand, so Kami quickly grabbed it and began twirling. She used the staff to knock away Olivia's laser shots, rolling forward and slicing the laser rifle right off her hand. Olivia grabbed and started tugging the staff, but Kami tugged back as she kicked Olivia away. Before Olivia could recover, Kami bashed her across the face several times with the staff, eventually knocking the bully out.

Kami watched as a photo of Morgan dropped from her armor, grabbing it as Ava and Kweeb gathered around to look at it. The photo showed the image of Morgan and Kami, as they were on Captain Rourke's ship. "Hm. This one's pretty recent." Ava noticed.

"Guess we're done here." Kami figured. "Come on."

**Sector J Treehouse**

Big the Cat continued to sit on the edge of the pool, holding his fishing lure to catch Froggy. His patience was unparalleled.

**Star Station**

Dimentia and Kirby hurriedly made their way through the base as Stormtroopers fired lasers from every direction. As they were coming to a squadron of Stormtroopers, Kirby sucked in some lasers and became Beam Kirby, launching his own energy balls to blow away the soldiers. Dimentia unleashed Space Lightning at the hordes, but a Purge Trooper suddenly caught her from behind. Dimentia failed to break away, but was saved when a bomb latched onto its back and blew it up. Dimentia turned around to find Cad Bane and Aurra Sing come to her aid. The Glomourian hunter drew out her light nun-chucks and started bashing other soldiers, while Bane took aim and shot down some TIE Fighters.

The group hurried along the walkway as Bane punched and grabbed Troopers, tossing them to Aurra, who kicked them over the edge. Some Battle Droids approached and began shooting, but Kirby leapt and swung a beam to wipe them out. Cad Bane began to push some buttons in his watch, and the four looked as a Wolfen zoomed across the area, skidding along the ground and running over some troopers. Bane and Aurra got into the Wolfen while Dimentia and Kirby rode atop the wings as Bane began driving the Wolfen out of the base.

Several TIE Fighters tailed after them, but Bane released bombs that went back and blew the ships away. They faced ahead as the exit hatch doors were slowly closing, but Bane launched another bomb and blew the doors clean open, shooting right out. They saw another portal up ahead and used the boost to move faster, shooting into the gateway and evading TIE Fighter pursuit.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

The Wolfen flew at high speeds toward the GUN's main base, crashing straight through the front doors and running over several GUN troops. The aliens jumped off the ship as Bane charged through and started shooting any GUN Trooper in his sight. Some Laser Hunters shot a sticky substance to bind Bane and Aurra, but the robots were sliced in half from behind by a laser saber, wielded by Khryssa. Aurra broke free of the substance with her nun-chucks and wrapped them around a GUN Beetle, sending it at another Beetle. A GUN held a gun to Bane's head, but before he could shoot, Solid Snake snapped the troop's neck from behind.

Kirby used his beam to cut Bane free, and the hunter began shooting more troops. They progressed through the hall as GUN Rhinos charged at them from ahead, but Boba Fett dropped from the ceiling and sliced the robots away with his double sabers. Several GUN Hawks were flying their way, but Boba shot toward them on his jetpack and sliced them to pieces with his sabers. The group hurried after the bounty hunter as doors began closing on them, but Khryssa easily cut the weak doors down with her saber. They soon reached a hallway with a security camera that fired bullets, the group taking cover behind metal boxes. Snake peeked out and shot a missile at the camera, blowing it up and allowing the group to proceed.

The gang soon caught up with Boba Fett as the hunter was busy hacking into a terminal. He succeeded as the massive door ahead of them opened to an outside balcony. The group looked to the heavens ahead as a portal spiraled in the air. Dimentia and Kirby noticed a cannon facing the portal and exchanged nods. Kirby sucked Dimentia into his mouth and squeezed into the cannon, the hunters taking aim before shooting them straight into the vortex.

**Another Dimension**

When we last saw Marx, the young little Nightmare exploded to nothingness during the battle that existed between dimensions. The tiny, pink Nightmare child now lied drifting through space, having lost all of his power. Dimentia and Kirby drifted through this area at this time, taking notice of the fallen Nightmare creature several feet away from them. Dimentia's eyes widened at the notice of Jirachi's glowing Spirit Ball, which was drifting toward Marx. Upon impact of the glowing sphere to Marx's fallen form, the Nightmare started moving again.

Before their eyes, Marx's form was swallowed by the darkness which had consumed his older brother recently. In only a few moments, Marx's super-powered form was revived. However, the darkness began to take its affect, and Marx's pink skin turned purple, the points on his jester hat became spiked, and his wings sprouted sharp fangs at the tips of them, as had Marx's teeth themselves, and his expression looked more psychotic than ever. He was now the Marx Soul.

Marx Soul burst into a wicked cackle as Dimentia made an attempted grab for the Spirit Ball. Before she could fly over, Marx Soul caught the glowing sphere in his tongue and swallowed it, laughing once again. Dimentia and Kirby glared with anger as the wicked Nightmare shot directly down to the ground of the dimensional plain. Dimentia and Kirby chased it straight down and prepared to battle. (Play Marx's Battle Theme from _Kirby Superstar Ultra_!)

_Boss fight: Marx Soul_

Marx cackled as Dimentia released the first round of Space Lightning, the Nightmare child easily teleporting to avoid. Dimentia flew around and tried to shock him from the other side, but barely landed a hit as Marx released several boomerangs, striking her and Kirby. Marx teleported some more before coughing several energy balls around the field, which exploded and pushed the two heroes around a little. Marx suddenly appeared behind Dimentia, quickly trying to bite her as Dimentia rapidly dodged, able to unleash some Space Lightning and push him back. Marx recovered and shot straight upward, dropping some green spiked balls to the ground in different spots. Kirby and Dimentia quickly dodged as those seeds sprouted into cacti and sent the spiked pieces flying around. Kirby inhaled the last piece in his mouth and held it as the two of them searched for Marx. Dimentia noticed the portal spawning below her and was too late to dodge as Marx Soul shot up and blew her away. As Marx stopped midair, Kirby quickly spat the cactus piece at him and did some damage.

Marx Soul teleported aimlessly again before appearing behind the two, the Nightmare opening its wings as it released a storm of arrows, which Dimentia protected against using a barrier. She released the barrier once Marx stopped, but the Nightmare rapidly began teleporting beside her from all sides, stealing quick hits by smacking her with his tongue. After getting knocked around a few times, Dimentia screamed in rage, releasing her Space Lightning in a random direction. It was shot toward Kirby, who sucked the lightning in and turned into Plasma Kirby.

Marx Soul appeared above the duo again and dropped another bomb, but Dimentia teleported the both of them and avoided. The plasma-powered puffball shook around to charge power in his form, and afterwards released a large plasma ball at Marx. Marx Soul began to shake around a little before the Nightmare split itself into a blue half and a pink half. Both halves became gooey and blobby as they shot into the air, and rained down as huge globs of blue and pink paint. Dimentia and Kirby quickly flew around to avoid the fast drops of paint, the two taking a few strikes as they rained down.

When the raining stopped, Marx's halves formed back together again, and he was back to normal. Kirby charged another beam of plasma and quickly fired it before Marx teleported. The Nightmare appeared along the ground, and the duo was too late to avoid as Marx released a gigantic laser from his mouth. They barely recovered from the laser as Marx warped again, flying overhead and dropping several bombs down, which the two narrowly avoided. When Marx reappeared again, Dimentia stunned him with a storm of Space Lightning, allowing Kirby to charge another plasma beam and release it at the Nightmare.

Marx Soul teleported to the center, splitting open in half as a black hole formed between him. Kirby and Dimentia tried to get away, but were sucked inside. They fell into some dimension where Marx Soul released a bunch of child versions of himself, which excitedly bounced around, trying to hurt them. Dimentia fired Starbursts and took out all the copies she could while Kirby zapped a few with his plasma barrier. Once all the copies were defeated, they appeared back in the battlegrounds, facing the real Marx.

Marx Soul once again split into his blue and pink halves, shooting to separate sides of the field. Marx's frightening cackle echoed as a pink meteor shot over from its side, and a blue meteor from its side, the two heroes ducking as low to the ground as they could as both meteors frantically zoomed around the field. When they finally stopped, Marx Soul was formed together again, and the Nightmare child teleported. Kirby noticed the portal forming below his feet and conjured his plasma barrier, so when Marx shot up, he took a painful shock upon impact. Dimentia followed this with a blast of her own Space Lightning, and Marx's tongue stuck out greatly as he fell to the ground, shivering with shock.

As Marx lay stunned, Kirby ditched his plasma and proceeded to suck in the hideous incarnation itself. Dimentia looked with slight worry as Kirby caught Marx inside and swallowed. Kirby then began to feel sick, and before Dimentia's very eyes, the pink puff transformed into Marx Kirby, and was possessed by the Nightmare.

Marx Kirby immediately released a swarm of boomerangs that bounced all around the field, knocking Dimentia around. Before the Zathurian could fight back, Marx Kirby rapidly teleported around her and kicked her from all directions. Kirby finished this by appearing in front and spin-kicking her in the face. Dimentia stood to her feet as Kirby hovered overhead and dropped more bombs, the explosions releasing energy beams that zoomed all around the field and knocked Dimentia over again. Kirby then teleported as Dimentia readied her guard, searching around for him, then saw the vortex spawn below her and was too late to dodge as Kirby shot up and flung her away.

As Dimentia lay on the ground, the possessed puff charged and proceeded to inhale. Dimentia gripped as tight to the ground as she could, struggling to keep from being sucked into the endless lungs of Kirby. She quickly conjured a barrier around the puff, stopping his sucking, then snapped her fingers to blow the barrier up. As Kirby was hurt by this, she released a storm of Space Lightning all over the puff, then shot over, laid a few kicks, and then finally kicked him straight upside the chin, knocking Marx Soul straight out of his form.

As Marx Soul dizzily hovered in the air, Dimentia focused her energy directly through the Nightmare's center. Marx's eyes widened and dripped with tears, the child feeling intense pain surging through him. Slowly but surely, Dimentia was conjuring a portal that went vertically through Marx's form, and was splitting the Nightmare in half. _"UUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_ Both Marx's halves were peeled away from the other like a banana, and both severed halves bled with purple goo as they flew frantically in the air. In only a few seconds, both halves exploded into Star Dust.

The Spirit Ball that was Jirachi's was released as it bounced along the ground, into Dimentia's hand. Dimentia snapped the ball open and set the Star God free, Jirachi giving a happy smile as Dimentia and Kirby made victory poses. Kirby then summoned his Warp Star as the three of them hopped on and let it carry them off. They soared into an open vortex and warped away from the hyperspace, leaving the defeated Marx as dust in the stars. (End song.)

**Forest of Darkness**

Ed, Edd, and Eddy progressed through the Forest of Darkness, fighting away some Kutlasses using Eddy's stink bombs. They found a ledge that was too high to reach, but found a long piece of wood laying on the ground. Ed picked up the plank and rested the other end at the top of the ledge, making a slope. The three Eds sat atop each other as Ed carefully balanced them and walked up the piece of wood. A couple Boos were sneaking up to them from behind, but Double D turned and shone a flashlight in their faces, making them turn away. They reached the top of the slope, onto the ledge, and hurried down a hill to find some Searchghost Heartless hurting a group of rope-ghosts, tying the ghosts together in a knot. Ed leapt to the air and crashed down on the ghosts, squishing them flat, and Eddy proceeded to fling stink bombs at them with his slingshot. Once the Heartless were defeated, Double D approached the rope-ghosts and easily untied them. The squad of rope-ghosts then flew over the chasm before them and tied together, hanging from a tree branch as they made an even longer rope. The ghosts swung over for the Eds to grab on to, so they did so as the ghosts swung them to the other side.

However, the chasm was too long for the Eds to make it, but as they released from the rope, the ghosts scattered and made a series of tightropes for them to balance on. The path of ghost ropes went in many directions and turns as the Eds carefully kept balance to make it across. The ghosts flew away to make more of the bridge after a few seconds, but the Eds moved quick enough to make it, eventually getting across. At the ledge on the other side, they kept moving as Demon Apes jumped out to attack them. Ed charged forward to wipe some of the apes out, while Eddy threw stink bombs to make their nostrils swell up, and their eyes water. Eddy pointed his friends' attention to another vortex in the bushes. Looking back at the recovering apes, Ed grabbed his friends and dragged them into the portal.

**Koopa Train**

The Eds were shocked when they reappeared instantly on the Koopa Train. They stood along the edge, wobbling unsteadily at the high speeds as they nearly fell over the edge. But to their relief, a hand grabbed Eddy's arm, and he held Ed's shirt, who held Double D's, whose face was merely inches away from the ground. "Huh? Johnny!" Eddy smiled at the boy holding his arm.

"This was hardly expected." Plank spoke in his British accent as Johnny helped the Eds onto the train.

"Say, weren't you gonna take over the world or somethin'?"

"It didn't work out."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Double D replied.

Johnny charged ahead as Hammer Bros. jumped out and tossed their usual weapons, the gourd-headed child using Plank on his mop staff as a javelin to push them away. Bullet Bros tossed Bullet Bills at Ed, but the chubby boy bounced them back with his belly and blew the Koopas away. The kids hurried along the roof of one of the cars as Banzai Bills fired from ahead. Johnny launched Acorn Bombs into the Bills' mouths, making trees expand inside them to blow the Banzais up.

The four landed on the next cart, their way ahead seeming relatively clear. However, the train massively trembled, making the kids nearly fall over as it began to slow. They turned around, their eyes widened as the sight of a gigantic Chain Chomp, munching its way across the train. They tried to hurry across, but the Chomp was quickly sucking in parts of the train. Double D quickly bent over and disabled the link to a previous cart, allowing the train to move a little faster. Double D kept disabling links as they jumped cars, making it closer to the front of the train. They saw the Chomp easily catching up once they made it to the front, but the four saw they were coming up to a small tunnel. They immediately jumped off the train to a safe ground, leaving the train to go through the tunnel, the Chomp crashing against the smaller tunnel and stopping as its teeth cracked.

A tear of pain dripped from the Chomp's eye as a portal formed in its mouth. The kids shrugged and proceeded to hop into the portal, vanishing to the next area.

**Ghost Zone Prison**

The Eds and Johnny & Plank appeared in the all-too-familiar Ghost Zone Prison. They appeared along a narrow ledge on the side of the prison, very close to the bottom as they were looking down into the infinite Ghost Zone abyss. Eddy pulled out a large bubblegum piece and shoved it into Ed's mouth, the dimwitted boy chewing away before releasing a gigantic bubble. Eddy, Edd, and Johnny grabbed hold of the boy as Ed slowly floated upward. They flew up as high as a balcony as the bubble began shaking, the kids quickly jumping to the ledge before the bubble popped. As it popped, Ed grabbed and climbed on as well, joining the others as they climbed a ladder to a higher ground.

The kids peeked over the top to find the Junior Prospectors doing battle with prison guards. One of the guards snuck up to Tommy from behind, but an exploding stink bomb caught Tommy's attention, turning to see the guard fainting from the stench of Eddy's stink bomb. Some Bomb Boos emerged, but Joey grabbed one of the ghost's tongue and spun them into the others. Two guards tried to shock Mushi, but the child leapt and bounced off their heads before tossing crayons and sticking them to the wall.

Luvbi spun a tornado and made a guard dizzy, allowing Sammy and Jessica to catch him in an ectoplasm ring and bind his arms. As he was trapped, Shaunie walked over and kicked him in the arm. "Well, that's all of them." Plank observed.

"Where do we go now?" Tommy asked.

"Methinks there ist yonder gateway upon this tower." Luvbi said.

"I think we have one more bubblegum." Eddy said as he pulled out another large piece. "Ed can take you up there."

"This realm is _such_ a pain." Plank said. "I'm glad we've done our part."

"Chewing gum, chewing gum, chewing gum…" Ed hummed to himself as he chewed gum.

"Blow, Lumpy, blow!" Eddy cheered as Ed hovered into the air with the Junior Prospectors hanging on his bubble. The kids floated higher and higher until they finally reached the lower part of the tower. As the Junior Prospectors jumped off, Ed's bubble popped, the large boy plummeting back to the balcony below.

The kids made their way around the tower's pathway as more Bomb Boos came out. Joey took one's tongue and swung it against a wall, blowing a hole open to reveal a portal. The other Boos tried to catch them, but the kids jumped in the portal and got away.

**Sabrina Manor**

The Junior Prospectors looked around in curiosity as they reappeared in what seemed to be a little kid's room, decorated with many teddy bears, crayons scattered across the floor, and some rocking horses. Jessica smiled and pointed to a little crib in the room, where a little baby girl with blond hair in pigtails, pink dress, and a strange glow around her form lay peacefully asleep. Shaunie stepped back in slight fear of her strange glow, and Luvbi stared with curiosity, while the others happily approached the adorable baby. Sammy took the baby out of its crib and held it in his arms as Tommy, Mushi, Joey, and Jessica stared at it with smiles.

Tommy took notice of a small paper it was clutching, which turned out to be another photo of Morgan. Tommy carefully touched the photo and weakly tried to pull it from the baby's grasp. The baby kept a firm grip, so Tommy gestured for her to give it to him. The baby shook its head, her eyes suddenly transforming a blood red as her skin became green, and fangs appeared in her mouth. The kids jumped back in surprise as the child drew out her rattle and zapped them all into small, glowing balls, transporting them to her crib.

The Junior Prospectors shrunk to toy size as the realm around the crib became a vast plain of the Ghost Zone. The baby's gigantic form hovered over the crib, pulling out its rattle as it used some kind of telekinesis to make legions of giant crayons levitate. "Ay... appearances fool, yea?" Luvbi commented as the young fighters prepared for battle. (Play Chauncey's Theme from _Luigi's Mansion_.)

_Boss fight: Chasey Sabrina_

The kids ran around the giant crib as the ghostly child launched the gigantic crayons, avoiding them to keep from being penetrated. Mushi countered by tossing her own crayons at the child, but Chasey's larger form was immune to the smaller crayons. The baby ghost then started to bounce giant balls at them, but Luvbi blew a powerful wind gust and blew a ball to bash the baby in the head. Sammy and Jessica then took hold of a giant crayon and aimed at the baby's eye, running forward and jabbing the crayon in her right eye, making her sink lower to the crib.

"How are we supposed to defeat a ghost?" Sammy asked.

"Ooh! I've been working on my own 2x4 Fenton Thermos." Tommy said as he pulled out a wooden thermos, which bared resemblance to the Fenton Thermos.

"It serves better than nothing." Luvbi decided, so Tommy took aim at the ghost child and fired a green ray. Chasey was caught by the ray, and Tommy did his best to try and suck her in while Chasey fought back. Tommy was blown against the wall as Chasey broke free of the device's hold. Chasey fumed with anger and landed in the center of the crib, stomping her feet in anger, and causing the Junior Prospectors to bounce around the quaking crib. They became dizzy as Chasey stopped and flew back to the air, shaking her rattle some more.

As the children recovered, they watched as Chasey summoned giant teddy bears onto the crib, running to tackle the Prospectors. Shaunie jumped out of the way as two bears tried to fall on him, but the bears stood up and ran at him again. Shaunie noticed a string sticking out from one's leg, dashing between its legs and snatching the string, beginning to run around as the bear came apart. Shaunie ran around the other bear and used the string to bind its legs, making it fall over. Meanwhile, Mushi tossed her crayons against the sides of another bear, making stuffing pour out, and Tommy climbed up onto another bear and grabbed its button eyes, pulling them out, and causing the bear to blindly walk over the edge.

Luvbi saw the bear which Shaunie had binded and conjured a tornado to blow over and hit Chasey. Chasey spun around from the impact, but regained herself as she then summoned giant rocking horses. The horses shot across the field, the kids ducking as low as they could so the horses would pass over them. Sammy and Jessica stood up and exchanged nods, the two jumping and grabbing a horse as it shot by. The horse flew over Chasey, so the kids jumped and grabbed onto her pigtails, pulling as hard as they could. Chasey swung the kids back onto the field as Joey slid by and grabbed the Gilligan Thermos. He took aim at the ghost and fired, trying to suck her inside. Chasey shook and shook to avoid going into the container, and successfully broke free as Joey was knocked away.

Chasey's form started to turn blood-red from all the anger, the baby ghost landing on the crib's surface again. She chased Tommy and tried to stomp the chubby boy, but he jumped out of the way. She then focused her sights in Shaunie and chased the Fulbright boy, the redhead jumping out of the way to avoid her foot. Luvbi then flew in front of her face and blew a gust of wind in her right eye, while Shaunie climbed up her dress and tried to punch her left eye. Chasey shook them away and took to the air again.

Chasey shook her rattle even faster as crayons rained down from the heavens again. The kids hurriedly dodged as giant crayons began sticking up from all around the crib. Luvbi grabbed the Gilligan Thermos and flew up to the ghost, about to suck her in, but Chasey smashed the angel in clap of her hands, making Luvbi dizzy as she dropped the thermos. Chasey then grabbed the angel in her fingers, Luvbi struggling to break free as the ghost gripped, and prepared to rip her wings off. "Hrrrr. Pray, a little help wouldst be nice."

Tommy ran to try and grab the thermos, but Chasey launched more crayons to seal him in. The others tried to grab it, but crayons blocked their way as well. "Grab it, Shaunie!" Jessica yelled. Shaunie looked in worry as the thermos lie on the other side from where he was. The six-year-old ran for the thermos, dodging as quick as he could to avoid the incoming crayons. Shaunie dodged the last row as he slid along the ground and snatched the thermos, taking aim at Chasey and firing the beam.

Luvbi was freed as Chasey was caught, the ghost spiraling around as she was sucked straight into the prison. The seven kids were restored to normal size as the realm returned to normal, the photo of Morgan dropping onto the crib. The kids all high-fived as Shaunie took the picture, the lot quickly making their way to the beginning. (End song.)

**Sector J Treehouse**

Big the Cat continued fishing in his quest to catch Froggy. He was VERRRY patient.

**Silver River Forest**

The Terrible Toxic Four began their second journey through the dark forest of poisons. Already, Skulltulas were dropping down, but Elijah swung his Poison Whip to catch the spiders and send them back at each other. They made it to a larger tree with a vine wall, using the vines to climb their way up. At the top, the four entered the tree, where three Growths ambushed them. The first swamp monster tried to smash the group with its club, but they dodged as Leo coughed Gas Bombs at it. Jeremiah dodged another one's club and ran around it, jumping onto its back as he tried to stab it with his knife.

Matthew hit the other one with his Poison Whip until it bashed him against the wall. The toxic leader spewed some toxic waste from his mouth, flowing over to the monster and dissolving him inside. Another Growth had Leo grabbed by the leg, swinging him around, until the dimwitted poisonbender shoved his gun up its nose and fired, blowing its brains out. Jeremiah finished cutting the last one before Elijah burped a Gas Bomb and blew it up. The side of tree opened to reveal a branch, the group stepping off onto the branch as they looked down at a series of swinging vines.

The Toxic Four grabbed and slid down the first vine, swinging to gain enough momentum to jump to the next vine. They turned and faced the third vine and built up enough momentum again, letting go as it swung over for them to catch. As they swung over to the fourth vine, they noticed that a Clinker was stuck on it. Leo simply shot his gun to get rid of the Clinker, and they were able to grab hold of the vine. The four looked down as a group of Grimers were trying to climb up the vine. They looked up as a portal loomed above them, quickly climbing upward to escape the Grimers. One at a time, the Toxic Four jumped through the portal, barely escaping the Grimers' grasp.

**Badness Bayou**

Dr. Facilier and Grim Reaper once again made their way across the old swamp, still infested with Kremling troops as Flitters flew by them. Facilier swung his green flubber and whipped them out of the air as they moved along. They had to jump their way across croc heads as Klingers hung by trees and tried to grab them. The mages ducked the Kremlings as Grim zapped them with his scythe, dropping them to the water. The two hopped their way to a foothold where a Kloak appeared. The shrouded Kremling started tossing Zingers at them, but Grim kept cutting them with scythe, so the Kloak decided to drop two Cat O' 9 Tails.

One of the blue cats wrapped their tails around Grim's scythe and hurled the reaper to the other side. Facilier rapidly zapped magic blasts to counter the cat's fast-coming whips, but the witch doctor was quickly grabbed by the other cat, tossing him into the air. Facilier used Shadow Glide to get back down safely, launching more spells against one of the cats. The cat was knocked into the water, but the Kloak simply released another on. Grim and Facilier kept their guard up, but their attention was drawn to a portal opening above them. The Toxic Four suddenly dropped out as Leo grabbed hold of one of the cats and tossed it in the swamp. Elijah swung his Poison Whip to counter the other cat's tails, his Poison Whip wrapping around the nine tails so Elijah could toss it into the swamp.

The Kloak was about to make more cats, but the Grim Reaper immediately appeared beside him and touched him, the Kloak falling unconscious into the swamp. As the reaper landed on the foothold, he charged his scythe and blasted open a spiraling green portal. The Toxic Four smiled and nodded to the reaper before jumping into the portal. "Those kids can take care of themselves." He said. "But since we're here," he smirked, "I t'ink we should pay a visit to Mama Odie."

"Grim…" Facilier glared in disbelief.

"I'm just kidding, Harvey."

**Lunar Sanctum**

The Toxic Four were taken to a dim-lit battlefield in space, facing the center as a mysterious man with blue skin, black tux, and a very long mustache bowed humbly to them. The mystery man stood up, facing them with eerie red eyes. (Play "Victory Road" from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: Arlon the Serene_

The four ran to attack the butler, but Arlon jumped back and tossed blue flames at them. They dodged the flames as they attempted to strike him, but Arlon zipped to the other side of the field as the area suddenly turned pitch-black. The team looked around the darkness for where the man might be, the calm butler catching them by surprise as he jumped overhead and dropped blue flames. The Toxic Four recovered from the attack to see the flames appearing over them again. They ran out of the way as they saw a ring being conjured in the darkness. They dodged the projectile, knowing that was where Arlon was as Matthew swung his Poison Whip to attack him. He was able to catch the butler and pull him over, allowing the four to deal away attacks on him.

The lights switched on again as Arlon jumped away, balancing atop one of the light pillars as he pulled out a strange locket. All of a sudden, giant crescent moons began stomping down on the field, creating shockwaves as the Toxic Four ran around to avoid them. Jeremiah leapt onto one of the moons and jumped his way to Arlon, grabbing the butler's neck. The moons stopped stomping as Arlon fell down, throwing Jeremiah off of him. The boys tried to grab him again, but he darkened the realm and evaded.

The kids looked around to try and spot his glow, not seeing the dark circle Arlon was conjuring around them. Dark spiked crystals immediately shot up and pushed them away, the butler chuckling quietly. Leo got up and saw the man launching a laser, jumping out of the way before coughing a Gas Bomb his way. The bomb exploded on Arlon and lit up the area, and Jeremiah ran up to deal quick slashes with his knives. Before they could attack some more, Arlon jumped away and vanished out of sight.

A few seconds had passed before another crescent moon crashed onto the field, held up by a string as Arlon rode it. The serene butler swung the moon all around the field, knocking the Toxic Four back and forth. Matt shook his head and growled in frustration, so as the moon came back, the leader quickly grabbed onto it. Arlon didn't pay attention as Matt climbed onto the moon, and the boy was able to kick him in the shin and push him off. Arlon got up on all fours and shook his head, turning around to face Matt. The crescent was coming right back at him, bashing the butler clear in the face and sliding him across the ground.

"Oof… well played." The butler hacked before falling unconscious.

The Toxic Four calmly approached the man as Matt pulled the photo of Morgan from his pocket. They all exchanged nods before making their way back. (End song.)

**Ancient Wastelands**

Team Spirit, Yuki, and the Ice Climbers calmly entered the old, abandoned wasteland of fallen robots. The six were making their way across an old trench with only very few ledges to stand on, each of them far away from the other. The Ice Climbers launched their ropes to the faraway ledges for the heroes to keep getting across. When they had finally arrived at the other side, they passed through a small cave, where some electric Chu-Chus dropped down and tried to jump at them. The Ice Climbers simply launched ice beams and froze them, allowing Yuki to stomp and shatter them.

They soon came to the mining area which had the first Timeshift Stone that Jagar and his friends found. However, no stone was there to be found. They dropped onto the mining area and looked around with confused expressions. Misty then tapped Jagar's shoulder, indicating a strange glow coming from a small cave. They curiously entered the cave to find a clock portal, designed like the ones Clockwork uses. Seeing nowhere else to go, they entered the portal.

They came out in the same cave on the other side, only this time, there was grass on the ground. They walked out of the cave and gaped in amazement at the lively, robot-inhabited Planet Secco. They seemed to be in the actual past state of Secco itself, without use of the Time Stones. Jagar pointed their way to a series of ferris wheels going over another trench. They ran and jumped on the first platform, letting the slowly-rotating contraption carry them across. As they jumped to the next one, riding as it went downward around, and up again, they saw they were coming to another Time Gate. Once the platform had lifted them upward, they jumped inside.

To their shock and surprise, they were back during the ruined state of Planet Secco, Jagar nearly falling over the edge of the broken ferris wheel until Yuki grabbed his shirt and kept him up. They looked around as all of the ferris wheels were broken and rusted. The benders looked down at another platform, far away from them. They backed away from the edge and ran forth, jumping with enough momentum to make it to the platform. However, the impact of their jump caused that entire wheel to shake. In an instant, the wheel separated from its perch and fell to the trench, landing on the bottom as it began rolling down at a fast pace, the six benders standing their ground tight.

The wheel crashed against a wall, and their platform was stopped beside another cave. They entered the cave and came out to another open area on the other side. All around, piles of skeletons littered the area, but all there seemed to be was another Time Gate. As soon as they entered the cave, they reappeared in the revived version of that field. A series of Bokoblin wielding light sabers raised their weapons and charged for the kids. Yuki and the Ice Climbers blew Ice Breaths and froze all the ones they could, and the Ice Climbers smashed them with their hammers. A squad of Bokoblin was charging at Jagar, but he threw his hands out and slowed them in time. During this state, Misty and Olive ran around, punching and kicking all the monsters they could. When time reverted to normal, those Bokoblin were knocked out.

Soon, all of the monsters were defeated, causing a blue barrier to open to a small staircase. They went up the staircase and found another portal to a different realm. They went inside, leaving the Ancient Wastelands behind them.

**Zuzu's Valley**

They landed smack in the middle of a blizzarding wasteland, the land familiar to the Ice Climbers as Zuzu's Valley. They pushed and fought their way through the blizzard, making their way up a hill to a lone tree at the top. They stopped to catch a breath upon reaching the tree, finding themselves a few abandoned sleds. They grabbed the sleds and used them to slide down the slope, the blizzard winds making them go extra fast. They narrowly dodged around incoming rocks and dead trees, barely able to see through the darkness. The benders were coming to a small trench, the fast winds giving them plenty of momentum to shoot across.

The six were then sledding through a series of dead trees, each of them coming in contact with a branch, grabbing and spinning around them before letting their selves be thrown up onto a higher hillside. They slid down even faster, having to make several jumps across the tops of many high-up pillars. When they finally jumped over the end, falling to the abyss with nowhere else to go, the winds suddenly picked them up and propelled them even higher up the mountain. They slid even faster down the new slope, sliding quickly left and right to avoid trees. The hillside then began to go upward, the six benders having enough momentum to shoot up the slope. The kids swerved to the side as the slope was leading around a mountain, keeping their speed as they reached the top, and shot over the edge. They saw they were coming up to another portal, jumping and ditching their sleds as they went inside.

**Spear Pillar**

Jagar, Misty, Olive, and the icebenders appeared at the top of the Spear Pillar. As they looked around for where to go next, they stopped and gasped at the sight before them. Dialga and Palkia were calmly circling each other, both gods glaring fiercely. Dialga & Palkia roared and hissed at each other, the two looking as if they're about to fight the other. "What are they doing?" Misty whispered.

"This must be a time when Dialga and Palkia were still enemies." Jagar figured.

"So, they're about to fight each other?" Yuki asked with a smirk. "Nice."

"We have to stop them!" Popo and Nana yelled.

"Cresselia would normally be here to calm them down." Olive said.

"Well, she's not here. So we'll have to keep them busy until she comes." Jagar decided. "Be careful, guys…" (Play "Dialga & Palkia Battle On Spear Pillar" from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

_Boss fight: Dialga & Palkia_

Dialga roared and released a Hyper Beam at Palkia, but the Space God dodged and countered with his own, the beam going past Dialga and nearly blowing up the kids. "WHOOA!" Jagar cried as the team jumped out of the way. "Come on!" The six ran onto the battlefield as Yuki jumped onto Dialga's head, quickly blowing ice in his face and freezing his eyes. The Time God easily shook the boy off and broke the ice, glaring angrily at him. The Ice Climbers tossed their ropes and tried to bind Palkia's arms, but the Space God swung them around and tossed them at Dialga's face. The angered Time God stomped the ground and made a beam shoot across the field, pushing the Ice Climbers away. While Dialga wasn't looking, Jagar climbed up his back and onto his face, grabbing Dialga's horns as he used his time abilities to make Dialga dizzy.

Jagar kept his grip on the horns as Dialga began hopping around like a crazy horse. Jagar tried controlling his direction using the horns, making him dash toward Palkia, who pulled his fist back and punched Dialga clear in the face, knocking the diamond-skinned deity away, and causing Jagar to fly backwards. Dialga shook his head and recovered from the punch, charging and leaping at Palkia. The two deities grabbed and started wrestling with each other, with Palkia able to push Dialga away. The two grabbed each other again as the Ice Climbers each climbed up a side of Palkia, blowing ice in his eyes. Palkia was blinded, and Dialga successfully shoved him away.

While Palkia was down, Dialga was about to stab his diamond legs into him, but Misty and Olive combined their powers and slowed the Time God down. Jagar climbed on top of him and used Time Confusion to shock the deity again, holding on to his horns as time reverted to normal, and Dialga began hopping around the field again. Palkia recovered and began to charge after his rival, but as Jagar saw him chasing them, he quickly pulled back on Dialga's horns, making him leap backward over the Space God. With that done, Dialga charged forward and powerfully rammed his horns against Palkia's back, knocking the Space God over as Jagar leapt off Dialga's head.

Palkia recovered and angrily faced his rival, the two exchanging stares as they circled each other. "Isn't this just making them angrier?" Misty asked.

"Hey, if I know anything about friends fighting, it's that they always tire themselves out." Yuki said.

"Technically, they aren't really friends." Jagar replied.

"Still?"

"Look out!" Olive yelled as Palkia hollered to the heavens, turning the entire realm upside-down. The six benders held tight to whatever old pillars and twigs were sticking up from the ground to keep from falling into space. Nana failed to hang on and nearly fell, but Popo grabbed her hand. Dialga, however, stood his ground as he and Palkia continued to fight. When Dialga had impaled his horns through Palkia's pearl, causing it to crack, the realm flipped back to normal, dropping the kids to the ground. Dialga charged at his rival again, Palkia quickly grabbing his head to keep him back, but Dialga had Palkia knocked to his back as he stood, and began stomping Palkia against the ground.

The Ice Climbers ran forth and tossed their ropes, wrapping them around Dialga's open mouth. They tried to pull back, but the diamond-hard god lunged them overhead, making them land on Palkia's face. Palkia stood up as he held the two icebenders in his hands, roaring angrily as he smashed them against each other and tossed them away. But that's when Yuki leapt up Dialga's back and over to Palkia's head, launching two ice beams from his hands, one at Palkia's face, and one at Dialga's face, quickly connecting the two beams together. Dialga and Palkia were connected by chunk of ice, frozen to their faces, and the timebenders laughed at the silly sight as the gods wobbled around.

They eventually broke free of the ice and jumped around to face the kids with angered expressions. Seeing they had vanished, the two gods looked around, unaware when Yuki climbed up Palkia's back, and Jagar up Dialga's as he used timebending to confuse Dialga, and Yuki froze ice over Palkia's face. Both kids rode around uncontrollably as both gods frantically ran about the field. The two were soon able to make the gods face each other, jumping off before the two could collide. The ice broke off of Palkia as both of them shook their heads in dizziness. As they recovered, they glared and hissed at each other, about to strike the other again.

Before either one could make a move, a barrage of crescent moons shot down and exploded between them. _"Stop! Enough!"_ They all looked up as the Moon Goddess, Cresselia flew down. _"Honestly. Can't I leave you two alone just once without you starting a fight?"_

"Meeh." Both deities grunted as they proceeded to move back to their pedestals.

"Oh, and kids…" Palkia turned and faced the group, "this wouldn't be _yours_, would it?" The Space God pulled out another glowing photo of Morgan.

Palkia released and let it drift downward as Jagar jumped and took it. "Well, we could use it."

"Let's get back to Morgan." Misty suggested, and the six benders hurried back through the portal.

"…I knew it was theirs." Dialga said.

"Oh, you did _not_." Palkia argued. (End song.)

**Kastle Kaos Kitchen**

Emily, Annie, Zuri, and Chad Dickson appeared in the ginormous kitchen of K. Roolenstein's castle, Kremling chefs everywhere preparing pastries and delectable dinners. The four hurried along a table as Zingers were flying down, but Annie shot them out of the air with her slingshot. A Kremling chef came and placed a carrot right beside the group, so they hurried along faster as the Kremling began mincing in their direction. The four outran his machete and saw a chef flattening a pizza with a roll up ahead. Emily switched into her ghost form as they all held onto her, floating across the pizza and phasing through the roller so it wouldn't crush them.

They went back to a tangible state as they sat to rest on the handle of a fork. However, a tomato dropped from a basket above and hit the sharp end of the fork, flinging the four up onto a shelf above an oven like a catapult. Up there, some Red Nocturne and Blue Rhapsody Heartless came out, unleashing their fire and ice elements. Chad ran and threw punches at the fire Heartless while Emily shot ecto blasts at the ice ones. Zuri charged and swung his Iron Tail against the large basket on the shelf, breaking it open and causing the giant fruit and veggies to roll out. The giant food rolled over and crushed the Heartless before falling onto the chefs' heads. The group looked as a portal made itself known inside the basket. They hurried inside before the Kremlings looked to see what happened.

**Mal Verde's Kitchen**

The four reappeared in another area of the same kitchen they were just in. As they looked around, they suddenly felt the area quaking. They frightfully turned around as a shadow loomed over their heads, their eyes widening at the sight of the Mexican monster, El Mal Verde. "Mmmm… kids. I hope they're chocolatay. Bye." (Play "The Dragon Chef's Belly" from _Rayman Origins_!)

_Boss fight: El Mal Verde_

The Mexican monster stomped toward the heroes and raised his spiked club, bringing it down as they jumped out of the way. El Mal Verde blew flames around the table, but the kids ducked and avoided as most of the table caught on fire. The flames went away when Mal Verde unleashed a gust of wind, blowing them towards the wall. Emily switched to her ghost form and fought against the winds, shooting towards Mal Verde's eyes. The monster grabbed her in his hand and prepared to feast on her, so Annie quickly shot her slingshot up at him. Mal Verde felt the tiny pellets and looked down, attempting to squash Annie with his mace. She jumped away as Zuri scampered his way up the spike, going up the beast's arm as it tried to smash him with its other arm.

Zuri cried as he leapt and Iron Tailed Mal Verde's eye, making him set Emily free as he rubbed his eye. Emily flew over to a nearby basket and used her ghostly strength to pick up a giant pepper, flying back to Mal Verde and phasing into his mouth. She flew out and left the pepper inside, the monster's eyes widening with tears as he swallowed it. He didn't let the heat get to him as he focused down at the heroes, attempting to squash them some more under his mace. They avoided as Emily hurled more Ecto Blasts at his watering eyes, Mal Verde closing his eyes as he tried to brush them off the table.

Emily made them all intangible and caused him to miss. He gritted his teeth in anger as he punched the counter even faster, quaking their foothold and making them wobble as Mal Verde prepared to suck them inside. The team grabbed tight to the table as pieces of dirt flew into Mal Verde. Annie was almost sucked in, but Emily reached back and grabbed her arm. Emily then phased both of them through the table and flew underneath, and behind the wall as they went up to a counter. They found another pepper and combined their strength to push it over the edge, succeeding as the pepper was sucked into Mal Verde's mouth. He immediately shut his mouth as his eyes watered some more, refusing to accept the pain as his head fumed red.

His anger boiled for them as he started smashing his mace against the table again in attempt to smash them. They easily avoided as Mal Verde started to suck in dirt from the floor, coughing it all out at the heroes. They were able to avoid the dirt as Mal Verde stopped to catch his breath, shaking back to his senses as he blew flames along the table again. They avoided the flames as the towering fires raised higher, the group unable to see Mal Verde. The flames vanished when the monster suddenly grabbed Chad in his hand. He held the Dickson boy above his mouth and dropped him inside.

Chad was swallowed whole by the monster, dropping straight into Mal Verde's stomach. Chad grabbed onto one of the vegetables to keep from burning in the acid. The blond teen hopped his way to one of his guts and started landing beatings on it. The organ swelled up as he felt Mal Verde shake, so the boy quickly hopped to another. Chad landed beatings on two more guts before the acid suddenly shot upwards.

The green monster spewed a waterfall of vomit from his mouth, Chad riding along as he landed beside his teammates. El Mal Verde took a moment to catch his breath, so Emily took this moment to fly over and grab a giant pepper container. Emily flew above the monster's tongue and shook all the pepper she could at the tongue. Mal Verde's eyes grew wider than ever, unable to take the heat. The monster unleashed a ray of fire straight at the ceiling, smoke spreading everywhere. Upon his defeat, Mal Verde toppled over, his head colliding with the table. The group watched as yet another photo of Morgan dropped out of his hat. Zuri jumped up and grabbed the photo in his mouth, dropping back down as Emily smiled and petted him. With their mission done, the four heroes hurried back to the others. (End song.)

**Forest of Light**

"Ahh… the Forest of Light." Cosmo Dunfree sighed as he and Nova ventured through the peaceful forest. "Brings back memories, huh?"

"It certainly does."

The duo continued through the forest just like old times. Beedrills flew out to sting them, but Nova used her Animal Telepathy to speak with them and make them go away. However, Poison Plant Heartless came out, Cosmo running to avoid their poisons as he stabbed his staff into the ground underneath them, and plucked them from the earth. Nova summoned some Caterpies to come and pull the other plant from the ground, but the plants still walked around and launched seed pellets. Cosmo avoided the seeds as he grabbed one plant and aimed it at the other, shooting poisonous gas to make the plant dissolve. Afterwards, Cosmo proceeded to rip his plant in half.

The two aliens continued through the forest as they made their way to Celebi's tree, beginning to climb up. Rapid Thruster Heartless swooped by and tried to poke them, but Cosmo bashed them with his staff. The aliens climbed onto a ledge that went around the tree and walked along the path as Nova summoned more Beedrill to keep away the Driller Mole Heartless. The two reached a vine and grabbed on as they built enough momentum to swing to a portal. Once they had enough, they jumped into the portal before the Heartless could catch up.

**Floro Broccoli Mines**

Cosmo and Nova quickly found themselves in a seemingly familiar chamber: it was none other than the chamber of King Croacus IV, which Nigel and Ava had told them about from their very first adventure. Nova smiled with glee, directing Cosmo's attention to the glowing green Spirit Ball, which rested calmly in the vine-like hands of King Croacus himself. The ancient flower king looked happy to see them, and seemed happy to give them the Spirit Ball.

However, his flowery head turned away as they stepped closer, stuffing the Spirit Ball under his vines. The aliens looked with worry as the chamber suddenly dimmed to a darker light. The plant king shot his head around, roaring and startling the two with his lifeless yellow eyes, and dozens of sharp teeth along his mouth. The king brimmed with an eerie dark light that alit the room red. Croacus tossed the Spirit Ball up to his mouth and swallowed it, the Heartless insignia shining brightly on his forehead. The aliens put on fierce expressions and prepared to battle what the king had become. (Play the "Diababa Battle (Second Half)" from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_!)

_Boss fight: Croacus of Hearts_

The monstrified plant shot his large vines up from the ground and collapsed the floor between him and the aliens. The two quickly jumped around to avoid as vines shot from the below their feet, and Cosmo swung his staff to keep some vines away. One of the vines wrapped around him from behind, repeatedly bashing him against the floor before sending him flying toward the pit. Nova ran and grabbed his arms before he could fall, looking up in fright as a vine was about to crush her. She was able to jump to the side and avoid the tentacle, and still pull Cosmo up. As the tentacle rose back up, Cosmo quickly jumped onto it and ran along it over the pit. Croacus hissed as Cosmo jumped and latched onto his face. The evil plant frantically began shaking to try and throw the Pumparian off.

As King Croacus swung his vine tentacles around, Nova watched as he slammed into a wall, causing some weed-clippers to fall from the ceiling. Nova ran and quickly grabbed the clippers, then leapt onto a tentacle before it could smash her. She held on to the tentacle as it swung around aimlessly, leaping off to land on another one, proceeding to grind down to Croacus's stem. Once she was down, Nova immediately started trying to cut the stem using her clippers. She was able to get a good portion of the way through before Croacus felt the pain coming on. The monstrous flower roared loudly as he tossed Cosmo back over the trench, then smacked Nova to the other side as well. Croacus then took the dropped clippers and threw them into the abyss.

The dark aura around the angered plant increased, as did Croacus's anger. The king smashed a gigantic vine along the side of the room, swinging it across to whack Cosmo and Nova, who quickly jumped. The vine was coming back at a higher level, so the two ducked to avoid it. Right then, Croacus forced several of his tentacles straight above the ground around the duo's foothold. The vines shook around as two of them successfully grabbed the aliens. Cosmo gritted his teeth as he tried to pull a laser gun from his pocket, and was able to as he shot himself and Nova free, making the flower king scream. Cosmo leapt and grabbed onto one of his tentacles as it shook around, allowing it to toss him to Croacus's face once again.

While the plant king was blinded again, he began rapidly shooting his tentacles toward the ceiling, the room quaking as Nova watched something drop. She walked over and picked up an old, rusted saw. She watched as Cosmo still kept Croacus distracted, then ran to lend a hand. One of the tentacles shot from below her and pushed her towards the ceiling, but she grabbed and held on as it started spinning faster and faster. Keeping her eye on Croacus, and waiting for the right moment, she then let go and let herself be thrown toward his stem. She stuck the rusty saw into his stem and started sawing through, finding a faint glow emitting from inside, the green glow of her Spirit Ball. When Croacus finally had Cosmo in a tentacle, he looked down and saw Nova trying to cut through. He immediately swiped the saw and swatted Nova to the other side with Cosmo, sending the green alien over as well. Croacus crushed the saw into pieces, his anger rising.

Before Cosmo or Nova could recover, they were instantly caught around two tentacles, being held in front of Croacus's face as the Heartless roared out saliva. The plant demon suddenly shot through the ceiling and out of the cave, going above the surface of Flora as he roared into the heavens. However, something in the distance caught Nova's attention, a hive of locusts hanging from a tree. As the monstrous plant was ready to munch the two, Nova used her Animal Telepathy to summon the locusts, and they quickly flew to her aid. Cosmo and Nova held their eyes shut as the plant was about to chomp their heads clean off. However, the sounds of buzzing distracted him, and the locusts had arrived.

Croacus hurled Cosmo and Nova in the air, screaming with extreme pain as his form was eaten and chewed away by the locusts. The two aliens watched as Croacus slowly shrunk, his head being the last they see of him before it disappeared into the swarm of locusts. The area around them returned to normal color, and the locusts cleared away as only the Spirit Ball was left. Nova smiled as she went over to grab it, setting Celebi free from her prison. The Forest Spirit stretched her arms and legs and smiled at her Guardian. With one last nod, the trio was on their way back to the others. (End song.)

**Sector J Treehouse**

Big the Cat still waited for Froggy to catch the fish. He couldn't be more patient.

**African Citadel**

Yin, Yang, and Flordeluna quietly hid behind some barrels as Bokoblin patrolled the walkway. Luna got under a barrel while the Twins dressed into a Bokoblin costume, proceeding to sneak along the walkway. As Yin & Yang walked by, the Bokoblin spared a slight glance to them, but then took notice of the barrel on his right. The guard approached and studied the mysterious barrel, only to have Yin and Yang bash his head from behind. Luna then came out of the barrel and hurried along the path. They reached a wall on the side of the fortress and carefully climbed up using the many footholds in the wood. They climbed to the top and dropped over the other side, landing into a field.

They caught the attention of three Fatblin, the chubby monsters charging with their shields. Luna flipped to the side before drawing a F.R.A.P.P.E. and freezing the Fatblin in the rear, but another Fatblin grabbed her by the shirt. Yin and Yang turned into a blue Bokoblin and rapidly sliced the monster with his sword, and Luna broke free as she then shot and froze his face. The other Fatblin charged with his spear pointed at them, so Yin and Yang changed into a Fatblin and used their equal strength to swipe the spear. They began bashing the chubby monster with their spear until it was knocked out.

As the Twins reverted to normal, they watched as another squadron of Bokoblin were coming their way. However, a portal opened just then, and Bruce and Violet came shooting out on their motorcycle. Violet immediately tossed shurikens around the area, destroying all of the Bokoblin. The five then looked as a portal revealed itself through the smoke. The five exchanged nods before they all jumped in.

**Delightful Mansion**

The five appeared in the halls of Father's grand estate. They began down the first hall as KNIGHTAMATONs marched out, wielding javelins. Yin and Yang dressed in their own knight costume and clashed a sword against theirs, while Violet tackled the knights and tried scratching against their helmets. After knocking down a few KNIGHTAMATONs, the five hurried along, only for Ice Cream Men to ambush and start shooting ice cream. Luna dodged the ice cream and countered with shots from her own F.R.A.P.P.E., freezing some of the men. Bruce kicked down and beat a few men with his carrot nun-chucks before they proceeded.

They made it to Father's throne room as the fiery knight, Sir Toasty made his presence known. Violet started tossing exploding shurikens at the knight, but they seemed to have no effect. Violet jumped out of the way to avoid his flaming sword as Luna unleash more ice rays at him. Sir Toasty shook away from the ice and sliced the weapon, but Luna jumped back. The Filipino girl then took notice of one of the ice cream balls dropped by the Ice Cream Men. Luna ran and snatched the ball, sliding it towards Sir Toasty as he stepped on it, causing him to slip and fall on his back. The kids saw a portal open above the throne and ran for it. Sir Toasty tried to chase them, but was too late as they escaped.

**Rainbow Monkey Toilet Fair** (Play Egg Dragoon's Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_.)

_Boss fight: Delightful Children From Down The Lane_

They suddenly felt the wind whipping by them as they were standing on the "Drop a Log" ride at the Rainbow Monkey Toilet Fair. They came face-to-face with the Delightful Children From Down The Lane, who smirked as they held the photo of Morgan in their hand. Bruce ran and tried to attack his former Delightful siblings, who pulled out a staff and knocked him away. They began shooting lasers from that staff as Luna jumped her way toward them, dodging their swings as she dealt a few kicks again Delightful Bruce. The girl was blown to the back when the log ride went downhill, gaining more speed, but they all stood their ground.

Yin and Yang fought against the winds to make their way to the Delightfuls, attempting to take the photo from them, but the Delightfuls bashed them over the edge. They grabbed the side of the log and hung on as Violet attempted to pounce on the children. She succeeded as she began scratching David's face, the werecat being pushed off, but landed close in front of them. Violet gasped as they were coming up to a waterfall, the log zipped by as the werecat immediately became wet, shivering from the water. The Delightfuls easily pushed her way with their staff as Bruce tried to climb his way over again. He pulled out his nun-chucks and started clashing with the Delightfuls' staff, successfully wrapping the carrots around the staff and pulling it from their grasp, sending it flying over the edge as he smirked.

The Delightfuls decided to do hand-to-hand combat with him as the Twins climbed back on as well. The five heroes grabbed hold of the photo and started playing tug-o-war with the five Delightfuls. Bruce looked ahead and saw they were coming to the broken part of the ride that led to their deaths before. "Jump!" he exclaimed, still holding onto the photo as they jumped and grabbed the sign. David bumped his head against the sign, causing them all to fall over. The operatives cheered with victory as Bruce held the Morgan photo in the air. The Delightful Children slumped in gloom, then gasped in fear at the sight of the broken road. The brainwashed children's screams echoed as they plummeted into the abyss, the massive toilet leading to their dooms.

"I sure don't wanna go down there again." Bruce commented. The five carefully climbed their way down, and back to the others. (End song.)

**Chun-Nan**

Noah Heart and Team Psychic rode along on Noah's Camaro at high speeds across the mountainous region as Teen Ninjas kept on their tail. Noah pressed a button and made cannons emerge from the trunk, shooting backward to make the Teen Ninjas spiral around and crash. The four looked up as Ice Cream Men began to fly overhead in trucks, so Lucario conjured Aura Spheres and fired to blow some of them up. They faced ahead as they were coming to a road block of Ice Cream Men, so the four decided to ditch the Camaro and jumped over the edge, leaving the car to speed ahead on its own. The group fell and skidded down a steep mountain slope as Lucario punched his fist into the mountain, grabbing hold of Rainier, who grabbed Mika, who held Noah's sleeve. Lucario hauled them onto a very thin ledge, where the four carefully sidled along the mountainside, eventually making their way to a safer ground.

The group walked around the pathway as Eggman missile robots locked onto them from over a chasm, launching missiles their way. Mika easily grabbed the projectiles in a psychic grip and shot them straight back as the four progressed along the mountain. Once they made it to the end of the path, some Ice Cream Men in flying trucks launched bombs from their guns, which latched to the side of the foothold. The ground exploded and sent the lot falling, but they thankfully fell back onto Noah's Camaro as it drove along a downward path. They looked back as more ice cream trucks and teenagers were tailing them, launching lasers as Noah swerved her Camaro to the sides. Directly ahead of them, another gateway was coming up. Team Psychic climbed to the roof of the car and stacked atop each other, with Mika on top, so as they passed by the vortex, Mika grabbed the edge of it and pulled the others in as they went inside.

Once by herself, Noah smirked as she skidded her car to a sudden stop, letting all of the enemies zip by her. They halted to a stop as well, too late to avoid as Noah extracted a cannon from the hood of her vehicle and fired a bomb, which exploded and blew all of the enemies over the edge.

**Xiaolin Mountains**

Mika, Lucario, and Rainier reappeared on the beautiful nighttime mountains. They progressed along the pathway as Egg Fighters emerged, wielding chainsaws and electric shields. Mika pulled her saber out and collided it with a robot's chainsaw, but the Filipino was stunned when that robot bashed his electric shield at her. Rainier started throwing punches against the robot, knocking the shield out of its hand as Mika recovered and sliced the robo in half. Two robots stood side-by-side as they fired bullets at Lucario, but the fox dashed in between the robots and jumped, causing them to shoot each other.

They kept their guard up as more robots showed up and readied to battle. But to their surprise, the giant stone man, known as Mr. Stone, dropped onto the ground and flattened the robots. The three exchanged confused glances as Mr. Stone gestured for them to climb onto his back. They all did so as the stone giant began climbing up the rocky wall, the three holding on his shoulder as they arrived at the top. The stone man then took them in his hand and spun his hand around as he hurled them high into the sky. Mika grabbed the two and floated a few feet ahead with her psychic before they dropped and landed on a foothold below.

Jackbots approached them from the distance and started firing bullets, but Mika spun her sword and blocked the shots while Lucario ran and punched the robots away. Rainier jumped beside a Jackbot, grabbed it, and tossed it into another before the kids continued along the pathway. They reached a dead end of the path with no way to go, and were startled when Mr. Stone crashed down behind them. The monster placed a spherical stone on the ground for them to stand on, and the stone man picked it up and hurled it with all his force, the group holding on as the stone bounced quickly down the mountain.

The three were bouncing even faster as they were coming to a series of jagged rocks. They noticed the portal floating in the air above the rocks, so as the stone bounced over the ledge, about to crash in the deadly rocks, the group jumped and successfully made it into the gateway, leaving the rock to be destroyed in the sharper stone.

**Canyon of Miracles**

Team Psychic next found themselves in the canyon miles from Miracle City, the sun setting beautifully in the distance. The trio moved along the pathway as Mumbo's Bunny Ninjas hopped out, tossing sharp carrots at them. Mika easily sliced the flying veggies as Rainier ran and dealt rapid punches against the first rabbit. He failed to block its chi because of the rabbit's chubby belly, and the ninja smacked Rainier away. Lucario simply charged Aura Spheres and tossed them at the rabbits, exploding them into bits of confetti. The three continued up a narrow slope where Spinach Men hurried down and tossed spinach balls. Rainier grabbed and threw some over the edge while Mika grabbed some and started eating them.

They reached the center area of the mountains and saw some Britbots patrolling down an area on their left. They chased after the robots, sneaking up quietly as Mika impaled them with her light saber. They kept along the narrow passage until they reached a seaside coast, overlooking the sunset. They watched as a small pirate ship sailed their way and parked beside the shore, Candy Pirates jumping off and drawing their swords. Mika ran forward and easily cut the candy cane swords with her light saber, while Lucario dealt punches against them and knocked them out. Rainier simply swiped their candy swords before kicking them across the face, then proceeding to eat the tasty candy.

As soon as the pirates were cleared, the trio climbed onto the ship, finding their next portal on the deck. They walked over and jumped inside, wondering where it would lead next.

**The White House**

Mika, Lucario, and Rainier ended up in some rather dim-lit location, the only lights being that of camera flashes, which came from the blurry silhouettes of random background people. They looked around until Mika directed their attention at the stairs ahead of them; they appeared to be in front of the White House in Washington D.C.. Walking down the stairs was the person the camera flashes were being directed to, the president of the United States himself. (Play the "44 Presidents Rap" on YouTube.)

The three heroes gasped when they saw it was Benedict Uno, the president dressed up in a tux as he waved to all the paparazzi. Their eyes widened with shock when the president pulled out a glowing white sphere, which was none other than Mew's Spirit Ball. The three heroes ran toward the president and readied to battle him. Benedict gasped at the group's sudden presence, and began fuming with anger. The president snapped his fingers and summoned the members of Single Root, from Natalie, Promethean, Mary, Stacey, Windsor, and Garfield **(was going to do Delightful Children 2.0, but I am NOT reading those stories again just to remember what they do! :P)**. Each of the villains readied their weapons or powers, preparing to fight the unfamiliar heroes.

_Boss fight: President Uno & Single Root_

Natalie ran forward and threw the first punches at Mika, but Mika ducked and used her psychic to flip the Single Root leader. Rainier dodged to the side as Promethean swung his flaming sword, but the 13-year-old leapt and kicked the knight in the face, knocking him down. Staticky Stacey unleashed a storm of electricity at Lucario, but the aura fox held an Aura Sphere in his hands and used it to suck all the electric in. Eventually, all the electric caused the sphere to explode and blow Lucario back. The fox looked up from the ground as a group of tie snakes slithered his way, quickly standing up to kick the ties away. Lucario looked behind and gasped, leaping to avoid Garfield's flamethrower. Lucario landed behind the pyromaniac and dealt a few punches before pushing him to the ground.

Garfield recovered and attempted to blow his flamethrower at Mika. The Filipino twirled her light saber and shielded from the flames, but quickly ducked when Promethean sent a fire wave from his sword from behind. She turned and defended with her saber before Promethean could strike, and the two began clashing their blades against the other. Mika swung at his legs, but Promethean leaped behind her, but Mika defended. Mika eventually knocked the flame sword up into the air before slashing across the knight's armored chest, knocking him down. Rainier did his best to punch and kick away tie snakes until he was zapped painfully from behind by Staticky Stacey. Mika threw a psychic blast at the electric bender, so Stacey proceeded to unleash a storm of lightning at her. Mika held up her saber to protect against the lightning and make it bounce back at Stacey. She stopped unleashing lightning as she noticed her hair stuck up spiky and straight, growling in anger before unleashing more powerful lightning.

Mika was overcome by the lightning as she endured many painful zaps, but Rainier hurried behind the electric girl and dealt a few rapid punches, which blocked her chi. Unable to electric bend, Rainier was able to pick up the girl and toss her at Benedict. The former GUN agent then looked as Windsor released more tie snakes, which formed into an even longer snake. The slithery being towered over Rainier, trying to gnash its "fangs" at him as Rainier rolled around and dodged. The boy was eventually caught around the snake's tail, unable to break from the tight grip. He looked up as the tie snake hissed at him, dodging his head left and right to avoid his bites. When the snake's mouth was coming straight at him, Rainier kicked up against the tail and shifted backward, causing the snake to bite his own tail. Rainier was able to escape, and he quickly grabbed the tail of the tender snake and swung him around before wrapping it around Windsor like a lasso and sending the tie-loving boy flying at Benedict.

Lucario had both Promethean and Garfield Schurr on his left and right, jumping high up when the two unleashed flames at where he stood. He landed back when the flames vanished, running out of the way when they tried to burn him again. The aura fox hurried over to a nearby fire hydrant, jumping one last wave of flames before landing by the hydrant and punching the front side open, then jumping behind it to allow the ray of water to fire at the two pyromaniacs and send them flying at Benedict. Natalie Crespo then focused her sights on Mika, who decided to sheathe her light saber. The two ran at each other and started to do hand-to-hand combat. Mika dodged most of Natalie's punches before doing a sliding spin-kick, knocking Natalie off her feet. Natalie flipped back up and leapt in the air to kick down at Mika, but the psychicbender simply caught Natalie with her psychic grip and sent her flying at Benedict, knocking the president down.

President Uno recovered, fuming with extreme anger as he switched into his dark silhouette form. The fiery president transformed into his terrifying dragon form, unleashing a wave of fire at the three heroes. Team Psychic jumped away to avoid the flames, then dodged when Father swung his tail at them, blowing the flames out. Lucario ran as Father shot fireballs in his path, getting close enough before leaping at the dragon's head and punching it upside. Rainier ran toward the dragon and began to run under his body as Father tried to stomp him, but Rainier rolled and made his way to the tail, quickly taking hold. The much-stronger dragon easily swung the boy around with his tail and hurled him into the air, holding his mouth open to let the boy fall in. However, Mika used this moment to climb into the dragon's mouth and into his stomach, Father closing his mouth in shock as Rainier fell and hit his head. Mika started beating the dragon from the inside before jumping out of the mouth, and Father became dizzied as Lucario grabbed him by the stomach and shoved him onto his back.

Lucario and Mika then leapt high above the dragon and touched hands as they combined their powers of aura. Once they were fully charged, they unleashed a powerful beam of aura straight at the dragon's belly, forcing the belly in as the dragon coughed and hacked. When the attacked finished, the two landed on the ground as the dragon reverted back to regular Benedict. The defeated president wobbled in place before collapsing to the ground, the white Spirit Ball bouncing out of his pocket and over to Rainier. Rainier took the ball and handed it to Mika, who clicked it open to release Mew. The catlike spirit flew around them joyfully in circles, and they al made victory poses before making their way out of there. (End song.)

**Nightmare Land**

Lehcar, Scarlet, Mandy, and Katie charged into the Nightmare-run city as Stormtroopers fired lasers at them. Lehcar and Scarlet impaled their sword and claws into the weak-armored minions while Mandy and Katie stunned them with Fear Screams. They watched as a Star Destroyer hovered overhead and dropped a group of Imperial Walkers. To the girls' surprise, one of the Walker's legs was frozen solid, toppling over as Sandman and Coldman stood behind. The girls nodded at the old men before proceeding to slice away more soldiers. Sandman shot his grappling hook into a Walker's cockpit and pulled himself up, defeating the soldiers inside before taking control of the Walker. Like usual, he used it to shoot down the other Walkers before jumping out.

The six of them continued their way to the Fear Factory as Kibble Knights approached and shot giant boomerangs, but Lehcar simply conjured lightning and struck the armored Nightmares, destroying them easily. TIE Fighters flew overhead and dropped strange bombs that were designed like springs. They exploded and flung the six of them upwards, the heroes and antiheroes taking land on a roller coaster. The skeleton coaster was speeding toward several lasers above the track, so they had to quickly duck to avoid them. Some lasers were also passing through the coaster as it went by, so the group had to jump.

The coaster flew over the edge as they all jumped off onto a building. Denta Drones and Vampire Wannabes came out, but Scarlet sliced the braces off the kids, and Sandman dealt several punches against the vampires before pushing them over the edge. Mandy pulled open a door on the building, which concealed portal, and the group immediately jumped in.

**Castle Hell**

The group appeared in the front gardens of the castle, already getting trapped inside of a barrier. A squad of Dark Lizalfos charged in and started spewing poison, but Sandman countered with his own poison. Katie tossed Fear Spheres at one of the lizards while Mandy glared into the eyes of another lizard, the monster running away in fear. Lehcar clashed her blade with a Lizalfos's arm before stunning it with lightning, then stabbing it. After Scarlet through a shuriken between two lizards and exploded them, the way was clear. The entrances and exits around the garden were locked tight, but Lehcar noticed a crumbling wall leading up to a walkway. Lehcar and Scar swiftly jumped up there while the other four climbed.

Two Aeralfos swooped down from the towers and swung their swords at them. Lehcar flew up with her rockets and swung her blade at on, but it defended with its shield before knocking Lehcar to the ground. Scarlet suddenly jumped up and grabbed its legs, the Aeralfos struggling to shake her off, but once it did, Lehcar shot up and impaled her blade through it. The other Aeralfos defended from Sandman's punches, but Mr. Oldman froze his shield solid. Sandman kicked and shattered the ice shield before knocking the monster out.

As the group continued up the walkway, they noticed a portal up ahead and hurried to it. However, two Ornes suddenly flew in their way, hissing as they guarded the portal. "You girls go." Sandman told them. "We'll hold them off. Come on, you soulless skulls!"

"Gyaaaah!" Mr. Oldman screamed as he and Wesley were chased by the Ornes.

"Eh. It was their time soon, anyway." Lehcar shrugged as she and her allies stepped into the portal.

**Mt. Malladus**

The four devilish girls reappeared at the foot of Mt. Malladus, facing ahead as a dark being slumped over. (Play Zant's Battle Theme from _Twilight Princess_.) The helmeted man looked up and grunted, revealing himself to be Zant as he drew his dual swords and readied for battle.

_Boss fight: Zant_

The Usurper King shot red energy balls at the girls, but they avoided as Lehcar ran to slash him. Zant teleported behind Lehcar and kicked her away, then teleported again when Katie and Mandy tried to get him. He reappeared behind and kicked the two girls, disappearing again when Lehcar ran at him. Zant constantly teleported around all sides of Lehcar, rapidly swinging his swords as she defended, throwing a series of quick swings as Lehcar jumped around to protect. He teleported away, and Lehcar had to catch her breath, running away when Zant began spinning like a tornado as he chased her. She stopped and turned as she shielded from Zant's strikes with her sword. Eventually, the old henchman became tired as he slowed to a halt, allowing Lehcar to deal blows against him.

Zant teleported again as Mandy ran at him, clashing her sword against his. Zant flipped behind the short girl and added more pressure as his blades collided with hers, but Scarlet ran from behind and scratched the minion's butt. Zant gripped his behind as he hopped around in pain, then was suddenly deafened when Katie Fear Screamed in his ear. Katie dealt several punches and kicks against the minion before knocking him to the ground. Scarlet then sat on him as she swiped several scratches against his face.

Scarlet fell over when Zant teleported, reappearing several feet away. They watched as the crazy minion grew several stories tall, the girls running away as he leapt into the air and nearly crushed them. The girls could barely stand as the shadow being stomped around and shook the ground. Katie fell over as Zant was about to crush her, but Mandy pulled her away just in time. Lehcar glared at the giant as she charged lightning in her hand, unleashing it at the giant and causing him to slowly shrink. Zant shrunk down to toy size as Scarlet leapt over and grabbed him in her mouth, shaking him around by her teeth.

Zant teleported and reappeared again, spinning crazily once again as he zipped by them. They avoided, and he teleported again, zipping by a second time. When he warped again, he started crazily swinging against Lehcar, anger in his eyes as he didn't stop for a second in his attempt to kill her for betraying his master. However, Scarlet charged over from behind and stabbed her claws into his rear, causing him to stop. With that, Lehcar impaled her sword into his stomach.

As both of them pulled out of Zant's form, they watched as air began releasing from the holes in his body. The defeated minion began zooming and zipping around like a balloon, his body getting skinnier and skinnier. Finally, he landed on the ground, completely run out of air as he lay flat. Lehcar dug into his pocket and kicked him away after pulling out the glowing photo of Morgan. They all spared one last glance at Zant as Lehcar said, "Whoever heard of a sad clown?" With that said, the girls continued back the way they came. (End song.)

**Groudon Volcano**

Rachel, Fanny, and Patton were back in the boiling volcano, progressing over a pathway along a wall, over a river of magma, with Rachel going first. The blond leader jumped back when part of the path collapsed, watching it melt into the magma. Rachel saw a stalactite up above and tossed a M.A.R.B.L.E., blowing the top of it so it would fall into the magma, serving as a platform for them to jump across. They made their way to a cave area where some Golem Pokémon rolled out. The Golem tried to run into them, but the kids jumped out of the way and caused them to roll into the lava.

The kids proceeded through the cave, which led to the outside area, where the lava river flowed toward the icy cavern. The kids saw a portal high up above where the river flowed from. They noticed the rock platforms flowing downward and decided to use them to jump their way up. Fire Toadpolies tried spitting flames at them from the lava, but Rachel countered with her own arrows. Soon, they made it up to the vortex and jumped in before their last platform sank.

**Mount Precautious**

Rachel, Fanny, and Patton were once again climbing the treacherous mountain as Lizalfos were already on their tail. They swung their iron tails, but Patton grabbed one of them and was able to swing it into the other. The other lizard recovered as Fanny shot flames, quickly defending with its stone arm. Rachel ran and struck the lizard from behind, defending with her shield when the other one recovered. Patton and Fanny shoved the Lizalfos over the edge together, and the group progressed up the mountain. They reached a point where the path continued across a chasm. The three noticed the dangling rocks above the chasm, Rachel's friends grabbing onto her as she used the Double Hookshots.

She latched them towards the unstable rocks one at a time, moving quickly as the rocks slowly crumbled afterwards. When they made it to the ledge, a giant boulder fell and quaked the ground on the upper road, beginning to roll down. The three ran as fast as they could on the downward slope, having to jump and break through several weak grounds. The boulder followed them downward and still gave chase as they were nearing the bottom of that mountain. The boulder was getting closer as the portal awaited them near the bottom. They used all their speed to charge headfirst into the portal, the boulder missing Patton by just a few inches.

**Skypia**

The three commanders screamed as they fell from the sky to the bright, sunny realm of Skypia. The kids landed on a soft cloud, which bounced them high upward onto an island. The kids progressed along the sky town as Kargaroks already were flying up. The birds gnashed their beaks at the heroes, but Fanny shot flames and burned them while Rachel sliced them in half with her blade. The three made it to the end of the island, where they rode a grind rail down onto a platform. Rachel watched as her Crimson Loftwing soared by, the three leaping off and taking land on the large bird.

The winds brushed through their hair as the Loftwing soared across the heavens. Bokoblin Archers rode Kargaroks as they chased the heroes, but the crimson bird dodged as it slowed down and got behind them, using a Spiral Strike to charge into the enemy birds. Team Leader was flying into the stormy thunderhead, going through the think grey clouds as lightning struck from the inside. The Crimson Loftwing dodged around the lightning as a group of Furnixes were approaching the group. Rachel held her blade upwards as lightning struck it, creating a Lightning Strike, which Rachel sent at the flaming birds and wiped them out in one hit. They watched as a portal appeared up ahead of them, and Rachel patted her bird on the back as they jumped inside.

**Sun Temple**

The three operatives suddenly found their selves inside the center of the Sun Temple, carefully looking around as they passed over the sandy pit. Something caught Fanny's attention as she tapped Rachel's shoulder, smiling excitedly as she pointed toward the center. The three's eyes widened as the glowing Spirit Ball of Azelf sat in the center. The three have high-fives at the other as Rachel was about to walk over and grab it, but Patton held her back as he indicated upward at the ceiling. The two girls looked up and gasped at the sight of the giant sandy cocoon, which lightly shook as sand drooped, and it began to crack. They watched as butterfly wings made of sand sprouted from the cocoon, and the rest of it soon broke to reveal Molgera in his brand new sandbutterfly form, venom dripping from his sharp fangs as he roared at the operatives.

Rachel looked at the Spirit Ball in the center and attempted to make a dash and grab it, but the sand monster shot straight downward and dove into the sand, the Spirit Ball vanishing from sight. The winged monster shot back out of the sand, its purple tongue wrapped around the glowing sphere. The butterfly tossed the ball upwards and proceeded to catch it in its mouth, munching and crunching before swallowing. The beast roared once again, flapping its massive wings as the three felt the ground begin to shake. In only a moment, the sand had propelled straight upwards, breaking through the ceiling as a geyser of sand formed above the temple and started dripping from the sides.

The kids felt themselves being moved to the edge and quickly got to their feet, hurrying against the flowing sands. The sand-made butterfly immediately shot up from the sands, roaring into the heavens as the ops prepared for battle. (Play Molgera's 2nd Theme from _Zelda: Wind Waker_!)

_Boss fight: Wingbeater_

The sandbutterfly soared around in the skies, flapping its wings and launching sand balls down at the kids, which they dodged. The sandbutterfly launched down through the geyser and nearly blew them over the edge, but they were able to stand their ground as Wingbeater continued to fly above. The sand demon soared around and released mini sandbutterflies from its wings, which flew down and tried to bite at their heads. Fanny knocked them away with fireballs while Rachel swatted them away with her sword. When they cleared the butterflies out, they noticed that Wingbeater had vanished. Patton looked down and noticed the sand shifting below him, too late to move away as the monster's head shot and caught Patton in its mouth. The butterfly demon munched on the Drill Sergeant, but Patton was able to fight his way out as Wingbeater spat him back, taking to the air again.

The Wingbeater flew down lower to the group, looking at them as he once again roared loudly, spewing out venom. The trio were nearly deafened by his cry, but Rachel took notice of his wiggling wormy tongue sticking out, quickly drawing out her Hookshot and launching it toward the tongue. Rachel was able to pull the tongue out and lay a few strikes on it, but Wingbeater instantly pulled it back in, taking Rachel up with it. The monster hurled her up to the air, but Rachel dropped down and successfully landed on its back, gripping tight as Wingbeater flew at a fast pace, trying to blow her off. A couple sandbutterflies emerged from its skin as Rachel stood and sliced them away. The blonde hero quickly made her way to the head and leapt into the air before piercing her sword straight through.

Wingbeater hissed in pain as it rolled and shot Rachel back to the sandy geyser below, the monster still remaining airborne. Wingbeater flapped its wings above the sand geyser and caused mini geysers to sprout up, which the kids were able to avoid, but were unprepared as Wingbeater shot down and tried to blow them over the edge again. He was able to, but Fanny kicked on her rocket boots and held her two friends up as she dropped them back onto the giant geyser. The sandbutterfly spun around in the air as it released more mini drones of itself, which the three kids beat away once again. After they were gone, the Wingbeater flew below the battleground again, and the trio kept an eye for where he would come up. Rachel noticed the sand shift below her and quickly pulled out a M.A.R.B.L.E., dropping it in place before immediately jumping out of the way as Wingbeater shot up and tried to eat her. The monster ended up catching the M.A.R.B.L.E., the explosive device blowing up inside his mouth.

Wingbeater coughed the smoke out, giving Rachel the opportunity to latch her Hookshot onto its tongue and pull it out, laying a few more strikes. The Wingbeater quickly took to the air again, but Rachel latched her Hookshot onto its back and let it take her upwards. Rachel held tight to the Hookshot as the rough winds nearly blew her away from the speeding monster, but was able to reel herself onto the back. More mini butterflies came up to try and bite her, but she pulled her bow out and shot them away. Before she could move forward, the Wingbeater attempted to throw her off by performing a Spiral Charge, but Rachel pierced her sword through its back and was able to stay on. After it stopped spinning, Rachel ran for the head and performed another powerful stab through its scalp.

The Wingbeater cried in pain as it shook Rachel off onto the geyser again. It continued to soar overhead and make mini geysers sprout up. As it was getting ready to charge at them again, the kids decided to let one of the geysers shoot them upwards, causing Wingbeater to miss. The angered butterfly turned around and flapped its wings even harder, creating sand waves which nearly pushed the kids over the edge, but Fanny switched on her rockets and lifted them up, safely above the waves. The Wingbeater flew around and released more of its drones, and as the trio fought them away again, Wingbeater went below the battleground. The three expected it to come up from below them again, but strangely felt the geyser shaking even more. Before they knew it, the Wingbeater popped up from below, spinning rapidly as it created a whirlwind to blow them up in the air. Patton grabbed Rachel by the wrists and spun around before tossing her successfully onto Wingbeater's back. She made her way to the head and leapt up to pierce her sword through again. However, the Wingbeater immediately shot above Rachel as she leapt, wrapping his tongue around the girl and pulling straight in.

Rachel landed within the sandy stomach of Wingbeater, falling in the digestive goo as she spotted her Spirit Ball trapped in a sand egg. Rachel took her blade and began slicing the egg to bits before it was destroyed completely. Afterwards, she proceeded to grab her Spirit Ball and set Azelf free, exchanging smiles with her Firstborn.

Outside, Fanny and Patton took land back on the geyser, watching as Wingbeater continued to fly around. To their surprise, the giant sandbutterfly began screeching with even more pain, its wings barely able to flap. Before their eyes, Rachel shot right out of the chest of the demon, taking land beside them with Azelf by her side. The four of them then watched as the defeated Wingbeater fell to the abyss and exploded, the monster finally destroyed completely. The four of them exchanged nods before making their way out. (End song.)

**Sector J Treehouse**

Big the Cat sat with his fishing lure in the pool, very patiently. He was SO patient… that-

"WILL YOU JUST CATCH THE STUPID FROG ALREADY?" Willard Wallace yelled.

"OH!" Big jumped when Froggy suddenly came hopping out of the water.

"Oi, blimey! Ya did it, Big!" Marine exclaimed, running to her friend.

"I did! Huhuhuhu."

The frog suddenly looked like he was choking, his throat swelling before he coughed out another photo of Morgan. "Ooh? 'ey! It's another photo!" Marine pointed.

"Oh? It is! Let's take it back!" With that, the raccoon and the fat cat hurried back to the others.

"Pfft. Finally. Dern frog." Willard mumbled as he casted his own fishing lure in the pool. "I'm catchin' me a doozy of a fish. Hee hyeh-" The boy's smirk went away when the Kraken suddenly emerged from the pool. "Uh-oh." The gargantuan leviathan caught the boy inside his mouth before diving back into the sea, destroying a chunk of the treehouse in the process.

**Sector X Treehouse**

Sector W gang crept quietly through the door into the treehouse, hiding behind a desk as they peeked toward the pitch-black hallway ahead. Harvey held a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. with a flashlight attached, using it to point ahead. They recognized this darkened version of Sector X's treehouse from when the Nerd Zombies attacked, so they proceeded with caution. As they were about to enter the hallway, a Nerd Zombie immediately jumped out and growled at them. Harvey and Paddy fired their weapons as quick as they could to knock out the zombie. Once he was down, they progressed down the hall as Harvey led the way with his flashlight. Harvey carefully pointed his light in both directions to watch out for any zombies. As they passed by a door on their left, a zombie jumped out, the kids immediately firing. They moved forward some more, going past two drawers on their right. Two zombies instantly jumped out of those drawers, but the kids were quick to counterattack.

They tiptoed their way to a turn in the hallway, Harvey being the first to peek around the corner. A table was in his way on the side, and zombie immediately jumped out from behind the table. Harvey gasped as the zombie took hold of him, trying to bite at his head. Paddy whacked the monster in the head with his S.C.A.M.P.P. and knocked him away, leaving Harvey to pelt him with gumballs to the face. They moved a little bit quicker down the hall, gasping when two zombies dropped out of the air vent above. The zombies nearly grabbed them, but the kids evaded and released weapon fire upon them.

At the end of the hallway, the lot reached the chamber of the treehouse where the Numbuh 78 card was located. However, instead of the Yipper Card being in the glowing light, the light shone on a small rope leading up into a portal. As the kids approached the unguarded portal, they looked around as hordes of zombies began piling into the chamber. Harvey went first, grabbing hold of the rope and hurriedly climbing up to enter the portal. The zombies quickly gained pursuit as Paddy climbed and entered next, followed by Charlotte, Angie, then Lee. The zombies were inches away from Sonya as they climbed the rope after her. One of them took hold of the girl's leg, and she struggled to get away as she tried shooting her C.O.N.E.C.A.N.N.O.N. at them. Thankfully, a yo-yo shot down and knocked the zombie away, and Sonya looked up as Lee lent a hand down. Sonya took her friend's hand as they were pulled up into the vortex.

_Sub-boss: Anti-Harvey_

Harvey appeared by himself in a dark realm, fighting a dark shadow of himself. The shadow ran and threw a punch, by Harvey dodged back and slide-kicked at its legs, but the shadow flipped backward as well. Harvey ran forward and took his shadow by the hands, trying to wrestle with him, but the shadow pushed Harvey back and dealt several punches across his face. Harvey fell to his back, looking up as the shadow walked over to stomp its foot on him, but Harvey flipped back to his feet, gritting his teeth in anger. The shadow charged, and the two wrestled with each other more fiercely. Harvey gripped his anti's arms and flipped behind it, twisting the arms, and kicking him forward in the rear. Harvey kept punching and kicking to shove his anti closer to the edge, and once he was there, Harvey kicked the anti and sent him falling into the darkness, vanishing from sight.

**Sector V Treehouse**

Harvey was back with his friends again in Sector V's treehouse. However, the sky outside seemed polluted with dark green clouds, and Sector W immediately knew this was during Grandfather's attack. They kept forward with caution, holding their weapons ready for any Senior Citi-zombies. One of said zombies loomed out of a door to their left, so the group instantly fired, but the zombie was going down that easily. They laid whatever hits they could on him and kept forward, making a quick turn down another hall. Another squad of Senior Citi-zombies jumped out, one of them taking a swing at Harvey, who dodged back, the kids shooting their weapons. They ran around the Citi-zombies when they felt it no use, hurrying away as quick as they could. As they came to another hallway that went in two directions, they looked in fear as a series of Citi-zombies was groaning at them from their right.

They turned down the left hall right away as the zombies gave chase. Other zombies broke through the walls and floors on the side, making the kids have to hurry faster. To their misfortune, the lot of them ended up cornered in a dead end of the hallway, shivering with fright as the zombies drew nearer. However, something on the ceiling ahead of them caught Charlotte's attention recognizing it as another portal. After sucking in some breath, the MayHence child leapt and jumped her way across the zombies, leaping high up into the portal. The kids decided to mimic her movements as Lee tossed a yo-yo into the portal, grabbing onto Sonya's hand as they were hauled in. Harvey, Angie, and Paddy exchanged nods before the three hopped their way across the zombies as well. Harvey made it across and jumped up through the portal, followed by Angie.

Paddy was having trouble trying to keep balance on the zombies, wobbling unsteadily as he couldn't make it to the portal. Angie then stuck out of the portal, Harvey holding her legs as she reached her arms out to Paddy. Paddy was able to jump and take her arms, and was pulled into the portal.

**Santa's Workshop**

The group panted tiredly after making it away from the Citi-zombies. They looked up as the colorful beauty of Santa's Workshop towered above them, the colorful Christmas lights warming the realm as small flurries dropped from the sky. "What a relief." Sonya smiled. "At least Santa's place doesn't have any zombies."

The factory yard was very peaceful. Happy little elves were feeding the reindeer. The only sounds heard were that of peaceful jingle bells. After all the chaos of this realm, they were glad to be in such a happy place. This next piece of their journey would be easy as pie, they knew.

The group calmly entered the front doors of the workshop, unknowingly passing through another portal.

**Zombified Workshop**

The children looked with total horror and fear as the entire workshop was being run by hideous, mutated zombie elves, blank expressions on their faces as they slaved away in the ruins of this once beautiful factory. Sector W unknowingly appeared along a ledge, falling over and onto one of the treadmills as it moved at a fast pace. The kids jumped to their feet and began jumping around to avoid the zombie elves' smashing hammers, dashing along the treadmill and knocking down several toys-to-be-made. They jumped off the treadmill, looking ahead as several elves faced the kids and held weapons ready. One of the elves shot arrows at Sonya, who ran and jumped beside the elf, using her emotionbending to make it calm. However, she couldn't get in touch with the emotionless zombie, so Lee had to run and punch to knock it out.

The kids backed away as the squad of elves swung maces and other hazardous items, so Harvey grabbed the back of a tall shelf of toys and knocked it down, blocking the zombies' way as the kids hurried into another room. They passed down a hall where elves worked sowing machines to fix stuffed bears and such. As he elves turned to notice the children, the stuffed toys ended up attached to their hands, the elves screaming wildly as they charged at the kids, swinging their bleeding arms. Harvey ducked and punched one of the elves while the others did their best to fight away the others. Eventually, they decided to hurry down the hall as more elves came out from the doors, shooting machineguns.

The kids burst through the doors to an outside yard, looking back as the elves kept after them. The kids took notice of the hideous, bloodthirsty demon reindeer, having the crazy idea the reindeer could be used to fly out of there. As the elves were approaching, Angie took hold of the ground and used her earthbending to flap it like a blanket, blowing the elves back. They hurried onto the reindeers' sleigh as Harvey began whipping them, but they wouldn't move. They noticed some elves coming from behind them, so Lee swung his yo-yo to catch one of the elves and haul him to the front of the reindeer. The beasts snarled in hunger at the sight of the tasty elf, and as the monsters charged forward, Lee hauled the elf into the air, and the reindeer took flight, leaving the other elves in the dust. The kids were fastly approaching a vortex up in the cloudy skies. Once they were high enough, they jumped and ditched the reindeer, vanishing into the portal.

**Thunder Cloud Temple**

The kids found themselves in an outside area, surrounded by storm clouds as they appeared high in the sky. The kids took notice of something glowing pink in the center of the small field, which was none other than Mesprit's Spirit Ball. Sonya smiled as she hurried over to grab the ball, but it was immediately snatched out of her grasp by a flash of lightning. The kids gasped as some lady with yellow hair, white bellybutton shirt, white skirt, and brown Greek sandals soared around the field, leaving a trail of lightning. "Hi!" she greeted the kids, tossing the Spirit Ball in her hand as she faced them. The kids readied for battle against the stranger. (Play Grand Doomer's Theme from _Kirby's Return To Dreamland_.)

_Boss fight: Lightning Flash, Phosphora_

The lightningbender flew down to the kids as they ran at her, the group immediately stunned when she shocked the ground around her, stunning them for a bit. The lady flew around the field and zapped lightning from all directions, the kids rapidly dodging to avoid them. She then released a lightning dragon that flew to the opposite end of the field before charging at the kids, but Angie stomped a rock wall from the ground and shielded from the snake. Phosphora tried shooting at them again, so Angie countered with her own rocks, Phosphora dodging before the lady was bashed in the head, dizzily sinking to the ground. Paddy shot his S.C.A.M.P.P. at the lady and dealt a few hits, but Phosphora soon recovered and zapped lightning at the Fulbright to stun him. Harvey dashed up to her and leaped to grab her head, but Phosphora grabbed him by the leg and tossed him at the others.

Phosphora took back to the air again and started making lightning flash from the clouds. The kids hurriedly dodged around to avoid the many lightning bolts. Lee tossed his yo-yo to try and grab Phosphora, but a lightning bolt immediately struck his toy and caused the boy to be shocked. Charlotte dodged some lightning bolts as she jumped up a pillar and then jumped to Phosphora's legs. The lady tried to shake her off, but Charlotte held on as she climbed to her head and dealt a few punches to her head, making Phosphora lower to the ground. She shook the pigtailed off as Sector W ran at her, zipping behind them before Harvey could deal a punch. She released a lightning blast into the air, which came back down and scattered into six lightning blasts along the field, shocking the children. Phosphora flew up to them and punched and kicked Harvey and Paddy away, but Charlotte pulled out a T.H.U.M.P.E.R. and started shooting teddy bears at her head. While she did this, Angie caught Phosphora between some rocks and slid her across the field, colliding hard with the wall on the other side.

Phosphora fell over the edge of the field, but recovered herself immediately as she took to the air. She began spiraling the clouds in circles as they released more rays of lightning on the ground, making the lightning skim across the field for the kids to have to dodge. They grew tired as they avoided the lightning, and as it finished, Phosphora came back down and zapped them all with a giant bolt, blowing them all away. They recovered, still a little stunned, as Phosphora launched another electric dragon. Angie stomped rock barriers up all around them as the dragon flew around in circles, but the dragon took them by surprise as it came around the top and shot down, dealing painful damage. Phosphora giggled at this, but the woman was taken by surprise as Sonya's psionic blast hit her. Phosphora became dizzied as she sunk to the ground, where Harvey ran, jumped, and kicked her straight in the face. Phosphora fell down, and as she recovered, Angie quickly caught between some more rocks.

Charlotte pelted her face with more teddy bears before Angie finally released her, the woman looking up and gasping as Angie hurled a Boulder-n-Chain her way, sending her flying across the field as the Spirit Ball dropped from her pocket, bouncing its way to Sonya. Phosphora weakly held herself up, looking angrily as she waved the brats off, proceeding to fly away. Sonya walked over to open the Spirit Ball, releasing Mesprit as the Firstborn smiled with glee. The kids nodded in victory before returning to the others. (End song.)

**Playground Ruins**

Team Brotherhood and Gwen & Doug calmly moved across the decapitated wasteland of children's playgrounds. Some of Rumpel's witches jumped out and shot spells at them, but Gwen and Doug shot and kept them away with S.C.A.M.P.P.s. The five headed up a broken hillside of ruined playgrounds as Stormtroopers came out and fired at them. Danika became a shadow and got behind them as she sliced them with her daggers. The group made it to the top of the hill and overlooked the other side as it went down a steep slope. As they carefully walked down, they tripped and fell into a large cardboard box, beginning to ride it down the slope. Witches rode on brooms and launched spells at them, but Nolan locked on and fired missiles from his wheelchair to blast them out of the sky.

They launched over the edge into an abyss, Gwen and Doug grabbed onto one swing on a swingset, April and Dani grabbed another, and Nolan latched his grappling hook onto the set. They swung their way across the dangling swingsets and made it onto a platform, moving across carefully to avoid making the debris fall. Some old Battle Droids with barriers emerged from the trash and started shooting, so Nolan quickly countered his own bullets. The barriers eventually shattered, allowing Danika to use Shadow Shockwave and send Cheshire to attack all of them. Once they were cleared, they saw a vortex open up ahead, proceeding to jump inside.

**Sahara Skies**

The five were totally unprepared as the rough winds caught them, nearly blowing them over the edge of Gary the Stormtrooper's ship. They stood their ground as the ship flew into the battling fleet of KND and Brotherhood operatives. Some KND troops flew by and shot at them, and Danika was about to throw her daggers, but Nolan grabbed her arm and shook his head 'no'. They simply avoided the KND's shots as Gary's ship flew over to the Sweet Victory. Candy Pirates were brawling away at KND troops, but instead of helping the pirates, Team Brotherhood decided to attack _them_ instead. The pirates were thrown over the edge as the KND saluted, summoning a row of C.O.O.L.-B.U. to help them across.

The five operatives jumped their way across the buses and jumped to a S.C.A.M.P.E.R., which began soaring around the area. Mad Mod's Britbots tried to shoot them, but Nolan locked on and shot them down with his missiles. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was about to fly between the Common Cold's ship and The Source's ship as both of them fired at the heroes. Gwen and Doug blasted lasers at the tofu ship, shooting it down in seconds, while Nolan launched missiles at the Snot Bomber's engines. They were able to pass through as they were reaching Numbuh 20,000's flagship, which had already begun exploding all around. The operatives jumped off onto the flagship as flames bursted forth, so Danika grabbed them all into a Shadow Veil for them to slide across.

The crew entered the flagship as operatives began piling out. Some operatives mistook them for enemies and decided to shoot, but April simply stunned them for a while with her powers before they moved along. They eventually reached the abandoned cockpit, where a portal was found in the captain's seat. They hurriedly jumped into the cockpit before the ship exploded.

**Abandoned Building; rooftop**

The nighttime air felt cold as the five operatives appeared on the roof of a tall building, the tallest building in Virginia it looked like. Standing on the other side of the roof, a hooded figure stared at them with hazel-colored eyes. The five calmly approached the figure, who held Midna's Spirit Ball in his hand. The figure threw back his hood, and the five gasped at seeing it was Figure, aka Koda Shrieves. The KND traitor placed the Spirit Ball in his pocket and pulled out two dual-knives, readying for battle. "Sorry! No spoilers!" he said.

"It just wouldn't be a final stage without you, huh, Koda?" Nolan remarked. (Play "The 13th Struggle" from _Kingdom Hearts II_!)

_Boss fight: Figure_

Danika ran in first and started clashing her daggers with his knives, but the Figure prevailed as he kicked Dani's daggers away, kicking her across the head and knocking her out. Nolan rolled forward and shot his punching bag, but Koda jumped to the side of Nolan, grabbed his chair, and tossed him into April. April recovered and unleashed a psionic blast to stun the villain, but he quickly drew out his helmet and placed it on to protect. He ran at April and started throwing punches, but April countered with kicks before kicking the villain in the knee, making him slouch. Gwen and Doug then tried to shoot him, but the villain swiftly flipped behind and grabbed them, bashing their faces together.

Danika flew back onto the building with her Shadow Glide and shot at him, but Figure ducked as she took land and reverted to normal, facing him. Koda was suddenly attacked by Nolan's punching glove from behind, the crippled pushing him to the ground. That's when April jumped on his back and tried to grab and pull his legs back, the villain grunting with pain before rolling and knocking April down. Figure got back up as Gwen and Doug ran to attack him, but the traitor flipped back and drew his rocket launcher, shooting a rocket and making the two dodge to the side. Figure then locked onto Nolan and fired, but the crippled simply countered with his own missiles. He then fired missile straight at Figure, who dodge-rolled to the side.

The villain then decided to start jumping buildings, the other five giving chase, but having to avoid as Koda dropped grenades along his path, trying to blow them up. Danika decided to grab them all in her Shadow Glide as they flew after him. Koda just pulled out his taser and launched an electrical blast, shocking and knocking them out of the sky. As they recovered, they watched as the villain was hurrying back to his building. Danika pulled them in a Shadow Veil and slid their way to the rooftop again, ambushing Figure from the front of him. The villain tried to shoot his taser again, but Gwen immediately shot it with her S.C.A.M.P.P.. The Figure drew out his knives and dodged around the operatives' shots, making his way to Nolan as he slashed across his chest, leaving a slight mark.

"Gnnn!" Nolan grunted, gripping his chest. "I've about had it with these."

"Don't worry. I'll make it all stop." Figure said as he threw more quick swings at Nolan. Nolan backed up and dodged before punching his glove out, but Figure dodged to the side and ran at Nolan. He tried to stab Nolan, but the operative grabbed his wrists and tried to keep him back. Nolan was able to push and spin him away, making him face Danika as the goth cut him across the chest. Figure swung his knives at her head, but Danika ducked and sliced his waist. She then swiftly sliced the side of his pocket, cutting a hole to allow the Spirit Ball to drop out, the sphere bouncing to Danika's hand. As Koda tried to recover, Nolan switched on the two spikes at the front of his chair and shot forward, shoving the villain right over the edge, and watching as he fell hundreds of feet. As he collided with the ground, the kids watched as his flesh was teared away by Demon Apes.

With him gone, Danika proceeded to open her Spirit Ball, and Midna stretched her arms and took a long yawn as she got out. "I was enjoying my nap, until _you_ woke me up."

"Come on, Midna, we have to save the universe." Danika replied.

"Fine, fine. Where to next? Are we heading back?" Midna asked.

"Not yet. I wanna keep going, see if we can find any of Morgan's memories." Nolan decided.

"Always wantin' to be the best, aren't you, Nolan?" Midna asked.

"Hey, we're on a roll. I say we go for it." With that, the five decided to press ahead. (End song.)

**Realm of Shadows**

The Realm Between Worlds still held its twilight glow as the group calmly walked down a narrow path. "Hey, Nolan, I just realized something." Danika spoke.

"Hm?"

"Your Negative's name would be Nalon, which sounds almost the same, except for the 'o' and 'a'!"

"Haha! Niice!"

As soon as they made it to an open area, they were instantly caught inside a red barrier as Shadow Soldiers dropped to the ground. Nolan fired missiles at two of them while Gwen and Doug shot lasers at the third one. The fourth one used a deafening howl to bring them to life, so Gwen and Doug quickly shot that one, leaving the other three to deal with again. Danika used a Shadow Shockwave to wipe them all out in one blow, allowing the barrier to open. The group walked to the end of the path to a floating platform, standing and allowing the platform to carry them fastly over the abyss.

The platform stopped at another floating ruin, in which the floor was upside-down above them, so the five jumped off so the gravity could land them on the upside-down walkway. They carefully jumped the platforms as Shadow Keese tried to bite them, but Gwen and Doug shot them away. Shadow Babas were also sticking out from the ceiling, gnashing their fangs at them, but Danika sliced their stems with her daggers. Soon, they arrived at a point where the gravity switched back to normal, and the five continued to another open area. Elite Shadow Soldiers came out and crawled to attack them, launching giant fists at them. Gwen and Doug focused their shots on the first one, but it took their shots as it crawled over and threw them close to the edge.

Danika clashed her daggers with another one's fists, eventually slicing it upward and impaling its chest. April couldn't penetrate her psionic blast threw another one's helmet as it crawled and grabbed around her waist. She was able to kick it in the gut and get free as Nolan then blasted it with a missile from behind. The last one was still dealing with Gwen and Doug as it grabbed both of the officers around the neck and strangled them. They were saved when Nolan shot his laser through the soldier's chest, and the monster fell unconscious.

The vortex opened as a result of the monsters' defeat. The five operatives entered into the next area.

**KNFF Arctic Base**

They land smack-dab in the middle of a warzone between KNFF and NKO operatives. They ducked to avoid all of the gunfire as they made their way to an entrance up ahead. They made it to a hallway and progressed along as KNFF troops jumped out and began shooting. Gwen and Doug countered and shot the operatives first, the five hurrying and making a turn down another hallway. NKO troops came out as well, riding jetpacks as they unleashed gumballs from G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A.s at the five. Nolan aimed his missiles and blew them out of the air, leaving their unconscious forms as they continued to a door ahead.

Nolan blew the doors open as squadrons of KNFF and NKO soldiers took notice, directing their fire on the five intruders. April stunned a few kids and allowed Gwen and Doug to knock them out, while Danika pulled others into her shadow and laid beatings on them. Nolan released his laser and spun around the area to knock out any remaining KND traitors. With them gone, the five moved through the prison hallway as KND villains were escaping through all this destruction. The operatives did everything they could to attack the villains and keep them inside, with Nolan catching and shocking them inside his net. The five looked into one of the cells and saw their next portal, hurriedly jumping inside before anyone else showed up. Meanwhile, Legion peeked out from behind the portal, quickly tiptoeing out of his cell and escaping the base.

**Shadow Play Universe**

The five ended up in some barren wasteland, grey clouds over the heavens as they were miles away from Downtown Cleveland. The kids' eyes widened at the sight of some mysterious being, who bared a striking resemblance to Sandman. He wore a bright tan cloak that seemed ripped and torn, had brown, metal-like legs, and a sash with the usual equipment. The being seemed slouched over in pain, on his knees as loud breathing sounds could be heard from behind his gas mask.

_Why am I still alive… why did I have to come here…_

Nolan heard this voice in his head, exchanging confused glances with his teammates as they looked closer at the being. "Hello?"

_Kayla? Crystal? Carol?_

"Uhhh…" Nolan just looked confused. The being tilted its head up, eyes fixed on the crippled boy behind his mask.

_You…You look just like me._

"Huh?"

_But, you can't be me. No… you _were_ me. Not anymore…_

"Uhh.., hey, have you seen a photo of a girl around here or something?" Nolan randomly asked.

_Then why are you here? And… why are _they_ here?_

His attention was directed at Gwen and Doug.

_Are you just… a vision? An evil spirit, haunting me from the past?_

The kids couldn't looked more confused.

_No… you will not lead me astray. He…He is dead now. He is gone. I am no longer what he was. I am… the Sandman. _(Play "Rage Awakened" from _Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep_.)

The Sandman being stood all the way up, and the kids prepared to battle the stranger.

_Boss fight: Lingering Sandman_

The Sandman launched a powerful gas ray at the group, but they scattered away just in time. Nolan gasped when the Sandman landed in front of him, dealing several quick punches before pushing the cripple away. Danika charged to slice the being, but Sandman grabbed her arms and kicked her away as well. Sandman was a little stunned when April struck him with a psionic blast, but quickly recovered as he dodged over and kicked the Dickson upside the head. Gwen and Doug grabbed both of his arms, but the Sandman easily grabbed them and repeatedly bashed them against each other, filled with rage as he then bashed them against the ground and hurled them away.

Nolan extracted his spikes and charged at the stranger, but the Sandman held his hands out and used all his strength to keep Nolan back. Nolan tried harder to push, but the Sandman grabbed his chair and tossed him away. Danika snuck up as a shadow along the ground and reemerged behind the Sandman, attempting to stab him, but the stranger elbowed her face before landing two punches, sliding her away. He saw April coming at her and threw more quick punches and kicks, but the Dickson was able to dodge around him before kicking at his crotch. She then jumped and kicked him in the face, knocking him on the ground, so Gwen and Doug took this time to shoot at his face. Sandman immediately flipped to his feet and grabbed the two by the legs, starting to use them as weapons.

He charged over to Nolan and swung the two officers at him, but Nolan dodged his blows as Sandman smashed them to the ground. He decided to leave them as he ran at Nolan and tried to stomp him, but Nolan dodged to the side before shooting missiles at him. Sandman flipped and avoided the missiles before dropping to the ground and doing a slide-kick, knocking Nolan away. Sandman got up and ran at him, but Danika suddenly emerged in front of him and slashed an X in his chest. Before Sandman could grab her, she vanished, and Nolan shot over to impale his spikes into his form.

Sandman jumped away and pulled out his gas gun, unleashing a cloud of toxic around the field. The kids held their breath as Nolan squinted his eyes, seeing the faint silhouette of the stranger charging at him. By the time the smoke cleared, the Sandman leapt into the air to bring a kick down on Nolan, who backed up and avoided. Sandman then shot his grappling hook to grab the boy's chair and pull him in, allowing him to deal quick kicks against Nolan's face. Sandman finished by kicking the boy out of his chair, preparing to shoot him with the gas gun. Gwen hopped onto his shoulders and pulled his arm back, and Doug grabbed his left leg as Sandman wobbled around and unleashed poison into the sky. He shook Doug off and grabbed Gwen by her leg, preparing to shoot her, but Nolan climbed onto his chair and shot forward, his metal spikes pushing Sandman over.

Sandman kicked Nolan away and looked to see April coming at him, so he shot his grappling hook to pull her over. He grabbed, and was about to punch her, but April immediately stunned him up close. Sandman got a headache as Danika used Shadow Veil to pull him into her shadow, proceeding to land several beatings. She dropped the Sandman out as Gwen and Doug ran to tie him with ropes, only for the Sandman to easily break free. Nolan charged at him again with spikes extracted, so the Sandman quickly grabbed the front of his chair to keep him away. He was interrupted when Danika blew Shadow Breath in his face, and April attempted to stun him. Gwen and Doug then shot his knees, allowing Nolan to successfully impale him and push him to the ground. (End song.)

They could hear the Sandman breathing heavily through his mask, weakly standing to his feet before falling to one knee. _I have drowned… in your reservoir of strength._ Nolan heard him speaking again. _Maybe you are not evil visions… maybe you are… memories.. of the good times I once had._ Hearing this, Nolan let his guard down and calmed himself, watching as the Sandman stood up all the way.

_I have felt only pain… since I was raised from the dead. I may never see my true friends.. again. My memories… are the only thing to keep me at peace._ The Sandman reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo of Morgan, letting it drop slowly to the ground. _Farewell… Numbuh 2030. May we meet again.. someday…_ The mysterious stranger turned and walked off into the distance, fading away as the winds roared.

As the five walked over to pick up the photo, they still couldn't help wondering who that stranger was.

**Koopa Kore**

King Bowser, Dr. Eggman, King K. Rool, and Rumpel Stiltskin progressed toward Bowser's supafied fort, jumping over pits of lava as geysers popped out. Some traitorous Koopatrols came out and charged at the four bosses, but Bowser grabbed them by the heads and smashed them against each other before tossing them in the lava. Two Drybones hurried over and tossed bones at the bosses, but Kroctus charged forward and gripped their skulls in his hands, crushing them into pieces. "Are we getting any closer?" the croc king asked.

Eggman studied his scanners for an answer. "The others have already accomplished their goals. I'm picking up a signal from the last memory coming beyond a portal up ahead."

"Great, then let's find it already. I'm sick enough with playing the good guy." Rumpel whined. "I don't even know why I'm doing this crap."

Bowser turned and faced him with anger in his eyes. "Because we said so! And you still owe Lord Gnaa for dissin' him, so we've gotta save him."

"Why do you still care about the bastard, anyway?"

"Hey, he may've wanted to destroy the universe, but he saved all our arses. Now let's get going."

The bad guys continued along to a river of lava, where Rumpel used magic to make an ice path for them to cross. The ice was quickly cracking under the chubby villains' weight, so Bowser and Kroctus moved a little faster. They reached the foothold and continued up a path, where they found an entrance to an underground area. The villains dropped into the magma cavern and looked back as a magma wave was already coming for them. The four moved quickly across the rocky slopes as Chain Chomps rolled their way. Bowser and Kroctus grabbed the Chomps and tossed them into the magma.

The four villains unfortunately came to a dead end, turning as the wave drew even closer. "HAARH." Kroctus cried as he jumped up and shook the ground upon landing. His quake caused several rocks to collapse from the ceiling and bury the magma. They all looked as a portal appeared from where the rocks collapsed. Rumpel easily jumped his way to the portal, Eggman flew in with his pod, while Bowser and Kroctus had to climb their way up as they squeezed inside.

**Enchanted Domain**

The villains appeared along the bridge to Lucinda's magnificent castle, staring up at all its glory. "Ahh, Lucinda's castle." Rumpel sighed at the memories. "Even now, her spirit guides me in Heaven." The villains proceeded to the castle's front gates, where Eggman fired missiles to break open the doors. Inside, they found King Dedede bashing flying monkeys away with his hammer. Virginia attacked pig goons with spanking hands while Bartie shot them with M.U.S.K.E.T.. Escargoon rolled over another pig goon until he was surrounded by witches, but the witches were all stunned by Rumpel's magic. "Sorry, ladies, but Rump Man's in a hurry."

"It's about time y'all got here." Dedede told them.

"Just shut up and beat guys." Bowser ordered as the Koopa jabbed his horns against more monkeys.

The enemies were soon cleared as the villains and operatives entered the front doors of the castle. Large Body and Fat Bandit Heartless appeared and charged at the chubby villains. Bowser jabbed his spiked shell at a Large Body before scratching against its head. Bartie shot mustard at a Fat Bandit's head and got it covered, but the Heartless shot flames out as Ginny pulled Bartie into a Shadow Veil. They got behind the Heartless as Ginny spanked against its behind. Kroctus grabbed the arms of another Large Body before lifting and bashing it against a Fat Bandit. Two Fat Bandits coughed fireballs at Eggman, but the scientists evaded and shot missiles at them.

Rumpel used Reducto to obliterate the last three Heartless before another portal opened. "The memory piece is getting close." Eggman reported before the eight squeezed into the portal.

**Final Brain**

They reappeared in the halls of Darth Genious's main base. Elite Ice Cream Men and Stormtroopers let out a barrage of gunfire as Dedede batted the ice cream away with his hammer. Escargoon curled into his shell as the penguin king bashed him into the soldiers and knocked them out. The Ice Cream Men still fired at Bowser, but the Koopa easily breathed fire and melted their weapons before Kroctus charged and knocked them out. The bad guys and operatives continued down the base and reached the cafeteria, where Dai Li Agents dropped from the ceiling. The earthbenders tossed earth chunks, only for Rumpel to cast spells and turn them to dust. Virginia pulled the agents into her Shadow Veil one at a time as she gave them a series of spankings, throwing them out afterwards.

The eight continued into the kitchen, where a red aura was emitting from an oven. Bowser grabbed the oven and ripped the whole chunk of the floor off, revealing a deep dungeon of burning flames. The villains decided to drop into the oven dungeon, dodging around as flames emerged from the pipes. They took land on the red-hot ground as Imperial Guards appeared, along with the Imperial Elite. Kroctus did tug-o-war with one's staff, bashing his crown against its head. Rumpel shot magic spells at a guard, but he quickly defended with his staff before jabbing his laser at Rumpel. Dedede sent Escargoon flying and bouncing around soldiers before returning to his king.

Ginny and Bartie kept dodging to avoid the Elite's quick swings, Bartie shooting mustard at his face, but the soldier kept evading. Virginia tried to pull him into Shadow Veil, but the black-cloaked soldier grabbed the goth and held her by the neck as she choked. King Dedede bashed the back of his head with his hammer, freeing Virginia, and the guard struggled to defend against the king's swings. Eggman destroyed the Elite by sending a laser to slice his body in half. Once they were gone, the next portal made its presence known. The heroes jumped inside to their next destination.

_Boss fight: Shadoo_ (Play "Final Destination" from _Super Smash Bros. Melee_!)

They reappeared in a dark wasteland and encountered the shadows of Bowser, Eggman, Kroctus, Rumpel, Dedede, and Escargoon. Bowser ran at his clone and grabbed its arms, but the shadow Koopa pushed the turtle away. Escargoon attempted to wrestle with his clone, successfully shoving the shadow to the ground and pounding him with his shell. The shadow snail recovered and grabbed his counterpart, tossing him into Dedede. Afterwards, the Dark Dedede pounded his opponent's belly with his hammer, but Dedede grabbed the dark hammer and shoved it against the shadow's face.

Eggman and Dark Eggman fired missiles at each other, both scientists dodging around as smoke exploded everywhere. Through the smoke, the Dark Eggman shoved Dr. Eggman away, and the real scientist hurriedly flew around to avoid the missiles. Both Kroctuses wore punching gloves as they through punches at each other, until Dark Kroctus was able to grab Kroctus's neck and haul him overhead. The Dark Kroctus began laying punches across the real's face, sending him sliding across the ground. At the same time, Rumpel and Dark Rumpel launched quick spells at each other, but the shadow called Expelliarmus and flicked the wand out of Rumpel's hand.

Dedede kept swinging his hammer against his shadow until the hammer was knocked away, and Dark Dedede bashed him across the face before knocking him to the ground. Dedede sat up as he rubbed his aching cheek. "Man. Ah didn't know as was this tough."

"Ehhh. No you're not. I can beat you in a couple of-" Bowser stopped himself and realized what he was saying.

"Yo, guys!" Virginia yelled. "Switch opponents!"

"SWITCH!" the six villains yelled, immediately switching targets. Kroctus jumped up and grabbed the Dark Eggman, swinging him around in his pod and tossing him at the Dark Kroctus. Escargoon rolled straight over the Dark Kroctus when he was knocked over. The snail came back, so Dark Kroctus stood up and used all his strength to keep the spiraling snail away, but Escargoon's shell spun even faster as he scrapped against the fat shadow's form. Dark Escargoon tried to run over Rumpel, but the Elfin dodged quickly and launched spells to stop his movement. Rumpel kept throwing more spells until the snail's shell cracked.

Dark Rumpel looked up with fright as King Dedede raised his hammer high, smashing down on the little dark elf. Dark Bowser kept trying to grab Dr. Eggman, but the scientist remained airborne as he launched missiles down and blasted the dark turtle. King Bowser grabbed Dark Dedede's hammer and pulled it away, proceeding to blow fire to burn the shadow penguin. "Grah hah! I told ya I could beat you!"

"Ah think it's time we finish this." Dedede suggested.

"Shall we, Sire?" Escargoon smirked.

"You bet. Escargoon: the dance!" With that, King Dedede blew a whistle, and a series of Waddle Dees, Waddle Doos, and Gordos rained from the sky, piling all over the shadows.

"WADDLE DEE, WADDLE DOO, GORDO! GORDO! WADDLE DEE, WADDLE DOO, GORDO! GORDO! WADDLE DEE, WADDLE DOO, GORDO! GORDO!" The two villains danced and danced, the shadow beings heavily beaten by the hordes of minions.

The shadows became too tired from all the beatings and finally fell unconscious. The shadows faded away and released the final photo of Morgan. Virginia walked over to pick it up, exchanging nods with their villainous allies. The eight of them made their way back to deliver the last memory to Morgan. (End song.)

**Sector V Treehouse** (Play "Destroyed Skyworld" from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_.)

Finally, it was Sector V and Matt Garley's turn. The kids appeared in the living room of the gang's treehouse as Poohemoths emerged from the toilets. Numbuh 4 punched his S.L.U.G.G.U.H. at the monsters while Numbuh 5 used her S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. The six kids continued into the hallway, where Vampire W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s dropped from the ceiling. The W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s rolled toward the kids and swung their brushes, but Nigel dodged and tossed fire to burn the robos while Matthew shot lasers from his S.C.A.M.P.P.. A squad of Scummy Mummies marched down the hall and hurled toilet paper, but Numbuh 2 shot oranges from his B.A.J.U.K.A. and got them all soggy, causing them to shrivel.

The group made their way to Numbuh 1's room, where giant, mutant flies were causing havoc. Nigel quivered at the sight of the scary flies, but shook off this fear as he shot flames and took them out. A door opened, leading to another hallway, so the kids moved forward. Hands of Justice vampires ran down the hall and sent shockwaves from their head-hands, but the kids jumped away as Kuki shot them with her T.H.U.M.P.E.R.. In the hallway ahead, the kids saw giant gumballs being blown through the walls, obviously the work of Candy Pirates. The kids arrived at Numbuh 2's room/hangar as the _Sweet Revenge_ sent pirates in through the open window.

Numbuhs 4 and 5 charged in and began laying punches and kicks against the candy-loving adults. One of the pirates swung on a rope and tried to kick Numbuh 2, but the chubby pilot fired some orange juice that exploded on him, knocking him to the floor. The kids then climbed onto the parked C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. and jumped a higher ledge, proceeding into a door to a hallway. Flu Bugs begun to shoot snot shots at them as they crawled along the walls. Matt shot them down as Numbuh 5 jumped over to stomp the weak-armored bugs. They made it to a ledge, where they climbed up a long tree branch to reach the next floor. Up ahead, they continued to Numbuh 3's room, where the little hamsters were chased by Crazy Old Cat Lady's cats.

Kuki glared angrily at the cats, shooting all of the teddy bears she could to keep the cats away. Nigel launched flames at the kittens, making them meow in fright as they jumped out the window. Behind of one Numbuh 3's stuffed toys was a secret passage that led to a hallway littered with pipes. They reached the end of the passage and found the treehouse's generator room, where Ghost Hamsters scampered along the wheels. Catching notice of Sector V, the hamsters floated off of their wheels and began circling Sector V, emitting creepy moans. Nigel raised fire in his hand, the bright flames making the ghosts cower back. Kuki quickly drew out her F.R.A.P.P.E. and unleashed ice at the hamsters, able to freeze them solid. Once they were gone, another passage opened on a side of the room, and they progressed inside.

"Wow." Matt smiled with a snort. "I never thought I'd get to go with Sector V on a dangerous mission to save the universe."

"Yeah, yeah, let's just find your cruddy Firstborn so we never have to do it again." Wally replied.

The group arrived at an outside walkway, looking up to the cloudy heavens as Arceus's mighty form loomed in the sky, his body surrounded by a sphere of darkness. "And we better find that Firstborn fast," Numbuh 1 suggested, "otherwise, Arceus will be unstoppable."

The kids passed into the next hallway, where more W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s dropped from the ceiling. Two of the robots grabbed Matt by the arms, but the curator kicked one away and shot the other with his S.C.A.M.P.P.. Wally punched the heads off the remaining W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s with his S.L.U.G.G.U.H. before the six pressed onward. They entered the door to Numbuh 4's room, which was overrun by Girl Troops. The girls took notice of Wally and started shooting, but the Aussie rolled and dodged to grab one of his weights, tossing it at two girls. The group climbed to the wrestling ring bed as four girls tried shooting them from the bridges above. Nigel flew up to the bridges and tossed flames at the girls' ray guns to melt them, afterwards kicking them over the edge. The group climbed up to where Wally's punching bag was and used the springs to bounce higher. They arrived on the walkways at the top of the room as girls shot their ray guns at Numbuh 3. The pink rays had no affect on the girl as she ran and kicked them across the faces.

The kids passed into the next hallway, climbing over a few tree branches as Teen Ninjas broke into their treehouse. Numbuh 5 did hand-to-hand combat against some of the ninjas while Wally punched the males in the crotch, easily knocking them out. Nigel tossed flames and set fire to the remaining female ninjas' hair, the women freaking out as they hurried ahead. They finally made it to Numbuh 5's room as teens were already partying away with the disco light. The six kids dropped onto the floor and readied to battle the ninjas. Hoagie tossed juice cartons at the floor and made the ninjas slip across the substance, crashing into the wall. Wally did his usual, shooting punches at them, having to jump a few as they swung their staffs.

Nigel dodged the lasers of some ninjas and tossed his flames back, burning their eyes. Two of the ninjas grabbed the Brit's arms and tried to twist them, but Matthew shot the teens in the head with his S.C.A.M.P.P., earning a smile from Nigel. Kuki had another teen on the floor as she pelted her face with teddy bears, but Abby simply came and finished the job by flinging the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. at her face. Once the teens were knocked out, the kids climbed onto the small balcony and entered the hall ahead.

After a few more walks, they had finally arrived at the Mission Prep Room. The Spirit Ball of Uxie sat in the middle, but suddenly disappeared as the hologram projector shone on it. Matthew gasped, quickly jumping and disappearing as well. (Play "25m" from the Classic _Donkey Kong Arcade_!)

_Boss fight: Donkey Kong Sr._

A pixelated Matt Garley appeared on the 100m stage of the Classic Donkey Kong. The Spirit Ball rested at the top as little flame creatures moved about the level, and Donkey Kong stomped in cockiness. The little Matthew climbed up a ladder and smashed the first block… thingy that held the building up. A fire was coming, so Matt quickly climbed a ladder to break another block. Two fires were coming his way, so the curator grabbed a hammer and began swinging it around, smashing all the fires that came his way. Soon, the hammer wore off, so Matt climbed to the next floor to break a block. He hurriedly climbed to the fourth floor to break that block, quickly jumping over the resulted gap before a fire could catch him.

Matt climbed down the first ladder, but some fires were hot on his tail. The tiny Matthew moved across the walkway and walked over another block, breaking it. He climbed down a floor and grabbed the other hammer, using it to smash some fires, and also destroy a block. When the hammer vanished, he climbed down the other ladder and broke the next block. The last block was up beside Donkey Kong, so Matt climbed as quick as the game would allow to evade the fires. A flame was merely inches behind him, but somehow, the fanboy managed to reach the top and break the last block.

Donkey Kong plummeted to the ground and landed hard on his head. Matt's pixely body warped to the Spirit Ball as it snapped open, releasing Uxie. Sector V appeared out of thin air beside him as the pixely kids all cheered and danced, making little beeps.

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><p><strong>Ssss…. Sigh…. Ssss… sigh… Finally…. It's done. I am finally done… with this god-awful stage… I have spent WEEKS trying to type this crap up.. AND NOW IT'S FINALLY DONE! So let's cut to the chase: the Aku fight was supposed to be a reference to trickquestion's story, <em>Operation: AXIS<em>, Chasey Sabrina was a reference to 227's _The Ghost Manor_, DEPTH needs to update his pages, AND I AM JUST F^*KING SICK OF THIS STAGE. Oh. AND WHAT could be a better last throwback boss than a CLASSIC ARCADE DONKEY KONG, AH?! I am having me a FREAKING party after this! BUT, the good news is, the final boss is all typed and rarin' to go! So to make up for the long wait, I have these three chapters ready! But I'll only update one at a time, give people enough time to catch up. MAN, I am so glad this is done, and I. AM. GOONE. See ya later, and hope you enjoyed these THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND WORDS OF CRAP! ! ! ;D Bye-bye!**


	85. Arceus, Bringer of Apocalypse

**Hewwo, everyone! Boy, that final stage was a doozy! Lol I didn't think Depth would like it that much. :3 Still, "Heroes Together" was better, right? ;3 Anyhoo, here it is finally time for the final boss of this grand saga. Here we go!**

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><p><strong><em>The Grand Battle To Save the Universe! All Heroes vs. Arceus!<em>**

As all of the heroes/allies returned to the original starting point behind Gallagher Elementary, the Eight Firstborn were slowly at work, focusing their powers to channel the scattered pieces back into Morgan's form. "You think you'll be able to save her?" Buddy asked.

"Our powers combined should be able to restore the lost heart that was sacrificed to revive our father." Uxie replied.

"Yeah, so quit worrying." Midna demanded.

"Okay…"

"Graah. This is taking too long." Knuckles impatiently stated. "I could have Arceus trounced myself by now."

"Hm. Care to take a wager on that, Knuckie?" Rouge remarked.

The Firstborn continued for a few moments, when suddenly, the ground beneath them shook. "GRAARH! What the heck was that? !" Bowser screamed.

The ground shook again as they all turned, watching as the Supreme God begun to expand within a bubble. The other gods continued to lay attacks against him, but were suddenly blown away as the bubble exploded. "LADY PALUTENAAAA!" Pit Icarus screamed as he, too, was blown away. The young angel was thankfully saved when a lightning-fast chariot zipped by, and its rider caught him. "Uwah! Pittoo!"

"PLEASE stop calling me that." Dark Pit stated as they went back after Arceus.

_"Arceus is regaining full power quickly."_ Palutena spoke. _"It won't be long now…"_

_"I always knew the actions of the mortals would come back at them someday."_ Medusa scoffed. _"They really are a pitiful bunch."_

"At Arceus's rate, we'll never be able to restore Morgan's heart in time." Azelf spoke.

"Then we've got to attack Arceus NOW!" Nigel yelled.

"I see. And just _what_ would that accomplish?" Plank asked.

"What else can we do?" Nova asked.

"You must." Uxie spoke. "If you attack him now, you may be able to slow his resurrection long enough for us to proceed. Believe in your strengths, and we can stop him."

"I guess we don't have a choice." Sonic figured.

"Numbuh 2, how's your C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.?" Nigel asked.

"As good as ever." The Sector V pilot smirked, pushing a button on a remote that instantly summoned the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., landing it beside them.

"Let's hope it'll withstand long enough." Nigel said as he, Eva, Sonic, Rachel, and Team Psychic boarded on, with Numbuh 2 in the driver's seat. "Kids Next Door, BATTLE stations!" The others waved for good luck as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. lifted and took off.

The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. flew as fast as it could to the Supreme God. As they drew even closer, the dimension around them suddenly turned pitch-black, and they couldn't see a thing. "Hey, who turned out the lights?" Mika complained.

"I don't like the looks of this." Sonic said.

"WHOA! !" Before their very eyes, the visage of Arceus appeared from the darkness, the ship dead in his face as his massive green and orange eyes glared through their windshield.

"H-HE'S really huge up close! !" Hoagie stuttered. From their view, Arceus looked almost as big as the Death Star.

**_"So… the humans wish to stand against me again."_** Arceus spoke in a deep, calm tone, moving further away from the group. **_"Your hearts have led you only to destruction. Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart. I will be sure... and remember that." _**(Play "A Fight To The Death" from _Kingdom Hearts II_.) The Supreme God backed further away as power charged within his mouth. Arceus released a powerful roar that caused the ship to be blown miles away. The heroes quickly jumped out and took land on a solid surface as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. fell beneath the ledge.

"NUMBUH 2!" Nigel cried.

"I'm okay!" the pilot called, his ship flying back in the air. "Just go after him!"

Relieved, the heroes faced ahead, the lot now standing in the ruins of a city as the Supreme God floated miles away. The crew immediately dashed forth, desperate to reach him.

_Boss fight: Arceus, Bringer of Justice_

The Supreme God saw them coming and charged more power in his mouth. They quickly jumped behind some buildings as he released a Hyper Beam, which took up the width of that whole street. When the Hyper Beam died down, the crew decided to stay separated as they ran around buildings in different directions, trying to get closer. Arceus turned his attention to Eva and Nigel, using his incredible powers to blow a giant wave of water and fire down. Nigel and Eva used all their strength to fight the god's powers together, struggling to stand their ground against the water and fire. Arceus saw the Team Psychic group quickly coming at him from another street, so the god used telekinesis to grab a few tall buildings and hurl them straight at the trio. Rainier just hid behind his arms while Mika and Lucario conjured Aura Spheres and tossed them back, making smoke erupt from the buildings. The three continued to push through despite the smoke, but were unprepared as two parallel buildings shot down and destroyed the ground where they stood.

Rainier and Lucario were OK as they Wall Jumped their way up the parallel buildings, while Mika simply flew, eventually reaching the top of them and jumping to safe ground as the buildings sunk into oblivion, the three pressing further to Arceus. Rachel dashed through a street, spinning her sword to slice rocks in half which Arceus threw at her. When Arceus threw enough rocks, the god decided to make jagged rocks rise from below Rachel's feet, blowing the Supreme Leader upwards. Sonic dashed by just then and caught Rachel in his arms, speeding through the city as he carried her, and jagged rocks continued to rise from the ground along his path.

Nigel and Eva crouched low to the ground as Arceus continued unleashing flames. When the flames vanished, the two stood as Nigel kicked on his rocket boots, grabbing Eva and flying straight for Arceus. The god continued to hurl rocks their way, but Nigel was able to swerve around and avoid them, just barely missing. Their faces turned to terror when Nigel's rockets were shorting out. As they were about to fall, Nigel thankfully was able to erupt fire from his feet using firebending, and was able to keep flying. Sonic carried Rachel as Arceus tossed buildings their way using psychic, and the speedy hedgehog was able to leap and bounce off the many buildings to get closer. At the same time, Lucario held onto the wrists of Mika and Rainier, pulling them along as he sped by and dodged several flying buildings. The aura fox then leapt up several buildings and got him and his friends leveled with Sonic and Rachel. To their misfortune, there was nothing more to stand on, and the heroes put on expressions of terror as they reached for Arceus and began to fall to the dark abyss below.

To Rachel's relief, Patton and Fanny sped by on Rachel's R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. (re-modified to fly) and grabbed the Supreme Leader's arm. Sonic looked down below and watched Tails fly by in his X-Tornado, so the hedgehog let go of Rachel and dropped down to land on it. As Rachel's friends helped her on top of the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., Hoagie flew by on his C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. again and allowed Nigel, Eva, and Team Psychic to take land on its roof. The aircrafts continued flying for Arceus, who kept hurling meteorites at them. The R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. flew in the front as Rachel swung her sword to keep away all incoming meteorites. The kids then watched as Gas Bombs shot out from Arceus's mouth, so the ships had to roll around and dodge them. Eventually, they were able to get very close to Arceus's face, his gigantic green/orange eyes glaring at them.

Fi came out and reported, _"Master, I sense tremendous power being channeled through Arceus's eyes. There is an 87% probability that destroying them would further lessen the god's strength."_

"You heard 'er, guys. Go for the eyes." Rachel ordered.

"HEY, Big Boy." Mika called out. "Show me whatcha got!" The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. flew close in front of his left eye as Heartless creatures were appearing on with them. Mika simply stunned them using psychic before grabbing them and shooting them straight at the eye, doing a little bit of damage. While this happened however, they noticed a bright sphere growing larger and larger by Arceus's mouth.

"Hey, what's it doing?" Hoagie asked.

"Ahh!" Tails screamed. "It's charging energy! We'd better move away quick!"

"Hold on tight, guys!" Hoagie screamed. The group on the roof held tight as the ships flew as fast as they could away from the face. After a few moments, Arceus had charged a Hyper Beam, and unleashed the gigantic laser straight at them. The kids on the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. endured some damage, but still remained airborne as the beam died out, going back in front of his eye. Mika continued to grab and stun Heartless soldiers and toss them at Arceus's eye. "I think that'll do it." Hoagie assumed.

"I'll finish it off!" Dark Pit exclaimed, riding the Lightning Chariot straight for the weakened eye and piercing straight through. Arceus screamed in extreme pain as energy bled from the god's left eye.

"Now for the next one." Hoagie announced as they flew beside Arceus's right eye. Mika once again grabbed Heartless and tossed them at the eye, while Tails helped as well by shooting missiles from his Tornado. By this point, however, Arceus was ready to unleash another Hyper Beam. Tails and Team Leader had flown their ships away in time, but the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. didn't make it as it was completely obliterated by the Hyper Beam.

"WAAAHHH-" The kids were thankfully saved as they landed on a large, flat stone platform. They noticed Centurion Strongarms carrying the platform from below, looking up as Palutena waved for them to get closer to Arceus. The Centurions flew closer as Mika continued to grab and shoot Heartless at the right eye.

"That should be enough." Tails decided. "Now, Sonic!"

"All right!" the hedgehog cheered, bouncing off the tornado and some flying meteors as he shot straight for the weakened eye. The hedgehog became a spiraling pinball as he flew into the eye, landing several powerful Home Attacks as energy squirted like blood from the eye, eventually destroying it. Arceus gave another roaring screech as he was seemingly blinded. As a result, his mouth was left wide open.

"Now is the chance." Meta Knight yelled from the Gummi Ship. "Kids: attack the mouth!"

Team Leader flew straight for the open mouth and took land, jumping out onto Arceus's tongue. His gigantic sharp fangs surrounded the area as they looked up and took notice of Arceus's uvula. Fi came out and reported, _"Master, I sense more energy emitting from Arceus's uvula. The best plan of action would be to attack it."_

"In other words, make Arceus give god vomit. Got it." Patton summarized. More Heartless came out to attack as Rachel already began dashing to the wall on her right. She pierced her sword in the god's cheek and began using it to climb her way up higher. Once close enough to the uvula, she shot her Hookshot over to pull her toward the dangly substance, using her sword to rapidly begin stabbing it. The trio winced at Arceus's loud screaming, Rachel falling from the uvula as they all held on tight to avoid being blown out, watching as the screams blew Heartless away as well. When the screaming stopped, the three were able to stand and continue to battle Heartless soldiers. Rachel fought with Patton as Fanny kicked on her rocket shoes and flew up to the uvula, rapidly tossing flames and setting it to fire.

Arceus was pained by the flames as the god let out a scream once again. Fanny fell to the tongue and held tight with the others to avoid being blown away from the mouth. Fanny failed to hang on, however, and was about to fly away, but luckily, Patton grabbed onto her wrist and kept her from doing so. The screaming died down as Rachel ran for the wall and used her quick speed to dash her way up, afterwards kicking off the wall and shooting her Hookshot to latch over to the uvula. As she was pulled toward the uvula, she charged up a Skyward Strike and spun around immediately to slice the dangling organ clean off the mouth.

The heroes watched from the outside as the god's head shook around, screaming with pure pain as his forehead area exploded open. The brain of Arceus was exposed, and the group had a view of something attached to it. "Okay, someone mind explaining to me how slicing off a uvula makes your forehead explode." Buddy commented.

"Forget it! Look!" Meta Knight yelled and pointed to the top of the brain. "It is Negatar Gnaa! Arceus is absorbing his power through his brain. You must get in there and stop him!"

"PIYAH!" Kirby cried, shooting straight for the brain on his Warp Star, followed by Mario with his Wing Cap, Donkey Kong on his rocket barrel, and Sonic on the X-Tornado, the Ice Climbers riding with him. Pit jumped off the Lightning Chariot and flew beside them as they all took land atop Arceus's brain. The Negatar was stuck tight to a pillar on the brain, channeling the energy through as he looked up and faced the heroes. His eyes brimmed with the dark energy as he gave them a smirk.

_"Cursed fools..."_ The Negatar spoke, spinning some kind of wheel above him, which had the images of Bowser, Eggman, Kroctus, and all his other allies. The wheel landed on Bowser as a Bowser statue head above him came out and rapidly coughed fireballs at the group. Kirby sucked one of the flames in and became Fire Kirby, shooting as a fireball to deal Gnaa some damage. The Negatar used psychic to blow the puffball away as the Ice Climbers leapt over to pound on Gnaa with their hammers. They jumped away before he could unleash a Fear Scream. Donkey ran forward and twirled his arm, punching the Negative clear in the face, but Negatar smirked before unleashing poisonous gas at DK's face, making the ape back away.

Lord Gnaa spun the wheel again as it landed on K. Rool's image. Two punching gloves that were attached to the side of the pillar came off and started flying around the room like boomerangs, trying to hit the heroes. Mario spin-jumped and dodged the gloves and shot water from FLUDD at Gnaa's face. While the Negatar was having trouble seeing because of this, Pit drew out his arrows and rapidly fired to deal damage against him. The wheel spun once again and landed on Dr. Eggman, causing cannons to unleash homing missiles. Sonic smirked as the missiles locked onto him, the hedgehog running around as they gave chase, then ran straight for Gnaa, jumping up in the air as the missiles proceeded to crash into the Negatar. Gnaa was stunned for a while, so Sonic took this time to charge a Spin Dash and ram straight into Gnaa, dealing more damage.

The wheel spun again and landed on Rumpel Stiltskin. A few magical rays shot out and turned them all into toads, preventing them from attacking. They were able to hop around and avoid as Gnaa shot out Fear Spheres, and after a while, Lady Palutena used her power to transform them back. Afterward, Kirby decided to drop his fire ability as the Ice Climbers knocked mini icebergs toward him, sucking the ice up to become Ice Kirby. The ice-blue puff stood in front of Gnaa and blew ice at the same time Mario shot water at him. This caused the Negatar to quickly become frozen solid, and Donkey Kong rolled over to smash the ice and deal heavy damage against him. Negatar spun the wheel again, landing it on Darth Genious. At this, he caused a bunch of mechanical claws to come to life and try to grab the heroes.

Kirby and Ice Climbers were grabbed by the claws, but Pit ran up and used his double-blades to slice them free. Kirby sucked in one of the claws and became Cutter Kirby, easily using his boomerang cutter to deal quick damage against Gnaa. The Dark Master spun the wheel once more, landing it on Ganondorf Dragmire. The Satan Sword emerged from the center of the ground and flew around, trying to slice the heroes. Donkey Kong gripped the sword's hilt and tried to control it, but the sword spun around and flung the Kong away. As the ape recovered, he noticed Gnaa was controlling the sword telekinetically, so he rolled over and laid several punches against the Negatar.

Once the sword was dropped, Kirby proceeded to inhale and suck it in. The little pink puff gained the Ultra Sword ability, and was prepared to use it against Gnaa. Gnaa spun the wheel and landed on Bowser, making the Bowser head come out, but Kirby swung his powerful blade and destroyed it. The wheel landed on Eggman as missiles were fired, but Kirby swung his sword and destroyed the cannons. The wheel landed on Kroctus and made the punching gloves come out, but Kirby destroyed them as well. The pink puffball then decided to destroy the spinning wheel completely. With that out of the way, Kirby twirled his Ultra Sword around as it grew even bigger, and once it was at full size, the Star Warrior laid several powerful blows upon Gnaa before laying the final blow against the energy pillar.

**_"UuuuuuwwwwaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHH!"_** Arceus's screams echoed throughout the realm. (End song.)

After quickly boarding their aircraft, the heroes watched as many explosions erupted around the Supreme God's body. The mighty god shook and continued to scream as he soon plummeted into the vast darkness below. In only a few moments, he was out of sight. "You know, for a 'Supreme God', Arceus was pretty weak." Pit remarked.

_"Beware. Arceus's true powers have yet to be unleashed."_ Palutena cautioned.

"Of course, it's never this easy." Patton remembered. "Especially since we just got out of a really hard level."

"Everyone: we think we're ready. Return to the platform now." Uxie called out. The ships flew back to gather with the others.

Morgan's unconscious body brimmed with light as everyone stood around with hopeful expressions. The Eight Firstborn made her form levitate and made her stand on her feet. The glowing slowly died as Morgan's eyes opened. Her siblings smiled with relief as they ran to embrace her in a hug. "Morgan!" Buddy exclaimed.

"You're back!" Athena followed.

"Oh, guys? What happened?"

"Phantom Gnaa killed you." Sophie replied. "Or something like that…"

"The Negatar freed Arceus with his darkness, and he destroyed the whole universe." Buddy explained.

Morgan looked around and saw what had indeed become of their universe. "I can see that…"

"And now we need you to fix it." Aang said. "Your love and care for Gnaa might be the only thing to get him back to light. And therefore, destroy the darkness that's consuming Arceus."

"Huh? So you all… believe me now?" Morgan asked.

"Well, we didn't at first." Rachel said. "But the way Gnaa was crying for you like that… maybe he does have a light in there somewhere."

"'Course, not right at this moment." Patton said. "Arceus is sucking Lord Gnaa dry of his dark energy. We knocked him out for now, but any moment, he's gonna-" He was cut short as the realm began trembling. They looked over as Arceus's powerful form emerged from the depths, revived and more powerful than ever as he hissed in tremendous anger. Some laser attacks struck him from behind, and Arceus turned to see the other gods trying to attack him again. Arceus turned and faced them, several mirror-like tablets emerging from his body, each with a different elemental symbol. He used the tablets to forge a barrier around him, flying forth and dealing away with them in no time at all.

"Lady Palutena needs my help!" Pit exclaimed.

"I think we made him angry!" Tails exclaimed.

"But what can we do?" Blaze asked. "Even with Morgan revived, we are nothing to that god's power."

"Aww, come on, Blaze. Don't throw in the towel yet, eh?" Marine said. "Aren't you drongos forgetting something?"

"What's that?"

"Hehe!" Marine smirked. "We 'ave the Chaos and Sol Emeralds!"

"And let's not forget, us Eight Firstborn." Azelf reminded with a smile.

"And as always, the most important thing of all:" Uxie began, "all of you."

"But what can we do? ?" Wally shouted.

"Remember what Rayquaza said before: mortals are stronger than the gods. Only mortal beings know the struggles, the true spirits of life. It was the gods' design that only mortals could wield the Triforce. 'Twas their design that we Firstborn would have to put our safety in the hands of mortal Guardians."

"Mortal beings like yourselves fight for your passions. Fight for your friends." Azelf spoke. "The friends which give you the light. The only reason the scattered pieces of Morgan's heart were reformed was because of how much everyone cared about her to retrieve them."

"And that same love and care will bring the scattered parts of the universe together as well." Mesprit finished. Smiles appeared on all their faces, now filled with encouragement.

At this time, Dr. Eggman was fiddling with his right glasses-lens, several scans showing inside it. "Those mirror tablets seem to be the source of all of Arceus's elemental powers. He originally had them all together before mending the Four Light and Dark Elements into two separate jewels, which were given to the Avatars and Negatars. They seem to be what makes him so invulnerable. If we can destroy them, he may just be weakened again."

"So, le's get up there and kick some can!" Dedede exclaimed.

"Always so eager to jump into action, are we?" Plank remarked.

"But with the powers of the Firstborn, surely we stand a chance. Don't we?" Nova asked.

"That's what I'd like to believe." Cosmo replied.

"Then let's DO it, already!" Shadow demanded, summoning the Seven Chaos Emeralds. "With our powers combined, Arceus doesn't stand a chance. Isn't that right, Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog nodded. "He's right. You all know what this means?"

"SUPAH Forms, baby!" Marine cheered.

"I've been waiting for this for a while." Nigel smirked.

"Then let's do it." Dimentia agreed.

Sonic and Shadow all stood together as the Chaos Emeralds hovered around them. The two hedgehogs touched hands as the Emeralds rapidly spun around and fused with them. Sonic flashed golden and turned into Super Sonic. Shadow did the same and became Super Shadow. Blaze the Cat held the Sol Emeralds together as she walked to stand beside Mario and Luigi. The Italian plumbers touched the Sol Emeralds as well as they all powered up. Blaze alit with the red flames of Burning Blaze, while Mario and Luigi alit with their own fiery forms, dressed in their Fire Flower outfits with capes.

The Firstborn started to power up their Guardians as well. Celebi extended and touched her vines to Nova of Harnita. The girl brimmed brightly with the golden powers of the forest as her hair grew longer, and flower appeared in her hair. Manaphy touched his glowing antennas to Eva Roberts, a spiraling sphere of golden water encasing her as she drew the Phantom Sword, feeling empowered by her Princess Eva form. Jirachi opened his true eye and released his power onto Dimentia, giving her the strength of the stars. Jirachi also released the Golden Light Wisp, letting it absorb into Nigel as the bald Brit became Galaxia Nigel, raising his Galaxia Sword high as the golden cape appeared along his back.

"Kirby!" Meta Knight yelled, tossing Kirby the Warp Star. The pink puff sucked it in and transformed into Super Kirby, the Star Rod glowing brightly in his stubby hand. Mew closed his eyes and touched his psychokinetic hands to Mikaela and Morgan, and the two girls now glowed brightly with powerful psychic energy; Mika was surrounded in pink aura and Morgan in blue aura, and both their eyes glowed with their color. Virginia and Danika exchanged nods as Midna encased them inside a black and orange ball. The two shadowbenders were surrounded by pitch-black aura, hovering just inches above the ground with their super-powered shadow abilities. Rachel, Mandy, and Lehcar touched their Triforce hands together as Azelf touched them with her tails, the Triforce marks exploding with light as the trio was powered by their Triforces again. Mesprit formed a glowing pink heart with her tails and expanded it to catch April and Sonya. The two girls glowed with pink energy, feeling the full force of emotions inside of them.

"What about me?" Matthew Garley asked. Uxie smiled at her Guardian as she surrounded Matthew in some light, in the strange shape of something. "WHOA!" Matt exclaimed, sitting in the cockpit of a small, golden-colored aircraft.

"Now that's a device I can sink my fingers into!" Eggman grinned.

"Does that satisfy?" Uxie asked.

"Oh, yes. They satisfy." Nigel said as they all gazed at the beauty of their super forms.

"Let's go!" Eva cheered. Kade watched beautifully as she flew into the air, leaving a trail of water. Cosmo watched as Nova flew off, Infinity smiled as Dimentia flew off, Yllaw watched excitedly as Lehcar flew off, Danika and Ginny spared kisses to Nolan and Bartie before they flew off, making both boys blush. Rainier watched amazed as Mika flew off, Harvey cheered as Rachel flew off, and Lee and Kim watched happily as Sonya and Matt flew off. All of their friends cheered as the beams of light shot into the sky, going straight for Arceus. (Play the "Solaris Phase 1" Theme from _Sonic 2006_!)

_Boss fight: Arceus, Creator of Elements_

The Supreme God made black holes appear around his form as meteors were launched. Mika and Morgan grabbed as many meteors as they could and hurled them back with psychic, doing little damage against Arceus's barrier as the god countered with more meteors. "You won't be able to penetrate his shield that easy. He's using psychic to conjure it. If you can weaken the psychic tablet that circles him, you might be able to weaken it." Eggman instructed.

"Okay. Dimentia, can you?" Nigel asked.

"I think so." The Zathurian nodded. Nigel flew in closer as meteors were tossed his way, the bald Brit batting them away with his sword toward Dimentia, who used spacebending to conjure portals to suck the meteors in. The portals reopened inside Arceus's barrier as the meteors crashed into his psychic tablet. "It's working!"

Arceus sensed this and started to fly away from them, still trying to send meteors at them. Shadow chased after in his super form and released a storm of Chaos Spears to slow Arceus down. The gold and red hedgehog swiftly avoided the incoming meteors, but failed to dodge one as he was blown away. Super Sonic thankfully caught him as they continued to speed forward. As they saw a storm of meteors coming, the two yelled, "CHAOS CONTROL!" and teleported away. They reappeared right in front of Arceus and combined their Homing Attacks as they spun full-force into his barrier. They weren't able to penetrate the barrier, but they had enough strength to slow Arceus down. The other super-powered heroes were able to catch up as Burning Blaze used her power to charge giant fireballs, sending them at Dimentia, who teleported them. The flames appeared inside the barrier as they crashed and burned the psychic tablet.

Arceus became angered as he roared and blew the hedgehogs away. He whipped around to face the other heroes, sending an airwave from his tail that hit Danika and Virginia. Lehcar dodged the attack and charged lightning in her fingers, sending a powerful bolt at Arceus, only for his barrier to protect. The Supreme God, in return, alit his eyes and sent lightning back her way. Rachel flew and pushed her Negative out of the way before she could be struck. "Try the same as before!" Mika yelled at them, swinging her lightsaber to keep away incoming Psycho Spheres. Lehcar remembered this and charged more lightning while Dimentia conjured a portal, sending the lightning into the portal. The portal reopened beside Arceus's psychic tablet and the lightning struck it, dealing heavy damage.

"The barrier's weakening!" Eggman exclaimed.

"Now is our chance." Nova yelled. She flew toward the barrier and used her power to easily phase through. "This ought to dazzle you." Nova remarked. She hovered around Arceus's face and allowed flower petals to drop from her hair, going into his eyes. Arceus's eyes became weary, the god wobbling a little as the barrier slowly died down.

"That's whatchu call 'girl power'." Virginia said. "Let's give him a little shade, Danika." The two powered shadowbenders flew over the deity's face and unleashed powerful Shadow Breath into his eyes. Arceus shook his head uncontrollably, unable to see as he decided to spew a wave of fire, which the Mario Bros. and Burning Blaze countered with their own waves of spiraling fire. Feeling his attacks weren't doing any good, the angry god used earthbending to grab huge chunks of scattered ground and send them at the firebenders, successfully pushing them away.

"Blaze!" Sonic yelled.

"Mario!" Peach screamed.

"Uh, Luigi?" Luigi questioned.

Arceus was finally able to shake the Shadow Breath off, glaring angrily at the shadow and plantbenders as he charged and unleashed a deafening Fear Scream. The might of the god's screaming forced them to shield their ears, and the four benders fell to the abyss below. However, Arceus's screams were silenced when Matthew fired some pounds of sticky substance from his golden hovercraft, sticking over the god's mouth. Arceus forcibly tried to shake the goo off, but April and Sonya flew by him and used their abilities to calm the god's mind. As they tried to calm him, Sonya flew down beside his neck and petted it gently. "There, there. That's a good pony. There's no reason to be mad. Just calm down, and good Auntie Sonya's gonna make you feel-" But the harmless child was interrupted as Arceus regained control and spun around. "WAAAAHHHH!"

"SONYA!" April screamed as Sonya was blown far away. She turned and readied herself as Arceus glared at her, too late to perform an action as Arceus spun and blew her away with his tail.

**_"You DARE to lay your hands on me? ! You will face justice! !"_**

"Ay-ay-ay, always with justice." Rouge commented.

Arceus turned his head as Nigel Uno flew near him, the Brit readying his sword. Arceus formed up saliva in his mouth before unleashing a giant beam of water at him. However, Eva flew down beside his mouth and blew a giant wave of Ice Breath to instantly freeze the water as it shot out, making a long chunk of ice come at Nigel. The Uno boy rapidly swung his blade to slice the pieces of ice, and once Arceus was out of breath, Kirby decided to fly forth and pierce through the deity's face using his Star Rod.

During all this fighting, Nolan was currently scanning the deity using a device in his wheelchair. "For something forged out of scrap, that's _some_ technology you have, Kid." Eggman complimented.

"It's no H.E.A.D.-S.E.T., but it gets the job done." Nolan replied. "Let's see if this guy has any weak points… Aha, there we go! Hey, Danika! Listen! Arceus is still a little unstable, it looks like. His limbs seem a little loose."

Danika and Virginia avoided a Hyper Beam as Danika yelled down, "HUH?"

"Go for his legs, tail, and neck!"

"WELL, IT'S BETTER THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW." Danika yelled back.

"Hey, how come it seems like there's always something off about his body?" Virginia asked.

"Who cares? As long as it gives him a disadvantage." Nigel replied, holding his sword ready. "I'm going for the tail. Cover me." The bald Brit began shooting like a star, leaving a trail of light as he flew around the deity's body. Before he could get close to the tail, the god teleported and appeared right behind him, sending the Brit flying with a swing from his head. Arceus warped to several feet in front of the heroes as Super Shadow flew down and grabbed Nigel in his hands, carrying him to the god.

"Let me lend you some time." The hedgehog stated as Arceus began charging energy by his mouth. "Chaos CONTROL!" Shadow used his power to make time slow as Arceus began unleashing gigantic clocks with fast-moving hands. Shadow kept hold on Nigel's arm as the two carefully flew through the slow-moving clocks, getting closer to Arceus's form. They were finally able to move around the god's head, letting time flow back to normal as they sped along the back and reached the tail.

"Eeeeee-YAH! !" With one powerful swing of the Galaxia Sword, Arceus's tail was sliced clean off.

**_"Eeeeaaaaahhhhh!"_**

"THAT sure looked like it hurt." Rouge smirked.

"Okay, then just go for the others." Tails told them.

"Yeh! Do it, ya dingos!" Marine cheered.

"A little Moonward-Water Slice wouldn't hurt. Us." Eva remarked. The child looked around and saw the full moon in the distance of this scattered realm. She aimed her Phantom Sword at it to charge up power, but the princess was instantly stunned as Arceus unleashed a deafening Fear Scream. Mandy McKenzie saved Eva by flying beside Arceus's left ear and letting out her own Fear Scream. The god seemed effected by this as he ceased his screaming and slumped over a little. As Eva recovered, the Ocean Princess aimed her sword for the moon and charged power, and once it was fueled, the princess flew down for Arceus's front-right leg. She gathered some water and made a tentacle form along the sword, and as she swung her blade, the combined might of the Water Slice and Moonward Strike was enough to chop off the deity's leg.

April and Sonya were soaring back into the area as Arceus released a cloud of poisonous gas. The two were able to conjure a large, pink heart-shaped bubble to protect them. Sonya drifted around in thought for a minute before finally going down to the platform where Lee stood. "Lee, can I borrow your yo-yo for a second?"

"Mm-hm." Lee nodded, handing her the yo-yo.

"Thanks." With that, Sonya flew back for the god and floated in place. She swung her yo-yo out once and pulled it back. A second time, and pulled it back again. Finally, the Dickson girl swung it out even further as it brimmed with the pink energy. "That works!" Arceus conjured swarms of Psycho Spheres around his head and sent them at Sonya, who simply swung the yo-yo to catch some and send them right back, knocking his head around a little. Finally, the pink girl flew around to his back-right leg. Sonya swung her yo-yo and let it wrap tightly around the leg. Using all her strength to tug the yo-yo's string, she was able to slice the leg into pieces.

Matt quickly dodged as Arceus used earthbending to send flying chunks of rock straight at him, searching his craft for options. "Man, I really wish I knew how to control this thing better." The curator said, pressing random buttons. He looked as an arm came out wielding a baseball bat. "No." He pushed a button that made a hand with a pencil come out. "No." He pushed a button that made a hand wielding a chainsaw reach out, and the chainsaw label read 'God-chopper 5000'. "That'll work!" Matt began his flight path toward the entity's back-left leg, but Arceus tried to keep him away by blowing powerful gusts of wind in the opposite direction. Matt couldn't fight through, but was then able to as Super Sonic got in front of him, countering with his own airbending. Thanks to Sonic, Matt was able to get to the targeted leg with no trouble at all, using the large, golden chainsaw to begin sawing through, and eventually chopping the leg clean off.

Arceus wobbled around greatly as his third leg fell into the abyss like all the others. The parts where his legs and tail previously were were now leaking with white-colored energy. "He's getting weaker." Eggman announced. "Once the last of his limbs are cut off, you can focus attack easier on the elemental tablets."

"O-kay! Morgan, how 'bout a little psycho double-team action, huh?" Mika asked.

"Mm." Morgan smirked and nodded. The two drew out and extended their lightsabers, crossing them in an 'X' and using their power to make them even longer. Once they were long enough, they floated in place and used psychic to levitate the swords, aiming them at the front-left leg and shooting them forth. Arceus tried to catch the sabers in portals, but the girls were able to navigate the swords around said portals as they reached Arceus's leg. The two swords penetrated the leg from opposite ends, making the sabers cut a circle around the leg. They around several times before the leg was cut off completely.

"STEERIKE!" Nigel exclaimed. "Just one more to go!"

"OOOOFF WITH 'IS 'EEAAAD!" Marine screamed.

"You've been dying to say that, haven't you?" Elijah asked.

"Hehe!" Marine grinned.

"Well, girls?" Rachel smirked to her Triforce-holder allies. "Whaddya say we behead an old god for his crimes?"

"Ahh, beheadin'. A no-more perfect way to die." Lehcar smiled with joy.

"Let's finish this." Mandy ordered. "Like before, girls, take it from the top." The three touched their swords together as Fi began charging the energy for the Sealing Tri-strike, at the same time Arceus was charging energy for a Hyper Beam, and also making meteors fly at the trio. The girls carefully avoided the meteors as the energy slowly built up in their swords.

**_"I shall deliver justice to all!"_**

"Like we're gonna take justice from a 'My Little Pony'." Rachel remarked.

"Strange as it sounds to say, I'm quite fond of that show." Lehcar stated.

"I know, right?" Rachel smirked.

"The only one getting justice today is you." Mandy claimed.

_"The time has come, Master. As you did before, unleash your powers in the form of a Sealing Tri-strike."_

"HIYAH! !" The Triforce-wielders shot forward and pierced their blades into the neck of Arceus.

**_"DAH! ! !"_**

"WE DID IT! !" Rachel exclaimed, shooting her fist into the air as the head came flying off of Arceus.

"Hn-now we can focus on the mirrors!" Sonic exclaimed.

**_"Dwaaahh… uck… ulp…"_** Arceus weakly choked for breath as his head spiraled and fell into the abyss. (End song.)

The limbless body of Arceus fell to the darkness and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The heroes watched as the severed head, eyes leaking with energy, slowly fell into the abyss after it. (Play the "Xemnas Phase 3" Theme from _Kingdom Hearts II_!) However, just as they thought they were victorious, a spiraling column of darkness sprouted from below and latched itself to the head. A colossal tornado of darkness began to surround the area as the heroes flew in closer. In a matter of seconds, Arceus had gained a brand new body, in which his head was surrounded by 12 tentacles, which had each been formed over the elemental tablets. He was able to swing the tentacles and blow the heroes far into the abyss.

"They could probably use our help." Nolan figured.

"All aboard!" Ava yelled, jumping in her Heart Star. Kami boarded the Heart Star's roof, Nolan got onto Gary's ship, Shaunie got onto Luvbi's Angel Wing, and Jagar jumped down onto the Lightning Chariot as Pit and Dark Pit flew it by. All heroes flew at high speeds for the colossal entity, rapidly dodging as more energy-made tentacles tried to whack them out of the air. Arceus succeeded as the aircraft spiraled out of control, but the heroes riding the roofs were luckily able to jump off and land inside the forehead of Arceus, which had been blown open. Shaunie, Kami, Jagar, and Nolan now stood on the brain of Arceus, facing the evil Negatar as he was latched to the god's brain. The four heroes all raised their preferred arms as Keyblades spawned in their hands, aiming their weapons at the Dark Master. Negatar Gnaa smirked at the Keyblade-wielders and prepared to fight them, his eyes still glowing purple.

_Boss fight: Arceus, Ruler of All_

The Keyblade Masters began avoiding as Gas Bombs were dropped down at them, and Shaunie ran forth to lay the first few hits against the Negatar. Shaunie back-flipped and dodged before Gnaa could stun him with psychic, and Kami avoided Fear Spheres as she kicked off the walls towards Gnaa, laying more blows against him. When Nolan tried to shoot missiles at the Negatar, Gnaa surrounded himself in a psychic barrier and used his power to blow the heroes straight out of the cockpit, surrounding the entire entity inside a barrier.

"Gaahh!-" As Kami fell into the abyss below, she was suddenly saved upon landing on a ship. She looked down and realized she landed on the Flying Krock. "King K. Rool?"

"This will be one of very few times this happens, Kami." Kroctus replied. At the same time, Shaunie held onto Bowser's Koopa Clown Car, Jagar rode with Rumpel on his goose, and Nolan was caught on Gwen and Doug's S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P., the four crafts starting to fly back for Arceus.

**_"The night's power (power)…"_** Arceus spoke as he used psychic to grab more scattered buildings and meteors, and send them flying to the heroes. **_"Darkness… is… ETERNAAALLL!"_** Rumpel swiftly avoided the projectiles as Jagar used his Keyblade to freeze some in time. Several Fear Spheres were coming at Bowser, but Shaunie twirled his Keyblade and kept the flying spheres away. **_"Shaunie Fulbright… are you afraid of the darkness?"_**

Another building was coming at them, but Shaunie leapt off the Koopa Car and aimed his Keyblade, using the pointed end to hold the building back as it nearly pushed him into Bowser's floating craft. As Shaunie struggled to hold the building back, Bowser lent the Irish lad a hand and rammed himself right at the building, successfully shoving it against the giant barrier.

Some more Gas Bombs were flying at Rumpel and Jagar, but Rumpel cast spells from his wand and turned the Gas Bombs pink, causing them to give a more pleasant odor as they didn't explode at all. **_"Jagar King… do you wish to erase the troubles of your past?"_**

Jagar ignored this as another building was flying at them. The timebender used his Time Stop to freeze the building in place, then used Rewind to make it fly right back at Arceus, able to destroy his barrier.

**_"NyyyyyyyaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHH!"_** The Keyblade-wielders were able to make it to the brain again and do battle against the Negatar. Gnaa remained attached to the brain pillar as he burped more Gas Bombs at the heroes, but they continued to dodge as Nolan shot missiles at the Negatar. After inflicting enough damage, they all watched as a row of Darkness Cannons appeared above the Negatar. They hurriedly dodged around as the cannons began firing, and Nolan gasped as one of the cannons was able to strike him.

_Nolan appeared inside a plain of darkness, seeing that no one else was around. **"Nolan York… are you certain the Kids Next Door can be trusted?"** Before his very eyes, a swarm of Koda Shrieves appeared around and started trying to strike him with knives. Nolan quickly rolled away and used his Keyblade to fight back against the army of Figures. They were leaping from all around, but Nolan was still able to fight them all off._

The crippled boy awakened as Lord Gnaa appeared stunned, quickly rolling forward to lay a few strikes with his Keyblade. When Gnaa recovered, he made a barrier appear that blew Nolan back. The Dark Master then released a cloud of Shadow Breath from his mouth, blinding everyone in the blackness. Kami lit up part of the area with her Keyblade, and began quickly dodging as shadowy arms tried to reach up and grab her. Kami performed a few spin attacks with her Keyblade and noticed Gnaa's eyes glowing in the darkness. The Drilovsky girl ran in the direction of the eyes and laid successful strikes upon Gnaa's form, causing the area to light up to normal color again.

Lord Gnaa had Kami blown away, then shot dark lasers at the other heroes before they could run and attack him. The Dark Master released a cloud of toxic green gas from his mouth, clouding the whole area. The four quickly held their breaths to avoid breathing the toxic. Jagar used timebending to slow down time and ran over to Gnaa, laying a few strikes. Time reverted to normal as Gnaa blew Jagar away. Kami kept her hand cupped over her mouth as she tried to see through the gassy smog, but was too late to move as a Darkness Cannon fired and knocked her out.

_Kami appeared inside that same plain of darkness, watching as a swarm of Olivia Johnson replicas appeared out of nowhere. **"Kami Drilovsky… to think how worthless you are… compared with the aliens."** Kami scoffed and rolled her eyes before beginning to cut away the squad of Olivia clones. Two of the clones spewed slime from behind, but Kami jumped and tossed her Keyblade like a boomerang at them, swiftly catching it in her hand as the clones vanished. She back-flipped several times as more clones spewed at her, zooming over and slicing them with her Keyblade again._

Pretty soon, the vision vanished, and Kami was back in reality. The toxic smog was also gone as Lord Gnaa appeared stunned. The four heroes quickly ran over and delivered all the beatings they could against him. Lord Gnaa suddenly recovered, summoning a force of powerful psychic energy once more before blowing them all away. The heroes took land on the same ships as before, but Arceus's fire and poison tentacles shot over and mixed together on Rumpel's goose, exploding and causing him and Jagar to plummet.

"AHH- Ouh!" Jagar grunted, landing in the arms of Yuki Crystal. He smiled and nodded as Yuki set him down and held him by the arm. They skied along an ice path that Yuki was creating.

**_"Rage… is everything… The gods are… immortal…"_** Arceus spoke softly. Yuki and Jagar skied along the ice as they made their way to the god, who was sealed safe inside a barrier again. The mighty god swung his stone tentacle to smash the ice path, but the two jumped and landed on another ice road and kept moving. Arceus launched his shadow tentacle to smash the two, but Nolan, Gwen, and Doug flew by on their S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. as Nolan launched a beam of light from his Keyblade, slowing the tentacle down and making it retreat. **_"Yuki Crystal… can people really love such a cold heart?"_**

Yuki scoffed and kept skiing with Jagar. The watery tentacle was launching at them, but Yuki quickly blew a ray of ice and froze it to an ice cube just in time. The flaming tentacle was also coming, but Jagar used Time Brake to slow it down, allowing Yuki to release enough ice to make it go back. Meanwhile, the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. was rapidly barrel-rolling to avoid all of the incoming Fear and Psycho Spheres. Nolan spun his Keyblade around to try, and successfully, bat the spheres back against the barrier. **_"Gwen and Douglas… are you _sure _you're not jealous of the metahumans?"_**

Eventually, Yuki and Jagar were able to reach the psychic barrier. Yuki immediately began pouring all his strength into blowing ice around the force field, but Arceus used his strength to send the two blowing away. **_"Why do you resist… the void? All humans… must perish…"_**

Shaunie kept hold onto Bowser's Koopa Clown as they flew in closer. Arceus used psychic to send another building their way, but Bowser kept it back using his strength. However, Arceus sent a bunch of meteors flying their way again, and the Clown Car was destroyed as Bowser and Shaunie took the fall. "GRAAARRR!"

Kami held tight to K. Rool's Flying Krock as they swerved around the meteors, but didn't notice when a Psycho Sphere zipped over and exploded their ship in one hit. "AAAHHHH…"

Kami was rescued when April and Morgan suddenly arrived and grabbed her by the arms, still in their super forms. At the same time, Mario and Luigi were coming up, with Shaunie in Mario's arms. Kami was gently set on Ava and Kweeb's ship, whom had risen back from the fall, and Shaunie on Luvbi's ship. They all looked up as the space tentacle of Arceus was closing in to crush them. Thankfully, Super Shadow appeared in its path just then, "CHAOS… SPEAR!", launching a swarm of Chaos Spears to keep the tentacle at bay.

"Let's try again." Jagar said, he and Yuki surfing along another ice path, quickly reaching the barrier again. Eva Roberts also flew by their side as she and Yuki released a breath of ice against the shield. Jagar used his timebending to speed up their flow of time, so the barrier became frozen much quicker. Jagar was still struggling to keep his hold on the Time Speed. To his relief, the Ice Climbers had surfed over on their own ice path, Olive and Misty by their sides as they helped Jagar to speed up time. Eventually, a large chunk of the barrier was frozen solid. This gave Nolan the opportunity to fire a laser from his wheelchair and blast an opening into the barrier. Shaunie and Kami found two more discarded buildings floating through space, using the strength of their Keyblades to bounce it at the force field and cause it to collapse.

**_"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!"_** Arceus growled with extreme anger and aggravation. **_"It is all hopeless… mortals are doomed… to falter."_**

_"Hmph, now you finally understand?"_ Medusa remarked.

"You SHUT your mouth, Medusa!" Pit yelled.

"Come on. Let's finish him off!" Super Sonic announced. He and the rest of the super-powered heroes flew all around Arceus's form, laying as many attacks as they could.

From the distant floating islands, the rest of the remaining heroes still watched the fight draw out. "Aw, man. At this rate, we'll never beat Arceus." Abby complained. "Are they even doing any real damage?"

"Arceus is staying active by absorbing the powers of Negatar Gnaa." Meta Knight spoke in his thick Spanish accent. "And Gnaa is glued to Arceus's brain as if he were an actual cell. If Arceus's brain were to suffer extreme damage, Gnaa could be removed. It may not destroy Arceus, but it can temporarily cancel out his power."

"And once Gnaa is free, Morgan can try and talk some sense into him." Abby figured.

"But how are we gonna short out that ginormous brain?" Wally yelled. "It's almost bigger than mine!"

"Maybe give him tips on some of yo' homework." Numbuh 5 mumbled.

"A brain that big, he'll never go down." Jeremiah stated.

"But we gotta do SOMETHIN'! My sister can't last forever!" Leopold whined.

"Hmm…" Matthew Dimalanta just stood in thought as Yin stood beside him, looking worriedly.

"Pssst. Oh, Matthew!"

"Huh?" They all turned as the Poison Spirit, Hexxus made his presence known.

"The easiest way to cause someone brain damage is an unhealthy dose of poison! And with a brain that big, it'll take a whole lot. My strengths aren't enough, but combined with YOUR powers, I'm sure it'll be a snap! We'll mix our Poisonous Fury, and destroy every living brain cell in Arceus's form."

"If you really think it'll work, let's do it!" Matt decided.

"Just one problem." Hexxus smirked, raising a finger. "To fully combine both of our powers would require ME possessing your body. Such an act has risks, as I can only stay in your body for one minute. Otherwise, our power may be too much for a human. The Poison Fury could KILL you. And using my full speed, it SHOULD take at least 1 minute to get over there.

"I guess it's worth a shot." This statement made Yin and Sector V gasp. "Let's go and do it."

"Matthew, no!" Yin grabbed Matt's hands and looked in his eyes. "You can't risk yourself like that! We can think of something else."

"I don't have a choice, really. I have to do this. I'm sorry."

"Matthew." Violet, Bruce, Katie, and Luna ran by his side, worried expressions on their faces that told him not to do this.

"Take care of the sector for me, Luna." He smiled. "And Yin…" he turned to face his crush, "make sure the guys stay out of trouble."

Yin stared worriedly for a few seconds before pulling him in for a kiss. They released after a few moments, and Matthew went over beside Hexxus. "Let's go!"

"Okay, then!" Hexxus took the boy in both of his hands and held him high in the air. Matt began to channel the poisons from Hexxus into his own body, and surround himself in a cloud of toxic. Hexxus and Matthew combined their powers, growing into a gigantic cloud of pure, foul poison, which had Matthew's gas-made head on top, his eyes and mouth oozing with red, fiery substance. The operatives and heroes watched as the gas cloud was slowly closing itself in on Arceus's mighty form. While the rest of the super forms were busy fighting the deity, they took notice when the huge cloud of gases passed by them. Arceus and Negatar Gnaa focused their sights on the strange being. Gnaa began to show an expression of horror as the cloud of poisons drew closer and closer. Matthew's huge, poisonous hands gripped the sides of the open forehead, his head leaning into the brain where Lord Gnaa stood.

_"God of the Universe, your reign ends here. Enjoy the rest of eternity without a brain, you damn pony."_ Matthew's mouth opened wide, leaning inches away from the stem of Arceus's brain. Slowly, the stem was consumed in the mouth of the toxic entity, and the massive brain of Arceus already started to decay.

**_"NnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHH…"_** (End song.)

The life from Arceus's eyes began to fade away as smoke erupted from the god's brain. The super-powered heroes watched with caution, not expecting it to end so easily. From the fumes of the poison, a light shone, and a golden-green beam shot like a star from the brain, and flew straight into Avatar Aang's body as he waited on the platforms. The airbending monk felt the great powers of the Avatar flowing back inside him, feeling the strength of all the Elements of Light and his past lives. The light dimmed after a few seconds, allowing Aang and his friends to study his form. "Whoa…"

"Your powers. They're back!" Sokka exclaimed.

"But… Matthew…" Yin looked with sadness.

"He made the necessary sacrifice." Yang stated simply.

Numbuh 2 walked over to Abby and whispered, _"He can't really be dead, can he? I mean, remember when we met our future kids?"_

_"Oh, yeah. His was there, too. Yeah, he's fine."_ Abby whispered back.

The other heroes kept watch on the toxic fumes when a glow of darkness made itself known. The dark aura shot like lightning out from the fumes, and Aang's eyes widened as it was coming at him. "UWAAH!" the baldhead screamed, blown away when the dark ball crashed beside him. The dark figure stood and revealed himself to be Negatar Gnaa, glowing with his evil aura as he glared at his counterpart.

_"Well done, heroes… you have succeeded marvelously in thwarting my plans to use Arceus's power. But this. Isn't. Over… The universe was doomed the very moment of his awakening. It is, on our very last of moments… that I claim victory over the all-powerful Avatar!"_ (Play the "Anakin vs. Obi-wan" soundtrack from _Star Wars III_!) Lord Gnaa roared with the energy of his ancestors as fumes of toxic gas began to surround his form. The surrounding shadows left their posts from behind objects or people and took part in the spiraling cyclone. The Negatar was then surrounded by psychic energy, followed by the red aura of fear from his own screams. Negatar Gnaa was once again powered by the five Elements of Darkness.

Avatar Aang already began to follow his actions, brimming with the powers of his predecessors as he was surrounded in a cyclone of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Aang's friends and allies watched with anticipation as both powerful figures faced each other with fierce expressions. The two cyclones of energy backed up, then collided with each other before beginning to brawl.

_Boss fight: Negatar Gnaa_

Gnaa started with the first wave of rocks thrown via psychic, and Aang countered with rocks from his own earthbending. The two spheres of energy rammed powerfully into one-another before Gnaa spat a wave of toxic waste at his double, but Aang moved his head to the side just in time. The Avatar levitated more rocks and flung them at his Negative, but Lord Gnaa teleported before the rocks could hit. Aang felt the Negatar appear behind him and dodged before Gnaa could crush him with a large shadow fist. Aang bended some water into an equally large fist and started punching against Gnaa's.

In the background, Nigel, Morgan, and Danika, still in super forms, watched this battle play out. "You think we should help him?" Danika asked.

"No. This is Aang's fight now." Nigel told her.

Morgan only looked with concern as the Avatar laid several more punches against his Negative. "Someone needs help."

"Morgan, wait!" Nigel called as his cousin flew toward the battle site.

Aang flew above Gnaa and used a powerful gust of wind to force him to the ground. Aang was about to crash against the Negatar using a stone shield alit with fire, but as he was only feet away, Morgan flew in his path and blocked Aang with a psychic barrier. "Morgan!" Aang exclaimed.

Gnaa uncovered his glowing eyes in surprise. _"You're... alive."_

"Yes, I came back. To help you."

The energy around Gnaa slowly died down. But before it could get far, Gnaa's shadow shot up from below him and pushed the girl away. _"Don't listen to her, Master. She doesn't care about you. Not like I do..."_

Almost instantly, Gnaa got his strength back. He shot back into the air and shoved his counterpart away. Aang released a ray of fire from his lungs, and Gnaa countered with poisons that exploded upon impact. The whole area was engulfed in smoke and fog as Morgan stood and looked around. She screamed when Phantom Gnaa shot over and tackled her from behind. _"You will not interfere." _he insisted, shoving her against the ground.

"ERRYAAH!" Morgan cried, blowing the phantom away with an expanding barrier. She blew the smoke away as well, watching as Gnaa pelted Aang with some Fear Spheres, which zoomed around and closed in from all directions. Morgan ran closer to the Negatar and yelled, "The phantom doesn't care about you. He's manipulating you into doing what he wants. He acts like he's your servant, but it's really you he's controlling like some puppet master."

_"You're wrong."_ Gnaa stated, unleashing a dark laser upon Aang, forcing him against a wall and quickly making a crater. The phantom pushed Morgan away again, grabbing her by the arms and bashing her against the ground several times. Morgan quickly teleported behind the shadow and struck him with her lightsaber, turning as Aang and Gnaa locked arms and tried to shove each other, until Lord Gnaa was shoved to the ground. Morgan looked with worry, but Gnaa recovered and dodged before Aang could blow fire on him. Phantom Gnaa got up and grabbed Morgan from behind, trying to choke her as he slammed her into a wall. Morgan drew out her saber and swung behind, making the phantom duck, and the shadow kept dodging as Morgan kept swinging.

"You're a liar, Phantom! Admit it!"

Phantom Gnaa drew out the shadow version of Gnaa's Keyblade and clashed against her lightsaber. _"I am a shadow. I am doing what the gods have ordered, and serving my Master."_ The two engaged in a clash of their blades, with Morgan having to back away from Phantom's quick swings.

"If you were a decent shadow, you'd lead him on the right path."

_"I lead my Master on the path that was set for him. His destiny is established. THIS is his destiny. And now you will meet yours!"_ Morgan dodged and avoided the phantom's Fear Scream. She kept running as Phantom gave chase, launching Psycho Spheres and exploding areas ahead of her. She shielded her face from the smoke, quickly drawing her saber when the phantom emerged and tried to strike her.

Aang unleashed a huge watery wave at his counterpart, but Gnaa countered with his own wave of toxic. The two opposing elements mixed together in a swirling cyclone, becoming a huge sphere of both substances. Both super-beings used all their strength to force the combo sphere at the other, but in the end, both forces sent the sphere shooting to the ground, exploding into a rain of water and poison. Aang became slightly damaged by the hazards, unable to avoid as Gnaa shot over and forced him against a wall. Gnaa used his psychokinesis to make the wall above Aang collapse even further, until the Avatar was buried in rubble. Aang used his abilities to rise from the rubble, levitating the rocks and shooting them at his double. Gnaa took several pelts until he was blown away by a larger rock, crashing his head against another wall. He recovered and started to launch Fear Spheres at Aang, who swiftly dodged and avoided them before spinning around and unleashing a shockwave of fire.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Phantom clashed their blades powerfully against the other, totally desperate to attack the other. The two jumped away from each other as Phantom used psychic to grab a boulder and hurl it at Morgan, who ducked, then gasped as Phantom immediately shot over and swung his Keyblade. Morgan pushed away with her lightsaber just in time, but lost the strength to defend as Phantom shot around and struck from behind. "Oww!" she yelped, falling to her knees. She looked up, panting as the phantom held a wicked smirk. She instantly swung her lightsaber and clashed some more, able to deal a blow across Phantom's chest. She turned as Gnaa had once again slammed Aang into a ruined building, switching off her saber as she spoke-

"Think about it, Gnaa. Why do you think everyone risked their lives to save me? They did it for you. Because they knew I was right. They know… you have good in you, too."

_"GRAAH!"_ Phantom immediately recovered and swung his Keyblade, and Morgan was quick to clash back.

Gnaa watched as Aang rose back to the air from his spot. _"You know, she has a point. Why else would they go through all that crud?"_

Morgan grabbed Phantom with psychic and forced him against a ruin, making said ruin crumble into rubble on top of him. "They saved the Firstborn and brought me back because they knew I could help you. They knew I was the only one who could bring you to the light. They know you belong to the light, Gnaa, and the darkness just wishes to control you."

_"LIES!"_ Phantom yelled, rising from his spot. Before he could attack, Aang launched several stones at his form and sent him flying.

"The phantom used you from the beginning, to throw the universe into his darkness. He made you believe you were never meant for good, so you would be a perfect body of darkness. And what's more, he even tricked you into liking me in the hopes your heart would be broken. Now, what kind of friend does that?"

_"Who will you listen to, Master? The one who has been with you all this century, or the over-imaginative girl who doesn't care about you?"_

"I care enough to know where his heart REALLY lies. Come on, Gnaa. Ditch this shadow, and stop what you're doing. You can still rescue the universe with your light!"

_"HIS light has faded long ago!"_

"GYAAH!" Morgan cried as Phantom blasted her with Force Lightning and brought her to her knees.

_"But I believe YOUR light has overstayed its welcome. So let's see where your precious faith gets you NOW!"_

"GAAAH!" Morgan continued screaming with extreme pain as the phantom unleashed a storm of Force Lightning. Negatar Gnaa could only watch with horror as his love endured extreme suffering. Aang tried to save her, but the phantom unleashed a quick Fear Scream, painful enough to stun the Avatar.

_"Master! The time is now! Take victory over your counterpart and retrieve his jewel, so that we may empower Arceus again!"_

"N-No!" Morgan cried, still shaking with extreme shock. "Destroy… the phantom…"

Gnaa looked back and forth between Aang and Morgan, unable to decide.

_"MASTER!"_ cried the phantom, _"Your destiny is to destroy the universe with Arceus. It always has been, ever since the original Negatar attacked him long ago. He set in motion the path which YOU must complete. Finish it. NOW…"_

"His destiny… isn't.. set.. in stone." Morgan grunted once more. "He can.. decide.. which path to follow…"

_"Then choose, Master. Which will it be? Your grand vengeance against all who have shunned you… or pitiful friends who will only betray you later? Choose it! NOW!"_

Gnaa was still struggling. Morgan flashed brightly, her bones beginning to show from the endless assault of lightning. The anger and hatred from Phantom Gnaa's demanding eyes looked desperate. Gnaa saw no real sign of care in Phantom's eyes or voice. Not like he did Morgan's. She seemed to be the only one to care about him all this time. He almost _did_ feel a special feeling in his heart when she spoke to him. Not from Phantom. A feeling almost like… _light_! A _true_ feeling… not anything his darkness could've provided. He made his decision.

_"GYAAAHHH!"_ Phantom Gnaa was immediately met with a storm of Force Lightning. Morgan fell free from the spirit's grasp, turning with amazement as Lord Gnaa unleashed the power against his traitorous shadow. Phantom weakly turned, raising his Keyblade and doing his best to absorb and redirect the lightning from his master's hands. Gnaa struggled against the added force from his shadow, switching out his Keyblade and fighting the lightning back. The land on the floating islands in the Scattered Realms flashed brighter than ever from the collision of two forces of Force Lightning. The encounter lasted for a few more minutes. Finally, Phantom Gnaa was overcome by his master's power, and was sent flying through several ruins before crashing and becoming buried in rubble.

Lord Gnaa panted in tiredness, lowering his guard. Morgan smiled with pride and happiness in her eyes, too weak to stand up. The rest of her siblings jumped down just then, and Buddy and Athena proceeded to lift her up. "We'll take it from here."

Aang and Gnaa nodded, and The Quads flew away. Aang and Gnaa exchanged glances and nodded before looking toward the fallen shadow. Phantom Gnaa groaned as he recovered from his spot, gasping as Aang and Gnaa stood over him, still brimming with terrific powers.

_"IT'S OVER, PHANTOM GNAA."_ Both powers announced in monotone voices.

Phantom Gnaa looked to the distorted heavens and smirked. (End song.) The phantom shot into the heavens, and everyone watched as he flew over to Arceus, disappearing inside the fuming brain.

"What's he doing? !" Super Sonic exclaimed.

The poisonous fumes began to disappear as the brain was engulfed inside of a shadow. The mighty god began to recover to his feet as his form became much blacker with shadow. A terrifying face appeared over Arceus's, the face of the dreaded phantom himself. The Supreme God was fully recovered, howling into the cosmic heavens with supreme power and darkness.

The Avatar and Negatar gaped with total shock. They shook it off and faced back at each other, exchanging serious nods. The two super-powers hovered to the air and shined more brightly than ever. Before everyone's eyes, the images of all the other Avatars and Negatars appeared beside their respective current generation.

_"It's time to put our differences aside."_ Avatar Roku announced.

_"Whatever, old man."_ Negatar Ukor replied.

Negatar Ihsoyk looked with disgust at her Positive's outfit. _"Uugh! Is THAT what I wear in the other universe?"_

_"Shut up."_ Kyoshi told her.

All Avatars and Negatars mixed into their respective body as Aang and Gnaa touched hands. In seconds, the two powers were fused together into one body that flashed the colors of green, yellow, and purple. The body of power was surrounded by a cyclone of the Light Elements, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, mixed with the Dark Elements, Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear. He was now Kingdom Elements. In his right hand was the Keyblade of Light, and in his left hand, the Keyblade of Hearts. The fused being twirled his blades and clashed them before aiming them at the hideous incarnation. Aang and Gnaa flew beside their fellow super-beings as all readied to battle the entity again. They flew dead-on to the Supreme God, and the final battle begun.

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><p><strong>HOO, this boss was NOTHING compared to that stage. So yes, Lord Gnaa is good now, big surprise. So next time, the true final battle will begin, and we will have saved the universe. <em>Legend of the Eight Firstborn<em> will be done forever, isn't that great? ! ? …Eh, I'm sad now. ): Later.**


	86. The Storm of Elements

**Well, peoples: the battle of battles is finally here. So it's time to play the most epic music in this story: play the "His World Final Destination" Remix from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_! Here we go!**

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><p><strong><em>May the Light Pierce Darkness! The Universe Explodes With Rebirth!<em>**

_Final boss: Final Entity_

The Final Entity sent the first series of meteors at the Avatar-Negatar, the elemental being spinning rapidly to fling them away with his Keyblades. The Supreme God blew out a row of tornados, catching the Avatar inside, but Kingdom Elements expanded an air barrier to free himself, shooting said barrier at Arceus's face. Arceus shook his head from the wind as Super Sonic shot forward and dealt several Home Attacks to his face. Super Shadow flew around the god and released Chaos Spears at his form, damaging him from all sides as Final Entity charged up a Hyper Beam, unleashing it, and barely missing Super Shadow.

"Regular attacks won't do much good now." Eggman spoke to them. "You need to find a way to expose his Elemental Plates, then attack them."

"But that thing's impervious to every element out there. How can we do that?" Tails asked.

"Wait!" Rouge spoke up. "What if they attack him with elements that are the opposite of what he's using?"

"It could work." Nolan replied. "You hear that, guys? Try attacking with the opposite element he's using!"

"So, if he's using Air, then it should be Earth." Toph figured.

_"Let's go for it!"_ Kingdom Elements called. The super-being grabbed several chunks of earth from the realms and shot them toward the deity's mouth as it was releasing wind. They were able to knock his face around and cease his blowing, but the god started hurling bigger chunks of earth. Super Sonic spun around and tried to send tornados at him, but he wasn't able to catch the chunks as they hit and sent him flying.

"No good. Opposite elements aren't enough." Lucario observed. "Air isn't strong enough to counter Earth."

"But Earth is weak against Water!" Eva smirked as she spun a watery cyclone and used it to smack the god like a whip. Arceus was knocked around a bit, ceasing his throwing, and Eva was able to forge a long, icy shard and use it to deal blows against Arceus's face.

"Well, look who memorizes their Pokémon so well!" Matt Garley smirked.

"Evan Lucky Rogers has quite a few tricks up her sleeve." Eva replied proudly.

"No ripping off me." Morgan told her.

"It's not over, yet." Mika reminded. "Let's keep at it." The Filipino charged a series of giant Psycho Spheres in her hands and hurled them toward the supreme being, and Arceus took a few hits before creating a psychokinetic barrier around him. Nigel and Burning Blaze flew around and threw flames at the barrier, but Arceus stood his ground as he launched dark lasers from his mouth, blowing the pyrokinetics away.

"What would psychic be weak against?" Danika asked.

"What weakens The Force best of all, Danika?" Wesley Dodds called. "A troubled mind."

"In other words, some fearbending." Mandy figured, flying beside the god's face. Mandy released a powerful Fear Scream, making Arceus wince a little as the force-field slightly cracked. Arceus weakly charged a Hyper Beam in his mouth, but Kingdom Elements released an even stronger Fear Scream, causing the barrier to shatter as Arceus roared in pain.

The god quickly teleported behind the Ava-Negatar and whipped him away with Iron Tail. Dimentia and Kirby kept trying to send Shooting Stars at him, but Arceus kept warping and zapping them with Space Lightning. "Nothing contradicts Space better than Time. Now is YOUR chance, Shadow." Meta Knight announced.

"Chaos CONTROL!" Shadow unleashed his powers at the Supreme God before he could teleport, freezing him in time. Super Shadow and Lehcar then flew beside each other as they went around the god and unleashed their dark powers. Eventually, the Time Stop wore off, and Arceus felt the pain come on. The mighty god made a cyclone of water circle his form, expanding around the realm to push the heroes away. Eva quickly shielded herself in her own water barrier, but couldn't protect as Arceus released a breath of ice, freezing her in place.

While the water still encased everybody, Lehcar and Dimentia immediately released their lightning powers, and Arceus took a painful shock as the water faded away. Arceus still shook electrical currents as Nigel and Rachel flew in and dealt a series of strikes against his visage. Arceus recovered and shook his head, blowing the two swordsmen away. Arceus begun to hurl a wave of toxic waste from his mouth, which the two dodged. The toxic was coming at Virginia and Danika, but the two shadowbenders released a large wind of Shadow Breath, which was strong enough to keep the poison back, the black mixing into the green. As the ball of poison and shadow spiraled together, Kingdom Elements grabbed the sphere and tossed it at Arceus's face. Arceus barely looked effected by the attack as he released a faster wave of toxic waste, which the shadows quickly dodged. Burning Blaze and the Mario Bros. hovered beside the toxic and released a spiraling beam of fire, coming in contact with the poison and creating a massive explosion, which was channeled directly to Arceus.

The god was blown back, coughing smoke out as Nova flew at him. Nova used her power to shoot a series of acorns into Arceus's mouth, causing tons of trees to and plants to grow along his form. Nova used her enhanced Animal Telepathy to summon swarms of bees to eat the pollens off his flowers, and cows and giraffes rained down from the heavens to devour his grass and leaves, preventing Arceus from moving well.

_"Looks like nature is taking its course."_ Palutena joked.

"Too bad Viridi ain't here to see this!" Pit replied.

That's when Matt Garley flew across the god's body and released a cloud of bug spray and insecticide across the fungus-like forest, killing every living thing that dwelled on it. The decay of all the life caused Arceus to get weak, so the two hedgehogs took advantage of this to lock hands and combine their Home Attacks, launching with full force at the deity's face. They pierced straight through, and Arceus roared and hollered with pain.

The god quickly reformed his face and glared at the other heroes. He inhaled some breath through his lungs and released a humongous cloud of Shadow Breath, fogging and blinding everyone. Danika easily countered with her own Light Shadow Breath, pushing against Arceus's and illuminating the area. The two opposing breaths fought each other until Danika's prevailed, the light coming in contact with Arceus's eyes and blinding his vision. Rachel and Eva then proceeded to charge their Moonward and Skyward Strikes and send them at the eyes, harming them even further.

"Yeah! Keep at it! He doesn't stand a chance against you guys!" Patton cheered.

"Why do we keep calling it a 'he', anyway?" Fanny asked. "How do we know Arceus isn't a girl?"

"What're you talking about, of course he's a boy. He sounds like a boy." Patton argued.

"Maybe her voice is just broken." Fanny refuted.

"That's just stupid. It's a boy!"

"Girl!"

"Boy!"

"Girl!"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP IT? !" Scarlet shouted.

"Save your bickering 'til AFTER we save the world." Violet told them.

"Fine, fine. …_Boy."_

_"Girl."_

Arceus shook from his pain and immediately unleashed another Hyper Beam, missing Nigel and Kirby as the two struck him with the power of their sword/Star Rod. Mikaela flew in closer and formed a psychic shield over the deity's face, adding in more force to shrink the barrier and suffocate him. Arceus quickly broke free of the barrier and unleashed a Fear Scream at Mika, deafening her and making her drop. The Filipino was saved in the arms of Rachel, who quickly flew them away. Arceus kept releasing the Fear Scream at everyone, but April and Sonya were able to fly around and use emotionbending to calm the Supreme God, stopping his screaming. During his stunned state, Kingdom Elements flew at the deity and laid a beating upon his visage with his Keyblades, dealing heavy damage as Arceus flew away.

Arceus sent flaming meteors raining down from the heavens, but Mika grabbed them in her psychic and shot them at the deity's body. After taking in the meteors, Arceus released a wave of burning magma from his mouth, burning any platforms it came in contact with. Eva did her best to counter the magma with water, but it proved too strong, so the princess flew away. Kingdom Elements used a mix of fire and earthbending to grab the magma and blend it into a ball. They sent the ball at Arceus, at the same time they coughed a giant Gas Bomb in the same direction. The Gas Bomb hit the magma and erupted a gigantic explosion, covering the Supreme God in smoke. When the smoke cleared, Kingdom Elements dodged just in time to avoid another wave of magma. Eva kept trying to splash water on it, but she thankfully had some help from Super Sonic, the two mixing air and waterbending to successfully make the magma freeze into stone.

_"Eraaugh…"_ Kingdom Elements grunted, barely able to hold the incredibly long stone. _"Anyone wanna lend a hand?"_

"Ready, Angie?" Toph asked the 7-year-old.

"MMM!" Angie fist-pumped. The two earthbenders stomped the ground and flew headfirst toward the humongous earth chunk as Aang and Gnaa held it. They quickly tilted the other way and crashed their bare feet into the stone, sending the massive earth directly at Arceus's face. The mighty god was pushed away upon impact, the entire rock crumbling against his form as Arceus shook back to his vision. Nigel, Rachel, and Eva were flying for him, touching together as they spiraled into a drill, their sacred swords aimed at the god. They collided with the area just under his neck and drilled across the very center of his form.

The pain surged through Arceus, unable to bear it as the three pierced out the back end. "Gross!" Rachel whined.

Nigel's eyes widened at the sight of the Elemental Plates, all 12 of them emerging from Arceus's form. "Look! The plates!"

"Now's our chance, let's get 'im!" Rachel exclaimed.

Arceus shook back to recovery and quickly hid the Elemental Plates back into his form, flying away afterward. "You're not getting away like that." Eva told him, flying after alongside Kingdom Elements. Arceus about-faced them and nearly blinded them with a flash of light.

The two reappeared inside an oceanic realm where the waves surfed violently. Arceus created a monster of a tidal wave and sent it at the two, but Eva and Aang/Gnaa did their best to fight back with their own waterbending. The two flew in closer as titanic columns of water shot up from the sea, the two quickly dodging around as Eva sliced some columns with her sword. The two were closing in on the supreme being, but before they could land a strike, they were teleported again, this time appearing over an icy mountain. Eva shivered slightly from the cold as they flew toward the deity, dodging rising columns of snow. Arceus sent titanic snowballs at them, which the two had to go far away to dodge. Eva saw another one coming at her, but sent a cyclone of water directly ahead, cutting a hole through the snowball that she fit into, allowing it to pass. Kingdom Elements followed her actions, spinning his twin Keyblades as a snowball came forth, slicing a hole clean through for him to pass.

The two kept after the god as Arceus allowed a midair avalanche to come their way. They soared a few feet above the avalanche as debris tried to hit them, but they avoided the debris and made their way to the god. Kingdom Elements bended some snow together and created an iceberg together and forced that iceberg straight upward, piercing the god's stomach. Eva saw the Water Plate come out, and quickly flew toward it. She tipped her sword toward the moon and charged a Moonward Strike, sending it at the plate. The Water Plate shattered to pieces, and Arceus's water and icebending powers faded.

They were teleported back to the Scattered Realms as Arceus appeared weaker. "Come on, Angie, let's take out its Earth Plate." Toph said. Angie nodded as both of them combined their earthbending to make their platform fly in closer to Arceus. Kingdom Elements joined them as they approached the god, who instantly teleported them.

The three benders found their selves on a mountainous region. Arceus seemed miles ahead of them, so Toph and Angie stomped their feet in the ground and started earth-running. Arceus made earth shards rise from the earth, but Angie conjured a Boulder-n-Chain to smash them out of the way, but Arceus simply conjured a rock wall to block their path. The two immediately jumped and pierced through the ground, digging their way under as they got closer. Arceus was unable to find them as the girls finally made it below the god, shooting up from the ground and flying at Arceus. Before they could reach him, they found their selves suddenly on a rock floating along a magma river in a volcanic region.

They carefully balanced the rock to keep from falling over, using their bending to make the rock move along the river. Arceus, who hovered above the volcano, caused the volcano to tremble as magma geysers erupted all around. A geyser emerged from below the platform and propelled them into the air, but Kingdom Elements grabbed the rock from below and carried the girls as they flew for Arceus. Arceus made the volcano explode again, sending a series of flaming rocks. Toph and Angie grabbed the rocks with their bending and sent them back, burning Arceus's eyes. As soon as they reached the god, Aang and Gnaa shot them flying over the head as they made the volcano erupt again, a massive geyser of magma rising to burn Arceus's stomach. The girls landed on the god's back as the Earth Plate emerged. They quickly grabbed their rock platform and spun it around before sending it full force at the plate, destroying it and stopping Arceus's earthbending.

Upon their return to the Scattered Realms, this time Nigel was flying for the weakened god along with Kingdom Elements, and the Supreme God had them teleported again. They were transported to a desert realm of scorching hot sun, burning the British leader's bald head. Nigel and Aang/Gnaa flew to Arceus as walls of flames rose from the ground, the Brit spinning and blowing the flames away with his sword. Nigel grabbed the flames in his bending and blew them into his sword, twirling his sword rapidly as the flames were sent at Arceus's face. Arceus seemed unaffected as he spun the flames all around his body, covering his body in them. Meteors began to rain down from the heavens as Nigel flew around and avoided them, quickly swinging his sword to cut some meteors. Nigel's eyes widened with fright as Arceus began charging some lightning by his mouth. But thankfully, Kingdom Elements flew in front of Nigel as the god released the lightning, catching the lightning on the tips of his fingers. He channeled the lightning through his body and sent it back at Arceus, stunning the god as the Fire Plate emerged from his back. Nigel flew around to the back and laid a beating of strikes against the plate, destroying it with his sword.

Arceus was cut off from firebending as they returned to the realms, and Sonic felt that as his cue to fly in. The golden hedgehog flew toward Arceus at high speeds. The Supreme God then created the image of a bright, blue sunny sky. In the clear skies, Sonic saw the Creator God flying in the distance, sending powerful gusts of wind to keep the hedgehog back. Super Sonic sped against the winds and made his way toward Arceus as the entity blew tornados his way. Sonic spun his own tornados that countered the others and cancelled them out, pushing him back a little, but Sonic kept going. At that moment, the sunny skies became stormy with gray clouds, Sonic unable to see past the heavy rain as lightning struck around the area. The golden hedgehog dodged the lightning as quick as he could, but couldn't get away as a gigantic twister began sucking him in. Sonic couldn't fight against the cloudy gray twister, but watched as Kingdom Elements flew out from the cyclone, leaving a hole.

Super Sonic flew into the hole and began whirling around the inside of the twister, seeing Arceus high up above. Sonic kept evading the strikes of lightning and shooting for the Supreme God. As Sonic drew nearer, Arceus released another whirling cyclone from his lungs, about to catch the hedgehog, but Aang and Gnaa flew in and caught it in their arms. They gripped the whirlwind tight and began swinging it around, attached to Arceus as the god became dizzy. Eventually, the Ava-Negatar squeezed the whirlwind so tight, the wind forced all the way back into Arceus, making the Air Plate shoot out from his back. Sonic flew around, spinning into a pinball as he gained more speed, then pierced the elemental plate and cut off Arceus's airbending.

The realm switched back to normal as Arceus was once again dizzied. "That does it for the Light Elements." Kweeb observed.

"But what about Poison?" Ava asked.

"Well, guys: time to finish what Matthew started." Jeremiah stated.

"Yeah. Let's do it!" Elijah cheered.

"We'll help out!" Yin and Yang exclaimed, touching hands as they transformed into a large dragon disguise. The Toxic Trio climbed onto the dragon and flew for the entity as Arceus changed their scenery again. They were flying under a dark, cloudy sky of poisonous clouds, emitting from a wasteful factory down below. Arceus bended the fumes and sent them at the poisonbenders, who all held their breaths as they drew in closer. When the fumes cleared, the benders grabbed their own poisons and shot them at the god, who merely accepted them as he made geysers of poisonous acid rise from the chimneys below. The dragon narrowly dodged the acid as Arceus began grabbing drums of toxic chemicals, oil, and fluoride, sending them at the heroes. Elijah conjured a Poison Whip and wrapped it around some cans, sending them back and blowing up other cans.

As they drew closer, Arceus began making a hacking sound from his mouth, and their eyes widened as it seemed like he was about to barf on them. They shielded their eyes, but Kingdom Elements appeared and began spinning the toxic clouds above Arceus around. In only a moment, a storm of Acid Rain started pouring on Arceus, making the god sizzle with burns. His skin burned enough so that the Poison Plate would reveal itself, allowing the poisonbenders to engulf their Purple Flurp, and release a gigantic Gas Bomb to blow the plate into pieces, stopping his poisonbending.

"Your turn, Danika." Nolan said to his girlfriend.

"Ginny, smack him down." Bartie said to the half-vampire.

The two nodded and flew in, leaving their trail of blackness as the scenery changed to that of the Shadow Realm, the twilight sun setting in the distance. As they flew in, Arceus suddenly disappeared into the shadows. The two kept their guard up and looked around the many buildings, not noticing the deity's shadow creeping behind them. Cheshire turned and immediately pulled the two out of the way, seeing the god's sneak attack. Ginny started sending spanking hands at the god's shadow, but Arceus swiftly avoided. As the shadow slithered away, the shadow of Kingdom Elements snuck up from ahead of him, dealing a few strikes with his Keyblades before knocking the god out of his shadow.

Arceus then released Shadow Breath around the realm, blinding everybody. Danika weakly saw through the darkness, pulling Ginny out of the way to avoid the range of the Shadow Shockwaves. However, Aang and Gnaa snuck up on the god and used their own Shadow Shockwave against him, rapidly striking all points on his body, illuminating the area and causing the Shadow Plate to reveal itself. Danika felt the warmth of the dawn's sun touching her, brimming with Light Shadows as she transformed into her Light Shadow Fury form. The giantess entity flew for Arceus and wrapped a tentacle around the Shadow Plate, crushing it into pieces.

Shadowbending was cancelled off, leaving Arceus very weak. Mikaela smirked, ready to wipe out his psychicbending as she flew in, the scenery immediately changing. She was inside a realm that glowed with blue and pink energy, the visions of many Jedi and Sith Lords hovering around the dimension. This made her slightly dizzy, but the psychic flew in anyway, evading as Arceus sent rock chunks at her via psychic. Mika conjured Psycho Spheres and blasted Arceus with them, doing little damage as she kept pushing closer. Suddenly, her neck was grabbed by an invisible force, stopping in place as Arceus begun to choke her.

Unknown to Arceus, Lucario began jumping the many floating platforms that led to the entity, leaping high in the air and saying, "Watch the power of aura!", before releasing a mighty Aura Storm from his arms, burning into Arceus's eyes. Mika was set free as she shrunk herself to a smaller height. When Arceus regained his vision, he saw Lucario jumping to him, and he started flashing his eyes to stun the spirit. Lucario evaded his attacks and jumped at a towering skyscraper, using powerful strength to punch it directly at the god's face. Arceus looked unscathed as he angrily took Lucario by the neck. However, that's when the little Mika finally reached his face, returning to normal size and throwing her hand at Arceus's eyes, stunning him with a Psychic Shockwave. At that point, Kingdom Elements decided to unleash a storm of Force Lightning upon his form, the lightning powerful enough to reveal the Psychic Plate.

Arceus was able to recover from the shock and blow the three of them away. The Supreme God charged up another Hyper Beam and sent it straight at Mika. The Filipino stayed calm and held her hand open, successfully catching the powerful beam inside. Once Arceus finished releasing it, Mika sent it straight back with her psychic, going for the Psychic Plate and destroying it. Arceus roared with intense pain, and Mika fist-pumped in victory.

With that done, it was now Mandy's turn to fly in and do away the Fear Plate. The realm turned to that of a stormy black sky over an endless graveyard. Mandy tried to fly to him, but was unable to get far as Arceus released a horrible Fear Scream, freezing the child in place. She closed her eyes and ears and shuddered with fear, unable to stay in place. She almost fell, but a long, glowing pink yo-yo shot down and wrapped around her, pulling her back to safety. She looked up as Sonya was smiling down, still using Lee's yo-yo.

They both watched as April snuck up behind Arceus. The older Dickson girl used emotionbending and eased the deity's mind once more, dying down his fearbending. Sonya and Mandy flew in closer as Arceus recovered and started releasing Fear Spheres, which Sonya grabbed with her yo-yo and tossed back. As they arrived at Arceus, Mandy stopped in front of his face, glaring into his evil white eyes that brimmed with darkness. Mandy seemed overcome by his frightening glare, afraid to make any move. Just then, Kingdom Elements shot between them and shot a deadly glare at Arceus, making the god freeze in shock as the Fear Plate exposed itself. Mandy flew to the back, where the Fear Plate was located. She studied her own reflection inside the Fear Plate and glared painfully. Just like that, the Fear Plate shattered at her own reflection, stopping Arceus's fearbending.

"His Light and Dark Elements are dispelled." Numbuh Infinity announced. "But now for the others. Dimentia, it is your turn." Dimentia nodded and flew at the Supreme God, the entire realm changing to that of outer space. Dimentia flew past all of the asteroids as Arceus made black holes appear in her way, some of them releasing meteors. Dimentia decided to warp, and reappear close to Arceus. She tried to storm him with Space Lightning, but to no avail as Arceus trapped her inside of a barrier. Dimentia shut her eyes, sensing the impending doom, but squinted open when Arceus wasn't doing anything.

Arceus's attention was turned away, and Dimentia looked behind, her eyes widening with shock. Mother Wisp was floating off in the distance with a swarm of the entire Wisp army, all of them glaring at their creator. One of the little Wisps made a call and jabbed his tentacle toward Arceus, and they all proceeded to charge into the god. They all attacked the god using their respective powers, and Dimentia was able to break free. She then used the full might of her spacebending to make stars shoot down from the heavens, damaging the god from all directions. The Space Plate revealed itself, allowing Dimentia to trap it inside a Space Block. With a snap of the fingers, the Space Plate exploded inside, cancelling Arceus's spacebending.

All that was left now was Time, and Shadow felt he was the one for that. The golden-red hedgehog charged in on Arceus's form as the god emitted a mighty Roar of Time, making lasers emerge from all directions. "Chaos CONTROL!" Shadow called, slowing time down and using this to easily maneuver around the energy beams. The gold hedgehog reached the slowed god and hurled Chaos Spears, doing quick damage. When time reverted to normal, Shadow decided to charge his Spin Dash and fire at Arceus's face, but this did nothing. As Shadow thought about what to do, he noticed Clockwork suddenly emerge from a portal. The Time Ghost grabbed Arceus in his Time Stop and used Rewind to make the Time Plate come out of his form. Shadow took this opportunity to shoot for the Time Plate, "Chaos… BLAST!", releasing an explosion to destroy the Time Plate for good.

With his other ten elements disposed of, all that left were Light and Darkness. Kingdom Elements flew in front of the Final Entity as both glared with each other. Twirling his Keyblades, Kingdom Elements touched his weapons together, forming a Keyblade that seemed twice as long, and had the mixes of the Keyblades of Light and Darkness.

"I don't believe it!" Meta Knight exclaimed. "It is… the _χ_-blade! The original _χ_-blade."

Kingdom Elements spun the _χ_-blade and flew all around the Final Entity, laying a series of blows that went unheard. When it was over, the Light and Dark Plates shot out from his body and shattered into nothing, leaving Arceus powerless as he screamed with unbearable pain.

_"Eight Guardians… now is your chance."_ Mewtwo announced.

Nova, Eva, Dimentia, Mika, Danika, Rachel, Sonya, and Matthew flew around Arceus's center from all sides. They held up their Spirit Balls as their Firstborn hovered by them. The eight spheres glowed with a mystical energy, the eight deities channeling power through as all eight spheres released beams of light at Arceus. The eight of them flew in a perfect circle as the beams penetrated his form. "I hope this isn't hurting him too much." Nova said worriedly.

"Relax, he's a god, he'll live through it." Mandy told her.

"IT'S A GIRL! ! !" Fanny screamed.

In just a few moments, the Supreme God was sliced in half. The Jewel of Light and Darkness was exposed in his center, hovering slowly to the ground below. Phantom Gnaa had also emerged from the god's fallen form, his eyes fixed on the sphere. _"NO!"_ Kingdom Elements grabbed the phantom in his power and held him in place, keeping him inside Arceus.

At this point, the Toxic Trio, still riding the Yin-Yang dragon, flew around and observed the weakened god. Something inside the deity's ruined forehead caught their attention. "Wait… isn't that-" Yin tried to say. The lot of them smiled with joy at who was laying unconscious atop the brain. "MATTHEW! !" They immediately flew down as the dragon took Matthew in its hands, quickly flying down to where the jewel had landed. The dragon gently set Matt on the ground as Yin and Yang reverted to normal.

"Matthew!"

"Wh-Whuh?…" Matt groggily opened his eyes and sat up, seeing the bright faces of Yin, Yang, and his friends.

"We thought you were dead!" Elijah exclaimed.

"Leo cried over you." Jeremiah smirked.

"Not as much as Steve! !" Leo whined.

"Augh, so what's happening?" Matt asked, rubbing his aching head.

"We're just getting to the end." Dimentia told him as they all flew down.

_"The time has come at last."_ Palutena spoke. _"Now… benders of light… combine your sacred power. Let the light illuminate the darkness, and bring warmth to the heart that was troubled for eons."_

_"OR we can just leave him the way he is."_ Medusa suggested.

_"The darkness is over, Medusa. Now, Arceus will meet the light."_

"You heard 'er, guys! DO IT! !" Pit cheered.

"WATER!" Eva Roberts cheered, releasing a beam of golden water upon the sacred jewel.

"EARTH!" Angie Granite screamed, rapidly stomping rocks toward the jewel.

"FIRE!" Nigel Uno roared, unleashing a wave of flames against the jewel.

"AIR!" Sonic the Hedgehog cried, blowing a mighty gust of wind.

"POISON!" Matthew Dimalanta shouted, releasing the gassiest poisons in his lungs.

"Shadow!" Danika Anderson exclaimed, her loyal shadow, Cheshire, fusing herself into the jewel.

"Psychic!" Mikaela Corella cheered, unleashing her strongest wave of psychic energy.

"Fear!" Mandy McKenzie shouted, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Space!" Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom yelled, infusing the power of stars with the sacred jewel.

"Time!" Jagar King hollered, unleashing the Roar of Time at the Heart of Arceus.

Lehcar EiznekCm studied the heroes, seeing they were having little affect. Realizing what was missing, the Negative flew down and yelled, "DARKNESS!", unleashing the purple flames of Demise at the jewel.

And with no one else filling in, Marine the Raccoon jumped down to the gang, crying out, "LIIGHT! !", as she punched all of the Light Spheres she could at a rapid pace.

By this point, everybody was trying their hardest to fuel the jewel with their power. They were all growing tired, but kept pushing through for the sake of their universe.

_"You can do it, Eva!"_ Kade Jackson cheered.

_"Come on, Angie, give it all ya got!"_ Harvey cheered.

_"I believe in you, Nigel."_ Rachel encouraged.

_"GO, SONIC!"_ Amy cheered.

_"Hurry up, Matthew!"_ Yin hollered.

_"Be strong, Danika!"_ Nolan cheered.

_"Use that brain, Mika!"_ Rainier cheered.

_"Do it, ye snot-nosed brat!"_ Grim cheered.

_"The whole universe will be destroyed if you don't. Now is your chance, Dimentia!"_ Jeremy cheered.

_"Go on, Jagar. Show him what ya got!"_ Misty yelled.

_"No one's stronger than you, Lehcar. Show 'em!"_ Yllaw cheered.

_"You have the light, Marine. I know you do."_ Elijah called.

_"Hurry up, kids!"_ Eggman cheered.

_"GRAWR, THRASH 'IM! !"_ Bowser cheered.

_"Crush him."_ Kroctus ordered.

_"Come OON!"_ Rumpel whined.

_"Do it."_ Snake stated angrily.

_"We believe in you!"_ Khryssa yelled.

_"Show him what psychos can do!"_ Boba cheered.

_"Yo, goth chick, thrash it!"_ Doug cheered.

_"Come on, you're stronger than that freak!"_ Gwen encouraged.

_"COME ON, NUMBUH ONE!"_ Sector V cheered.

_"SAVE THE DAY!"_ Sector W cheered.

_"Eee… huh, heehee."_ A mysterious voice giggled. _"I've got the giggles…"_

_"Patrick, how do we keep ending up in these places, anyway?"_ Spongebob echoed.

_"Don't ask me, Spongebob. Our show's lost its appeal, I'm just going with the flow…"_

At that moment, the holy jewel flashed with a light more radiant than ever. Kingdom Elements soared down below and took the jewel, quickly flying up again as they faced Arceus. Phantom Gnaa watched with pure horror and fear at the sight of the holy jewel. In a few seconds, the combined Avatars started to split in half, and they were now two again as Gnaa held the sacred jewel. "Leave this to me." Aang nodded. Negatar Gnaa spun around and flew full force into the Final Entity, forcing the sacred jewel into his form as he pierced through.

**_"UWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! ! !"_** Arceus brimmed with the holy powers of light. Tears welled in the supreme one's eyes. Never has he seen a light so radiant. _"Oh… it's.. so.. beautiful…"_ The mighty god wept, his form slowly dissolving into sparkling matter. The light grew more and more, and Arceus was gone from sight. (End song.)

"GNAA!" Morgan cried as she hurried into the light and helped the Negatar to stand. "Are you OK?"

"Hmph, more than OK, Morgie…" the Negatar smirked. "I'm…I'm good."

Morgan let out a light chuckle and smiled.

They both focused their attention on the defeated Phantom Gnaa, who drifted near them in midair as his body slumped. "Get going, Morgan. This is my fight."

Morgan nodded worriedly and hurried away. (Play Roxas's Theme from _Kingdom Hearts II_.)

The light slowly spread across the entire dimension as Gnaa glared at his treacherous shadow. Phantom Gnaa weakly hovered, gasping for breath, while Gnaa stood his ground and kept his Keyblade ready, very bruised from the arduous battle. Phantom Gnaa took land on the solid ground, and was barely able to keep himself up using his arms, bruised just as well as he tried to tilt his head up. "All this time… I trusted you. You were the only one I had… and you led me astray. You mended me… to your own dark ambitions.. and destroyed everything."

_"Did I… Master?"_ Phantom Gnaa slowly looked up, an emotional smile on his face.

"Oh?" Gnaa gasped slightly, eager to hear more.

_"Or did I… _help _you?..."_ The phantom weakly stood to his feet and faced his master. Gnaa looked even more stunned. _"Take a look around you… The light is filling the universe again… thanks to you. Take a look at all of the wonderful things you have done… because of your actions."_

Memories began to flow rapidly through Gnaa's mind.

_He saw himself saving King Bowser from his diminutive state, making the Koopa join his ranks. With Lord Bowser on his side, he watched as the Koopa engulfed the growth potion, becoming the titanic beast that had dueled with Fanny Fulbright. Upon Fanny's victory, the Koopa's skeletal form fell and crushed the Irish's little brothers, and Fanny became devastated. It was her love and care for them that returned her to her normal size._

_Gnaa then watched as Bowser captured nearly everybody, leaving only the 'cowardly' Shaunie Fulbright. Shaunie braved the dangers of Bowser's Castle and vanquished the Koopa King, having learned true bravery._

_Gnaa saw himself saving Eggman from the depths of outer space. The mad scientist was able to convince Hoagie to come to his side, because of all the neglect Hoagie's been facing. Hoagie was able to see through Eggman's ruse, and later realized how much he did mean to his friends._

_Eggman later returned to capture Sonic's long-lost siblings, transforming them into heartless robots. The blue hedgehog knew how much he cared for his siblings deep down, and used that care to bring them back._

_Gnaa watched as he convinced the K. Rool Brothers over to his side. Kaptain Kruckers zapped Kami with the Dark Cannon, revealing her true negative thoughts against her alien friends. Kami soon learned that it didn't matter if they looked different. They were her friends, and she loved them._

_Gnaa watched himself convince Rumpel Stiltskin to his side, through more-or-less force. The Elfin tricked Yuki Crystal into joining him, getting him involved with the wicked Lucinda Talzin. The crew of witches kept Yuki on their side, using his anger and hate against Jagar King. In the end, the witches had him killed, and Jagar made the deal with Talzin that changed the timeline. Despite what's happened, the wicked witch was defeated, and Yuki truly knew how much Jagar really cared about him._

_Gnaa saw himself causing one of his bigger crimes: unfreezing Darth Genious. The maniacal Sith Lord stalked Nolan for years, causing many unfortunate things in his life, such as the death of Corey and Dillon. Nolan was manipulated by the Dark Side, betraying everything he once believed in. However, Nolan met Danika Anderson, the one girl that made Nolan keep going, despite all of the hardships. When Nolan saw what Brain had done to Danika, he finally saw the evil that he was. Nolan remembered his true purpose, and left the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood had destroyed the many worlds, but thanks to Nolan and his friends, they destroyed the Brotherhood and brought them all back together, even making him friends again with those who hated him. And for some reason, Gnaa saw a girl dressed as a witch, and cannot quite understand the meaning of her being there._

_Gnaa later saw the actions of his armies causing the revolution started by GUN. Metahumans everywhere were hunted for being who they are. Even Mika had gone through a feeling of hurt when Rainier betrayed her. But out of the blue, Khryssa had returned, and put an end to Boba Fett's negative ways toward psychicbenders. And thanks to them, they were able to change the Commander's ways, and metahumans were free to roam._

_Gnaa watched all of the harm that had come from releasing Ganondorf. The Dark Lord set free Lehcar EiznekCm, causing destruction all across the land. By Ganondorf's hand, Demise was freed, and the world fell into destruction. Lehcar EiznekCm learned to take a stand against her abusive father, Mandy learned how much Rachel really cared for her, Scarlet had finally put aside her hatred for Violet… and Rachel finally found true courage. And thanks to the light that she, Mandy, and Lehcar had created, Ganondorf was vanquished for good, becoming heroes to KND everywhere._

Gnaa's face was frozen, tears dripping from his eyes at all of the wonderful moments. Phantom looked just as tearful, smiling as he approached his master. _"You see, Master?..."_

"You…You really were trying to help me."

_"The gods created me… to lead you on the right path. After so many years… I have done what I was ordered to do. I have led you… to the light."_

"Oh, Phantom!" Gnaa fell to his knees, breaking into tears.

_"Now, Master…"_ Phantom reached a hand down as Gnaa looked up at his trusting face, _"it is time."_

Gnaa ceased crying, taking his phantom by the hand as he was helped up. The two held their arms open and embraced into a gentle hug. The black shadow's body brimmed with light, fading as he absorbed into Gnaa's form. The Negatar studied his empty arms, feeling the light coursing through his veins. His form brimmed with the powers of the Negatar, feeling immense energy as he roared into the heavens. (End song.)

"H-Hey! What's he doin'? !" Bowser shouted. The scattered fragments of light from Arceus all began sucking into Gnaa's form, swallowing him in a ball of light which pressed together.

Everybody looked frantic as the realm began shaking wildly, watching as the distorted sky shattered like glass. "The realm is breaking apart." Rachel yelled. "That thing's going to explode!"

"The ALL is LOST MOMENTS!" Leo cried.

"Sooo… anyone got any ideas?" Nolan asked calmly.

"You know about this supernatural stuff more than we do." Gwen told him.

"WE'RE GONNA DIIIEEE!" Shaunie cried.

Luvbi air-smacked him and said, "CALMETH DOWN, thee moaning whale. Therein must be a way."

_"Meeewwww!"_ The Ancestor Firstborn's call echoed as a light shone from his form. The light flashed as the whole of the many heroes was trapped inside a gigantic bubble.

"Well, this seems familiar." Princess Peach said.

"Ah jus' hope the little tyke knows what 'e's doing." Boba Fett said.

"Just stay calm inside that bubble, and we'll get you out of here." Jirachi told them.

"Ugh. This is _really_ getting old." Kami complained, having been squished against the wall of the bubble by Donkey Kong's muscular form again.

"Hey, you're not the only one." Jeremiah told her, his head squished by Chunky Kong's rear.

"Hang on tight, you all." Azelf told them. "This is going to be a wild ride."

The sphere of light compressed with even more energy as the bubble hovered away. In just a few seconds, the sphere exploded into a massive supernova, spreading across the entire universe as the Scattered Realms fell into ruin.

The lush fields of Planet Wisp had returned to normal as Zim, Dib, and the Wisps cheered away.

The remains of the Brotherhood base had returned, with most of the villains frozen, with the exception of Cheshire, Cree, Tornado, and some other teen villains as they wondered what just happened.

The Realm of Oceana had returned to normal, the many creatures of the sea more excited than ever as their once-beautiful ocean was restored.

The wonderful world of Avalar was restored, and its Elfin, Cheetah, Dragons, and other residents went back to enjoying the serenity of their lovely planet.

Chicago, Indiana was restored to its place. Despite all of the destruction it had endured, the city looked more beautiful than ever, and The Quads' mother looked with pride in knowing what her children had done.

Nightmare Land had returned to its place in outer space, and Jar Jar Blinks was quite crazy as ever, running all around the city of celebrating Nightmares in a frantic fashion.

The G.U.N. H.Q. was restored as well. Commander Brett Gunkan awoke beside Lyle T. Rourke, shocked at seeing each other. They looked up as a portal opened above them, dropping out Magolor and Marx. The two Nightmares hit the ground, standing up in their regular, powerless forms as they looked around. The many soldiers of GUN were roaring with cheers. Brett and Lyle looked to the light in the sky that was restoring the universe, filled with a warmer feeling like no other. "How ironic…" Gunkan spoke. "After the way we treated them… they saved us all in the end. We were all wrong about the metahumans."

"Hmm…" Lyle sighed, staring at his crystalized hand.

Brett placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "The time for metahuman oppression is over. We must work together to ensure peace and prosperity for a brighter future. Whaddyou say, Lyle?"

Lyle looked at him and said, "Excellent idea, Commander."

Magolor and Marx exchanged hopeful glances and continued staring at the bright sky.

Finally, Cleveland, Virginia was restored to its place. The Sector V Treehouse stood mighty and tall as ever, just as every other treehouse throughout the world. Kids Next Door everywhere, and everyone was celebrating. Even Cleveland Brown was safely back in his tub, joyous his house was restored. The universe was saved, the Heartless were destroyed, and the fighting was finally over…

* * *

><p><strong>But not this story! Not yet! Just like all of my previous stories, it's final boss, and then the epilogue. I thank you all for watching up to this far, and next time, we will finally conclude this saga with the End Credits and Epilogues. I will see you later.<strong>


	87. A New Beginning

**Play the Main Theme to _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Universe Rejoices in Light! The New Era Starts Now!<em>**

_I've heard legends of that person_

_How he plunged into enemy territory_

_How he saved his homeland_

_I've heard legends of that person_

_How he traveled the breadth of the land_

_Reducing all he touched to rubble_

_I've heard legends of that person_

_I've heard legends of that person_

_Revered by many – I, too, revere him_

_Feared by many- I, too, fear him_

_Now that person…_

_Stands by my side._

_Now that person,_

_Stands by my side._

_Now my friends are with me_

_Some of them were once heroes_

_Some, my mortal enemies_

_And as we face each other in combat, locked in battle_

_We shine ever brighter._

"Morgan?… Morgan? Morgan, wake up."

Morgan shot her eyes open, finding the emerald-green eyes of her brother looming over her, as did her other siblings.

"Are you okay?" Buddy asked.

"I'm… fine." Morgan helped herself up and looked around. "Where's Gnaa?"

"Gnaa… disappeared." Athena said. "We haven't seen him since the explosion. Aang is okay, though. He and the others are still here."

Morgan looked as the army of heroes/villains all gathered around, facing some blinding light. Morgan stood up completely and gaped. The marvelous golden light of Arceus's form sparkled in everyone's eyes. They all stood upon a clifftop on Planet Poké, staring as Arceus's faced them with his gigantic visage. All around them, the rest of the gods, from Palutena, Medusa, Regigigas, Kyogre, _all_ of them, stood/flew and looked at the heroes with faces of proudness.

"WE DID IT!" Pit, the excited angel, screamed as he soared around the heavens above. "We saved every living thing! EVERYWHERE!"

_"We sure did, Pit!"_ Palutena smiled.

The Supreme Deity spoke, his voice clear of any anger he had beforehand. _"For many years… I have lived in anger… and darkness. It has been so long… since I've felt compassion for anything. Even the tiniest speck of light. And now… Kids Next Door, and other heroes. I humbly offer my thanks for rescuing me. Thanks to you, my heart is again filled with light. The universe is restored, and the darkness has been put to rest."_

"Ahhh. It was nothin'." Sonic said simply.

"We're really used to this sort of thing." Knuckles said.

_"My anger and frustration for the humans has left me, and my darling children are saved. How can I ever thank you?"_

At this, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie flew and hovered before Arceus's face. "Well, there is ONE thing:" Azelf began. "Get rid of these curses!"

"Yeah! They're awful!" Mesprit began sobbing.

"We understand you meant well, but our curses have prevented us from doing what we desired most." Uxie said. "Please, it would be very kind of you to take them off."

_"Is that truly what you wish?"_

"Yes, it's what we all wish." Nova said.

"Nobody likes going long without hugging." Sonya replied with a pleading look. "Let alone thousands of years."

_"Hmm… I suppose I did act rashly. I let my fears get the best of me."_

"Yeah, so get rid of the cruddy curses already." Numbuh 4 complained.

_"Then as God, Creator of the Universe… I renounce thine fates."_ Arceus calmly closed his eyes, reopening as they sparked with a new light. The bodies of the Lake Trio brimmed, an energy flowing from each of them into their father's eyes. The glowing soon blinked to a stop, and the trio studied their forms.

Uxie, very fearfully, opened her eyes, for the first time in eons. The world looked very blurry, but her vision returned, her eyes meeting those of Azelf and Mesprit, who stared with wonder. She looked at all the heroes, who gave stares as well. She formed a smile at this new miracle. "I…I can see! And.. I'm not cursed!"

"Hoor-RAAAY!" Mesprit cheered, embracing her sisters in a hug. "We're not cursed anymore! Ohh, GLORIOUS of days!"

"I hear that!" Azelf said, playfully smacking her sisters, who gave smacks back.

"Who is Mesprit, Starfire?" Olive Pioji joked.

_"Well, with the universe saved, I guess there's no reason to linger around here."_ Palutena figured. _"Let's return, Pit."_

"Awww. Can't I hang out with the Kids Next Door at the party?" Pit whined.

_"Don't worry, Pit."_ Palutena smiled. _"We'll have our own little party!"_

"I LOVE YOU, LADY PALUTENAAA!" The heavenly light shone on Pit Icarus, and the angel was gone in a blink, the image of Palutena vanishing as well.

Eva Roberts and Manaphy waved happily to the God of the Ocean, Kyogre Neptune. The massive whale dove beneath the sea, leaving a tremendous splash of water. The Goddess of Moon, Cresselia, soared into the heavens, towards the bright moon in the skies above. Yuki smirked at Polaris, the Snow God disappearing in piles of flurries. As the sun rose over the horizon, Solaris, the Sun God, disappeared into the light, with a farewell wave from Nigel and Blaze. Angie grinned and waved good-bye as Regigigas stomped the ground, sinking into the earth. Groudon walked his way to the nearest volcano, disappearing under the magma surface. Sonic gave a gentle, cool wave as Rayquaza flew into the heavens, disappearing behind the clouds.

The Terrible Toxic Four smirked and waved to Hexxus, the Poison Spirit giving a smirk and salute back as he vanished into the woods. Danika, Midna, and Nolan waved to the dragon, Giratina, whose shadow stretched beyond the rising sun as he disappeared into the reflection of the ocean. Mandy only glared as Darkrai, the Nightmare King turned away and disappeared into the heavens, returning to his domain. Dimentia and Jirachi smiled at Palkia, the Space God disappearing into a pink portal. Jagar and his friends also watched as Dialga disappeared into a parallel portal. Finally, Marine grinned and waved as the Mother Wisp flew into the heavens, and disappeared into the light.

_"Hmm… gone, eh? Well, I guess I better be off, too…"_ Medusa decided, her gigantic form turning away. However, she turned back and spoke, _"I must bid you adieu, Kids Next Door. Oh… but don't worry."_ She smirked evilly, _"We'll see each other again _real_ soon… Mm, HA HA ha ha ha ha! AHH HA ha, ha ha ha ha!"_ The goddess slowly disappeared, her cackle echoing to the heavens.

"Hmm. Geez. What's her problem?" Doug asked. Gwen shrugged.

Morgan and Aang stood by each other on the cliff's edge as they and Arceus overlooked the horizon. _"Avatar Aang… Morgan Catherine…"_

"Oh?"

_"All of you. This world you live in is truly a magnificent place. And it does my heart good… to know that _I_ am a part of it as well."_ The Creation God turned once more to face the heroes. _"It seems we were right to trust our powers to mortals. They've done a better job than we gods have ever done. Even with some dark hearts… I know our realm will be safe if you continue to wield the elements."_

"There's… still one thing I don't understand." Buddy said. "When Morgan was.. dead, and her memories were scattered… or something… why didn't Athena, Sophie, and I disappear, too?"

_"It seems her belief in you three was strong enough, your demeanor as just imaginary figures has… ceased to exist. Your forms have taken a _real_ interest. You are now part of existence, much like everyone else."_

"So, that is why…" Meta Knight discovered.

"But if you have your powers back… does that mean the Avatar will never come back?" Sokka asked.

_"Hm-hm, no… The elements are a part of Aang now, as they were mine. The Cycle of the Avatar and Negatar will continue as it always has."_

"But you're saying… Gnaa is alive." Morgan said. "Where is he?"

_"Gnaa is lost now. But do not worry. He still remains somewhere. Whether you will find him or not… I cannot say. However, if your faith is strong… he will come back to you someday. And now… I must say my final farewells. I will fade into the very fabric of the universe… and continue to ensure life for all living things. Farewell… Kids Next Door… Mario… Sonic… everyone. The light… will always guide you."_ And with those final words, Arceus drifted into the rising sun. His body and form dispersed into tiny pieces of matter, which spread across all of the realms of Planet Poké.

Fanny's eyes widened, suddenly remembering something. "ARCEUS, WAIT! !" she called out at the top of her lungs. "ARE YE A _BOY_, OR A GIRL?"

_"Boy."_ His form called weakly and quietly.

"OH YEEAAH! !" Fanny slumped down in defeat as Patton cheered louder than ever. "I TOLD YOU! ! HECK YEAH, BABY! _OH YEAH_! !"

"Ugh…" Fanny face-palmed.

The many heroes and villains were left to themselves upon the quiet cliffside, winds brushing through the trees, and ocean waves splashing across the shore. "GRAAH…" Bowser yawned as he stomped closer. "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I'm gettin' hungry."

"Always in the mood for eating, aren't you?" Jagar asked.

"And just like that… it's all over." Nolan calmly said.

"It's not over." Nigel Uno spoke as he stepped to the front. "The struggle doesn't end… because the Kids Next Door," the British boy smirked, "_never_ ends."

Sonic smiled and stepped up beside him. "And my stories don't end until I stop running."

"Oh-ho yeah!" Mario fist-pumped, getting beside them.

"Poyo!" Kirby cheered.

"Ooh-OOOH!" Donkey Kong pounded his chest.

"Never ever." Rachel smirked, standing beside Nigel.

"Heh, I guess not." Nolan chuckled, rolling beside them.

And the heroes just stood there. The sun rising over the horizon, made them shine greater than ever. The dawn of a brand new day was upon them. A brand new era. An era… where they would shine ever brighter. (Play the "Ending" Theme to _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

* * *

><p><strong><em>Legend of the Eight Firstborn: Cast &amp; Epilogues<em>**

**Benjamin Diskin as _Nigel Uno_, _Hoagie P. Gilligan_, _Legin Onu_, _Eigaoh Nagillig_, _Matthew Garley_, and _Elijah Frantic_**

**Lauren Tom as _Kuki Sanban_, _Ikuk Nabnas_, _Angelie Lemange_, _Virginia Sims_, and _Uxie_**

**Cree Summer as _Abigail Lincoln_, _Cree Lincoln_, _Olivia Ravenhearst_, and _Medusa_**

**Rachael MacFarlane as _Rachel T. McKenzie_, _Lehcar EiznekCm_, and _Emily Matthews_**

Rachel, Mandy, and Lehcar stood face-to-face in the KND Sooper Convention Center arena. Azelf waved her arms, and the three girls began to battle it out with their swords. As Rachel clashed with Lehcar, the Master Sword was knocked out of her hand, but Rachel was saved when Azelf clashed against Lehcar's sword with her own dual swords, holding them in her tails. Rachel ran to grab her blade again as Lehcar battled Azelf, then ran in to join back in the fight.

**Matt Levin as _Patton Drilovsky_**

**Janice Kawaye as _Sonya Dickson_ and _Lee Harper_**

**Scott Menville as _Paddy Fulbright_**

**MaKayla Rogers as _Charlotte MayHence_**

**Jason Harris as _Chad Dickson_**

**Candi Milo as _Margie Drilovsky_ and _Henrietta von Marzipan_**

**Keone Young as _Jeong-Jeong_**

**Tom Kenny as _Doug Murphy_, _Yang Hanamizu Bean_, _Hannibal Roy Bean_, _Raimundo Pedrosa_, _Common Cold_, _Mumbo Jumbo_, _Knightbrace_, and _Eduardo_**

The wind breezed past Chad Dickson's blonde hair, the teen closing his eyes in peace as Emily Matthews held him in her ghostly arms, flying across the sky. Alongside them, Shaunie Fulbright excitedly rode upon Luvbi's back, having eaten the magic blue apple and shrunk in size. They soared through the Realm of Skypia as the many other Nimbis took to the heavens as well.

**Rob Paulsen as S_haunie Fulbright_, _Sammy_, _Carl Wheezer_, and _Robin Food_**

**Charles Martinet as _Mario_, _Luigi_, _Metal Mario_, _Metal Luigi_, and _FLUDD_**

**Kazumi Totaka as _Yoshi_**

**Jen Taylor as _Princess Peach_ and _Toad_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Wallabee Beatles_, _Tommy Gilligan_, _Herbie MayHence_, _Ying-Ying_, _Appa_, _Momo_, _Revan Bane Sidious_, and _Joey Beatles_**

Numbuh 11.0 and The Terrible Toxic Four sat back and relaxed on the beach, smiling out at the ocean as Eva Roberts, Katie, and Marine surfed across the waves. Eva stood on an ice-made surfboard, Katie rode a regular surfboard, while Marine rode her waterbike as the three went around in circles. The trio of girls surfed up on a wave that Manaphy conjured, all four of them surfing onto the beach and washing over the five boys. Once the water cleared, everyone burst into laughter.

**Tara Strong as _Eva Roberts_, _Ava_, _Angelie Granite_, _Mushi Sanban_, _Gwen Tucker_, _Yin Hanamizu Bean_, _Harvey McKenzie_, _Yevrah EiznekCm_, _Scarlet Vargas_, _Raven_, and _Marine the Raccoon_**

**M. Knotz as _Manaphy_**

**André Sogliuzzo as _King Bumi_**

**Victor Brandt as _Pakku_**

**Robert Patrick as _Piandao_**

**Amber Hood as _Jessica_**

**Scott Burns as _King Bowser Koopa_**

**Dolores Rogers as _Bowser Jr._**

**Chris Seavor as _Kammy Koopa_ and _Gruntilda Winkybunion_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Fanny Fulbright_ and _Luvbi_**

All of the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. worked tirelessly to haul the fallen Bowser's Castle back up onto its mountain peak. When they finally had it stationed back on its perch, they sighed in relief and brushed the sweat off. Bowser smiled and gave a nod of approval. However, it was only when a single tiny bird decided to take land atop the roof. The castle shook and slid down the hill again in an instant, the Koopas staring wide-eyed as it quaked the earth upon landing. Bowser only shook his head in disbelief.

**Veronica Taylor as _Wendy O. Koopa_**

**Lani Minella as _Morton Koopa Jr.,_ _Larry Koopa_, and _Lemmy Koopa_**

**Mike Vaughn as _Ludwig von Koopa_**

**Dan Falcone as _Iggy Koopa_**

**Brad Jackson as _Roy Koopa_**

Big the Cat sat along the edge of a lake, laughing joyously alongside Froggy as they patiently waited for fish to bite. Behind them, Sonic, Shadow, Blaze, Sonia, and Manic raced across the lush green fields. Tails and Amy flew overhead in Tails' airplane, letting the wind breeze through their hair as they watched the speeding animals.

**Jason Griffith as _Sonic the Hedgehog_ and _Shadow the Hedgehog_**

**Amy Palant as _Miles "Tails" Prower_**

**Dan Green as _Knuckles the Echidna_, _Mephiles the Dark_, _Customer Service_, and _Mewtwo_**

**Lisa Ortiz as _Amy Rose_**

**Oliver Wyman as _Big the Cat_**

**Mike Pollock as _Dr. Eggman _and _Eggman Nega_**

**Jaleel White as _Sonia_ and _Manic_**

**Bella Hudson as _Violet McCleary_ and _Blaze the Cat_**

**Andrew Rannells as _Decoe_ and _Bokkun_**

**Darren Dunstan as _Bocoe_**

**Amy Birnbaum as _Charmy Bee_, _Nova of Harnita_, and _Azelf_**

**Kazuko Sugiyama as _Celebi_**

**Wally Wingert as _Cubot_ and _Tallest Red_**

The Kong Family members all worked hard to carry the lot of Golden Bananas back into their cavern. Kami Drilovsky and Ava both struggled to bring in the massive Rare Banana, the two each holding a side as they limped their way through. They watched as Diddy Kong hovered overhead on his jetpack, holding a banana by a rope with no trouble. Chunky Kong used his incredible strength to lift a giant Gold Banana above him, with Dixie and Tiny Kong both sitting on top of it, one foot dangling over the edge. Kami and Ava just decided to set the banana down and sit down to catch their breath. They saw no way of getting this banana there anytime soon.

However, that's when Kweeb jumped onto the banana, the girls looking at him as he gave an assuring smile. Kami and Ava exchanged nods and smiled, the two holding the banana up by its sides again while Kweeb held it up in the middle. The three of them successfully brought it to the Kongs' Banana Horde and tossed it straight to the top. The Kong Family stared as the pile of golden fruit sparkled beautifully. Team Alien exchanged smiles once more and continued to stare.

**Emma Mason as _Kami Drilovsky_**

**Rickey Collins as _Kweeb_**

**Ben Campbell as _King Kroctus Rool_**

**Mark Hamill as _Kaptain_ _Kruckers Rool_, _Stickybeard & Candy Pirates_, and _Negatar State Gnaa_**

**Frank Welker as _Baron Kolamitous Roolenstein_**

**Takashi Nagasako as _Donkey Kong_ and _Cranky Kong_**

**Tress MacNeille as _Dixie Kong_ and _Tiny Kong_**

**Peter Cullen as _Lanky Kong_**

**Cather Cathcart as _Vector_ _the Crocodile_**

**David Wills as _Espio the Chameleon_**

Wallabee Beatles happily pushed Kuki Sanban on the swing at the park, listening to the girl's joyous laughter. Suddenly, a twinkle appeared in the corner of Wally's eye, the blonde Aussie turning to see it came from the grass beside the tree. Not watching Kuki, the Aussie ended up kicked away when she came back on the swing. Wally rubbed his head as Kuki laughed, the two turning their attention back to the sparkle. They slowly approached and looked down, and Kuki picked up a tiny golden box engraved with centaurs. Kuki opened the box and took out a tiny glass slipper, similar to what Cinderella wears. Wally reached in the box and pulled out a small figurine of a phoenix. Wally watched in amazement as the phoenix transformed from a fully-grown bird to a glimmering pile of embers to a darling baby, and repeated the cycle. He exchanged glances with Kuki and shrugged, the two placing them back in the box as they took it. From the Spirit World above, Lucinda Talzin looked at the couple and smiled in joy.

**Scott McGregor as _Jagar King_**

**Olivia Hack as _Misty Greene_ and _Ty Lee_**

**Hynden Walch as _Olive Pioji_, _Madame Rouge_, _Starfire_, _Mesprit_, and _Wicked Godmother_**

**Peter Bayham as _Yuki Crystal_, _Matthew Dimalanta_, and _Jeremiah Heartly_**

**Susanne Blakeslee as _Lucinda Talzin_ and _Maleficent_**

**Walt Dohrn as _Rumpel Stiltskin_**

**David Carradine as _Clockwork_**

**Sanae Kobayashi as the _Ice Climbers_**

Team Spirit looked to the starry heavens, stars shooting across the dark blue sky. They looked to Yuki and the Ice Climbers as they watched in sadness. The spirits looked equally glum as they turned and approached Clockwork, the Time Ghost awaiting by a portal to the Spirit World. However, before they could enter, they heard a cough and about-faced to find the Grim Reaper. The cloaked skeleton smirked as he pulled a tiny, glowing stone out of his pocket. Jagar, Misty, and Olive smiled with delight, as did Yuki, and the Ice Climbers jumped for joy.

**Seth MacFarlane as _Roger Smith_, _Peter Griffin_, and _Glenn Quagmire_**

**Mike Henry as _Cleveland Brown_ and _Consuela_**

**Jensen Ackles as _Nolan York_**

**Cricket Leigh as _Danika Anderson_ and _Mai_**

**Jessica Di Cicco as _April Dickson_**

**Cheech Marin as _Leopold Anderson_**

**Corey Burton as _Cad Bane_**

**Jamie King as _Aurra Sing_**

**Glenn Shadix as _Monsieur Mallah_ and _The Brain_**

**Xander Berkeley as _General Immortus_**

**Terence McGovern as _Gary_, _Dan_, and _Stormtroopers_**

**Tim Curry as _Prof. Calamitous_ and _Demon Train_**

Star children everywhere flew about the Star Haven as Dimentia sat with Numbuh Infinity along the river of Dream Water. Both their feet dipped in the water as they stared up into the starry heavens. As their heads leaned closer, Jirachi popped up between them, pushing their heads together. They both blushed as Jirachi shot to the sky. The two then spared a glance to an empty patch of land several feet from them. They both exchanged smirks and nodded. That was where their house would go.

**Akiko Koumoto as _Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom_ and _Midna_**

**Kerry Williams as _Jirachi_**

**Dave Wittenberg as _Numbuh 74.239_**

**Phil LaMarr as _Numbuh Infinity_ and _Wilt_**

**Ned Beatty as _Wesley Dodds_**

**Dan Schneider as _Larry Oldman_**

**Demi Moore as _Mrs. Kyla York_**

**Ian McDiarmid as _Palpatine_**

**Bill Rogers as _Darkrai II_**

**Ahmed Best as _Jar Jar Blinks_**

Nolan York calmly rolled to Dillon's grave in the Quahog cemetery, a mourning look on his face. Wesley Dodds stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making Nolan look up at the heavens. Nolan smiled and nodded to his mentor. The crippled boy noticed as a tiny ant made its way across his lap. Nolan calmly caught the ant on his hand and carefully released it onto the ground.

A few feet away, Gwen and Doug stepped up to another grave as Gwen dropped a bouquet of flowers. They both stood before Corey Sanderson's grave with regretting looks. Gwen and Doug exchanged nods before the two began to walk away with Nolan and Wesley. From behind the tree, Anakin Skywalker's spirit smiled and nodded at all of them. Corey stood and watched with him, while Dillon leaned against the tree, nodding his head to music.

**Makiko Ômoto as _Kirby_**

**Kenichi Ogata as _King Dedede_**

**Ted Lewis as _Escargoon_**

**Eric Stuart as _Meta Knight_**

**Grey DeLisle as _Lizzie Devine_, _Eizzil Enived_, _Mandy McKenzie_, _Azula_, _Gramma Stuffum_, and _Mikaela Corella_**

**Kōichi Yamadera as _Mew_**

**Amanda Bynes as _Penelope Taynt_ and _herself_**

**Billy West as _Numbuh 13_ and _Francis Powalski_**

**Sean Schemmel as _Lucario_**

Flordeluna Martinez was having herself a leisurely walk across Sector V's neighborhood. She suddenly took notice of someone passed out in the bushes. She helped the boy up, gasping at the sight of a Delightfulized Bruce. The bowl-cut boy rubbed his sore head and noticed Luna, the girl asking how he got there. Bruce explained that he and his siblings were simply enjoying their lunch until a mysterious bright light swallowed their home. They then looked as a little girl helped herself up from the bushes, claiming to be Blythe Uno, Bruce's sister. As both siblings were riddled with questions, Luna gently rubbed Bruce's head and led the boy toward Delightful Mansion. Blythe only shrugged and followed behind them. Luna spared a glance to the camera, smirked, and winked.

**Frank Welker as _Monty Uno_**

**Breckin Meyer as _Boba Fett_**

**Estelle Ellis as _Khryssa_**

**David Hayter as _Solid Snake_**

**Grant Goodeve as _Wolf O'Donnell_**

**David Skully as _Leon Powalski_ and _Panther Caroso_**

**Marc Thompson as _Brett Gunkan_**

**James Garner as _Lyle T. Rourke_**

**Brian Beacock as _Marx_**

A strange man in a long, brown overcoat and phony mustache quietly walked across the town of Langley Falls. Puppet King and XL Terrestrial peeked through their disguise; Puppet King on top, and Terrestrial under the coat. They kept going until they accidentally bumped into Yarael Poof at a hotdog stand. The disguised Jedi frantically apologized to them, but the disguised villains shook it off as Puppet King uttered his own apology. Yarael waved good-bye as the villains hurried off, neither of them noticing the other's clever disguise.

**Greg Eagles as the _Grim Reaper_**

**Keith David as _Dr. Harvey Facilier_ and _Thrax_**

**Jenifer Lewis as _Mama Odie_**

**Hironori Miyata as _Ganondorf Dragmire_**

**Anri Katsu as _Lord Ghirahim_**

**Maurice LaMarche as _Father_**

Violet McCleary and Scarlet Vargas scampered around the fields near the Nugget River. Both cats playfully tackled each other repeatedly, exchanging laughs. Bruce and Yang exchanged smiles with each other, laughing at their playfulness. Suddenly, both boys were tackled by their respective crushes, and they all continued to laugh.

**Kevin Michael Richardson as _Malladus Uno_, _Kyogre Neptune_, _Gaul_, _King Bulblin_, and the _Lion Turtle_**

**Martin Jarvis as _The Chronicler_**

**Takashi Ōhara as _Link_**

**Megumi Toyoguchi as _Zelda_**

**Yu Shimamura as _Fi_**

**Takashi Nagasako as _Demise_/_Satandorf_**

**Antony Del Rio as _Pit Icarus_ and _Dark Pit_**

**Ali Hillis as _Palutena_**

**Nicholas Klouse as _himself_**

**Zachary Guiles as _himself_**

**Jared Warner as _himself_**

**Morgan Catherine as _herself_, _Athena Utsukushii_, and _Sophie Utsukushii_**

**Zachary Tyler Eisen as _Avatar Aang,_ _Negatar Gnaa_, and _Phantom Gnaa_**

**Mae Whitman as _Katara_**

**Jack DeSena as _Sokka_**

**Jennie Kwan as _Suki_**

**Jessie Flower as _Toph Beifong_**

**Dante Basco as _Zuko_**

**Greg Baldwin as _Iroh_**

**Héctor Elizondo as _Wan Shi Tong_**

**Tom Wayland as _Arceus_**

(Now play the Ending Theme to _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!)

**In loving memory of the Bosses:**

_Boss fight: Death Egg Robot_

_"Normally, people have the honor of witnessing my latest creations. But this time, let's get a look at the improved version of one of my older ones." –Dr. Eggman_

_Boss fight: Earth Scorpion_

_"KIDS! Dat t'ing's an Evil Crystal. Destroy it quick, before that t'ing comes back!" –Grim Reaper_

_Boss fight: Boba Fett_

_"Get ready for your trip to the Land of the Dead, assholes." –Boba Fett_

_Boss fight: Mama Odie_

_"When we get that evil, foul crystal off you. You'll see no more foe. But a friend that is true." -Dr. Facilier_

_Boss fight: Anizore_

_"As I recall… Link and Zelda got married and had kids. As a result, their Triforce marks were passed down to them, and every generation that came after that. I believe that the blood of the Hero… now runs in that of the veins of the McKenzie Family." –Malladus Uno_

_Boss fight: Mumbo Jumbo_

_"Welcome, Kids Next Door, to the carnival of danger and fantastication! Please, enter the marvelously wonderful circus, owned by the one and only amazing… MUMBO JUMBO!" –Mumbo Jumbo_

_Boss fight: Ineptune_

_"AAHHH! NOO! ! How could a puny pipsqueak, SO insignificant and tiny, I need a MICROSCOPE to see him, POSSIBLY defeat ME? ?" –Ineptune_

_Boss fight: Lord Ghirahim_

_"I can sense the blood within your veins… The blood of the Hero that caused the demons so much grief. And yet you have the nerve to date the so-called Demon Prince. You truly do have the nerve, Girl." –Ghirahim_

_Boss fight: Team Chaotix_

_"And together…" "We are…" "TEAM CHAOTIX!" "The toughest Kremling Klub in K. Rool's Krew." –Team Chaotix_

_Boss fight: Baron K. Roolenstein_

_"Dahh! Look what you've done! That robot was made from the finest pots and pans and technology! How DARE you treat him like a heap of bolts and wires!" –Baron K. Roolenstein_

_Boss fight: Wendy O. Koopa_

_"It's time my true awesomeness has been unleashed. Thanks to a little help from an old friend of mine, the Green Thunder known as Mr. L is awakened!" -Mr. L_

_Boss fight: General Immortus_

_"Brute strength is nothing… without the brains to make it work properly. And this brain has been around for quite a while, and it grows ever so fluently with knowledge." –General Immortus_

_Boss fight: Dogadon_

_"Being remembered for ages… not a bad idea! Enslaving the human race and all my friends: not so much." -Kami Drilovsky_

_Boss fight: Lyle T. Rourke_

_"You stupid kid. It's inhuman freaks like you that are ruining, not only the seas, but this whole world. I will be saving the marine life, by destroying all of you! AHH!" –Lyle T. Rourke_

_Boss fight: Crackjack_

_"He said you would tell me more about my fearbending. Will you?" "There's hardly any reason to. You seem to be pretty attached to it already. Even that monster gave you quite the chills." -Mandy and Darkrai_

_Boss fight: King Dedede & Escargoon_

_"My apologies for attacking you. It was all part of my selfish desire to wield the sword. For ages, I've always dreamed of being the greatest warrior in all of Galaxia… it seems I'd've even go to attack the innocent." -Meta Knight_

_Boss fight: Groudon_

_"We created the oceans and landmasses. But it was the Earth Spirit, Regigigas who used his incredible earthbending to shift them around throughout the years. Of course, he did need my help to control those convection currents in the Earth's mantle. I believe it's how, what you humans call 'tectonic plates', are able to move." –Groudon_

_Boss fight: Dimentia_

_"The time of lies and deceptions truly is over. Clockwork has given you a second chance. Whether it was for destiny or not. If you help us, people will forget the old galactic dictator. And the Kids Next Door legend to all will be redeemed. Dimentia… please… I've always had faith things could change… if you were just given the chance. And the friends…" –Numbuh Infinity_

_Boss fight: King Vapus_

_"The Yellow Fear is the most dangerous type of Fear Energy ever produced by the first Nightmare King. Too dangerous even for him. So, he trapped the source of the fear within the heart of our king. As a result… our whole planet became a Nightmarish wasteland, and we became a tribe of cannibals who desperately crave electricity, and destroy any other creature who appears in our sights. But thanks to you kids, our curse has been lifted, and we can begin rebuilding our lost civilization!" –Vaporian citizen_

_Boss fight: Iggy Koopa and Tubba Blubba_

_"Before you, there have only been 2 other Halfas. First, there was Vlad Plasmius. A traitorous ghost who's been dead for months now. …Then there's him." –Ember McLain_

_Boss fight: Wesley Dodds and Larry Oldman_

_"Firsst… don't let the poisons in yourself. It doesn't matter what others think about you. All that matters is how you feel about yourself. And besidesss… you have friendss. The four of you will always have each other. And friendship… is a healthy little poison that can heal any wound." –Hexxus_

_Boss fight: The Terrible Toxic Four_

_"I've always thought that poison was good for nothing but destruction… but lately, I've been thinking… maybe there can be good in them. I feel like they've only come from my negative emotions. Maybe if I had good feelings… nicer feelings… they could be more than destruction." –Matthew Dimalanta_

_Boss fight: Molgera_

_"Before Malladus was created by the Supreme God, Arceus, there was another Demon King before him, known as… Satan." –Solaris_

_Boss fight: Darth Maul_

_"I heard that Darth Maul was one of Palpatine's greatest apprentices. He fought against Obi-wan Kenobi and was killed. But many years later, he was revived by an evil space witch called Mother Talzin… then all he sought was revenge."_

_"Then my guess is, I had the dream with him, because we relate in that sense." –Danika and Nolan_

_Boss fight: Magolor Soul_

_"I am… the Magolor Soul. With the ultimate powers of this scepter and Jirachi, I will RULE all the known universes! ! I will be the supreme Emperor of Nightmares and all children will KNEEL before me!" –Magolor Soul_

_Boss fight: Kaptain K. Rool_

_"I didn't even ask to be teamed with a bunch of aliens in the first place! Let alone hairy apes. You know what, take me back, I want off this garbage truck." –Kami Drilovsky_

_Boss fight: Rayquaza_

_"The only truly powerful beings are mortals. We spirits give you our bending powers and we live forever, sure. But we lack true experience. The way you mortals struggle and fight to stay alive, or even to help others, the way you create friendships that grow and prosper. We spirits could never know such things." –Rayquaza_

_Boss fight: Regigigas_

_"Sorry, Mika, but I had to lie to you. I made up all that stuff about winding up with Watto. The truth is, not too long ago really, my parents were arrested by the military for reckless earthbending. The Commander here saw my exceptional battle skills and wanted me to join his group. So I did." –Rainier Chariton_

_Boss fight: Team Brotherhood_

_"What you superheroes fail to realize is evil always prevails in the end. I admit that my past mistakes caused me to fail before, but it will not happen again. Just when things are looking up, darkness will rain down and destroy all good. The Brotherhood of Evil will wipe the good from this universe, and I will be remembered as the greatest Sith Lord of them all." –Darth Genious_

_Boss fight: Weegee_

_"Hm hm, nay. Pray, thou hast been much of a coward during our first moments. But it seems thou art past that. 'Tis just like Tommy said about being a Prospector, to channel thine weaknesses into being thy strengths. Methinks thou gains strength from thy friends. If they art in danger, thou wilt risk anything to save them." –Luvbi_

_Boss fight: Yuki Crystal_

_"It must be quite a gift… holding the power of time in your hands. Why, with a power like that… you can change history to make it any way you wanted… You could even change time so that Yuki never meets his fate, or even that you or your spirit friends never die. That sounds like a marvelous deal, does it not?"_

_"Don't even try to tempt me. I already promised Clockwork and Mama Odie that I wouldn't use my powers for the wrong reasons." –Lucinda Talzin and Jagar King_

_Boss fight: Buffo Mech_

_"Hehehe. Call me… Buffo Mech." "…That's even lamer." "Ugh. Just start the boss music." –Boba Fett and Buddy_

_Boss fight: Brett Gunkan_

_"Ah think Ah finally understand, now. Why we hunt these metahumans. It ain't because they're monsters… and we ain't afraid of them either. It's the unknown we're afraid of. There are just some things in this universe… that are just too great for human eyes to comprehend. And we just automatically assume the latter and lock 'em up. But it doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to treat 'em like criminals. Because… they just like us." –Boba Fett_

_Boss fight: Gnaa's Puppet, Harvey_

_"Harvey… Where's the little boy… that always wanted to sleep in my bed because you had a nightmare? The boy… who always ran straight for me when a pack of bullies was chasing him._ _The one who always looked up to me… and wanted to be just like me." –Rachel McKenzie_

_Boss fight: Parallax_

_"Behold… These are the Heartless. And they will be the ultimate cause… of your doom…" –Negatar Gnaa_

_Boss fight: Masked Dedede & Escargoon_

_"It is true that darkness exists within every person's heart. Eventually, that darkness will grow and overtake the heart. But the light will come and put it back to sleep. Such isn't the case for every person. Some people will continue to follow Darkness. They will continue to do evil things. But… eventually… the darkness will destroy them." –Darkrai II_

_Boss fight: Gaul_

_"Using your incredible powers of imagination, you spawned three identical siblings out of the blue. And one year hence, you've even created a younger sibling. Then you even mind-tricked your mother into believing they were real. Such is the extent of your… limitless power of Psychokinesis. The Force is strong with you, Morgie. You didn't even need that waste of a cloned spirit, Mewtwo to help you see that. And you most definitely deserve a far higher position than some Sith Lord's… apprentice. With powers like yours, you deserve to rule it all… _as my queen_. Whaddya say. Hm?" –Negatar Gnaa_

_Boss fight: King Bowser Koopa_

_"I spent my whole life cowering in fear behind my friends or my sister whenever someone comes to bully me. But now: I came here. I came here to stand up to you, despite how scary you look, and to rescue my friends! That's a better reason for this than kidnapping a princess!" –Shaunie Fulbright_

_Boss fight: Egg Series_

_"You've wrecked my wretched plans FAR too often! The only reason I came to this dimension in the first place was to get away from you. It was bad enough running into those Kids Next Door, but I will not have YOU wrecking everything again! I'm going to make sure you never follow me to ANY dimension EVER again!" –Dr. Eggman_

_Boss fight: King K. Rool_

_"So what? Who really cares about any of that stuff? Sure fish aren't able to breathe on land, we humans can't fly, and Kweeb is _very_ easy to squish… but people are supposed to be different! I mean, the differences in people, cultures, and even animal habitats is what makes the world so unique. It's what makes people… y'know… special. And you will NEVER get away with taking away what makes people special." –Kami Drilovsky_

_Boss fight: Hama_

_"To insert your dominance over the fools who dare to think themselves more powerful. This is the only way to make them see the error of their ways! It's the only way to make them learn!"_

_"No! I don't need other peoples' approval. I'm good just the way I am and I don't care what bullies think. So I won't use bloodbending to force their respect, and I won't bloodbend PERIOD." –Hama and Eva Roberts_

_Boss fight: Crystal Colossus_

_"Do you promise… after using these timebending powers to establish said changes… that you will bring that necklace, and those powers, to another timebender who so rightfully deserves it?"_

_"I will." –Jagar and Lucinda_

_Boss fight: Lucinda Talzin_

_"Lucinda… I command you… to SEE THE LIGHT!"_

_"Good lord… is this what I've been doing to people?" –Jagar and Lucinda_

_Boss fight: Olivia Dragon_

_"You know what your problem is, Olivia? You're too obsessed with 'good looks' and popularity to realize what really matters is on the inside. Danika may look like a freak, but deep down she's sweeter than you could ever be. And even if looks DID matter… she's prettier than you could ever be, too. All you are is a pig." –Nolan York_

_Boss fight: Madame Rouge_

_"I can still remember his face. His sad, impudent childish eyes, losing all of the joy and life they possessed. If I vanted to, I vould do the same thing… to his Siamese _freaks_." –Madame Rouge_

_Boss fight: The Brotherhood of Evil_

_"Heroes: TOGETHER!" –Nolan York_

_Boss fight: Darth Genious_

_"Ohh… don't look at me that way. You ALWAYS looked at me that way! Oh… why couldn't I just have fun, Daddy? WHY couldn't I be the operative I always wanted? WHY, Daddy, WHYYYY!" –Revan Bane Sidious_

_Boss fight: Demon Lord Ghirahim_

_"You are just… a mere human! And yet… you possess the strength of a hundred demons. How…How does one… carry that much power? !"_

_"Because… we humans have heart." –Ghirahim and Rachel_

_Boss fight: Thrax_

_"You don't need some silly, magical golden triangle to give you courage. That Courage, that _true_ power, is inside you. You didn't earn the Mark of Courage just because you were… 'Link's descendant'. You earned it because you were strong… and brave… and never willing to give up._ _And if any person deserved titles such as 'Hero of Time' or 'Supreme Leader', it's you." –Nigel Uno_

_Boss fight: Ganondorf Dragmire_

_"Ganondorf!" "Rachel!" "Ganondorf!" "Rachel!" "Ganondorf!" "Racheeelllll!" "Ganondooorrrrrf!" "IT'S ON! !" –Rachel and Ganondorf_

_Boss fight: Negatar Gnaa_

_"Gnaa… there's more to a heart than just… anger or hate. It has all kinds of feelings. Love. Happiness. Care for your friends. Don't you remember?"_

_"I _don't_." –Morgan and Lord Gnaa_

_Final boss: Arceus_

_"This world you live in is truly a magnificent place. And it does my heart good… to know that _I_ am a part of it as well." –Arceus_

(End song.)

**KND Moonbase**

Everybody had now gathered onto the Moonbase, heroes and villains alike. Party decorations and refreshments everywhere made up the interior as the universal saviors chatted amongst each other. Buddy, Athena, Sophie, and Beckah approached Morgan Catherine as the psychokinetic stood before the window and stared into the galactic heavens. "You okay, Morgan?" Athena asked.

"Huh?" Morgan turned at them. "Oh… I'm fine." she answered before returning to stare out the window. "Do you think if Gnaa just… had one friend, none of this would've happened?"

"Maybe." Buddy replied. "But in the end, I guess that's all he needed. Still, if all this didn't happen, none of these good things would've happened, either."

"Besides, he's got Phantom Gnaa now. Just like he's always had." Sophie replied.

"Hm-hm… I guess so." Morgan chuckled. "I hope we'll get to see him again…"

"Sure we will!" Beckah smiled as they all wrapped arms with each other. "He's alive out there somewhere. Now come on, let's grab some pretzels."

Bowser the Koopa King was chewing away at a piece of meat as Shaunie Fulbright walked over. The spiked-shelled turtle noticed him and asked, "You want some?"

"Mm-mm." Shaunie shook his head 'no' and pulled out a smaller piece of meat. "I have one, thanks." He smiled.

"Okay." With that, both of them continued chewing their chicken. "…A little softer, next time, huh?"

"Heehee. Okay." Shaunie grinned.

"Bowser?"

"Grah?" Bowser cocked a brow as Princess Peach walked over.

The pink princess gave a smile and said, "Thanks for helping us back there."

"Aw, it was nothin', I-" Bowser silenced himself when he suddenly earned a kiss to the nose from Peach herself.

"See you later, Bowser." Peach smiled as she walked away to join the Mario Bros..

Shaunie only stared as Bowser's expression was dumbstruck. "…AW, YEAH, BABY! SCORE! !"

"Heehee!" Shaunie laughed. "You silly Bowser!"

Dr. Eggman was inspecting some Moonbase monitors as Sonic, Amy, and a few others of Sonic's crew walked over. "So, Eggman… what now?" the hedgehog asked.

"Oh, Sonic… seeing everyone this happy… puts a special feeling in my chest. It reminds me… how precious life is."

"Oh, really? Well, workin' with me, you would learn that kinda lesson, wouldn't ya?"

"I'm just so happy the universe is saved… Now I can conquer it and establish my empire all over again!"

"Uh! Oh, Eggman. Don't you ever change?" Amy asked.

"Nnope! I'm still the big, bad scientist I always was! …But it really was a great experience. Oh, I'm sure, even now, my grandfather is looking down on me. Proud of the great, evil scientist I have become."

"I guess we all have somebody special guiding us." Tails said with a smile as he looked into the starry heavens.

King Kroctus sat at a table and got himself drunk on swamp water as Kami came to sit beside him, cracking open a soda can. "So, whatcha gonna do now… Animal King?" Kami asked.

"Oh, I dunno. They stopped making games with me… I'm not sure I have much left to do in this world. I'm an old croc… I may as well retire. What more is there for the Kremling Krew?"

"Eh, don't feel that way." Kami smirked. "Ya still have a shot at becoming one of KND's enemies."

"Perhaps… I may as well go back to stealing bananas. It's what I'm best at."

Kami then took notice of Jeremiah Heartly, the scarred poisonbender slumped over a railing. "Um.., you do that. I'll be right back."

The Drilovsky approached the black-clothed child and stood beside him. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to be on the good side?"

Jeremiah sighed. "I'm not sure… I should be happy the universe is saved… but what's the point if I don't have a family to celebrate with?"

"You have the others…"

"I guess so. But still… I'm not sure what more I can do now. I've never had anyone to… teach me how to do anything. I can barely read or do math…"

Kami smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'll help."

"You will?" he rose a brow.

"Hey. I like helping people at stuff."

"Hm, should I take advice from someone who hangs out with monkeys?" he smirked.

"Don't forget, we're monkeys, too. Just… moderately evolved. …But you're more of a rat."

"Then I guess you're some kind of alien gorilla."

"Aw, get a room, you two." Kweeb remarked, sticking out from Kami's pocket.

"What the-" Kami angrily grabbed the alien and kicked him away. "Ugh… annoying bug."

"Let's eat 'im." Jeremiah said.

"Hn-naahh."

Meanwhile, Jagar King was gently rubbing his hands and studying his form, amazed at what had happened earlier. "I…I don't believe it. We're alive."

"Oh, WONDERFUL." Rumpel sarcastically exclaimed as he drank a bottle of beer. "You all get to endure ANOTHER lifetime of crap like me."

"Maybe…" Jagar smiled as Misty, Olive, and Yuki came beside him, "but at least I'll have friends to endure it with. You probably have some, too. Call that Gruntilda chick." With that, the four friends walked away. The drunken elf just stood there and continued engulfing his beer.

Nolan York stared out into the stars as well, sitting calmly in his new, wooden wheelchair as Mr. Dodds approached him. "Ya did good, Nolan m'boy."

"Hehe…"

"Not trying to sound like Hyrule King. Still… it's too bad your father couldn't be around. He'd be proud."

"Well… at least I have you to fill his shoes." He smiled.

"Aw, I don't deserve it." He replied sheepishly.

"Sure you do. You've been more of a father than Revan Sidious ever would. I mean… he's just a brat."

"Oh, it's really nothing. Heck, when you get older, you'll probably be a better father to your son, too."

"Heh heh… nah…" Nolan was slightly filled with worry at this.

Boba Fett, Solid Snake, and Khryssa were buying hamburgers. As Snake took a few bites, the military man used a toothpick to pick crumbs from between his teeth. "Hope you saved room for us." The three turned as Wolf's team entered the Moonbase. Rattlesnake Jake used his tail to flip the grill, flinging three burgers into the air, and catching them in his mouth.

"Hey, Wolf, good to see ya!" Boba Fett greeted.

"So, Boba, have you thought about our offer?" Khryssa asked.

"Whuh? Oh, if I wanna join the Secret Organization of Metahuman Freedom? I'm not sure…"

"Nah, he's gonna be a bounty hunter, right?" Wolf asked.

"Well, it is what I'm good at."

"Oh, he can decide on his own." Khryssa said.

"Yeah. But anyway, I need to get back and check with Samus." Snake said.

"You sound like you fancy her, David." Khryssa smirked.

"I told you… it's Snake." The man replied coolly. "It's always been Snake…"

Mika currently sat with Rainier and Lucario at a table, having cake. "Happy birthday, Mika." Rainier smiled.

"Aw, you guys remembered." Mika grinned.

"Lucario told me."

"Foxes have good memory." Lucario replied.

"So, Mika, where're you gonna stay?" Rainier asked. "Are you gonna keep staying with Mewtwo, or…"

"I think she should still remain at her house." Lucario suggested. "Even though she is an orphan, it is still her house."

"I guess so." Rainier shrugged. "Still, if they say you can't, and you can't mind-trick them, you can always move in with us."

"Awe, you're really sweet, Rainier." Mika grinned.

"MEW, Mew Mew!" the catlike Firstborn popped up between them, playfully circling around them.

Rachel McKenzie sat upon her throne above the bridge, staring intently at her Master Sword. The blue spirit, Fi jumped out and spoke, _"Something is on your mind, Master?"_

"Huh?" Rachel was snapped out of her thoughts. "I-I was just thinking… with the universe saved and all, what about the Master Sword? A-And the other Sacred Treasures…"

_"There may come a time when the Master Sword will be needed again. Whether that time is very near, or very far, I cannot say. It may be wise to keep it with you at all times. Before it must be used, you should keep it in this."_ Before Rachel's eyes, a rectangular shaped box with a purple gem on a lock appeared.

"W-What is-"

_"A Sacred Casket, which can only be opened by those with the hero's blood. It will be the safest way to keep them out of evil's hands. Not that evil could touch it anyway, Master."_ At this, Rachel made a light chuckle.

As Jagar went to pick up a cookie, the boy was approached by Clockwork. "Jagar. May I have a word with you?"

The two went to a dark room away from the party. Clockwork's form changed to that of an old, bearded man as he turned to Jagar. "What is it… Clockwork?"

"Jagar… I can't be around forever. One of the most important lessons about time is that all things must come to an end. Including the era of an old spirit. And that is why…" he held his staff out to Jagar, "I pass my work on to you."

Jagar's mouth dropped open. "M-Me? But-"

"You've learned what true power is, Jagar. You learned how precious power is. You know it is not the true strength. Even while your powers aren't the strongest… they are still some of the greatest. That is why… I entrust to you my staff."

Jagar shook his head and immediately backed away. "N-No. I can't, I…I won't! I'm not ready…"

"You've always been ready… in my eyes." Clockwork smiled. "I know… you will carry on my work… and ensure peace for all."

"But I…I don't know." Jagar's head slumped in doubt.

"Perhaps… but I do… I know everything."

Jagar looked up to face him again.

"You're my new heir, Jagar. I know… that you will use my powers wisely. Take it… and carry on my work."

Jagar still felt doubt in himself, but knew, if Clockwork could trust him, maybe he did have a chance. Jagar extended his arm, and took the Chrono Staff in his hand. Clockwork's body immediately faded away, disappearing into millions of pieces of Time Dust. The Time Dust flowed onto Jagar's body as a long, purple cape appeared along his back. Jagar felt the power inside him as he held the staff. He calmly closed his eyes as Misty and Olive stepped in. "Jagar? Where's Clockwork?" Misty asked.

Jagar glanced at them and held up the staff, and they knew what had happened. "So…?" Olive looked questioningly.

Jagar smiled and aimed the staff upwards. "Let's see what the future holds."

The staff started to glow, and the three kids stared as a vision began to show. Lots of future children frolicked happily in a park. There were two girls sitting under a tree and reading a book. There was also an alien girl with yellow skin and a purple dress, an alien girl with purple skin and green hair, and a tiny alien boy with white skin. A five-year-old girl in a brown sweater and bare feet tackled an older boy with buckteeth, both of them laughing. A boy in red glasses and a red jacket was playing on his Nintendo 3DS, competing with a girl with an orange shirt and frizzy black hair. There were two werecat five-year-old girls, scampering and chasing each other across the park. There was also a boy in a black sweater and black clothing, having a burping contest with a girl in flip-flops, raccoon ears, and a raccoon tail. And many other children as well.

Jagar, Misty, and Olive smiled at this vision, already looking forward to the future.

"KIDS NEXT DOOR!" Numbuh 362 announced as she raised her sword skyward, the blade brimming with energy. "PARTY STATIONS!" She unleashed a Skyward Strike into the air as confetti and streamers were thrown everywhere.

**Dungeon deep beneath the Underworld**

In the deepest, darkest pits of Hell, a towering, shadowy woman with snaky hair watched with disgust in her reflecting pool as the children partied away. Beside her, a blue ball of fire hovered over, a huge mouth of sharp teeth and pail, white eyes on her face. "They saved the universe… yay…" she exclaimed with no enthusiasm.

_"They sure did, Pandora."_

"Ooh-hoo-hoo!" exclaimed a single snake on the woman's head, lowering itself beside her face. "What's the plan now, Medusa? You know I prefer honey to VINEGAR!"

_"Patience, Thannypoo…"_ Medusa said to her snake minion. _"Let them have their fun and cheer. Let those brats party their faces off. Arceus's defeat, and the universe forming back together, marks the beginning of a brand new era! It'll only take 13 years before I'm finally FREE of this unholy prison. The darkness will rise… when I finally begin my search for the 20 Keys! And CREATE the New World as this one falls! Pretty, PERFECT Palutena… your time is COMING. Ha ha ha ha, HAA HA HA HA HA HAAAA!"_

Within the reflecting pool's image, the Eight Firstborn flew around the ceiling, lining up in a circle. They channeled each of their colorful energy into the circle, spelling out words…

**OC characters owned by DC Industries, Mika Works, Em, Kim, and April Inc., Divagirl Cor., Iron Morgan Works, Really Big's Hats, and Dani's Dynamites.**

**With association from Rareware Enterprises, Nintendo, Sega, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and LucasFilms.**

**Original _KND_ show owned by Tom Warburton.**

**Main gameplay development by Project Sora Ltd.**

**Music orchestrated by John Williams.**

**Voice recording studio: 4kids Productions**

**Published by FanFiction**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

The Eight Firstborn created these two words within the center of their circle, the words glowing bright and beautifully.

**_THE END_**

**All characters, locations, and/or other material are owned by their respective, original creators. Story idea copyrighted by Gamewizard2008.**

* * *

><p><strong>WOOOOO! And so, IT IS OVER! After almost a year of writing this, <em>Legend of the Eight Firstborn<em> is complete! I have been itching to create something like this for years, the greatest crossover saga of all time. I vowed that I would write and complete it, and I did! Almost every other author on this archive has given up on a big story, but I. DID. _NOT_. I saw through it 'til the very end, and I did! And THAT'S something to be proud of. Although there were a few parts I was lazy, and various parts that could be better, this story turned up pretty good I should say. Besides, I plan to make a Final Mix version of it. I would also like to thank all of my reviewers, Depthcharge2030, Numbuh 6.13, Emma, Morgan, Numbuh 227, Numbah435spiritsong, Divachick86, and anyone else that stuck to it through the end! I worked very hard on this, and it's all the more worth it that people liked it. But while it may be over for this story, it is not over for my series. Stick around for the Nextgen Series, and see all of our favorite characters married and with kids! And so, with these final words, this story must come to a close: Here's to _Legend of the Eight Firstborn_, the greatest crossover saga of all time. Jared Warner… OUT!**

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**_Legend of the Seven Lights… not coming very soon._**


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